Abstract |
Spinal muscular atrophy with respiratory distress type 1 ( SMARD1) is an autosomal recessive motor neuron disease affecting children. It is caused by mutations in the IGHMBP2 gene (11q13) and presently has no cure. Recently, adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9)-mediated gene therapy has been shown to rescue the phenotype of animal models of another lower motor neuron disorder, spinal muscular atrophy 5q, and a clinical trial with this strategy is ongoing. We report rescue of the disease phenotype in a SMARD1 mouse model after therapeutic delivery via systemic injection of an AAV9 construct encoding the wild-type IGHMBP2 to replace the defective gene. AAV9-IGHMBP2 administration restored protein levels and rescued motor function, neuromuscular physiology, and life span (450% increase), ameliorating pathological features in the central nervous system, muscles, and heart. To test this strategy in a human model, we transferred wild-type IGHMBP2 into human SMARD1-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived motor neurons; these cells exhibited increased survival and axonal length in long-term culture. Our data support the translational potential of AAV-mediated gene therapies for SMARD1, opening the door for AAV9-mediated therapy in human clinical trials.
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Authors | Monica Nizzardo, Chiara Simone, Federica Rizzo, Sabrina Salani, Sara Dametti, Paola Rinchetti, Roberto Del Bo, Kevin Foust, Brian K Kaspar, Nereo Bresolin, Giacomo P Comi, Stefania Corti |
Journal | Science advances
(Sci Adv)
Vol. 1
Issue 2
Pg. e1500078
(Mar 2015)
ISSN: 2375-2548 [Print] United States |
PMID | 26601156
(Publication Type: Journal Article)
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