In 15 participants with hemophilia A treated with a single infusion of AAV5 vector containing the factor VIII gene, 7 who received 6×10
13
vector genomes per kilogram had a median factor VIII level ...of 20 IU per deciliter, and 6 who received 4×10
13
vg per kilogram had a median level of 13 IU per deciliter. Factor VIII levels decreased in years 2 and 3 of follow-up, but the median annualized rate of bleeding events among these 13 participants remained zero.
Adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapies can restore endogenous factor VIII (FVIII) expression in hemophilia A (HA). AAV vectors typically use a B-domain–deleted FVIII transgene, such as ...human FVIII-SQ in valoctocogene roxaparvovec (AAV5-FVIII-SQ). Surprisingly, the activity of transgene-produced FVIII-SQ was between 1.3 and 2.0 times higher in one-stage clot (OS) assays than in chromogenic-substrate (CS) assays, whereas recombinant FVIII-SQ products had lower OS than CS activity. Transgene-produced and recombinant FVIII-SQ showed comparable specific activity (international units per milligram) in the CS assay, demonstrating that the diverging activities arise in the OS assay. Higher OS activity for transgene-produced FVIII-SQ was observed across various assay kits and clinical laboratories, suggesting that intrinsic molecular features are potential root causes. Further experiments in 2 participants showed that transgene-produced FVIII-SQ accelerated early factor Xa and thrombin formation, which may explain the higher OS activity based on a kinetic bias between OS and CS assay readout times. Despite the faster onset of coagulation, global thrombin levels were unaffected. A correlation with joint bleeds suggested that both OS and CS assay remained clinically meaningful to distinguish hemophilic from nonhemophilic FVIII activity levels. During clinical development, the CS activity was chosen as a surrogate end point to conservatively assess hemostatic efficacy and enable comparison with recombinant FVIII-SQ products. Relevant trials are registered on clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02576795 and #NCT03370913 and, respectively, on EudraCT (European Union Drug Regulating Authorities Clinical Trials Database; https://eudract.ema.europa.eu) as #2014-003880-38 and #2017-003215-19.
•Higher OS than CS activity for AAV5-FVIII-SQ may be caused by accelerated early FXa formation, resulting in a kinetic bias between assays.•Specific activity (IU/mg) remains comparable between transgene-produced and recombinant FVIII-SQ in the CS assay, but not in the OS assay.
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Adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated gene therapy is under investigation as a therapeutic option for persons with hemophilia A. Efficacy and safety data include 3 years of follow-up after a single ...administration of AAV5-hFVIII-SQ.
We report durable efficacy, long-term safety, and clinical and biologic results in 15 adults with severe hemophilia A (factor VIII level, ≤1 IU per deciliter) who had received a single infusion of AAV5-hFVIII-SQ at various dose levels. We evaluated the factor VIII level, annualized rate of bleeding events, use of factor VIII, safety, expression kinetics, and biologic markers of AAV transduction for up to 3 years.
Three years after infusion, two participants (one who had received 6×10
vector genomes vg per kilogram of body weight and one who had received 2×10
vg per kilogram) had factor VIII expression of less than 1 IU per deciliter, as assessed on chromogenic assay. Seven participants (who had received 6×10
vg per kilogram) had a median factor VIII expression of 20 IU per deciliter; the median number of annualized treated bleeding events was 0, and the median use of exogenous factor VIII was reduced from 138.5 infusions to 0 infusions per year. Bleeding in all target joints (major joints with ≥3 bleeding events within 6 months) in this cohort resolved (≤2 bleeding events within 12 months). Two years after infusion, six participants (who had received 4×10
vg per kilogram) had a median factor VIII expression of 13 IU per deciliter; the median annualized rate of bleeding events was 0, and the median use of factor VIII was reduced from 155.5 infusions to 0.5 infusions per year. Bleeding in target joints resolved in five of six participants. The factor VIII pharmacodynamic profiles reflected cellular turnover in the blood and molecular events leading to episomal DNA stabilization for persistent expression, findings that are consistent with previous observations in two model systems. Transgene-derived human factor VIII (hFVIII) protein activity mirrored native hFVIII in hemostatic ability. No inhibitor development, thromboses, deaths, or persistent changes in liver-function tests were observed.
Gene therapy with AAV5-hFVIII-SQ vector in participants with hemophilia A resulted in sustained, clinically relevant benefit, as measured by a substantial reduction in annualized rates of bleeding events and complete cessation of prophylactic factor VIII use in all participants who had received 4×10
vg per kilogram or 6×10
vg per kilogram of the gene therapy. (Funded by BioMarin Pharmaceutical; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02576795; EudraCT number, 2014-003880-38.).
Patients with severe hemophilia A were treated with an adenoviral construct containing coagulation factor VIII cDNA and followed for 1 to 3 years. Median factor VIII activity at 49 to 52 weeks was 24 ...IU per deciliter, and annualized bleeding rates decreased after treatment. Elevations in alanine aminotransferase were the most common toxic effect and were mainly controlled with glucocorticoids.
An AAV5 vector containing the factor IX Padua allele was administered to 54 men with hemophilia B. Factor IX expression increased to approximately 39% of normal, and the annualized bleeding rate was ...decreased to 1.5.
Participants with hemophilia A received B-domain–deleted factor VIII gene therapy delivered in an AAV5 vector. A decrease in annualized bleeding rates was maintained for 2 years despite declining ...factor VIII levels.
A targeted high-throughput sequencing (HTS) panel test for clinical diagnostics requires careful consideration of the inclusion of appropriate diagnostic-grade genes, the ability to detect multiple ...types of genomic variation with high levels of analytic sensitivity and reproducibility, and variant interpretation by a multidisciplinary team (MDT) in the context of the clinical phenotype. We have sequenced 2396 index patients using the ThromboGenomics HTS panel test of diagnostic-grade genes known to harbor variants associated with rare bleeding, thrombotic, or platelet disorders (BTPDs). The molecular diagnostic rate was determined by the clinical phenotype, with an overall rate of 49.2% for all thrombotic, coagulation, platelet count, and function disorder patients and a rate of 3.2% for patients with unexplained bleeding disorders characterized by normal hemostasis test results. The MDT classified 745 unique variants, including copy number variants (CNVs) and intronic variants, as pathogenic, likely pathogenic, or variants of uncertain significance. Half of these variants (50.9%) are novel and 41 unique variants were identified in 7 genes recently found to be implicated in BTPDs. Inspection of canonical hemostasis pathways identified 29 patients with evidence of oligogenic inheritance. A molecular diagnosis has been reported for 894 index patients providing evidence that introducing an HTS genetic test is a valuable addition to laboratory diagnostics in patients with a high likelihood of having an inherited BTPD.
•The ThromboGenomics HTS test validates recent gene discoveries and detects CNVs and intronic variants.•ThromboGenomics reveals a molecular diagnosis for 37.3% of 2396 patients with BTPDs.
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