Customized antisense oligonucleotide-based therapy for neurofilament-associated Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

ABSTRACT

DNA-based therapeutics have emerged as a revolutionary approach for addressing the treatment gap in rare inherited conditions by targeting the fundamental genetic causes of disease. Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease, a group of inherited neuropathies, represents one of the most prevalent Mendelian disease groups in neurology and is characterized by diverse genetic etiology. Axonal forms of CMT, known as CMT2, are caused by dominant mutations in over 30 different genes which lead to degeneration of lower motor neuron axons. Recent advances in antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapeutics have shown promise in targeting neurodegenerative disorders. Here we elucidate pathomechanistic changes contributing to variant specific molecular phenotypes in CMT2E, caused by a single nucleotide substitution (p.N98S) in the neurofilament light chain gene (NEFL). We used a patient-derived pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-induced motor neuron model, which recapitulates several cellular and biomarker phenotypes associated with CMT2E. Using an ASO treatment strategy targeting a heterozygous gain-of-function variant, we aimed to resolve molecular phenotypic changes observed in the CMT2E p.N98S subtype. To determine ASO therapeutic potential, we employed our treatment strategy in iPSC-derived motor neurons and used established as well as novel biomarkers of peripheral nervous system axonal degeneration. Our findings have demonstrated a significant decrease in clinically relevant biomarkers of axonal degeneration, presenting the first clinically viable genetic therapeutic for CMT2E. Similar strategies could be used to develop precision medicine approaches for otherwise untreatable gain of function inherited disorders.