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Walton BL, Shattuck-Brandt R, Hamann CA, Tung VW, Colazo JM, Brand DD, Hasty KA, Duvall CL, Brunger JM. A programmable arthritis-specific receptor for guided articular cartilage regenerative medicine. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.31.578281. [PMID: 38352576 PMCID: PMC10862827 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.31.578281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Objective Investigational cell therapies have been developed as disease-modifying agents for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA), including those that inducibly respond to inflammatory factors driving OA progression. However, dysregulated inflammatory cascades do not specifically signify the presence of OA. Here, we deploy a synthetic receptor platform that regulates cell behaviors in an arthritis-specific fashion to confine transgene expression to sites characterized by cartilage degeneration. Methods An scFv specific for type II collagen (CII) was used to produce a synthetic Notch (synNotch) receptor that enables "CII-synNotch" mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) to recognize CII fibers exposed in damaged cartilage. Engineered cell activation by both CII-treated culture surfaces and on primary tissue samples was measured via inducible reporter transgene expression. TGFβ3-expressing cells were assessed for cartilage anabolic gene expression via qRT-PCR. In a co-culture with CII-synNotch MSCs engineered to express IL-1Ra, ATDC5 chondrocytes were stimulated with IL-1α, and inflammatory responses of ATDC5s were profiled via qRT-PCR and an NF-κB reporter assay. Results CII-synNotch MSCs are highly responsive to CII, displaying activation ranges over 40-fold in response to physiologic CII inputs. CII-synNotch cells exhibit the capacity to distinguish between healthy and damaged cartilage tissue and constrain transgene expression to regions of exposed CII fibers. Receptor-regulated TGFβ3 expression resulted in upregulation of Acan and Col2a1 in MSCs, and inducible IL-1Ra expression by engineered CII-synNotch MSCs reduced pro-inflammatory gene expression in chondrocytes. Conclusion This work demonstrates proof-of-concept that the synNotch platform guides MSCs for spatially regulated, disease-dependent delivery of OA-relevant biologic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bonnie L Walton
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA
| | | | - Catherine A Hamann
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA
| | - Victoria W Tung
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA
| | - Juan M Colazo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA
| | - David D Brand
- Research Service, Lt. Col. Luke Weathers, Jr. VA Medical Center, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Karen A Hasty
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Biomedical Engineering, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis VA Medical Center, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Craig L Duvall
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA
- Center for Bone Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
| | - Jonathan M Brunger
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA
- Center for Bone Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37212, USA
- Center for Stem Cell Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37212, USA
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DeJulius CR, Walton BL, Colazo JM, d'Arcy R, Francini N, Brunger JM, Duvall CL. Engineering approaches for RNA-based and cell-based osteoarthritis therapies. Nat Rev Rheumatol 2024; 20:81-100. [PMID: 38253889 PMCID: PMC11129836 DOI: 10.1038/s41584-023-01067-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic, debilitating disease that substantially impairs the quality of life of affected individuals. The underlying mechanisms of OA are diverse and are becoming increasingly understood at the systemic, tissue, cellular and gene levels. However, the pharmacological therapies available remain limited, owing to drug delivery barriers, and consist mainly of broadly immunosuppressive regimens, such as corticosteroids, that provide only short-term palliative benefits and do not alter disease progression. Engineered RNA-based and cell-based therapies developed with synthetic chemistry and biology tools provide promise for future OA treatments with durable, efficacious mechanisms of action that can specifically target the underlying drivers of pathology. This Review highlights emerging classes of RNA-based technologies that hold potential for OA therapies, including small interfering RNA for gene silencing, microRNA and anti-microRNA for multi-gene regulation, mRNA for gene supplementation, and RNA-guided gene-editing platforms such as CRISPR-Cas9. Various cell-engineering strategies are also examined that potentiate disease-dependent, spatiotemporally regulated production of therapeutic molecules, and a conceptual framework is presented for their application as OA treatments. In summary, this Review highlights modern genetic medicines that have been clinically approved for other diseases, in addition to emerging genome and cellular engineering approaches, with the goal of emphasizing their potential as transformative OA treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlisle R DeJulius
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Bonnie L Walton
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Juan M Colazo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Richard d'Arcy
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Nora Francini
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Jonathan M Brunger
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
| | - Craig L Duvall
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
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3
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Garg U, Jain N, Kaul S, Nagaich U. Role of Albumin as a Targeted Drug Carrier in the Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Comprehensive Review. Mol Pharm 2023; 20:5345-5358. [PMID: 37870420 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.3c00581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
An endogenous transporter protein called albumin interacts with the Fc receptor to provide it with multiple substrate-binding domains, cell membrane receptor activation, and an extended circulating half-life. Albumin has the remarkable ability to bind with receptors viz. secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) and scavenger protein-A (SR-A) that are overexpressed during rheumatoid arthritis (RA), enabling active targeting of the disease site instead of requiring specialized substrates to be added to the nanocarrier. RA, a chronic autoimmune illness, is characterized by the presence of a severe inflammatory response. RA patients have low serum albumin concentration, which signifies the high uptake of albumin at the inflammatory sites, giving a rationale to use albumin as a drug carrier for RA therapy. Albumin has the capacity for both passive and active targeting. It is an abundantly available protein in the bloodstream showing excellent cellular compatibility, degradability in biological tissues, nonantigenicity, and safety. There are three strategies of albumin mediated drug delivery as encapsulating therapeutics in albumin nanoparticles, chemically conjugating drugs with functional proteins, and albumin itself which is used as a targeting ligand to deliver drugs specifically to cells or tissues that express albumin-binding receptors. In the current review, an attempt has been made to highlight the significant evidence of albumin as a drug delivery carrier for the safe and effective management of RA. Evidence has been provided in the form of recent research advances, clinical trials, and patents. Additionally, this review will outline the prospective for the potential utilization of albumin as a drug vehicle for RA and suggest possible future avenues to provide the perspective for subsequent studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Unnati Garg
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Amity Institute of Pharmacy, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201303, India
| | - Neha Jain
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Amity Institute of Pharmacy, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201303, India
| | - Shreya Kaul
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Amity Institute of Pharmacy, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201303, India
| | - Upendra Nagaich
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Amity Institute of Pharmacy, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201303, India
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Fletcher RB, Stokes LD, Kelly IB, Henderson KM, Vallecillo-Viejo IC, Colazo JM, Wong BV, Yu F, d'Arcy R, Struthers MN, Evans BC, Ayers J, Castanon M, Weirich MJ, Reilly SK, Patel SS, Ivanova YI, Silvera Batista CA, Weiss SM, Gersbach CA, Brunger JM, Duvall CL. Nonviral In Vivo Delivery of CRISPR-Cas9 Using Protein-Agnostic, High-Loading Porous Silicon and Polymer Nanoparticles. ACS NANO 2023; 17:16412-16431. [PMID: 37582231 PMCID: PMC11129837 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c12261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/17/2023]
Abstract
The complexity of CRISPR machinery is a challenge to its application for nonviral in vivo therapeutic gene editing. Here, we demonstrate that proteins, regardless of size or charge, efficiently load into porous silicon nanoparticles (PSiNPs). Optimizing the loading strategy yields formulations that are ultrahigh loading─>40% cargo by volume─and highly active. Further tuning of a polymeric coating on the loaded PSiNPs yields nanocomposites that achieve colloidal stability under cryopreservation, endosome escape, and gene editing efficiencies twice that of the commercial standard Lipofectamine CRISPRMAX. In a mouse model of arthritis, PSiNPs edit cells in both the cartilage and synovium of knee joints, and achieve 60% reduction in expression of the therapeutically relevant MMP13 gene. Administered intramuscularly, they are active over a broad dose range, with the highest tested dose yielding nearly 100% muscle fiber editing at the injection site. The nanocomposite PSiNPs are also amenable to systemic delivery. Administered intravenously in a model that mimics muscular dystrophy, they edit sites of inflamed muscle. Collectively, the results demonstrate that the PSiNP nanocomposites are a versatile system that can achieve high loading of diverse cargoes and can be applied for gene editing in both local and systemic delivery applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Brock Fletcher
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1631, United States
| | - Larry D Stokes
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1631, United States
| | - Isom B Kelly
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1631, United States
| | - Katelyn M Henderson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1631, United States
| | - Isabel C Vallecillo-Viejo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1631, United States
| | - Juan M Colazo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1631, United States
| | - Benjamin V Wong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1631, United States
| | - Fang Yu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1631, United States
| | - Richard d'Arcy
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1631, United States
| | - Morgan N Struthers
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1631, United States
| | - Brian C Evans
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1631, United States
| | - Jacob Ayers
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1631, United States
| | - Matthew Castanon
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1631, United States
| | - Michael J Weirich
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1631, United States
| | - Sarah K Reilly
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1631, United States
| | - Shrusti S Patel
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1631, United States
| | - Yoanna I Ivanova
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1631, United States
| | - Carlos A Silvera Batista
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1631, United States
| | - Sharon M Weiss
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1631, United States
| | - Charles A Gersbach
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708, United States
| | - Jonathan M Brunger
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1631, United States
| | - Craig L Duvall
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37235-1631, United States
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