What is the real value of omics data? Enhancing research outcomes and securing long-term data excellence.

A wealth of high-throughput biological data, of which omics constitute a significant fraction, has been made publicly available in repositories over the past decades. These data come in various formats and cover a range of species and research areas providing insights into the complexities of biological systems; the public repositories hosting these data serve as multifaceted resources. The potentially greater value of these data lies in their secondary utilization as the deployment of data science and artificial intelligence in biology advances.

Targeting Tumor Antigen 5T4 Using CAR T Cells for the Treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells represent a novel targeted approach to overcome deficits in the ability of the host immune system to detect and subsequently eradicate tumors. The identification of antigens expressed specifically on the surface of tumor cells is a critical first step for a targeted therapy that selectively targets cancer cells without affecting normal tissues. 5T4 is a tumor-associated antigen expressed on the cell surface of most solid tumors.

Auto-transduction in lentiviral vector bioprocessing: A quantitative assessment and a novel inhibition strategy.

Lentiviral vectors are highly efficient gene delivery vehicles used extensively in the rapidly growing field of cell and gene therapy. Demand for efficient, large-scale, lentiviral vector bioprocessing is growing as more therapies reach late-stage clinical trials and are commercialized. However, despite substantial progress, several process inefficiencies remain.

Degradation of specific glycosaminoglycans improves transfection efficiency and vector production in transient lentiviral vector manufacturing processes.

Both cell surface and soluble extracellular glycosaminoglycans have been shown to interfere with the exogenous nucleic acid delivery efficiency of non-viral gene delivery, including lipoplex and polyplex-mediated transfection. Most gene therapy viral vectors used commercially and in clinical trials are currently manufactured using transient transfection-based bioprocesses. The growing demand for viral vector products, coupled with a global shortage in production capability, requires improved transfection technologies and processes to maximise process efficiency and productivity.

Development of novel lipoplex formulation methodologies to improve large-scale transient transfection for lentiviral vector manufacture.

Large-scale transient transfection has advanced significantly over the last 20 years, enabling the effective production of a diverse range of biopharmaceutical products, including viral vectors. However, a number of challenges specifically related to transfection reagent stability and transfection complex preparation times remain. New developments and improved transfection technologies are required to ensure that transient gene expression-based bioprocesses can meet the growing demand for viral vectors.

Lentiviral delivered aflibercept OXB-203 for treatment of neovascular AMD.

Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) is a leading cause of blindness in the aging population, with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) playing a key role. Treatment with recombinant anti-VEGFs is the current standard of care; however, it is only effective for 1-2 months at a time and requires re-administration. Gene therapy could pave the way for stable, long-term expression of therapeutic anti-VEGF with a single dose, reducing the frequency of treatment and potentially improving clinical outcomes.

Time-dependent sorption behavior of lentiviral vectors during anion-exchange chromatography.

Use of lentiviral vectors (LVs) in clinical Cell and Gene Therapy applications is growing. However, functional product loss during capture chromatography, typically anion-exchange (AIEX), remains a significant unresolved challenge for the design of economic processes. Despite AIEX's extensive use, variable performance and generally low recovery is reported.

Machine learning and metabolic modelling assisted implementation of a novel process analytical technology in cell and gene therapy manufacturing.

Process analytical technology (PAT) has demonstrated huge potential to enable the development of improved biopharmaceutical manufacturing processes by ensuring the reliable provision of quality products. However, the complexities associated with the manufacture of advanced therapy medicinal products have resulted in a slow adoption of PAT tools into industrial bioprocessing operations, particularly in the manufacture of cell and gene therapy products. Here we describe the applicability of a novel refractometry-based PAT system (Ranger system), which was used to monitor the metabolic activity of HEK293T cell cultures during lentiviral vector (LVV) production processes in real time.

Gene Therapy for Parkinson's Disease: Preclinical Evaluation of Optimally Configured TH:CH1 Fusion for Maximal Dopamine Synthesis.

A recent phase I-II, open-label trial of ProSavin, a lentiviral vector delivering the key enzymes in the dopamine biosynthetic pathway to non-dopaminergic striatal neurons, demonstrated safety and improved motor function in parkinsonian patients. However, the magnitude of the effect suggested that optimal levels of dopamine replacement may not have been achieved. OXB-102, a lentiviral vector with an optimized expression cassette for dopamine biosynthesis, has been shown to achieve a significantly higher dopamine yield than ProSavin.

Long-Term Follow-Up of a Phase I/II Study of ProSavin, a Lentiviral Vector Gene Therapy for Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease is typically treated with oral dopamine replacement therapies. However, long-term use is complicated by motor fluctuations from intermittent stimulation of dopamine receptors and off-target effects. ProSavin, a lentiviral vector based gene therapy that delivers local and continuous dopamine, was previously shown to be well tolerated in a Phase I/II first-in-human study, with significant improvements in motor behavior from baseline at 1 year.

Optogenetic Tractography for anatomo-functional characterization of cortico-subcortical neural circuits in non-human primates.

Dissecting neural circuitry in non-human primates (NHP) is crucial to identify potential neuromodulation anatomical targets for the treatment of pharmacoresistant neuropsychiatric diseases by electrical neuromodulation. How targets of deep brain stimulation (DBS) and cortical targets of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) compare and might complement one another is an important question. Combining optogenetics and tractography may enable anatomo-functional characterization of large brain cortico-subcortical neural pathways.

Safety and Efficacy of OXB-202, a Genetically Engineered Tissue Therapy for the Prevention of Rejection in High-Risk Corneal Transplant Patients.

Due to both the avascularity of the cornea and the relatively immune-privileged status of the eye, corneal transplantation is one of the most successful clinical transplant procedures. However, in high-risk patients, which account for >20% of the 180,000 transplants carried out worldwide each year, the rejection rate is high due to vascularization of the recipient cornea. The main reason for graft failure is irreversible immunological rejection, and it is therefore unsurprising that neovascularization (NV; both pre and post grafting) is a significant risk factor for subsequent graft failure.

Enhancing titres of therapeutic viral vectors using the transgene repression in vector production (TRiP) system.

A key challenge in the field of therapeutic viral vector/vaccine manufacturing is maximizing production. For most vector platforms, the 'benchmark' vector titres are achieved with inert reporter genes. However, expression of therapeutic transgenes can often adversely affect vector titres due to biological effects on cell metabolism and/or on the vector virion itself.

Lentiviral Vector Gene Transfer of Endostatin/Angiostatin for Macular Degeneration (GEM) Study.

Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NVAMD) is a prevalent cause of vision loss. Intraocular injections of VEGF-neutralizing proteins provide benefit, but many patients require frequent injections for a prolonged period. Benefits are often lost over time due to lapses in treatment.

Optimizing Transgene Configuration and Protein Fusions to Maximize Dopamine Production for the Gene Therapy of Parkinson's Disease.

Pharmacological dopamine replacement therapies provide the most well-established treatments for Parkinson's disease (PD). However, these long-term treatments can lead to motor complications and off-target effects. ProSavin(®), a lentiviral vector (LV)-based gene therapy approach aimed at restoring local and continuous dopamine production, through delivery of three enzymes in the dopamine biosynthesis pathway, was demonstrated to be safe and well-tolerated in a phase I/II clinical study of patients with advanced PD.

Development of a replication-competent lentivirus assay for dendritic cell-targeting lentiviral vectors.

It is a current regulatory requirement to demonstrate absence of detectable replication-competent lentivirus (RCL) in lentiviral vector products prior to use in clinical trials. Immune Design previously described an HIV-1-based integration-deficient lentiviral vector for use in cancer immunotherapy (VP02). VP02 is enveloped with E1001, a modified Sindbis virus glycoprotein which targets dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule-3-grabbing non-integrin (DC-SIGN) expressed on dendritic cells in vivo.

EIAV-based retinal gene therapy in the shaker1 mouse model for usher syndrome type 1B: development of UshStat.

Usher syndrome type 1B is a combined deaf-blindness condition caused by mutations in the MYO7A gene. Loss of functional myosin VIIa in the retinal pigment epithelia (RPE) and/or photoreceptors leads to blindness. We evaluated the impact of subretinally delivered UshStat, a recombinant EIAV-based lentiviral vector expressing human MYO7A, on photoreceptor function in the shaker1 mouse model for Usher type 1B that lacks a functional Myo7A gene.

Suppression of neovascularization of donor corneas by transduction with equine infectious anemia virus-based lentiviral vectors expressing endostatin and angiostatin.

Corneal transplantation is the oldest and one of the most successful transplant procedures with a success rate in many studies in excess of 90%. The high success rate is mainly attributable to the relatively immune-privileged status of the eye and the fact that the cornea is largely avascular. However, the success rate in patients with failed grafts is much lower such that regrafting is frequently the top indication for corneal transplantation in many centers.

Long-term safety and tolerability of ProSavin, a lentiviral vector-based gene therapy for Parkinson's disease: a dose escalation, open-label, phase 1/2 trial.

Background: Parkinson's disease is typically treated with oral dopamine replacement therapies; however, long-term treatment leads to motor complications and, occasionally, impulse control disorders caused by intermittent stimulation of dopamine receptors and off-target effects, respectively. We aimed to assess the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of bilateral, intrastriatal delivery of ProSavin, a lentiviral vector-based gene therapy aimed at restoring local and continuous dopamine production in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease.

Methods: We undertook a phase 1/2 open-label trial with 12-month follow-up at two study sites (France and UK) to assess the safety and efficacy of ProSavin after bilateral injection into the putamen of patients with Parkinson's disease.

Transduction of photoreceptors with equine infectious anemia virus lentiviral vectors: safety and biodistribution of StarGen for Stargardt disease.

Purpose: StarGen is an equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV)-based lentiviral vector that expresses the photoreceptor-specific adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding cassette transporter (ABCA4) protein that is mutated in Stargardt disease (STGD1), a juvenile macular dystrophy. EIAV vectors are able to efficiently transduce rod and cone photoreceptors in addition to retinal pigment epithelium in the adult macaque and rabbit retina following subretinal delivery. The safety and biodistribution of StarGen following subretinal delivery in macaques and rabbits was assessed.

Characterization of lentiviral vector production using microwell suspension cultures of HEK293T-derived producer cells.

ProSavin(®) is a lentiviral vector (LV)-based gene therapy for Parkinson's disease. ProSavin(®) is currently in a Phase I/II clinical trial using material that was generated by transient transfection of adherent human embryonic kidney (HEK)293T cells. For future large-scale productions of ProSavin(®), we have previously reported the development and characterization of two inducible producer cell lines, termed PS5.

Assessment of Integration-defective HIV-1 and EIAV Vectors In Vitro and In Vivo.

The interest in integrase-defective lentiviral vectors (IDLVs) stems from their potential advantage of large cloning capacity and broad cell tropism while avoiding the possibility of insertional mutagenesis. Here, we directly compared the transducing potential of IDLVs based on the equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) to the more commonly described HIV-1 IDLVs. IDLVs were constructed by introducing equivalent single/triple mutations into the integrase catalytic triad.