» Articles » PMID: 32322605

Successful Preclinical Development of Gene Therapy for Recombinase-Activating Gene-1-Deficient SCID

Abstract

Recombinase-activating gene-1 (RAG1)-deficient severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) patients lack B and T lymphocytes due to the inability to rearrange immunoglobulin and T cell receptor genes. Gene therapy is an alternative for those RAG1-SCID patients who lack a suitable bone marrow donor. We designed lentiviral vectors with different internal promoters driving codon-optimized to ensure optimal expression. We used mice as a preclinical model for RAG1-SCID to assess the efficacy of the various vectors. We observed that B and T cell reconstitution directly correlated with expression. Mice with low expression showed poor immune reconstitution; however, higher expression resulted in phenotypic and functional lymphocyte reconstitution comparable to mice receiving wild-type stem cells. No signs of genotoxicity were found. Additionally, RAG1-SCID patient CD34 cells transduced with our clinical RAG1 vector and transplanted into NSG mice led to improved human B and T cell development. Considering this efficacy outcome, together with favorable safety data, these results substantiate the need for a clinical trial for RAG1-SCID.

Citing Articles

Synthetic Promoters in Gene Therapy: Design Approaches, Features and Applications.

Artemyev V, Gubaeva A, Paremskaia A, Dzhioeva A, Deviatkin A, Feoktistova S Cells. 2024; 13(23).

PMID: 39682712 PMC: 11640742. DOI: 10.3390/cells13231963.


[Advances in gene therapy for inborn errors of immunity].

Li T, Song H Zhongguo Dang Dai Er Ke Za Zhi. 2024; 26(8):865-870.

PMID: 39148393 PMC: 11334546. DOI: 10.7499/j.issn.1008-8830.2404027.


Restoration of T and B Cell Differentiation after RAG1 Gene Transfer in Human RAG1 Defective Hematopoietic Stem Cells.

Sorel N, Diaz-Pascual F, Bessot B, Sadek H, Mollet C, Chouteau M Biomedicines. 2024; 12(7).

PMID: 39062069 PMC: 11275127. DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12071495.


Utilizing epigenetic regulators to improve HSC-based lentiviral gene therapy.

Tajer P, Karakaslar E, Cante-Barrett K, Naber B, Vloemans S, van Eggermond M Blood Adv. 2024; 8(18):4936-4947.

PMID: 38916861 PMC: 11421325. DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2024013047.


Mending RAG2: gene editing for treatment of RAG2 deficiency.

Hicks E, Keller M Blood Adv. 2024; 8(7):1817-1819.

PMID: 38592712 PMC: 11006806. DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2023012079.


References
1.
Haddad E, Logan B, Griffith L, Buckley R, Parrott R, Prockop S . SCID genotype and 6-month posttransplant CD4 count predict survival and immune recovery. Blood. 2018; 132(17):1737-1749. PMC: 6202916. DOI: 10.1182/blood-2018-03-840702. View

2.
Knight S, Zhang F, Mueller-Kuller U, Bokhoven M, Gupta A, Broughton T . Safer, silencing-resistant lentiviral vectors: optimization of the ubiquitous chromatin-opening element through elimination of aberrant splicing. J Virol. 2012; 86(17):9088-95. PMC: 3416147. DOI: 10.1128/JVI.00485-12. View

3.
Gaspar H, Parsley K, Howe S, King D, Gilmour K, Sinclair J . Gene therapy of X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency by use of a pseudotyped gammaretroviral vector. Lancet. 2004; 364(9452):2181-7. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(04)17590-9. View

4.
Dull T, Zufferey R, Kelly M, Mandel R, Nguyen M, Trono D . A third-generation lentivirus vector with a conditional packaging system. J Virol. 1998; 72(11):8463-71. PMC: 110254. DOI: 10.1128/JVI.72.11.8463-8471.1998. View

5.
Lagresle-Peyrou C, Yates F, Malassis-Seris M, Hue C, Morillon E, Garrigue A . Long-term immune reconstitution in RAG-1-deficient mice treated by retroviral gene therapy: a balance between efficiency and toxicity. Blood. 2005; 107(1):63-72. DOI: 10.1182/blood-2005-05-2032. View