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Taghian T, Batista AR, Kamper S, Caldwell M, Lilley L, Li H, Rodriguez P, Mesa K, Zheng S, King RM, Gounis MJ, Todeasa S, Maguire A, Martin DR, Sena-Esteves M, Meade TJ, Gray-Edwards HL. Real-time MR tracking of AAV gene therapy with βgal-responsive MR probe in a murine model of GM1-gangliosidosis. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2021; 23:128-134. [PMID: 34703836 PMCID: PMC8517204 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2021.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Transformative results of adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy in patients with spinal muscular atrophy and Leber's congenital amaurosis led to approval of the first two AAV products in the United States to treat these diseases. These extraordinary results led to a dramatic increase in the number and type of AAV gene-therapy programs. However, the field lacks non-invasive means to assess levels and duration of therapeutic protein function in patients. Here, we describe a new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology for real-time reporting of gene-therapy products in the living animal in the form of an MRI probe that is activated in the presence of therapeutic protein expression. For the first time, we show reliable tracking of enzyme expression after a now in-human clinical trial AAV gene therapy (ClinicalTrials.gov: NTC03952637) encoding lysosomal acid beta-galactosidase (βgal) using a self-immolative βgal-responsive MRI probe. MRI enhancement in AAV-treated enzyme-deficient mice (GLB-1-/-) correlates with βgal activity in central nervous system and peripheral organs after intracranial or intravenous AAV gene therapy, respectively. With >1,800 gene therapies in phase I/II clinical trials (ClinicalTrials.gov), development of a non-invasive method to track gene expression over time in patients is crucial to the future of the gene-therapy field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toloo Taghian
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.,Department of Radiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Ana Rita Batista
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.,Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Sarah Kamper
- Departments of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, Neurobiology and Radiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Michael Caldwell
- Departments of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, Neurobiology and Radiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Laura Lilley
- Departments of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, Neurobiology and Radiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Hao Li
- Departments of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, Neurobiology and Radiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Paola Rodriguez
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.,Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Katerina Mesa
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.,Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Shaokuan Zheng
- Department of Radiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Robert M King
- Department of Radiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA 01609, USA
| | - Matthew J Gounis
- Department of Radiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Sophia Todeasa
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.,Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Anne Maguire
- Scott-Ritchey Research Center, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Douglas R Martin
- Scott-Ritchey Research Center, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
| | - Miguel Sena-Esteves
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.,Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Thomas J Meade
- Departments of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, Neurobiology and Radiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Heather L Gray-Edwards
- Horae Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA.,Department of Radiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
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