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Intramuscular delivery of gene therapy for targeting the nervous system

Tosolini, A; Sleigh, J; (2020) Intramuscular delivery of gene therapy for targeting the nervous system. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience , 13 , Article 129. 10.3389/fnmol.2020.00129. Green open access

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Abstract

Virus-mediated gene therapy has the potential to deliver exogenous genetic material into specific cell types to promote survival and counteract disease. This is particularly enticing for neuronal conditions, as the nervous system is renowned for its intransigence to therapeutic targeting. Administration of gene therapy viruses into skeletal muscle, where distal terminals of motor and sensory neurons reside, has been shown to result in extensive transduction of cells within the spinal cord, brainstem, and sensory ganglia. This route is minimally invasive and therefore clinically relevant for gene therapy targeting to peripheral nerve soma. For successful transgene expression, viruses administered into muscle must undergo a series of processes, including host cell interaction and internalization, intracellular sorting, long-range retrograde axonal transport, endosomal liberation, and nuclear import. In this review article, we outline key characteristics of major gene therapy viruses—adenovirus, adeno-associated virus (AAV), and lentivirus—and summarize the mechanisms regulating important steps in the virus journey from binding at peripheral nerve terminals to nuclear delivery. Additionally, we describe how neuropathology can negatively influence these pathways, and conclude by discussing opportunities to optimize the intramuscular administration route to maximize gene delivery and thus therapeutic potential.

Type: Article
Title: Intramuscular delivery of gene therapy for targeting the nervous system
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2020.00129
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnmol.2020.00129
Language: English
Additional information: Copyright © 2020 Tosolini and Sleigh. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Keywords: adenovirus (AdV), adeno-associated virus (AAV), axonal transport, lentivirus, motor neuron, neuromuscular junction (NMJ), peripheral nerve, sensory neuron
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology > Department of Neuromuscular Diseases
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10102933
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