In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of Human Adenovirus Type 49 as a Vector for Therapeutic Applications.

The human adenovirus phylogenetic tree is split across seven species (A-G). Species D adenoviruses offer potential advantages for gene therapy applications, with low rates of pre-existing immunity detected across screened populations. However, many aspects of the basic virology of species D-such as their cellular tropism, receptor usage, and in vivo biodistribution profile-remain unknown. Here, we have characterized human adenovirus type 49 (HAdV-D49)-a relatively understudied species D member. We report that HAdV-D49 does not appear to use a single pathway to gain cell entry, but appears able to interact with various surface molecules for entry. As such, HAdV-D49 can transduce a broad range of cell types in vitro, with variable engagement of blood coagulation FX. Interestingly, when comparing in vivo biodistribution to adenovirus type 5, HAdV-D49 vectors show reduced liver targeting, whilst maintaining transduction of lung and spleen. Overall, this presents HAdV-D49 as a robust viral vector platform for ex vivo manipulation of human cells, and for in vivo applications where the therapeutic goal is to target the lung or gain access to immune cells in the spleen, whilst avoiding liver interactions, such as intravascular vaccine applications.

Limitations and advances in new treatments and future perspectives of corneal blindness / Limitações e avanços em novos tratamentos e perspectivas futuras na cegueira corneal

ABSTRACT This review is intended to describe the therapeutic approaches for corneal blindness, detailing the steps and elements involved in corneal wound healing. It also presents the limitations of the actual surgical and pharmacological strategies used to restore and maintain corneal transparency in terms of long-term survival and geographic coverage. In addition, we critically review the perspectives of anabolic agents, including vitamin A, hormones, growth factors, and novel promitotic and anti-inflammatory modulators, to assist corneal wound healing. We discuss the studies involving nanotechnology, gene therapy, and tissue reengineering as potential future strategies to work solely or in combination with corneal surgery to prevent or revert corneal blindness.(AU)

RESUMO O presente trabalho traz uma revisão das abordagens terapêuticas para a cegueira da córnea. O estudo detalha as etapas e os elementos envolvidos na cicatrização da córnea. Ele mostra as limitações das estratégias cirúrgicas e farmacológicas usadas para restaurar e manter a transparência da córnea em termos de sobrevida a longo prazo e alcance geográfico. As perspectivas dos agentes anabólicos, incluindo vitamina A, hormônios, fatores de crescimento e novos moduladores pró-mitóticos e anti-inflamatórios para auxiliar a cicatrização da ferida na córnea, são revisadas criticamente. Aqui, apresentamos estudos envolvendo nanotecnologia, terapia gênica e reengenharia de tecidos como possíveis estratégias futuras para atuar de maneira isolada ou combinada com a cirurgia da córnea para prevenir ou reverter a cegueira corneana.(AU)

Advances in intelligent DNA nanomachines for targeted cancer therapy.

As an emerging field, DNA nanotechnology has been applied to the fabrication of drug delivery systems. Unprecedented spatial addressability and intrinsic sequence encoding enable DNA strands to self-assemble into well-defined 2D and 3D DNA nanostructures with specifically controlled sizes, shapes and surface charges. Multifunctional DNA nanostructures have been created and applied as promising platforms for drug delivery, imaging, and theranostics. Advantages of chemotherapy, gene therapy, and immunotherapy, among others, have been integrated into such functional nanodevices, showing potential in tumor-targeted therapy and diagnosis. In this review, we summarize general methods for the construction of DNA nanodevices and focus on targeting strategies favored by the compatibility of DNA nanotechnology. Additionally, we highlight the outlook and challenges facing the use of DNA nanotechnology in cancer therapy.

Polyprenol-Based Lipofecting Agents for In Vivo Delivery of Therapeutic DNA to Treat Hypertensive Rats.

Development of efficient vectors for transfection is one of the major challenges in genetic engineering. Previous research demonstrated that cationic derivatives of polyisoprenoids (PTAI) may serve as carriers of nucleic acids. In the present study, the effectiveness of two PTAI-based formulations (PTAI-6-8 and 10-14) was investigated and compared to the commercial reagents. The purpose of applied gene therapy was to enhance the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A) in the renal medulla of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and to test its potential as a novel antihypertensive intervention. In the first part of the study (in vitro), we confirmed that PTAI-based lipoplexes efficiently transfect XC rat sarcoma cells and are stable in 37 °C for 7 days. In the in vivo experiments, we administered selected lipoplexes directly to the kidneys of conscious SHR (via osmotic pumps). There were no blood pressure changes and VEGF-A level in renal medulla was significantly higher only for PTAI-10-14-based formulation. In conclusion, despite the promising results, we were not able to achieve VEGF-A expression level high enough to verify VEGF-A gene therapy usefulness in SHR. However, results of our study give important indications for the future development of PTAI-based DNA carriers and kidney-targeted gene delivery.

Historic Overview of Genetic Engineering Technologies for Human Gene Therapy.

The concepts of gene therapy were initially introduced during the 1960s. Since the early 1990s, more than 1900 clinical trials have been conducted for the treatment of genetic diseases and cancers mainly using viral vectors. Although a variety of methods have also been performed for the treatment of malignant gliomas, it has been difficult to target invasive glioma cells. To overcome this problem, immortalized neural stem cell (NSC) and a nonlytic, amphotropic retroviral replicating vector (RRV) have attracted attention for gene delivery to invasive glioma. Recently, genome editing technology targeting insertions at site-specific locations has advanced; in particular, the clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated-9 (CRISPR/Cas9) has been developed. Since 2015, more than 30 clinical trials have been conducted using genome editing technologies, and the results have shown the potential to achieve positive patient outcomes. Gene therapy using CRISPR technologies for the treatment of a wide range of diseases is expected to continuously advance well into the future.

Acoustofluidic sonoporation for gene delivery to human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.

Advances in gene editing are leading to new medical interventions where patients' own cells are used for stem cell therapies and immunotherapies. One of the key limitations to translating these treatments to the clinic is the need for scalable technologies for engineering cells efficiently and safely. Toward this goal, microfluidic strategies to induce membrane pores and permeability have emerged as promising techniques to deliver biomolecular cargo into cells. As these technologies continue to mature, there is a need to achieve efficient, safe, nontoxic, fast, and economical processing of clinically relevant cell types. We demonstrate an acoustofluidic sonoporation method to deliver plasmids to immortalized and primary human cell types, based on pore formation and permeabilization of cell membranes with acoustic waves. This acoustofluidic-mediated approach achieves fast and efficient intracellular delivery of an enhanced green fluorescent protein-expressing plasmid to cells at a scalable throughput of 200,000 cells/min in a single channel. Analyses of intracellular delivery and nuclear membrane rupture revealed mechanisms underlying acoustofluidic delivery and successful gene expression. Our studies show that acoustofluidic technologies are promising platforms for gene delivery and a useful tool for investigating membrane repair.

Targeted delivery of engineered auditory sensing protein for ultrasound neuromodulation in the brain.

Sonogenetics is a promising approach for in vivo neuromodulation using ultrasound (US) to non-invasively stimulate cells in deep tissue. However, sonogenetics requires accurate transduction of US-responsive proteins into target cells. Here, we introduce a non-invasive and non-viral approach for intracerebral gene delivery. This approach utilizes temporary ultrasonic disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to transfect neurons at specific sites in the brain via DNA that encodes engineered US-responsive protein (murine Prestin (N7T, N308S))-loaded microbubbles (pPrestin-MBs). Prestin is a transmembrane protein that exists in the mammalian auditory system and functions as an electromechanical transducer. We further improved the US sensitivity of Prestin by introducing specific amino acid substitutions that frequently occur in sonar species into the mouse Prestin protein. We demonstrated this concept in mice using US with pPrestin-MBs to non-invasively modify and activate neurons within the brain for spatiotemporal neuromodulation. Method: MBs composed of cationic phospholipid and C3F8 loaded with mouse Prestin plasmid (pPrestin) via electrostatic interactions. The mean concentration and size of the pPrestin-MBs were (16.0 ± 0.2) × 109 MBs/mL and 1.1 ± 0.2 µm, respectively. SH-SY5Y neuron-like cells and C57BL mice were used in this study. We evaluated the gene transfection efficiency and BBB-opening region resulting from pPrestin-MBs with 1-MHz US (pressure = 0.1-0.5 MPa, cycle = 50-10000, pulse repetition frequency (PRF): 0.5-5 Hz, sonication time = 60 s) using green fluorescence protein (Venus) and Evans blue staining. Results: The maximum pPrestin expression with the highest cell viability occurred at a pressure of 0.5 MPa, cycle number of 5000, and PRF of 1 Hz. The cellular transfection rate with pPrestin-MBs and US was 20.2 ± 2.5%, which was 1.5-fold higher than that of commercial transfection agents (LT-1). In vivo data suggested that the most profound expression of pPrestin occurred at 2 days after performing pPrestin-MBs with US (0.5 MPa, 240 s sonication time). In addition, no server erythrocyte extravasations and apoptosis cells were observed at US-sonicated region. We further found that with 0.5-MHz US stimulation, cells with Prestin expression were 6-fold more likely to exhibit c-Fos staining than cells without Prestin expression. Conclusion: Successful activation of Prestin-expressing neurons suggests that this technology provides non-invasive and spatially precise selective modulation of one or multiple specific brain regions.

Fe3+-Coordinated Multifunctional Elastic Nanoplatform for Effective in Vivo Gene Transfection.

The common phenomenon that the nonviral vectors have much lower transfection efficiency in vivo than in vitro greatly restricts their further developments and applications. Possible reasons are lacking targeting ability, elimination by the reticuloendothelial system (RES), and insufficient nuclear transport. Here, a novel, flexible, and deformable polymer Fe@PEI-R12 (tLyp-1-NLS) is reported for shortening the gap between in vitro and in vivo gene transfection efficiency. The amorphous network structure Fe@PEI with deformation ability acquired by coordination cross-linking of Fe3+ and low-molecular-weight polyethylenimine (LMW-PEI) constructs the core and serves as the gene reservoir, and it can squeeze out through RES filter holes when trapped in the spleen. The bifunctional peptide R12 provided tumor targeting and enhanced nuclear delivery ability. Additionally, the Fe3+ from Fe@PEI-R12 could trigger endogenous hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) decomposition to produce O2, thereby reducing the adverse effects of tumor hypoxia. It is demonstrated that the Fe@PEI-R12/pDNA complexes could pass through membrane filters, subsequently achieving long circulation time, and Fe@PEI-R12 had a tendency to accumulate in tumor tissue and mediate pGL3-control expression. Therefore, the multifunctional nanoplatform has the potential for effective in vivo gene delivery.

Role of Nanobiotechnology in Drug Delivery.

This chapter is a brief overview of use of nanobiotechnology in drug delivery. Several types of nanoparticles are available. Nanoparticulate formulations of normally used drugs have increased efficacy due to improved absorption and require lower dosage with less side effects than standard formulations. Nanobiotechnology also facilitates targeted drug delivery of anticancer drugs, which is important for the management of cancer. Nanoparticles also facilitate crossing of biological barriers in the human body for drug delivery to targeted organs, for example, crossing the blood-brain barrier to reach the brain. Nanobiotechnology applications in delivery of biological therapies are expanding in areas such as cell and gene therapies, siRNAs, and monoclonal antibodies. Some nanoparticles can carry more than one therapeutic molecule enabling multimodal therapy and combination with physical modalities such as radiotherapy in cancer. Nanorobotics is developing with applications in drug delivery, particularly for cancer. Other anticipated developments in this area include use of nanotechnology for creating intelligent drug release devices.

A nanogel based oral gene delivery system targeting SUMOylation machinery to combat gut inflammation.

Poor success rates and challenges associated with the current therapeutic strategies of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have accelerated the emergence of gene therapy as an alternative treatment option with great promise. However, oral delivery of nucleic acids (NAs) to an inflamed colon is challenged by multiple barriers presented by the gastrointestinal, extracellular and intracellular compartments. Therefore, we screened a series of polyaspartic acid-derived amphiphilic cationic polymers with varied hydrophobicity for their ability to deliver NAs into mammalian cells. Using the most effective TAC6 polymer, we then engineered biocompatible and stable nanogels composed of polyplexes (TAC6, NA) and an anionic polymer, sodium polyaspartate, that were able to deliver the NAs across mammalian cells using caveolae-mediated cellular uptake. We then utilized these nanogels for oral delivery of PIAS1 (protein inhibitor of activated STAT1), a SUMO 3 ligase, encoding plasmid DNA since PIAS1 is a key nodal therapeutic target for IBD due to its ability to control NF-κB-mediated inflammatory signaling. We show that plasmid delivery using TAC6-derived nanogels diminished gut inflammation in a murine colitis model. Therefore, our study presents engineering of orally deliverable nanogels that can target SUMOylation machinery to combat gut inflammation with very high efficacy.

Rapid establishment of stable retroviral packaging cells and recombinant susceptible target cell lines employing novel transposon vectors derived from Sleeping Beauty.

Viral vector particles derived from murine leukemia virus (MLV) mediate highly efficient stable gene transfer used in gene therapeutic approaches and in the generation of transgenic cell lines. However, the establishment of stable viral packaging cells (VPCs) is a time-consuming challenge. To overcome this limitation, we successfully generated novel Sleeping Beauty-derived transposon vectors entailing envelope and packaging expression cassettes as well as a transfer vector. Upon multiplexed transposition in human cells, VPC bulk populations yielding titers of over 1 × 106 transduction-competent vectors were established within three weeks. In contrast, conventional plasmid-based establishment of VPCs, conducted in parallel, took much longer and yielded significantly lower vector productivity and vector fitness. The generated MLV vectors decorated with the envelope proteins of ecotropic MLV PVC-211mc mediated efficient transduction of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Cell susceptibility was further elevated upon recombinant expression of the murine ecotropic receptor mCAT employing a transposon vector.

Tetramer-Based Enrichment of Preexisting Anti-AAV8 CD8+ T Cells in Human Donors Allows the Detection of a TEMRA Subpopulation.

Pre-existing immunity to AAV capsid may compromise the safety and efficiency of rAAV-mediated gene transfer in patients. Anti-capsid cytotoxic immune responses have proven to be a challenge to characterize because of the scarcity of circulating AAV-specific CD8+ T lymphocytes which can seldom be detected with conventional flow cytometry or ELISpot assays. Here, we used fluorescent MHC class I tetramers combined with magnetic enrichment to detect and phenotype AAV8-specific CD8+ T cells in human PBMCs without prior amplification. We showed that all healthy individuals tested carried a pool of AAV8-specific CD8+ T cells with a CD45RA+ CCR7- terminally-differentiated effector memory cell (TEMRA) fraction. Ex vivo frequencies of total AAV-specific CD8+ T cells were not predictive of IFNγ ELISpot responses but interestingly we evidenced a correlation between the proportion of TEMRA cells and IFNγ ELISpot positive responses. TEMRA cells may then play a role in recombinant AAV-mediated cytotoxicity in patients with preexisting immunity. Overall, our results encourage the development of new methods combining increased detection sensitivity of AAV-specific T cells and their poly-functional assessment to better characterize and monitor AAV capsid-specific cellular immune responses in the perspective of rAAV-mediated clinical trials.

Infectivity of adeno-associated virus serotypes in mouse testis.

BACKGROUND: Recombinant adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) are emerging as favoured transgene delivery vectors for both research applications and gene therapy. In this context, a thorough investigation of the potential of various AAV serotypes to transduce specific cell types is valuable. Here, we rigorously tested the infectivity of a number of AAV serotypes in murine testis by direct testicular injection. RESULTS: We report the tropism of serotypes AAV2, 5, 8, 9 and AAVrh10 in mouse testis. We reveal unique infectivity of AAV2 and AAV9, which preferentially target intertubular testosterone-producing Leydig cells. Remarkably, AAV2 TM, a mutant for capsid designed to increase transduction, displayed a dramatic alteration in tropism; it infiltrated seminiferous tubules unlike wildtype AAV2 and transduced Sertoli cells. However, none of the AAVs tested infected spermatogonial cells. CONCLUSIONS: In spite of direct testicular injection, none of the tested AAVs appeared to infect sperm progenitors as assayed by reporter expression. This lends support to the current view that AAVs are safe gene-therapy vehicles. However, testing the presence of rAAV genomic DNA in germ cells is necessary to assess the risk of individual serotypes.

TRIAMF: A New Method for Delivery of Cas9 Ribonucleoprotein Complex to Human Hematopoietic Stem Cells.

CRISPR/Cas9 mediated gene editing of patient-derived hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) ex vivo followed by autologous transplantation of the edited HSPCs back to the patient can provide a potential cure for monogenic blood disorders such as ß-hemoglobinopathies. One challenge for this strategy is efficient delivery of the ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex, consisting of purified Cas9 protein and guide RNA, into HSPCs. Because ß-hemoglobinopathies are most prevalent in developing countries, it is desirable to have a reliable, efficient, easy-to-use and cost effective delivery method. With this goal in mind, we developed TRansmembrane Internalization Assisted by Membrane Filtration (TRIAMF), a new method to quickly and effectively deliver RNPs into HSPCs by passing a RNP and cell mixture through a filter membrane. We achieved robust gene editing in HSPCs using TRIAMF and demonstrated that the multilineage colony forming capacities and the competence for engraftment in immunocompromised mice of HSPCs were preserved post TRIAMF treatment. TRIAMF is a custom designed system using inexpensive components and has the capacity to process HSPCs at clinical scale.

Improved Baculovirus Vectors for Transduction and Gene Expression in Human Pancreatic Islet Cells.

Pancreatic islet transplantation is a promising treatment for type 1 diabetes mellitus offering improved glycaemic control by restoring insulin production. Improved human pancreatic islet isolation has led to higher islet transplantation success. However, as many as 50% of islets are lost after transplantation due to immune responses and cellular injury, gene therapy presents a novel strategy to protect pancreatic islets for improved survival post-transplantation. To date, most of the vectors used in clinical trials and gene therapy studies have been derived from mammalian viruses such as adeno-associated or retrovirus. However, baculovirus BacMam vectors provide an attractive and safe alternative. Here, a novel BacMam was constructed containing a frameshift mutation within fp25, which results in virus stocks with higher infectious titres. This improved in vitro transduction when compared to control BacMams. Additionally, incorporating a truncated vesicular stomatitis virus G protein increased transduction efficacy and production of EGFP and BCL2 in human kidney (HK-2) and pancreatic islet ß cells (EndoC ßH3). Lastly, we have shown that our optimized BacMam vector can deliver and express egfp in intact pancreatic islet cells from human cadaveric donors. These results confirm that BacMam vectors are a viable choice for providing delivery of transgenes to pancreatic islet cells.

Lobe-Specific Gene Vector Delivery to Rat Lungs Using a Miniature Bronchoscope.

For respiratory research utilizing gene vector delivery to the lung, the size of rodent models has typically necessitated relatively "blind" dosing via the nose, via an endotracheal tube, or through a surgical incision into the trachea. This commonly results in a limited ability to dose specific small regions of the lung reliably, and contributes to high levels of transduction variability between animals. The resultant poor reliability, reproducibility, and high variability compromises statistical capability, and so demands greater animal sample sizes than should be feasible. The first reliable targeted gene vector dosing of small regions in rat lungs has been designed and successfully implemented using a miniature rigid bronchoscope containing a working channel. Using this setup, this technique can currently access airway branches down to at least the fourth generation in the lungs of rats >200 g in body weight, allowing dosing and re-dosing of specific lobes via airway branch points in the lung tree. Here, the protocol for performing this minimally invasive technique is reported, along with the effect of delivering vesicular stomatitis virus G pseudotyped lentivirus to selected lung lobes. Examples of other applications, such as delivery of agar beads, are also shown. It is expected that the availability of this technique will substantially enhance gene vector studies in rat models for a range of lung diseases.

CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Genome Editing for Huntington's Disease.

This chapter describes the potential use of viral-mediated gene transfer in the central nervous system for genome editing in the context of Huntington's disease. Here, we provide protocols that cover the design of various genome editing strategies, the cloning of CRISPR/Cas9 elements into lentiviral vectors, and the assessment of cleavage efficiency, as well as potential unwanted effects.

Disease Modification Through Trophic Factor Delivery.

Huntington's disease (HD) is characterized by a significant loss of striatal neurons that project to the globus pallidus and substantia nigra, together with loss of cortical projection neurons in varying regions. Mutant huntingtin is suggested to drive the pathogenesis partially by downregulating corticostriatal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels and signaling. Neurotrophic factors are endogenous peptides that promote the survival and maintenance of neurons. BDNF and other neurotrophic factors have shown neuroprotective benefits in various animal models of neurodegeneration, and are interesting candidates to protect the cell populations that are destined to die in HD. In an attempt to enhance the delivery of neurotrophic factors, several methods have been established to deliver long-term neurotrophic factor gene therapy to human target tissues. This chapter discusses two alternative approaches that have been shown to have potential to deliver neurotrophic factors as a neuroprotective gene therapy for HD. The methods are (1) ex vivo approach where encapsulated cells engineered to express neurotrophic factor are inserted into brain parenchyma or ventricle, and (2) in vivo viral vector therapy, in which viral vector is injected into desired brain area to express gene of interest in the host cells.

Process optimization for the rapid production of adenoviral vectors for clinical trials in a disposable bioreactor system.

Recombinant adenoviral (Ad) vectors are highly efficient gene transfer vectors widely used in vaccine development and immunotherapy. To promote the industrial application of Ad vectors, studies focusing on reducing the cost of manufacturing, shortening the preclinical research period, and improving the quality of products are needed. Here, we describe a highly efficient and economical process for producing Ad vector in a novel, single-use bioreactor system suitable for clinical trials. A mini-bioreactor was used for parameter optimization and development of medium replacement protocols for Ad5-GFP production before scale-up. HEK293 cell culture and virus infection were monitored in a disposable AmProtein Current Perfusion Bioreactor and Bioflo310 bioreactor using optimized parameters and medium replacement protocols. The total cell number increased from 2.0 × 109 to 3.2 × 1010 after 6 days of culture. The total number of viral particles obtained in a single batch was 1.2 × 1015. These results demonstrate the efficiency and suitability of this system for Ad vector production for research and GMP applications.

RNA Interference-Mediated Gene Silencing in Esophageal Adenocarcinoma.

RNA interference (RNAi) is a normal physiological mechanism in which a short effector antisense RNA molecule regulates target gene expression. It is a powerful tool to silence a particular gene of interest in a sequence-specific manner and can be used to target against various molecular pathways in esophageal adenocarcinoma by designing RNAi targeting key pathogenic genes. RNAi-based therapeutics against esophageal adenocarcinoma can be developed using different strategies including inhibition of overexpressed oncogenes, blocking cell division by interfering cyclins and related genes or enhancing apoptosis by suppressing anti-apoptotic genes. In addition, RNAi against multidrug resistance genes or chemo-resistance targets may provide promising cancer therapeutic options. Here, we describe RNAi technology using MET, a proto-oncogene in esophageal adenocarcinoma cells, as a model target. Lentiviral particles expressing MET shRNA was used to silence MET genes. Then, Western blot analysis was performed to confirm MET knockdown.