Browsing by Author "Gao, Fengqin"

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    A Novel Gene Therapy Approach for GSD III Using an AAV Vector Encoding a Bacterial Glycogen Debranching Enzyme.
    (Molecular therapy. Methods & clinical development, 2020-09) Lim, Jeong-A; Choi, Su Jin; Gao, Fengqin; Kishnani, Priya S; Sun, Baodong
    Glycogen storage disease type III (GSD III) is an inherited disorder caused by a deficiency of glycogen debranching enzyme (GDE), which results in the accumulation of abnormal glycogen (limit dextrin) in the cytoplasm of liver, heart, and skeletal muscle cells. Currently, there is no curative treatment for this disease. Gene therapy with adeno-associated virus (AAV) provides an optimal treatment approach for monogenic diseases like GSD III. However, the 4.6 kb human GDE cDNA is too large to be packaged into a single AAV vector due to its small carrying capacity. To overcome this limitation, we tested a new gene therapy approach in GSD IIIa mice using an AAV vector ubiquitously expressing a smaller bacterial GDE, Pullulanase, whose cDNA is 2.2 kb. Intravenous injection of the AAV vector (AAV9-CB-Pull) into 2-week-old GSD IIIa mice blocked glycogen accumulation in both cardiac and skeletal muscles, but not in the liver, accompanied by the improvement of muscle functions. Subsequent treatment with a liver-restricted AAV vector (AAV8-LSP-Pull) reduced liver glycogen content by 75% and reversed hepatic fibrosis while maintaining the effect of AAV9-CB-Pull treatment on heart and skeletal muscle. Our results suggest that AAV-mediated gene therapy with Pullulanase is a possible treatment for GSD III.
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    Alglucosidase alfa treatment alleviates liver disease in a mouse model of glycogen storage disease type IV.
    (Mol Genet Metab Rep, 2016-12) Yi, Haiqing; Gao, Fengqin; Austin, Stephanie; Kishnani, Priya S; Sun, Baodong
    Patients with progressive hepatic form of GSD IV often die of liver failure in early childhood. We tested the feasibility of using recombinant human acid-α glucosidase (rhGAA) for treating GSD IV. Weekly intravenously injection of rhGAA at 40 mg/kg for 4 weeks significantly reduced hepatic glycogen accumulation, lowered liver/body weight ratio, and reduced plasma ALP and ALT activities in GSD IV mice. Our data suggests that rhGAA is a potential therapy for GSD IV.
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    Intravenous Injection of an AAV-PHP.B Vector Encoding Human Acid α-Glucosidase Rescues Both Muscle and CNS Defects in Murine Pompe Disease.
    (Molecular therapy. Methods & clinical development, 2019-03) Lim, Jeong-A; Yi, Haiqing; Gao, Fengqin; Raben, Nina; Kishnani, Priya S; Sun, Baodong
    Pompe disease, a severe and often fatal neuromuscular disorder, is caused by a deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA). The disease is characterized by the accumulation of excess glycogen in the heart, skeletal muscle, and CNS. Currently approved enzyme replacement therapy or experimental adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated gene therapy has little effect on CNS correction. Here we demonstrate that a newly developed AAV-PHP.B vector can robustly transduce both the CNS and skeletal muscles in GAA-knockout (GAAKO) mice. A single intravenous injection of an AAV-PHP.B vector expressing human GAA under the control of cytomegalovirus (CMV) enhancer-chicken β-actin (CB) promoter into 2-week-old GAAKO mice resulted in widespread GAA expression in the affected tissues. Glycogen contents were reduced to wild-type levels in the brain and heart, and they were significantly decreased in skeletal muscle by the AAV treatment. The histological assay showed no visible glycogen in any region of the brain and spinal cord of AAV-treated mice. In this study, we describe a set of behavioral tests that can detect early neurological deficits linked to extensive lysosomal glycogen accumulation in the CNS of untreated GAAKO mice. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the therapy can help prevent the development of these abnormalities.