title: Sustained high-level expression of full-length human factor VIII and restoration of clotting activity in hemophilic mice using a minimal adenovirus vector.
abstract: The successful prophylactic treatment of hemophilia A by frequent infusions of plasma concentrates or recombinant factor VIII (hFVIII) indicates that gene therapy may be a potential alternative for the treatment of the disease. For efficient delivery and long-term expression of the hFVIII gene, a novel minimal adenovirus (mini-Ad) vector, MiniAdFVIII, has been developed. The vector is devoid of all viral genes and carries the full-length hFVIII cDNA under the control of the human 12.5-kb albumin promoter. The MiniAdFVIII vector was propagated with the assistance of an ancillary vector in 293 cells and was purified by CsCl banding. Sustained expression of hFVIII at physiologic levels (100-800 ng/mL) was achieved in mice after a single intravenous injection of MiniAdFVIII. The expressed hFVIII had a structure identical to that of recombinant hFVIII, as determined by Western blot analysis. The functionality of the protein was confirmed by the restoration of blood coagulation capacity in MiniAdFVIII-treated hemophilic mice, as determined by tail clipping observations. Although antivector or antihuman FVIII antibodies at various levels were detected, long-term expression of the transgene was observed in the mice that did not generate antibodies against the transgene product. The vector DNA persisted in the liver tissues of the mice with long-term expression. No significant histopathologic findings or toxicities were observed to be associated with the vector in the MiniAdFVIII-treated C57BL/6 mice. These results support the further development of MiniAdFVIII for clinical trials toward the treatment of hemophilia A.
authors.affiliation: GenStar Therapeutics Corp, San Diego, CA 92121, USA.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Balagué
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Alemany
authors.forename: S F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Josephs
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Andreason
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hariharan
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sethi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Prokopenko
authors.forename: H Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Jan
authors.forename: Y C
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hubert-Leslie
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.forename: W W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000256:Adenoviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D000418:Albumins / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D000910:Antibodies, Heterophile / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D005169:Factor VIII / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D015870:Gene Expression; D005813:Genes, Synthetic; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D006467:Hemophilia A / Q000235:genetics / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D012449:Safety; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000418:Albumins; D000910:Antibodies, Heterophile; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D005169:Factor VIII