Extensive Transduction and Enhanced Spread of a Modified AAV2 Capsid in the Non-human Primate CNS.

The present study was designed to characterize transduction of non-human primate brain and spinal cord with a modified adeno-associated virus serotype 2, incapable of binding to the heparan sulfate proteoglycan receptor, referred to as AAV2-HBKO. AAV2-HBKO was infused into the thalamus, intracerebroventricularly or via a combination of both intracerebroventricular and thalamic delivery. Thalamic injection of this modified vector encoding GFP resulted in widespread CNS transduction that included neurons in deep cortical layers, deep cerebellar nuclei, several subcortical regions, and motor neuron transduction in the spinal cord indicative of robust bidirectional axonal transport. Intracerebroventricular delivery similarly resulted in widespread cortical transduction, with one striking distinction that oligodendrocytes within superficial layers of the cortex were the primary cell type transduced. Robust motor neuron transduction was also observed in all levels of the spinal cord. The combination of thalamic and intracerebroventricular delivery resulted in transduction of oligodendrocytes in superficial cortical layers and neurons in deeper cortical layers. Several subcortical regions were also transduced. Our data demonstrate that AAV2-HBKO is a powerful vector for the potential treatment of a wide number of neurological disorders, and highlight that delivery route can significantly impact cellular tropism and pattern of CNS transduction.

Automated segmentation tool for brain infusions.

This study presents a computational tool for auto-segmenting the distribution of brain infusions observed by magnetic resonance imaging. Clinical usage of direct infusion is increasing as physicians recognize the need to attain high drug concentrations in the target structure with minimal off-target exposure. By co-infusing a Gadolinium-based contrast agent and visualizing the distribution using real-time using magnetic resonance imaging, physicians can make informed decisions about when to stop or adjust the infusion. However, manual segmentation of the images is tedious and affected by subjective preferences for window levels, image interpolation and personal biases about where to delineate the edge of the sloped shoulder of the infusion. This study presents a computational technique that uses a Gaussian Mixture Model to efficiently classify pixels as belonging to either the high-intensity infusate or low-intensity background. The algorithm was implemented as a distributable plug-in for the widely used imaging platform OsiriX®. Four independent operators segmented fourteen anonymized datasets to validate the tool's performance. The datasets were intra-operative magnetic resonance images of infusions into the thalamus or putamen of non-human primates. The tool effectively reproduced the manual segmentation volumes, while significantly reducing intra-operator variability by 67±18%. The tool will be used to increase efficiency and reduce variability in upcoming clinical trials in neuro-oncology and gene therapy.

Cannula placement for effective convection-enhanced delivery in the nonhuman primate thalamus and brainstem: implications for clinical delivery of therapeutics.

OBJECT: The purpose of this study was to optimize stereotactic coordinates for delivery of therapeutic agents into the thalamus and brainstem, using convection-enhanced delivery (CED) to avoid leakage into surrounding anatomical structures while maximizing CED of therapeutics within the target volume. METHODS: The authors recently published targeting data for the nonhuman primate putamen in which they defined infusion parameters, referred to as "red," "blue," and "green" zones, that describe cannula placements resulting in poor, suboptimal, and optimal volumes of distribution, respectively. In the present study, the authors retrospectively analyzed 22 MR images with gadoteridol as a contrast reagent, which were obtained during CED infusions into the thalamus (14 cases) and brainstem (8 cases) of nonhuman primates. RESULTS: Excellent distribution of gadoteridol within the thalamus was obtained in 8 cases and these were used to define an optimal target locus (or green zone). Good distribution in the thalamus, with variable leakage into adjacent anatomical structures, was noted in 6 cases, defining a blue zone. Quantitative containment (99.7 +/- 0.2%) of gadoteridol within the thalamus was obtained when the cannula was placed in the green zone, and less containment (85.4 +/- 3.8%) was achieved with cannula placement in the blue zone. Similarly, a green zone was also defined in the brainstem, and quantitative containment of infused gadoteridol within the brainstem was 99.4 +/- 0.6% when the cannula was placed in the green zone. These results were used to determine a set of 3D stereotactic coordinates that define an optimal site for infusions intended to cover the thalamus and brainstem of nonhuman primates. CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides quantitative analysis of cannula placement and infusate distribution using real-time MR imaging and defines an optimal zone for infusion in the nonhuman primate thalamus and brainstem. Cannula placement recommendations developed from such translational nonhuman primate studies have significant implications for the design of anticipated clinical trials featuring CED therapy into the thalamus and brainstem for CNS diseases.

Efficient gene therapy-based method for the delivery of therapeutics to primate cortex.

Transduction of the primate cortex with adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapy vectors has been challenging, because of the large size of the cortex. We report that a single infusion of AAV2 vector into thalamus results in widespread expression of transgene in the cortex through transduction of widely dispersed thalamocortical projections. This finding has important implications for the treatment of certain genetic and neurodegenerative diseases.

Real-time MR imaging of adeno-associated viral vector delivery to the primate brain.

We are developing a method for real-time magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) visualization of convection-enhanced delivery (CED) of adeno-associated viral vectors (AAV) to the primate brain. By including gadolinium-loaded liposomes (GDL) with AAV, we can track the convective movement of viral particles by continuous monitoring of distribution of surrogate GDL. In order to validate this approach, we infused two AAV (AAV1-GFP and AAV2-hAADC) into three different regions of non-human primate brain (corona radiata, putamen, and thalamus). The procedure was tolerated well by all three animals in the study. The distribution of GFP determined by immunohistochemistry in both brain regions correlated closely with distribution of GDL determined by MRI. Co-distribution was weaker with AAV2-hAADC, although in vivo PET scanning with FMT for AADC activity correlated well with immunohistochemistry of AADC. Although this is a relatively small study, it appears that AAV1 correlates better with MRI-monitored delivery than does AAV2. It seems likely that the difference in distribution may be due to differences in tissue specificity of the two serotypes.