Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - GENE FOR CURE (Expanding and extending gene therapy of monogenic diseases of the haematopoietic system)

Teaser

Primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs) constitute a heterogeneous group of inherited diseases that mainly affect children. The most severe PIDs are life-threatening conditions, characterized by (i) susceptibility to infections (ranging from a broad spectrum of pathogens to single...

Summary

Primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs) constitute a heterogeneous group of inherited diseases that mainly affect children. The most severe PIDs are life-threatening conditions, characterized by (i) susceptibility to infections (ranging from a broad spectrum of pathogens to single microbial agents), and (ii) a tendency to develop autoimmune disorders and cancer. The use of supportive treatments and improvements in clinical care have increased the life expectancy of patients with PIDs - some of whom can now expect to reach adulthood. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the only curative option for a growing number of inherited and acquired diseases of the lymphohaematopoietic system. Given that (i) not all patients have an HLA-genoidentical sibling donor and (ii) severe immunological complications worsen the outcome in HLA-partially-matched HSCT, the genetic modification of autologous hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) has become a powerful curative treatment option for these individuals. The early experiments on primary immune deficiencies (PIDs) have confirmed this hypothesis and constitute the basis for extending gene correction procedures to more prevalent and/or complex genetic disorders of haematopoiesis, such as Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) and sickle cell anemia (SCA).
The present project seeks to further consolidate the rationale for replacing HLA-partially-matched HSCT with a gene therapy approach to treat PIDs and to explore new strategies of gene modification by gene-editing technology.
The main goals of this project are as follows:
- WP1: Immunological and haematological reconstitution after gene therapy in WAS patients: implications for the clinical outcome, with a particular focus on autoimmunity and microthrombocytopenia
- WP2: Gene therapy of a SCID caused by an Artemis mutation: implementation of the first clinical trial for this indication
- WP3: Gene therapy for IPEX syndrome
- WP4: Gene therapy of SCA

Work performed

WP1 : Immunological and haematological reconstitution after gene therapy in WAS patients: implications for the clinical outcome, with a particular focus on autoimmunity and microthrombocytopenia.2028

With this WP1 we aimed at investigating the robustness of our first gene therapy trial for WAS in terms of the correction of all blood lineages, with a particular focus on the long-term cure of autoimmunity and thrombocytopenia.
Since the beginning of this grant we are regularly following 4 patients treated with lentiviral vector based-gene therapy, 5 to 7 years ago. All these patients are alive and well. Clinical and biological data are regularly collected over time, including classical immunological analysis and quantification of WAS gene transduction via quantification of gene marking and WASP expression in myeloid and lymphoid populations, TREC/KREC analyses, TCR repertoire by NGS analyses, as well as integration sites (IS) analysis in subpopulation. The aim of this WP was to focus in particular on a) platelet recovery, b) autoimmunity and B cell function after gene therapy and c) long term hematopoietic reconstitution analysis through IS clonal tracking.

1. Platelet function and characterization after gene therapy
A comprehensive analysis of platelet function and characterization was performed for the first time on our patients. For a better comprehension of results after GT, they were compared not only to healthy donor volunteers (in parallel to each analysis performed), but also to WAS patients after conventional allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and WAS untreated patients.
Patients did not develop important hemorrhagic symptoms, despite a persisting micro thrombocytopenia over time.

2. Autoimmunity and B cell function after gene therapy
With the aim at exploring the B cell compartment, a study of B cell function was performed over time. This included the analysis of IgG IgA and IgM production over time, B cell subpopulations phenotype, WASP expression in B cell subsets, quantification of WAS gene transduction in the memory vs the naïve B cell compartments by VCN quantification, autoimmune panel. KREC analyses were also performed at different time points.
Results over time show a global increase in B cell function and KREC analyses. At least two patients could stop Ig replacement and have IgG production in normal ranges.
In order to explore the autoimmunity status of the patients, a panel of autoantibodies before and after gene therapy treatment at different time points was tested. No significant positive autoantibody was detected after gene therapy.

3. Long term hematopoietic reconstitution analysis through IS clonal tracking
We performed an in depth analysis of long term hematopoietic reconstitution aiming at understanding the key parameters of long-term reconstitution, that could impact especially platelet and B cell reconstitution.
Using clonal tracking in cell lineages through integration sites (IS) sequencing, we developed novel statistical methods for the quantitative analysis of HSC. We determined that the minimal estimated number of active HSC, providing hematological reconstitution in these patients, correlating with the number of corrected infused HSPC. We also quantified HSC progeny and highlighted the heterogeneity of human HSC with distinct HSC subsets.

WP2 : Gene therapy of a SCID caused by an Artemis mutation: implementation of the first clinical trial for this indication.

The GMP batch for the Artemis deficiency gene therapy clinical trial was sent by Yposkesi to the Biotherapy Clincial Investigation Center in January 2019. We first checked the efficacy of this GMP batch on bone marrow CD34+ cells from a healthy donor (HD). The cells were transduced with the Artemis vector or an empty vector in serum free conditions supplemented with a cytokine cocktail and growth factors as previously used in other gene therapy trials targeting CD34+ hematopoietic cells. Cells were then culture

Final results

WP1 : Immunological and haematological reconstitution after gene therapy in W AS patients: implications for the clinical outcome, with a particular focus on autoimmunity and microthrombocytopenia
WP1 aims at investigating the long term follow up of our first gene therapy trial for WAS in terms of the correction of all blood lineages, with a particular focus on the long-term cure of autoimmunity and thrombocytopenia. The study of platelet function and autoimmunity is ongoing and will be completed by the end of the project.

WP2 : Gene therapy of a SCID caused by an Artemis mutation: implementation of the first clinical trial for this indication
The main objective of this work package is to open a phase I/II clinical trial to treat 5 patients with Artemis immune deficiency. We expect at the end of the grant to have opened and included the 5 patients to be treated.

WP3 : Gene therapy for IPEX syndrome
We shall then assess the ability of CD4SfFOXP3 cells to cure the scurfy mouse’s autoimmune symptoms by adoptive transfer in scurfy male recipients. We shall compare the efficiency of these CD4SfFOXP3 cells with that of eGFP Tregs in controlling the autoimmune manifestation of scurfy mice and define the cell dose required for a sustained effect. We shall analyse the long-term persistence of the corrected CD4SfFOXP3 cells over several months.

The stability of the generated Tregs is a critical parameter for robust suppressor function. Recent studies have also revealed the plasticity of the Treg lineage (Sawant and Vignali, 2014). Therefore, in addition to restoration of FOXP3 expression in IPEX cells, we shall explore their transcriptional signatures and (i) look for expression of other core suppression factors that act in synergy with Foxp3 to lock the regulatory signature (Fu et al., 2012) and (ii) define the whole signature by comparison with healthy Tregs (Ferraro et al., 2014).
Considering our preliminary data showing the feasibility of regulatory T cell engineering though lentiviral transduction of FOXP3 in diseased CD4 T cells, we expect to demonstrate the ability of transduced CD4SfFOXP3 to control the disease as efficiently as nTreg. We expect a reasonable stability of the cells allowing controlling the disease for a couple of months.

WP4 : Gene therapy of SCA
Compared to previously published studies, we have developed a novel high-titer vector expressing an anti-sickling transgene that will be use in a clinical trial expected to start at Necker Hospital in 2019. In parallel, we have developed a novel genome editing strategy to reactivate therapeutic HbF levels in vitro. Future experiments will aim at selecting guide RNAs specifically targeting the β-globin locus that lead to efficient HbF reactivation in the progeny of bona fide HSCs (as assessed by xenotransplantation in immunodeficient mice) without evidence of toxicity.