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Lederer CW, Koniali L, Buerki-Thurnherr T, Papasavva PL, La Grutta S, Licari A, Staud F, Bonifazi D, Kleanthous M. Catching Them Early: Framework Parameters and Progress for Prenatal and Childhood Application of Advanced Therapies. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14040793. [PMID: 35456627 PMCID: PMC9031205 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14040793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) are medicines for human use based on genes, cells or tissue engineering. After clear successes in adults, the nascent technology now sees increasing pediatric application. For many still untreatable disorders with pre- or perinatal onset, timely intervention is simply indispensable; thus, prenatal and pediatric applications of ATMPs hold great promise for curative treatments. Moreover, for most inherited disorders, early ATMP application may substantially improve efficiency, economy and accessibility compared with application in adults. Vindicating this notion, initial data for cell-based ATMPs show better cell yields, success rates and corrections of disease parameters for younger patients, in addition to reduced overall cell and vector requirements, illustrating that early application may resolve key obstacles to the widespread application of ATMPs for inherited disorders. Here, we provide a selective review of the latest ATMP developments for prenatal, perinatal and pediatric use, with special emphasis on its comparison with ATMPs for adults. Taken together, we provide a perspective on the enormous potential and key framework parameters of clinical prenatal and pediatric ATMP application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carsten W. Lederer
- The Molecular Genetics Thalassemia Department, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus; (L.K.); (P.L.P.); (M.K.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +357-22-392764
| | - Lola Koniali
- The Molecular Genetics Thalassemia Department, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus; (L.K.); (P.L.P.); (M.K.)
| | - Tina Buerki-Thurnherr
- Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, 9014 St. Gallen, Switzerland;
| | - Panayiota L. Papasavva
- The Molecular Genetics Thalassemia Department, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus; (L.K.); (P.L.P.); (M.K.)
| | - Stefania La Grutta
- Institute of Translational Pharmacology, IFT National Research Council, 90146 Palermo, Italy;
| | - Amelia Licari
- Pediatric Clinic, Department of Clinical, Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy;
| | - Frantisek Staud
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, 50005 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic;
| | - Donato Bonifazi
- Consorzio per Valutazioni Biologiche e Farmacologiche (CVBF) and European Paediatric Translational Research Infrastructure (EPTRI), 70122 Bari, Italy;
| | - Marina Kleanthous
- The Molecular Genetics Thalassemia Department, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus; (L.K.); (P.L.P.); (M.K.)
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2
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Erlich HA, López-Peña C, Carlberg KT, Shih S, Bali G, Yamaguchi KD, Salamon H, Das R, Lal A, Calloway CD. Non-Invasive Prenatal Test for β-Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Disease Using Probe Capture Enrichment and Next-Generation Sequencing of DNA in Maternal Plasma. J Appl Lab Med 2021; 7:515-531. [PMID: 34849992 DOI: 10.1093/jalm/jfab118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) of chromosomal aneuploidies based on next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis of fetal DNA in maternal plasma is well established, but testing for autosomal recessive disorders remains challenging. NGS libraries prepared by probe capture facilitate the analysis of the short DNA fragments plasma. This system has been applied to the β-hemoglobinopathies to reduce the risk to the fetus. METHOD Our probe panel captures >4 kb of the HBB region and 435 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) used to estimate fetal fraction. Contrived mixtures of DNA samples, plasma, and whole blood samples from 7 pregnant women with β-thalassemia or sickle cell anemia mutations and samples from the father, sibling, and baby or chorionic villus were analyzed. The fetal genotypes, including point mutations and deletions, were inferred by comparing the observed and expected plasma sequence read ratios, based on fetal fraction, at the mutation site and linked SNPs. Accuracy was increased by removing PCR duplicates and by in silico size selection of plasma sequence reads. A probability was assigned to each of the potential fetal genotypes using a statistical model for the experimental variation, and thresholds were established for assigning clinical status. RESULTS Using in silico size selection of plasma sequence files, the predicted clinical fetal genotype assignments were correct in 9 of 10 plasma libraries with maternal point mutations, with 1 inconclusive result. For 2 additional plasmas with deletions, the most probable fetal genotype was correct. The β-globin haplotype determined from linked SNPs, when available, was used to infer the fetal genotype at the mutation site. CONCLUSION This probe capture NGS assay demonstrates the potential of NIPT for β-hemoglobinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry A Erlich
- Department of Genetics and Genomics, Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, CA, USA
| | - Christian López-Peña
- Department of Genetics and Genomics, Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, CA, USA
| | - Katie T Carlberg
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, Oakland, CA, USA
| | - Shelly Shih
- Department of Genetics and Genomics, Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, CA, USA
| | - Gunmeet Bali
- Department of Genetics and Genomics, Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Reena Das
- Post Graduate Institute of Medical and Educational Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Ashutosh Lal
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, Oakland, CA, USA
| | - Cassandra D Calloway
- Department of Genetics and Genomics, Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, CA, USA
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, Oakland, CA, USA
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3
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Kandasamy K, Tan LG, B Johana N, Tan YW, Foo W, Yeo JSL, Ravikumar V, Ginhoux F, Choolani M, Chan JKY, Mattar CNZ. Maternal microchimerism and cell-mediated immune-modulation enhance engraftment following semi-allogenic intrauterine transplantation. FASEB J 2021; 35:e21413. [PMID: 33570785 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202002185rr] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Successful intrauterine hematopoietic cell transplantation (IUT) for congenital hemoglobinopathies is hampered by maternal alloresponsiveness. We investigate these interactions in semi-allogenic murine IUT. E14 fetuses (B6 females × BALB/c males) were each treated with 5E+6 maternal (B6) or paternal (BALB/c) bone marrow cells and serially monitored for chimerism (>1% engraftment), trafficked maternal immune cells, and immune responsiveness to donor cells. A total of 41.0% of maternal IUT recipients (mIUT) were chimeras (mean donor chimerism 3.0 ± 1.3%) versus 75.0% of paternal IUT recipients (pIUT, 3.6 ± 1.1%). Chimeras showed higher maternal microchimerism of CD4, CD8, and CD19 than non-chimeras. These maternal cells showed minimal responsiveness to B6 or BALB/c stimulation. To interrogate tolerance, mIUT were injected postnatally with 5E+6 B6 cells/pup; pIUT received BALB/c cells. IUT-treated pups showed no changes in trafficked maternal or fetal immune cell levels compared to controls. Donor-specific IgM and IgG were expressed by 1%-3% of recipients. mIUT splenocytes showed greater proliferation of regulatory T cells (Treg) upon BALB/c stimulation, while B6 stimulation upregulated the pro-inflammatory cytokines more than BALB/c. pIUT splenocytes produced identical Treg and cytokine responses to BALB/c and B6 cells, with higher Treg activity and lower pro-inflammatory cytokine expression upon exposure to BALB/c. In contrast, naïve fetal splenocytes demonstrated greater alloresponsiveness to BALB/c compared to B6 cells. Thus pIUT, associated with increased maternal cell trafficking, modulates fetal Treg, and cytokine responsiveness to donor cells more efficiently than mIUT, resulting in improved engraftment. Paternal donor cells may be considered alternatively to maternal donor cells for intrauterine and postnatal transplantation to induce tolerance and maintain engraftment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karthikeyan Kandasamy
- Experimental Fetal Medicine Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Lay Geok Tan
- Experimental Fetal Medicine Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, National University Hospital, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Nuryanti B Johana
- Reproductive Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yi Wan Tan
- Reproductive Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Wanling Foo
- Experimental Fetal Medicine Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Julie S L Yeo
- Reproductive Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Vikashini Ravikumar
- Experimental Fetal Medicine Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Florent Ginhoux
- Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Mahesh Choolani
- Experimental Fetal Medicine Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, National University Hospital, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jerry K Y Chan
- Reproductive Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.,Cancer and Stem Cell Biology Program, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Citra N Z Mattar
- Experimental Fetal Medicine Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, National University Hospital, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore
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4
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Cortabarria ASDV, Makhoul L, Strouboulis J, Lombardi G, Oteng-Ntim E, Shangaris P. In utero Therapy for the Treatment of Sickle Cell Disease: Taking Advantage of the Fetal Immune System. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 8:624477. [PMID: 33553164 PMCID: PMC7862553 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.624477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is an autosomal recessive disorder resulting from a β-globin gene missense mutation and is among the most prevalent severe monogenic disorders worldwide. Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation remains the only curative option for the disease, as most management options focus solely on symptom control. Progress in prenatal diagnosis and fetal therapeutic intervention raises the possibility of in utero treatment. SCD can be diagnosed prenatally in high-risk patients using chorionic villus sampling. Among the possible prenatal treatments, in utero stem cell transplantation (IUSCT) shows the most promise. IUSCT is a non-myeloablative, non-immunosuppressive alternative conferring various unique advantages and may also offer safer postnatal management. Fetal immunologic immaturity could allow engraftment of allogeneic cells before fetal immune system maturation, donor-specific tolerance and lifelong chimerism. In this review, we will discuss SCD, screening and current treatments. We will present the therapeutic rationale for IUSCT, examine the early experimental work and initial human experience, as well as consider primary barriers of clinically implementing IUSCT and the promising approaches to address them.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Laura Makhoul
- GKT School of Medical Education, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - John Strouboulis
- School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kings College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Giovanna Lombardi
- School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Eugene Oteng-Ntim
- School of Life Course Sciences, Kings College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Panicos Shangaris
- School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
- School of Life Course Sciences, Kings College London, London, United Kingdom
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5
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Tai-MacArthur S, Lombardi G, Shangaris P. The Theoretical Basis of In Utero Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation and Its Use in the Treatment of Blood Disorders. Stem Cells Dev 2021; 30:49-58. [PMID: 33280478 DOI: 10.1089/scd.2020.0181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Since its conception, prenatal therapy has been successful in correction of mainly anatomical defects, although the range of application has been limited. Research into minimally invasive fetal surgery techniques and prenatal molecular diagnostics has facilitated the development of in utero stem cell transplantation (IUT)-a method of delivering healthy stem cells to the early gestation fetus with the hope of engraftment, proliferation, and migration to the appropriate hematopoietic compartment. An area of application that shows promise is the treatment of hematopoietic disorders like hemoglobinopathies. The therapeutic rationale of IUT with hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) is based on the proposed advantages the fetal environment offers based on its unique physiology. These advantages include the immature immune system facilitating the development of donor-specific tolerance, the natural migration of endogenous hematopoietic cells providing space for homing and engraftment of donor cells, and the fetal environment providing HSCs with the same opportunity to survive and proliferate regardless of their origin (donor or host). Maternal immune tolerance to the fetus and placenta also implies that the maternal environment could be accepting of donor cells. In theory, the fetus is a perfect recipient for stem cell transplant. Clinically, however, IUT is yet to see widespread success calling into question these assumptions of fetal physiology. This review aims to discuss and evaluate research surrounding these key assumptions and the clinical success of IUT in the treatment of thalassemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Tai-MacArthur
- School of Basic and Medical Biosciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, United Kingdom
| | - Giovanna Lombardi
- Immunoregulation Laboratory, School of Immunology, Microbial Sciences, and Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, United Kingdom
| | - Panicos Shangaris
- Immunoregulation Laboratory, School of Immunology, Microbial Sciences, and Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, United Kingdom.,School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, United Kingdom
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6
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Loukogeorgakis SP, Shangaris P, Bertin E, Franzin C, Piccoli M, Pozzobon M, Subramaniam S, Tedeschi A, Kim AG, Li H, Fachin CG, Dias AIBS, Stratigis JD, Ahn NJ, Thrasher AJ, Bonfanti P, Peranteau WH, David AL, Flake AW, De Coppi P. In Utero Transplantation of Expanded Autologous Amniotic Fluid Stem Cells Results in Long-Term Hematopoietic Engraftment. Stem Cells 2019; 37:1176-1188. [PMID: 31116895 PMCID: PMC6773206 DOI: 10.1002/stem.3039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2018] [Revised: 12/06/2018] [Accepted: 12/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
In utero transplantation (IUT) of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) has been proposed as a strategy for the prenatal treatment of congenital hematological diseases. However, levels of long‐term hematopoietic engraftment achieved in experimental IUT to date are subtherapeutic, likely due to host fetal HSCs outcompeting their bone marrow (BM)‐derived donor equivalents for space in the hematopoietic compartment. In the present study, we demonstrate that amniotic fluid stem cells (AFSCs; c‐Kit+/Lin−) have hematopoietic characteristics and, thanks to their fetal origin, favorable proliferation kinetics in vitro and in vivo, which are maintained when the cells are expanded. IUT of autologous/congenic freshly isolated or cultured AFSCs resulted in stable multilineage hematopoietic engraftment, far higher to that achieved with BM‐HSCs. Intravascular IUT of allogenic AFSCs was not successful as recently reported after intraperitoneal IUT. Herein, we demonstrated that this likely due to a failure of timely homing of donor cells to the host fetal thymus resulted in lack of tolerance induction and rejection. This study reveals that intravascular IUT leads to a remarkable hematopoietic engraftment of AFSCs in the setting of autologous/congenic IUT, and confirms the requirement for induction of central tolerance for allogenic IUT to be successful. Autologous, gene‐engineered, and in vitro expanded AFSCs could be used as a stem cell/gene therapy platform for the in utero treatment of inherited disorders of hematopoiesis. stem cells2019;37:1176–1188
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Affiliation(s)
- Stavros P Loukogeorgakis
- Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Center for Fetal Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Panicos Shangaris
- Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Research Department of Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Enrica Bertin
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Fondazione Instituto di Ricerca Pediatrica Città della Speranza, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Chiara Franzin
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Fondazione Instituto di Ricerca Pediatrica Città della Speranza, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Martina Piccoli
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Fondazione Instituto di Ricerca Pediatrica Città della Speranza, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.,Department of Women's and Children's Health, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Michela Pozzobon
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Fondazione Instituto di Ricerca Pediatrica Città della Speranza, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Sindhu Subramaniam
- Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alfonso Tedeschi
- Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Aimee G Kim
- Center for Fetal Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Haiying Li
- Center for Fetal Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Camila G Fachin
- Center for Fetal Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.,Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.,Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Andre I B S Dias
- Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.,Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
| | - John D Stratigis
- Center for Fetal Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Nicholas J Ahn
- Center for Fetal Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Adrian J Thrasher
- Molecular and Cellular Immunology Section, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Paola Bonfanti
- Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - William H Peranteau
- Center for Fetal Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Anna L David
- Research Department of Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Alan W Flake
- Center for Fetal Research, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Paolo De Coppi
- Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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7
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Dighe NM, Tan KW, Tan LG, Shaw SSW, Buckley SMK, Sandikin D, Johana N, Tan YW, Biswas A, Choolani M, Waddington SN, Antoniou MN, Chan JKY, Mattar CNZ. A comparison of intrauterine hemopoietic cell transplantation and lentiviral gene transfer for the correction of severe β-thalassemia in a HbbTh3/+ murine model. Exp Hematol 2018; 62:45-55. [PMID: 29605545 PMCID: PMC5965454 DOI: 10.1016/j.exphem.2018.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2017] [Revised: 03/17/2018] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Major hemoglobinopathies place tremendous strain on global resources. Intrauterine hemopoietic cell transplantation (IUHCT) and gene transfer (IUGT) can potentially reduce perinatal morbidities with greater efficacy than postnatal therapy alone. We performed both procedures in the thalassemic HbbTh3/+ mouse. Intraperitoneal delivery of co-isogenic cells at embryonic days13-14 produced dose-dependent chimerism. High-dose adult bone marrow (BM) cells maintained 0.2-3.1% chimerism over ~24 weeks and treated heterozygotes (HET) demonstrated higher chimerism than wild-type (WT) pups (1.6% vs. 0.7%). Fetalliver (FL) cells produced higher chimerism than BM when transplanted at thesame doses, maintaining 1.8-2.4% chimerism over ~32 weeks. We boosted transplanted mice postnatally with BM cells after busulfan conditioning. Engraftment was maintained at >1% only in chimeras. IUHCT-treated nonchimeras and non-IUHCT mice showed microchimerism or no chimerism. Improved engraftment was observed with a higher initial chimerism, in HET mice and with the addition of fludarabine. Chimeric HET mice expressed 2.2-15.1% engraftment with eventual decline at 24 weeks (vs. <1% in nonchimeras) and demonstrated improved hematological indices and smaller spleens compared with untreated HETmice. Intravenous delivery of GLOBE lentiviral-vector expressing human β-globin (HBB) resulted in a vector concentration of 0.001-0.6 copies/cell. Most hematological indices were higher in treated than untreated HET mice, including hemoglobin and mean corpuscular volume, but were still lower than in WT. Therefore, direct IUGT and IUHCT strategies can be used to achieve hematological improvement but require further dose optimization. IUHCT will be useful combined with postnatal transplantation to further enhance engraftment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niraja M Dighe
- Experimental Fetal Medicine Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 119228 Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kang Wei Tan
- Experimental Fetal Medicine Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 119228 Singapore, Singapore
| | - Lay Geok Tan
- Experimental Fetal Medicine Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 119228 Singapore, Singapore
| | - Steven S W Shaw
- College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, 33302 Taoyuan, Taiwan, China; Prenatal Cell and Gene Therapy Group, Institute for Women's Health, University College London, WC1E 6AU London, United Kingdom
| | - Suzanne M K Buckley
- Gene Transfer Technology Group, Institute for Women's Health, University College London, WC1E 6AU London, United Kingdom
| | - Dedy Sandikin
- Experimental Fetal Medicine Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 119228 Singapore, Singapore
| | - Nuryanti Johana
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, 229899 Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yi-Wan Tan
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, 229899 Singapore, Singapore
| | - Arijit Biswas
- Experimental Fetal Medicine Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 119228 Singapore, Singapore
| | - Mahesh Choolani
- Experimental Fetal Medicine Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 119228 Singapore, Singapore
| | - Simon N Waddington
- Gene Transfer Technology Group, Institute for Women's Health, University College London, WC1E 6AU London, United Kingdom; MRC Antiviral Gene Therapy Research Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Michael N Antoniou
- Gene Expression and Therapy Group, King's College London, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Guy's Hospital, SE1 9RT London, United Kingdom
| | - Jerry K Y Chan
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, 229899 Singapore, Singapore; Cancer and Stem Cell Program, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, 169857 Singapore, Singapore
| | - Citra N Z Mattar
- Experimental Fetal Medicine Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, 119228 Singapore, Singapore.
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8
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Vrecenak JD, Pearson EG, Todorow CA, Li H, Johnson MP, Flake AW. Preclinical Canine Model of Graft-versus-Host Disease after In Utero Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2018; 24:1795-1801. [PMID: 29802901 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbmt.2018.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Accepted: 05/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
In utero hematopoietic cell transplantation (IUHCT) offers the potential to achieve allogeneic engraftment and associated donor-specific tolerance without the need for toxic conditioning, as we have previously demonstrated in the murine and canine models. This strategy holds great promise in the treatment of many hematopoietic disorders, including the hemoglobinopathies. Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) represents the greatest theoretical risk of IUHCT and has never been characterized in the context of IUHCT. We recently described a preclinical canine model of IUHCT, allowing further study of the technique and its complications. We aimed to establish a threshold T cell dose for IUHCT-induced GVHD in the haploidentical canine model and to define the GVHD phenotype. Using a range of T cell concentrations within the donor inoculum, we were able to characterize the phenotype of IUHCT-induced GVHD and establish a clear threshold for its induction between 3% and 5% graft CD3+ cell content. Given the complete absence of GVHD at CD3 doses of 1% to 3% and the excellent engraftment with the lowest dose, there is a safe therapeutic index for a clinical trial of IUHCT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse D Vrecenak
- Children's Center for Fetal Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Division of Pediatric Surgery, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Erik G Pearson
- Children's Center for Fetal Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Carlyn A Todorow
- Children's Center for Fetal Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Haiying Li
- Children's Center for Fetal Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Mark P Johnson
- Children's Center for Fetal Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Alan W Flake
- Children's Center for Fetal Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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9
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Shangaris P, Loukogeorgakis SP, Blundell MP, Petra E, Shaw SW, Ramachandra DL, Maghsoudlou P, Urbani L, Thrasher AJ, De Coppi P, David AL. Long-Term Hematopoietic Engraftment of Congenic Amniotic Fluid Stem Cells After in Utero Intraperitoneal Transplantation to Immune Competent Mice. Stem Cells Dev 2018; 27:515-523. [PMID: 29482456 PMCID: PMC5910037 DOI: 10.1089/scd.2017.0116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Clinical success of in utero transplantation (IUT) using allogeneic hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) has been limited to fetuses that lack an immune response to allogeneic cells due to severe immunological defects, and where transplanted genetically normal cells have a proliferative or survival advantage. Amniotic fluid (AF) is an autologous source of stem cells with hematopoietic potential that could be used to treat congenital blood disorders. We compared the ability of congenic and allogeneic mouse AF stem cells (AFSC) to engraft the hematopoietic system of time-mated C57BL/6J mice (E13.5). At 4 and 16 weeks of age, multilineage donor engraftment was higher in congenic versus allogeneic animals. In vitro mixed lymphocyte reaction confirmed an immune response in the allogeneic group with higher CD4 and CD8 cell counts and increased proliferation of stimulated lymphocytes. IUT with congenic cells resulted in 100% of donor animals having chimerism of around 8% and successful hematopoietic long-term engraftment in immune-competent mice when compared with IUT with allogeneic cells. AFSCs may be useful for autologous cell/gene therapy approaches in fetuses diagnosed with congenital hematopoietic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panicos Shangaris
- 1 Prenatal Cell and Gene Therapy Group, Institute for Women's Health, University College London , London, United Kingdom .,2 Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Institute of Child Health, University College London , London, United Kingdom
| | - Stavros P Loukogeorgakis
- 2 Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Institute of Child Health, University College London , London, United Kingdom
| | - Michael P Blundell
- 4 Molecular and Cellular Immunology Section, Institute of Child Health, University College London , London, United Kingdom
| | - Eleni Petra
- 2 Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Institute of Child Health, University College London , London, United Kingdom
| | - Steven W Shaw
- 1 Prenatal Cell and Gene Therapy Group, Institute for Women's Health, University College London , London, United Kingdom .,2 Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Institute of Child Health, University College London , London, United Kingdom .,3 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Taipei Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University , Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Durrgah L Ramachandra
- 1 Prenatal Cell and Gene Therapy Group, Institute for Women's Health, University College London , London, United Kingdom .,2 Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Institute of Child Health, University College London , London, United Kingdom
| | - Panagiotis Maghsoudlou
- 2 Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Institute of Child Health, University College London , London, United Kingdom
| | - Luca Urbani
- 2 Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Institute of Child Health, University College London , London, United Kingdom
| | - Adrian J Thrasher
- 4 Molecular and Cellular Immunology Section, Institute of Child Health, University College London , London, United Kingdom
| | - Paolo De Coppi
- 2 Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, Institute of Child Health, University College London , London, United Kingdom
| | - Anna L David
- 1 Prenatal Cell and Gene Therapy Group, Institute for Women's Health, University College London , London, United Kingdom .,5 NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre , London United Kingdom
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10
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Abstract
BACKGROUND In utero transplantation (IUT) of hematopoietic stem cells has the potential to treat a large number of hematologic and metabolic diseases amenable to partial replacement of the hematopoietic system. METHODS A review of the literature was conducted that focused on the clinical and experimental experience with IUT and, in this context, the development of the hematopoietic and immune systems. RESULTS Successful application of IUT has been limited to the treatment of various types of immunodeficiencies that affect lymphocyte development and function. Other congenital defects such as the thalassemias have not resulted in clinically significant engraftment. Recent efforts at understanding and overcoming the barriers to engraftment in the fetus have focused on providing a selective advantage to donor stem cells and fostering immune tolerance toward the donor cells. The critical cellular components of the graft that promote engraftment and tolerance induction are being evaluated in animal models. Improvements in engraftment have resulted from the inclusion of T cells and/or dendritic cells in the graft, as well as a strategy of combined prenatal and postnatal transplantation. CONCLUSIONS The advantages, necessity, and benefits of early treatment will continue to encourage development of IUT as a means to treat hematopoietic and other types of birth defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus O Muench
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
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11
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Beaudin AE, Boyer SW, Perez-Cunningham J, Hernandez GE, Derderian SC, Jujjavarapu C, Aaserude E, MacKenzie T, Forsberg EC. A Transient Developmental Hematopoietic Stem Cell Gives Rise to Innate-like B and T Cells. Cell Stem Cell 2016; 19:768-783. [PMID: 27666010 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2016.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 108] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2015] [Revised: 06/01/2016] [Accepted: 08/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The generation of distinct hematopoietic cell types, including tissue-resident immune cells, distinguishes fetal from adult hematopoiesis. However, the mechanisms underlying differential cell production to generate a layered immune system during hematopoietic development are unclear. Using an irreversible lineage-tracing model, we identify a definitive hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) that supports long-term multilineage reconstitution upon transplantation into adult recipients but does not persist into adulthood in situ. These HSCs are fully multipotent, yet they display both higher lymphoid cell production and greater capacity to generate innate-like B and T lymphocytes as compared to coexisting fetal HSCs and adult HSCs. Thus, these developmentally restricted HSCs (drHSCs) define the origin and generation of early lymphoid cells that play essential roles in establishing self-recognition and tolerance, with important implications for understanding autoimmune disease, allergy, and rejection of transplanted organs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna E Beaudin
- Institute for the Biology of Stem Cells, Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Scott W Boyer
- Institute for the Biology of Stem Cells, Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Jessica Perez-Cunningham
- Institute for the Biology of Stem Cells, Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Gloria E Hernandez
- Institute for the Biology of Stem Cells, Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - S Christopher Derderian
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Chethan Jujjavarapu
- Institute for the Biology of Stem Cells, Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Eric Aaserude
- Institute for the Biology of Stem Cells, Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Tippi MacKenzie
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - E Camilla Forsberg
- Institute for the Biology of Stem Cells, Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.
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12
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Almeida-Porada G, Atala A, Porada CD. In utero stem cell transplantation and gene therapy: rationale, history, and recent advances toward clinical application. MOLECULAR THERAPY-METHODS & CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT 2016; 5:16020. [PMID: 27069953 PMCID: PMC4813605 DOI: 10.1038/mtm.2016.20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2015] [Revised: 01/29/2016] [Accepted: 01/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Recent advances in high-throughput molecular testing have made it possible to diagnose most genetic disorders relatively early in gestation with minimal risk to the fetus. These advances should soon allow widespread prenatal screening for the majority of human genetic diseases, opening the door to the possibility of treatment/correction prior to birth. In addition to the obvious psychological and financial benefits of curing a disease in utero, and thereby enabling the birth of a healthy infant, there are multiple biological advantages unique to fetal development, which provide compelling rationale for performing potentially curative treatments, such as stem cell transplantation or gene therapy, prior to birth. Herein, we briefly review the fields of in utero transplantation (IUTx) and in utero gene therapy and discuss the biological hurdles that have thus far restricted success of IUTx to patients with immunodeficiencies. We then highlight several recent experimental breakthroughs in immunology, hematopoietic/marrow ontogeny, and in utero cell delivery, which have collectively provided means of overcoming these barriers, thus setting the stage for clinical application of these highly promising therapies in the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graça Almeida-Porada
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine , Winston Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Anthony Atala
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine , Winston Salem, North Carolina, USA
| | - Christopher D Porada
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine , Winston Salem, North Carolina, USA
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13
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McClain LE, Flake AW. In utero stem cell transplantation and gene therapy: Recent progress and the potential for clinical application. Best Pract Res Clin Obstet Gynaecol 2015; 31:88-98. [PMID: 26483174 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpobgyn.2015.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2015] [Accepted: 08/31/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Advances in prenatal diagnosis have led to the prenatal management and treatment of a variety of congenital diseases. Although surgical treatment has been successfully applied to specific anatomic defects that place the fetus at a risk of death or life-long disability, the indications for fetal surgical intervention have remained relatively limited. By contrast, prenatal stem cell and gene therapy await clinical application, but they have tremendous potential to treat a broad range of genetic disorders. If there are biological advantages unique to fetal development that favor fetal stem cell or gene therapy over postnatal treatment, prenatal therapy may become the preferred approach to the treatment of any disease that can be prenatally diagnosed and cured by stem cell or gene therapy. Here, we review the field including recent progress toward clinical application and imminent clinical trials for cellular and gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren E McClain
- Children's Center for Fetal Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Alan W Flake
- Children's Center for Fetal Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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14
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Correction of murine hemoglobinopathies by prenatal tolerance induction and postnatal nonmyeloablative allogeneic BM transplants. Blood 2015; 126:1245-54. [PMID: 26124498 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2015-03-636803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2015] [Accepted: 06/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Sickle cell disease (SCD) and thalassemias (Thal) are common congenital disorders, which can be diagnosed early in gestation and result in significant morbidity and mortality. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, the only curative therapy for SCD and Thal, is limited by the absence of matched donors and treatment-related toxicities. In utero hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (IUHCT) is a novel nonmyeloablative transplant approach that takes advantage of the immunologic immaturity and normal developmental properties of the fetus to achieve mixed allogeneic chimerism and donor-specific tolerance (DST). We hypothesized that a combined strategy of IUHCT to induce DST, followed by postnatal nonmyeloablative same donor "booster" bone marrow (BM) transplants in murine models of SCD and Thal would result in high levels of allogeneic engraftment and donor hemoglobin (Hb) expression with subsequent phenotypic correction of SCD and Thal. Our results show that: (1) IUHCT is associated with DST and low levels of allogeneic engraftment in the murine SCD and Thal models; (2) low-level chimerism following IUHCT can be enhanced to high-level chimerism and near complete Hb replacement with normal donor Hb with this postnatal "boosting" strategy; and (3) high-level chimerism following IUHCT and postnatal "boosting" results in phenotypic correction in the murine Thal and SCD models. This study supports the potential of IUHCT, combined with a postnatal nonmyelablative "boosting" strategy, to cure Thal and SCD without the toxic conditioning currently required for postnatal transplant regimens while expanding the eligible transplant patient population due to the lack of a restricted donor pool.
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15
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Alhajjat AM, Lee AE, Strong BS, Shaaban AF. NK cell tolerance as the final endorsement of prenatal tolerance after in utero hematopoietic cellular transplantation. Front Pharmacol 2015; 6:51. [PMID: 25852555 PMCID: PMC4364176 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2015.00051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2014] [Accepted: 03/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The primary benefits of in utero hematopoietic cellular transplantation (IUHCT) arise from transplanting curative cells prior to the immunologic maturation of the fetus. However, this approach has been routinely successful only in the treatment of congenital immunodeficiency diseases that include an inherent NK cell deficiency despite the existence of normal maternal immunity in either setting. These observations raise the possibility that fetal NK cells function as an early barrier to allogeneic IUHCT. Herein, we summarize the findings of previous studies of prenatal NK cell allospecific tolerance in mice and in humans. Cumulatively, this new information reveals the complexity of the fetal immune response in the setting of rejection or tolerance and illustrates the role for fetal NK cells in the final endorsement of allospecific prenatal tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir M Alhajjat
- Department of Surgery, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA USA
| | - Amanda E Lee
- Center for Fetal Cellular and Molecular Therapy and The Department of Surgery, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH USA
| | - Beverly S Strong
- Center for Fetal Cellular and Molecular Therapy and The Department of Surgery, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH USA
| | - Aimen F Shaaban
- Center for Fetal Cellular and Molecular Therapy and The Department of Surgery, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH USA
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16
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Farmer DL. Standing on the shoulders of giants: a scientific journey from Singapore to stem cells. J Pediatr Surg 2015; 50:15-22. [PMID: 25598087 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2014.10.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2014] [Accepted: 10/06/2014] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Cellular therapy was introduced in the early 1980s as adoptive immunotherapy for cancer and has now expanded to stem cell treatment for a wide variety of indications. During the same period, the concept of the fetus as a patient evolved from fantasy to everyday reality. The intersection of these two fields offers great potential for cures in childhood diseases. The fetal treatment of spina bifida is one such disease. Global surgery has also emerged as a cost effective approach to reducing the worldwide burden of childhood disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Lee Farmer
- Department of Surgery, UC Davis Children's Hospital, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA.
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17
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Vrecenak JD, Flake AW. In utero hematopoietic cell transplantation--recent progress and the potential for clinical application. Cytotherapy 2013; 15:525-35. [PMID: 23415921 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2013.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2012] [Accepted: 01/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
In utero hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (IUHCT) is a potential therapeutic alternative to postnatal hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for congenital hematologic disorders that can be diagnosed early in gestation and can be cured by HSCT. The rationale is to take advantage of normal events during hematopoietic and immunologic ontogeny to facilitate allogeneic hematopoietic engraftment. Although the rationale remains compelling, IUHCT has not yet achieved its clinical potential. This review will discuss recent experimental progress toward overcoming the barriers to allogeneic engraftment and new therapeutic strategies that may hasten clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse D Vrecenak
- Children's Center for Fetal Research, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and Department of Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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18
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Abstract
The prenatal diagnosis and management of congenital disease has made significant progress over the previous decade. Currently, fetal therapy (including open surgery and fetoscopic intervention) provides therapeutic options for a range of congenital anomalies; however, it is restricted to the treatment of fetal pathophysiology. Improvements in prenatal screening and the early diagnosis of genetic disease allow for preemptive treatment of anticipated postnatal disease by stem cell or genetic therapy. While currently awaiting clinical application, in utero stem cell therapy has made significant advances in overcoming the engraftment and immunologic barriers in both murine and pre-clinical large animal models. Likewise, proof in principle for fetal gene therapy has been demonstrated in rodent and large animal systems as a method to prevent the onset of inherited genetic disease; however, safety and ethical risks still need to be addressed prior to human application. In this review, we examine the current status and future direction of stem cell and genetic therapy for the fetus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik G Pearson
- Children's Center for Fetal Research, Department of Surgery, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia 19104-4318, USA
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19
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Mattar CN, Biswas A, Choolani M, Chan JKY. The case for intrauterine stem cell transplantation. Best Pract Res Clin Obstet Gynaecol 2012; 26:683-95. [PMID: 22809469 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpobgyn.2012.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2012] [Accepted: 06/08/2012] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The clinical burden imposed by the collective group of monogenic disorders demands novel therapies that are effective at achieving phenotypic cure early in the disease process before the development of permanent organ damage. This is important for lethal diseases and also for non-perinatally lethal conditions that are characterised by severe disability with little prospect of postnatal cure. Where postnatal treatments are limited to palliative options, intrauterine stem-cell therapies may offer the potential to arrest pathogenesis in the early undamaged fetus. Intrauterine stem-cell transplantation has been attempted for a variety of diseases, but has only been successful in immune deficiency states in the presence of a competitive advantage for donor cells. This disappointing clinical record requires preclinical investigations into strategies that improve donor cell engraftment, including optimising the donor cell source and manipulating the microenvironment to facilitate homing. This chapter aims to outline the current challenges of intrauterine stem-cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Citra N Mattar
- Experimental Fetal Medicine Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
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20
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Nijagal A, Flake AW, MacKenzie TC. In utero hematopoietic cell transplantation for the treatment of congenital anomalies. Clin Perinatol 2012; 39:301-10. [PMID: 22682381 DOI: 10.1016/j.clp.2012.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
In utero hematopoietic cell transplantation (IUHCTx) is a promising strategy for the treatment of common hematopoietic disorders and for inducing immune tolerance in the fetus. Although the efficacy of IUHCTx has been demonstrated in multiple small and large animal models, the clinical application of this technique in humans has had limited success. Recent studies in mice have demonstrated that the maternal immune system plays a critical role in limiting engraftment in the fetus. This article reviews the therapeutic rationale of IUHCTx, potential barriers to its applications, and recent experimental strategies to improve its clinical success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amar Nijagal
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Department of Surgery, 513 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94143-0570, USA
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21
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Nijagal A, Le T, Wegorzewska M, Mackenzie TC. A mouse model of in utero transplantation. J Vis Exp 2011:2303. [PMID: 21307829 DOI: 10.3791/2303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The transplantation of stem cells and viruses in utero has tremendous potential for treating congenital disorders in the human fetus. For example, in utero transplantation (IUT) of hematopoietic stem cells has been used to successfully treat patients with severe combined immunodeficiency. In several other conditions, however, IUT has been attempted without success. Given these mixed results, the availability of an efficient non-human model to study the biological sequelae of stem cell transplantation and gene therapy is critical to advance this field. We and others have used the mouse model of IUT to study factors affecting successful engraftment of in utero transplanted hematopoietic stem cells in both wild-type mice and those with genetic diseases. The fetal environment also offers considerable advantages for the success of in utero gene therapy. For example, the delivery of adenoviral, adeno-associated viral, retroviral, and lentiviral vectors into the fetus has resulted in the transduction of multiple organs distant from the site of injection with long-term gene expression. in utero gene therapy may therefore be considered as a possible treatment strategy for single gene disorders such as muscular dystrophy or cystic fibrosis. Another potential advantage of IUT is the ability to induce immune tolerance to a specific antigen. As seen in mice with hemophilia, the introduction of Factor IX early in development results in tolerance to this protein. In addition to its use in investigating potential human therapies, the mouse model of IUT can be a powerful tool to study basic questions in developmental and stem cell biology. For example, one can deliver various small molecules to induce or inhibit specific gene expression at defined gestational stages and manipulate developmental pathways. The impact of these alterations can be assessed at various timepoints after the initial transplantation. Furthermore, one can transplant pluripotent or lineage specific progenitor cells into the fetal environment to study stem cell differentiation in a non-irradiated and unperturbed host environment. The mouse model of IUT has already provided numerous insights within the fields of immunology, and developmental and stem cell biology. In this video-based protocol, we describe a step-by-step approach to performing IUT in mouse fetuses and outline the critical steps and potential pitfalls of this technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amar Nijagal
- Department of Surgery, University of California, USA
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22
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Nijagal A, Wegorzewska M, Jarvis E, Le T, Tang Q, MacKenzie TC. Maternal T cells limit engraftment after in utero hematopoietic cell transplantation in mice. J Clin Invest 2011; 121:582-92. [PMID: 21245575 DOI: 10.1172/jci44907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2010] [Accepted: 11/23/2010] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Transplantation of allogeneic stem cells into the early gestational fetus, a treatment termed in utero hematopoietic cell transplantation (IUHCTx), could potentially overcome the limitations of bone marrow transplants, including graft rejection and the chronic immunosuppression required to prevent rejection. However, clinical use of IUHCTx has been hampered by poor engraftment, possibly due to a host immune response against the graft. Since the fetal immune system is relatively immature, we hypothesized that maternal cells trafficking into the fetus may pose the true barrier to effective IUHCTx. Here, we have demonstrated that there is macrochimerism of maternal leukocytes in the blood of unmanipulated mouse fetuses, with substantial increases in T cell trafficking after IUHCTx. To determine the contribution of these maternal lymphocytes to rejection after IUHCTx, we bred T and/or B cell-deficient mothers to wild-type fathers and performed allogeneic IUHCTx into the immunocompetent fetuses. There was a marked improvement in engraftment if the mother lacked T cells but not B cells, indicating that maternal T cells are the main barrier to engraftment. Furthermore, when the graft was matched to the mother, there was no difference in engraftment between syngeneic and allogeneic fetal recipients. Our study suggests that the clinical success of IUHCTx may be improved by transplanting cells matched to the mother.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amar Nijagal
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine, San Francisco, California, USA
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23
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In Utero Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (IUHSCT). Mediterr J Hematol Infect Dis 2009; 1:e2009031. [PMID: 21415998 PMCID: PMC3033157 DOI: 10.4084/mjhid.2009.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2009] [Accepted: 12/28/2009] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
In utero haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (IUHSCT) is a non-myeloablative approach for the prenatal treatment of genetic disorders. However, in target disorders, where there is not a selective advantage for donor cells, a useful donor-cell chimerism has not been achieved. There are three possible barriers to engraftment following IUHSCT: limited space in the fetus due to host-cell competition; the large number of donor cells needed, and the immunological asset of recipient.
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24
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Abstract
At the present time, the most likely and eminent application of stem cell therapy to the fetus is in utero hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (IUHCT), and this stem cell type will be discussed as a paradigm for all prenatal stem cell therapy. The authors feel that the most likely initial application of IUHCT will use adult HSC derived from bone marrow (BM) or peripheral blood (PB), and will focus this article on this specific approach. The article also reviews the experimental data that support the capacity of IUHCT to induce donor-specific tolerance.
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25
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Polyclonal T-cell reconstitution of X-SCID recipients after in utero transplantation of lymphoid-primed multipotent progenitors. Blood 2009; 113:4790-8. [DOI: 10.1182/blood-2007-12-129056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Although successful in utero hematopoietic cell transplantation (IUHCT) of X-linked severe combined immune deficiency (X-SCID) with enriched stem and progenitor cells was achieved more than a decade ago, it remains applied only in rare cases. Although this in part reflects that postnatal transplantations have overall given good results, there are no direct comparisons between IUHCT and postnatal transplantations of X-SCID. The proposed tolerance of the fetal immune system to foreign human leukocyte antigen early in gestation, a main rationale behind IUHCT, has recently been challenged by evidence for a considerable immune barrier against in utero transplanted allogeneic bone marrow cells. Consequently, there is need for further exploring the application of purified stem and progenitor cells to overcome this barrier also in IUHCT. Herein, we demonstrate in a congenic setting that recently identified lymphoid-primed multipotent progenitors are superior to hematopoietic stem cells in providing rapid lymphoid reconstitution after IUHCT of X-SCID recipients, and sustain in the long-term B cells, polyclonal T cells, as well as short-lived B-cell progenitors and thymic T-cell precursors. We further provide evidence for IUHCT of hematopoietic stem cells giving superior B- and T-cell reconstitution in fetal X-SCID recipients compared with neonatal and adolescent recipients.
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26
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Chan J, Kumar S, Fisk NM. First trimester embryo-fetoscopic and ultrasound-guided fetal blood sampling for ex vivo viral transduction of cultured human fetal mesenchymal stem cells. Hum Reprod 2008; 23:2427-2437. [DOI: 10.1093/humrep/den302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/30/2023] Open
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27
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In Utero Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: Progress toward Clinical Application. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2008; 14:729-40. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbmt.2008.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2008] [Accepted: 02/15/2008] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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28
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Chan J, Waddington SN, O'Donoghue K, Kurata H, Guillot PV, Gotherstrom C, Themis M, Morgan JE, Fisk NM. Widespread distribution and muscle differentiation of human fetal mesenchymal stem cells after intrauterine transplantation in dystrophic mdx mouse. Stem Cells 2006; 25:875-84. [PMID: 17185606 DOI: 10.1634/stemcells.2006-0694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a common X-linked disease resulting from the absence of dystrophin in muscle. Affected boys suffer from incurable progressive muscle weakness, leading to premature death. Stem cell transplantation may be curative, but is hampered by the need for systemic delivery and immune rejection. To address these barriers to stem cell therapy in DMD, we investigated a fetal-to-fetal transplantation strategy. We investigated intramuscular, intravascular, and intraperitoneal delivery of human fetal mesenchymal stem cells (hfMSCs) into embryonic day (E) 14-16 MF1 mice to determine the most appropriate route for systemic delivery. Intramuscular injections resulted in local engraftment, whereas both intraperitoneal and intravascular delivery led to systemic spread. However, intravascular delivery led to unexpected demise of transplanted mice. Transplantation of hfMSCs into E14-16 mdx mice resulted in widespread long-term engraftment (19 weeks) in multiple organs, with a predilection for muscle compared with nonmuscle tissues (0.71% vs. 0.15%, p < .01), and evidence of myogenic differentiation of hfMSCs in skeletal and myocardial muscle. This is the first report of intrauterine transplantation of ontologically relevant hfMSCs into fully immunocompetent dystrophic fetal mice, with systemic spread across endothelial barriers leading to widespread long-term engraftment in multiple organ compartments. Although the low-level of chimerism achieved is not curative for DMD, this approach may be useful in other severe mesenchymal or enzyme deficiency syndromes, where low-level protein expression may ameliorate disease pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerry Chan
- Experimental Fetal Medicine Group, Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London, United Kingdom.
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Shaaban AF, Kim HB, Gaur L, Liechty KW, Flake AW. Prenatal transplantation of cytokine-stimulated marrow improves early chimerism in a resistant strain combination but results in poor long-term engraftment. Exp Hematol 2006; 34:1278-87. [PMID: 16939821 PMCID: PMC3096442 DOI: 10.1016/j.exphem.2006.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2006] [Revised: 05/08/2006] [Accepted: 05/08/2006] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE In the absence of immunodeficiency, only microchimerism (<0.1%) has been achieved in human fetal recipients or nonhuman primates following in utero hematopoietic cell transplantation (IUHCT). We hypothesized that enhanced long-term engraftment might be more reliably achieved in microchimeric systems if higher levels of chimerism existed during development of adaptive immunity. To evaluate this hypothesis, we stimulated the donor cells with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and stem cell factor (SCF) prior to IUHCT in a chimerism-resistant murine strain combination. METHODS Donor Balb/c marrow was cultured in media with or without VEGF and SCF supplementation for 12 hours prior to IUHCT into B6 fetuses at 14 days postcoitum (dpc). Donor cell phenotype, homing, and chimerism were assessed at short and long-term time points and transplanted animals received skin allografts at 8 weeks. RESULTS In pretreated allogeneic recipients, early chimerism rates were more than double that of controls (71% vs 33%, p = 0.01). These differences were associated with higher numbers of pretransplant donor cell colony-forming cells without change in donor cell homing. Despite prolonged skin allograft survival for pretreated recipients compared with controls (mean survival = 20.8 vs 8.2 days, p < 0.001), long-term engraftment was unchanged. CONCLUSIONS These findings demonstrate that higher levels of early chimerism in recipients of cytokine-stimulated marrow result in improved short-term chimerism and tolerance. Future studies are needed to confirm the existence of a "threshold" level of chimerism necessary to sustain long-term engraftment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aimen F Shaaban
- Laboratory for Fetal Cellular Therapy, Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, WI 53792-7375, USA.
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Kang EM, Hsieh MM, Metzger M, Krouse A, Donahue RE, Sadelain M, Tisdale JF. Busulfan pharmacokinetics, toxicity, and low-dose conditioning for autologous transplantation of genetically modified hematopoietic stem cells in the rhesus macaque model. Exp Hematol 2006; 34:132-9. [PMID: 16459181 PMCID: PMC2676898 DOI: 10.1016/j.exphem.2005.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2005] [Revised: 10/13/2005] [Accepted: 10/13/2005] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Gene transfer to hematopoietic stem cells has recently been demonstrated to benefit a small number of patients in whom a selective advantage is conferred upon genetically modified cells; however, in disorders where no such selective advantage is conferred, conditioning appears necessary to allow adequate engraftment. To decrease the toxicity profile, we sought to develop nonmyeloablative conditioning regimens and in this work, explored the use of intravenous busulfan in a large animal model. METHODS Busulfan pharmacokinetics and toxicity were monitored in young rhesus macaques at two dosing levels (4 and 6 mg/kg). These doses were then employed to condition two animals at each dose level prior to autologous transplantation of genetically modified cells using our standard methods. RESULTS Busulfan pharmacokinetic (PK) data showed the area under the curve (AUC), drug half-life, and drug clearance were consistent within each dose group and similar to those reported in children. Single doses of busulfan were well tolerated and produced dose-dependent myelosuppression, most notably in the neutrophil and platelet counts. Although marking levels reached over 1% early in one animal, the long-term marking was low but detectable at 0.01 to 0.001%. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that low-dose intravenous bolus infusion of busulfan is well tolerated, has dose-dependent effects on peripheral blood counts, and allows long-term engraftment of genetically modified cells, but at levels too low for most clinical disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth M. Kang
- Laboratory of Host Defense, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD USA
- Molecular and Clinical Hematology Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD USA
| | - Matthew M. Hsieh
- Molecular and Clinical Hematology Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD USA
| | - Mark Metzger
- Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD USA
| | - Allen Krouse
- Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD USA
| | - Robert E. Donahue
- Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD USA
| | | | - John F. Tisdale
- Molecular and Clinical Hematology Branch, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD USA
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Muench MO. In utero transplantation: baby steps towards an effective therapy. Bone Marrow Transplant 2005; 35:537-47. [PMID: 15665844 DOI: 10.1038/sj.bmt.1704811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
In utero transplantation (IUT) offers the potential to treat a large number of diseases by transplantation of healthy cells into a fetus with a birth defect. Prenatal diagnosis is feasible for many diseases prior to the full development of the fetal immune system offering the opportunity to introduce foreign cells and antigens into the developing fetus. At least 45 cases of IUT have been performed for a variety of diseases. IUT has successfully treated severe combined immunodeficiency and there are indications that it may be effective in treating some nonhematopoietic diseases. However, many diseases remain resistant to fetal therapy owing to the low levels of chimerism that can be achieved. Promising efforts to improve the levels of engraftment are focusing on optimizing the graft and developing donor-specific tolerance in the fetal recipient. Mounting evidence suggests that donor T cells can aid in achieving clinically significant levels of chimerism. The use of fetal donor cells may also offer some benefit. Animal experiments suggest that even low-level chimerism can lead to tolerance, which can be exploited by booster transplants in the neonate. Continued research appears likely to succeed in developing IUT into an effective form of therapy for a variety of diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- M O Muench
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143-0793, USA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil D Theise
- Liver and Stem Cell Research Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Division of Digestive Diseases, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.
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Abstract
AbstractHLA-identical sibling hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for sickle cell disease (SCD) has a strong track record of efficacy and there is growing appreciation that its benefits exceed its risks in selected individuals. In contrast, the clinical utility of replacement gene therapy for sickle cell disease remains unproven. Its challenge is to ensure viral transduction into hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and to generate safe, stable, erythroid-specific replacement gene expression at a level that is sufficient to have a clinical effect. The clinical necessity for fulfilling all these criteria may make this genetic disorder among the most complex to treat successfully by gene therapy. But the experience of HCT for SCD has proven that eliminating the βS-globin gene is curative when the transfer is stable. Thus replacement gene therapy for sickle cell disease remains a subject of intense interest and investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark C Walters
- Children's Hospital and Research Center - Oakland, 747 52nd Street, Oakland, CA 94609-1809, USA.
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Rio P, Martinez-Palacio J, Ramirez A, Bueren JA, Segovia JC. Efficient engraftment of in utero transplanted mice with retrovirally transduced hematopoietic stem cells. Gene Ther 2004; 12:358-63. [PMID: 15550924 DOI: 10.1038/sj.gt.3302419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Using an experimental mouse model, we have investigated the kinetics of hematopoietic reconstitution of recipients transplanted during fetal development with fresh and transduced hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Total bone marrow (BM) and purified Lin(-)Sca-1(+) cells, either fresh or transduced ex vivo with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-encoding retroviral vectors, were in utero transplanted (IUT) into fetal mice. Data obtained 2 months after transplantation showed a similar proportion of engrafted animals, regardless of the fact that samples were purified or not on HSCs, and subjected or not to ex vivo transduction with retroviral vectors. The transplantation of grafts enriched in HSCs, either fresh or transduced, always improved the levels of donor chimerism of IUT mice in comparison with results obtained in mice transplanted with unpurified BM grafts (6.8 and 7.3% versus 1.15% median values, respectively). Significantly, engrafted recipients that were transplanted with the transduced graft always contained transduced EGFP(+) cells in peripheral blood (around 5% of donor cells were EGFP(+) at 2 months post-transplantation). This proportion was essentially maintained at longer times post-transplantation, as well as in secondary recipients transplanted with the BM of IUT mice. Our study describes for the first time a significant and stable engraftment of unconditioned mice subjected to IUT with HSCs transduced with retroviral vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Rio
- Hematopoietic Gene Therapy Program, CIEMAT/Marcelino Botín Foundation, Madrid 28040, Spain
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Hayashi S, Hsieh M, Peranteau WH, Ashizuka S, Flake AW. Complete allogeneic hematopoietic chimerism achieved by in utero hematopoietic cell transplantation and cotransplantation of LLME-treated, MHC-sensitized donor lymphocytes. Exp Hematol 2004; 32:290-9. [PMID: 15003315 DOI: 10.1016/j.exphem.2003.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2003] [Revised: 12/22/2003] [Accepted: 12/24/2003] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE In utero hematopoietic cell transplantation (IUHCT) typically achieves low-level mixed hematopoietic chimerism. However, the goal of IUHCT is to achieve therapeutic levels of chimerism. We hypothesized that prenatal adoptive immunotherapy might achieve high-level donor chimerism after IUHCT. MATERIALS AND METHODS BALB/CE15 fetal mice were transplanted with a mixture of C57BL/6 (B6) T-cell-depleted bone marrow (TCD BM) cells and splenocytes from B6 mice presensitized to BALB/C alloantigen. The splenocytes were preincubated in L-leucyl-L-leucine methyl ester (LLME), to minimize graft vs host disease (GVHD). Recipients were followed after birth for donor cell chimerism and GVHD. RESULTS Full donor hematopoietic chimerism following a single prenatal transplant was achieved in seven transplanted animals. Fully chimeric animals were healthy, without evidence of GVHD, and maintained their engraftment for the duration of the study (48 weeks). However, the addition of presensitized LLME-treated cells decreased survival until weaning relative to TCD BM alone, suggesting that some animals were lost to acute GVHD. Surviving chimeric animals demonstrated increased frequencies of T-regulatory cell populations in their spleen and BM, suggesting that they had successfully suppressed GVHD, allowing survival. CONCLUSIONS This study represents "proof in principle" that prenatal immunotherapeutic strategies may achieve complete hematopoietic engraftment across full MHC barriers when combined with IUHCT. However, strategies with greater hematopoietic specificity must be developed prior to consideration of clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Hayashi
- The Children's Institute for Surgical Science, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa. 19104-4318, USA
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Abstract
A technique that can direct the repair of a genetic mutation in a human chromosome using the DNA repair machinery of the cell is under development. Although this approach is not as mature as other forms of gene therapy and fundamental problems continue to arise, it promises to be the ultimate therapy for many inherited disorders. There is a continuing effort to understand the potential and the limitations of this controversial approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Liu
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
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