U19NS132301

Postnatal and prenatal therapeutic base editing for metabolic diseases - project summary.

The potential for the development of novel therapeutic modalities has energized the genome editing field since it first emerged in the 1990s and especially since the demonstration of programmable genome editing with CRISPR-Cas9 by multiple groups in 2012.

There has been substantial progress with ex vivo therapeutic applications of genome editing in patients in the past few years, most notably with CAR-T immunotherapies for cancer and with durable treatment of hemoglobinopathies.

Progress with in vivo therapeutic applications, i.e., somatic cell genome editing, has been slower due to the technical challenges inherent in the delivery of genome-editing tools into the body.

As of the time of this writing, there are few published examples of successful genome editing performed in vivo in primates (including humans), with almost all examples involving somatic genome editing in the liver: TTR with CAS9 nuclease delivered by lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), PCSK9 and ANGPTL3 with adenine base editors delivered by LNPs, and PCSK9 with meganucleases delivered by adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors.

The prospects for genome-editing therapies extend to before birth, with in utero genome editing having the potential to treat genetic diseases that result in significant morbidity and mortality before or shortly after birth.

Although restricted to small animal models so far, in utero genome editing has proven effective in the liver, lungs, heart, and other organs.

Our overall program seeks to build on these early successes, pursuing goals that would be of major impact in advancing the field of therapeutic genome editing.

Our three research projects seek to develop base-editing therapies targeting the liver in order to treat three rare metabolic genetic diseases: phenylketonuria (PKU), hereditary tyrosinemia type 1 (HT1), and mucopolysaccharidosis type 1 (MPSI).

Lead project 1 will focus on LNP-based postnatal treatment of PKU, with the aim to file an IND application by the end of the five-year funding period and begin a phase 1/2 clinical trial soon afterwards.

Project 2 will focus on LNP-based postnatal treatment of HT1, with the aim to file an IND application and begin a clinical trial, and prenatal treatment of HT1, with the aim of performing preclinical studies during the five-year funding period to enable an eventual IND application if the postnatal clinical trial proves successful.

Project 3 will focus on AAV-based postnatal and prenatal treatment of MPSI, with similar aims as project 2.

Unique, specialized resource cores focused on off-target editing and in utero treatment of small and large animals will be indispensable in achieving these aims.

The Children's Hospital Of Philadelphia

(1) TO SUPPORT EXTRAMURAL RESEARCH FUNDED BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE (NINDS) INCLUDING: BASIC RESEARCH THAT EXPLORES THE FUNDAMENTAL STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF THE BRAIN AND THE NERVOUS SYSTEM, RESEARCH TO UNDERSTAND THE CAUSES AND ORIGINS OF PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM WITH THE GOAL OF PREVENTING THESE DISORDERS, RESEARCH ON THE NATURAL COURSE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS, IMPROVED METHODS OF DISEASE PREVENTION, NEW METHODS OF DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT, DRUG DEVELOPMENT, DEVELOPMENT OF NEURAL DEVICES, CLINICAL TRIALS, AND RESEARCH TRAINING IN BASIC, TRANSLATIONAL AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE. THE INSTITUTE IS THE LARGEST FUNDER OF BASIC NEUROSCIENCE IN THE US AND SUPPORTS RESEARCH ON TOPICS INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO: DEVELOPMENT OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM, INCLUDING NEUROGENESIS AND PROGENITOR CELL BIOLOGY, SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION IN DEVELOPMENT AND PLASTICITY, AND PROGRAMMED CELL DEATH, SYNAPSE FORMATION, FUNCTION, AND PLASTICITY, LEARNING AND MEMORY, CHANNELS, TRANSPORTERS, AND PUMPS, CIRCUIT FORMATION AND MODULATION, BEHAVIORAL AND COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE, SENSORIMOTOR LEARNING, INTEGRATION AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTION, NEUROENDOCRINE SYSTEMS, SLEEP AND CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS, AND SENSORY AND MOTOR SYSTEMS. IN ADDITION, THE INSTITUTE SUPPORTS BASIC, TRANSLATIONAL AND CLINICAL STUDIES ON A NUMBER OF DISORDERS OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM INCLUDING (BUT NOT LIMITED TO): STROKE, TRAUMATIC INJURY TO THE BRAIN, SPINAL CORD AND PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS, MOVEMENT DISORDERS, BRAIN TUMORS, CONVULSIVE DISORDERS, INFECTIOUS DISORDERS OF THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM, IMMUNE DISORDERS OF THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM, INCLUDING MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, DISORDERS RELATED TO SLEEP, AND PAIN. PROGRAMMATIC AREAS, WHICH ARE PRIMARILY SUPPORTED BY THE DIVISION OF NEUROSCIENCE, ARE ALSO SUPPORTED BY THE DIVISION OF EXTRAMURAL ACTIVITIES, THE DIVISION OF TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH, THE DIVISION OF CLINICAL RESEARCH, THE OFFICE OF TRAINING AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, THE OFFICE OF PROGRAMS TO ENHANCE NEUROSCIENCE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, AND THE OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES. (2) TO EXPAND AND IMPROVE THE SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, TO INCREASE SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION IN FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION. TO UTILIZE THE SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAM, TO STIMULATE AND FOSTER SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION THROUGH COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CARRIED OUT BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO FOSTER TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION.

93.310 - Trans-NIH Research Support

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NNDS) [HHS - NIH]

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) [HHS - NIH]

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 191044318 United States

Single Zip Code

Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional) (PA-20-272)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 174% from $6,415,703 to $17,556,074.