title: Gene therapy rescues disease phenotype in a spinal muscular atrophy with respiratory distress type 1 (SMARD1) mouse model.
abstract: Spinal muscular atrophy with respiratory distress type 1 (SMARD1) is an autosomal recessive motor neuron disease affecting children. It is caused by mutations in the IGHMBP2 gene (11q13) and presently has no cure. Recently, adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9)-mediated gene therapy has been shown to rescue the phenotype of animal models of another lower motor neuron disorder, spinal muscular atrophy 5q, and a clinical trial with this strategy is ongoing. We report rescue of the disease phenotype in a SMARD1 mouse model after therapeutic delivery via systemic injection of an AAV9 construct encoding the wild-type IGHMBP2 to replace the defective gene. AAV9-IGHMBP2 administration restored protein levels and rescued motor function, neuromuscular physiology, and life span (450% increase), ameliorating pathological features in the central nervous system, muscles, and heart. To test this strategy in a human model, we transferred wild-type IGHMBP2 into human SMARD1-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived motor neurons; these cells exhibited increased survival and axonal length in long-term culture. Our data support the translational potential of AAV-mediated gene therapies for SMARD1, opening the door for AAV9-mediated therapy in human clinical trials.
authors.affiliation: Dino Ferrari Centre, Neuroscience Section, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation (DEPT), University of Milan, and Neurology Unit, IRCCS Foundation Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nizzardo
authors.affiliation: Dino Ferrari Centre, Neuroscience Section, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation (DEPT), University of Milan, and Neurology Unit, IRCCS Foundation Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Simone
authors.affiliation: Dino Ferrari Centre, Neuroscience Section, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation (DEPT), University of Milan, and Neurology Unit, IRCCS Foundation Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rizzo
authors.affiliation: Dino Ferrari Centre, Neuroscience Section, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation (DEPT), University of Milan, and Neurology Unit, IRCCS Foundation Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Salani
authors.affiliation: Dino Ferrari Centre, Neuroscience Section, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation (DEPT), University of Milan, and Neurology Unit, IRCCS Foundation Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dametti
authors.affiliation: Dino Ferrari Centre, Neuroscience Section, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation (DEPT), University of Milan, and Neurology Unit, IRCCS Foundation Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rinchetti
authors.affiliation: Dino Ferrari Centre, Neuroscience Section, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation (DEPT), University of Milan, and Neurology Unit, IRCCS Foundation Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Del Bo
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Foust
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA. ; The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH 43205, USA. ; Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
authors.forename: Brian K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Kaspar
authors.affiliation: Dino Ferrari Centre, Neuroscience Section, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation (DEPT), University of Milan, and Neurology Unit, IRCCS Foundation Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Nereo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bresolin
authors.affiliation: Dino Ferrari Centre, Neuroscience Section, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation (DEPT), University of Milan, and Neurology Unit, IRCCS Foundation Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Giacomo P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Comi
authors.affiliation: Dino Ferrari Centre, Neuroscience Section, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation (DEPT), University of Milan, and Neurology Unit, IRCCS Foundation Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Corti
keywords: Spinal Muscular atrophy with Respiratory Distress Type 1; gene therapy