Welcome to Gene Therapy Net
Gene Therapy Net is the web resource for patients and professionals interested in gene therapy. The objectives of Gene Therapy Net are to be the information resource for basic and clinical research in gene therapy, cell therapy, and genetic vaccines, and to serve as a network in the exchange of information and news related to above areas. In addition, Gene Therapy Net provides an overview for sponsors and researchers of the different international regulations and guidelines associated with clinical gene therapy trials. For resources pertaining to regenerative cell therapy and clinical treatment, check out R3 Stem Cell.
Dog Study Revives Concerns About Virus Used for Gene Therapy
Posted on: 7 January 2020, source: Science
Adeno-associated viruses are popular vectors for delivering gene therapies to patients’ cells because, researchers believed, the DNA these viruses carry rarely inserts into the host genome. But according to results presented last month (December 9) at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting in Orlando, Florida, this assumption may be wrong. In six dogs that were treated with an AAV-based gene therapy for the blood-clotting disorder hemophilia B, all of them carried the therapeutic DNA within their genomes, and in some cases, the genetic material had inserted near genes known to play a role in cell growth, Science reports.
Adeno-associated viruses are popular vectors for delivering gene therapies to patients’ cells because, researchers believed, the DNA these viruses carry rarely inserts into the host genome. But according to results presented last month (December 9) at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting in Orlando, Florida, this assumption may be wrong. In six dogs that were treated with an AAV-based gene therapy for the blood-clotting disorder hemophilia B, all of them carried the therapeutic DNA within their genomes, and in some cases, the genetic material had inserted near genes known to play a role in cell growth, Science reports.
NJIT to Launch New Programs in Cell and Gene Therapy
Posted on: 23 December 2019, source: NJIT
New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in collaboration with New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII), an NJIT corporation, has announced it will soon offer both a Professional Science Masters (PSM) degree program and professional graduate certificate in the rapidly expanding field of cell and gene therapy. The 30-credit M.Sc. degree — available in spring 2020 as part of NJIT’s Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science’s pharmaceutical chemistry master's program — aims to "train the next generation of scientists and engineers in modern aspects of cell and gene therapy, emphasizing cell biology and cellular therapeutic development, regenerative medicine, process development and biomanufacturing, analytical technologies, quality and regulatory compliance.”
New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) in collaboration with New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII), an NJIT corporation, has announced it will soon offer both a Professional Science Masters (PSM) degree program and professional graduate certificate in the rapidly expanding field of cell and gene therapy. The 30-credit M.Sc. degree — available in spring 2020 as part of NJIT’s Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science’s pharmaceutical chemistry master's program — aims to "train the next generation of scientists and engineers in modern aspects of cell and gene therapy, emphasizing cell biology and cellular therapeutic development, regenerative medicine, process development and biomanufacturing, analytical technologies, quality and regulatory compliance.”
Hopkins team invents non-viral system for getting gene therapy into cells
Posted on: 12 December 2019, source: FierceBiotech
One of the most popular methods for inserting therapeutic genes into cells to treat disease is to transport them using a virus that has been stripped of its infectious properties. But those noninfectious viruses can still sometimes touch off dangerous immune responses. A team from Johns Hopkins Medicine is proposing an alternative method for transporting large therapies into cells—including genes and even the gene-editing system CRISPR. It’s a nano-container made of a polymer that biodegrades once it’s inside the cell, unleashing the therapy. The researchers described the invention in the journal Science Advances.
One of the most popular methods for inserting therapeutic genes into cells to treat disease is to transport them using a virus that has been stripped of its infectious properties. But those noninfectious viruses can still sometimes touch off dangerous immune responses. A team from Johns Hopkins Medicine is proposing an alternative method for transporting large therapies into cells—including genes and even the gene-editing system CRISPR. It’s a nano-container made of a polymer that biodegrades once it’s inside the cell, unleashing the therapy. The researchers described the invention in the journal Science Advances.
Encouraging early results from first human CRISPR gene therapy trials
Posted on: 25 November 2019, source: NewAtlas
Promising preliminary data from one of the first human trials testing the safety and efficacy of a CRISPR gene therapy has just been revealed. Although it is too early to evaluate long-term effects, the initial reports are impressively successful for two patients with severe genetic blood diseases. Until February of this year, when pharmaceutical companies CRISPR Therapeutics and Vertex began a large global trial into a treatment called CTX001, no human outside of China had been officially treated with a CRISPR-based gene editing therapy. CTX001 was developed to treat two types of inherited blood disease, beta-thalassemia and sickle cell disease. Both conditions are caused by a mutation in a single gene and the treatment involves engineering a patient's stem cells with a single genetic change designed to raise levels of fetal hemoglobin in red blood cells.
Promising preliminary data from one of the first human trials testing the safety and efficacy of a CRISPR gene therapy has just been revealed. Although it is too early to evaluate long-term effects, the initial reports are impressively successful for two patients with severe genetic blood diseases. Until February of this year, when pharmaceutical companies CRISPR Therapeutics and Vertex began a large global trial into a treatment called CTX001, no human outside of China had been officially treated with a CRISPR-based gene editing therapy. CTX001 was developed to treat two types of inherited blood disease, beta-thalassemia and sickle cell disease. Both conditions are caused by a mutation in a single gene and the treatment involves engineering a patient's stem cells with a single genetic change designed to raise levels of fetal hemoglobin in red blood cells.
FDA Official Urges Wealthy Nations to Align Gene Therapy Rules
Posted on: 5 November 2019, source: BloombergLaw
Patients from low- and middle-income countries will have better access to gene therapies if the U.S. and other high-income countries align their regulations for these potentially curative treatments, the FDA’s biologics chief said. “We really want to see the delivery of safe and effective gene therapies, not just in high income countries but across the globe,” Peter Marks, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) at the Food and Drug Administration, said Nov. 4 at the American Society for Gene and Cell Therapy’s policy summit.
Patients from low- and middle-income countries will have better access to gene therapies if the U.S. and other high-income countries align their regulations for these potentially curative treatments, the FDA’s biologics chief said. “We really want to see the delivery of safe and effective gene therapies, not just in high income countries but across the globe,” Peter Marks, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) at the Food and Drug Administration, said Nov. 4 at the American Society for Gene and Cell Therapy’s policy summit.
Early Report: Baby Treated With Gene Therapy For Deadly Tay-Sachs Disease Appears To Stabilize
Posted on: 24 October 2019, source: wbur
It's a very early report, from just two patients, only a few months after treatment. But UMass Medical School Dean Terence Flotte this week shared at a conference what could be landmark news about a terrible genetic disease: Two young patients with Tay-Sachs disease showed no ill effects from a new gene therapy that aims to correct the defect at the heart of the disease. One of them, treated at just 7 months, has appeared to stabilize instead of following the typical quick slide toward death by age 4. "It seems right now that she's not degenerating," Flotte said. "But I would say it's too early to say that definitively."
It's a very early report, from just two patients, only a few months after treatment. But UMass Medical School Dean Terence Flotte this week shared at a conference what could be landmark news about a terrible genetic disease: Two young patients with Tay-Sachs disease showed no ill effects from a new gene therapy that aims to correct the defect at the heart of the disease. One of them, treated at just 7 months, has appeared to stabilize instead of following the typical quick slide toward death by age 4. "It seems right now that she's not degenerating," Flotte said. "But I would say it's too early to say that definitively."
World’s First Gene Therapy for Glycogen Storage Disease Produces Remarkable Results
Posted on: 20 September 2019, source: UConn Today
At the Association for Glycogen Storage Disease’s 41st Annual Conference, Dr. David Weinstein of UConn School of Medicine and Connecticut Children’s presented his groundbreaking, one-year clinical trial results for the novel gene therapy treatment for glycogen storage disease (GSD). The rare and deadly genetic liver disorder, GSD type Ia, affects children from infancy through adulthood, causing dangerously low blood sugar levels and constant dependence on glucose consumption in the form of cornstarch every few hours for survival. If a cornstarch dose is missed, the disease can lead to seizures and even death. Weinstein, whose team first administered the investigational gene therapy at UConn John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington, Connecticut, on July 24, 2018, calls the results “remarkable.”
At the Association for Glycogen Storage Disease’s 41st Annual Conference, Dr. David Weinstein of UConn School of Medicine and Connecticut Children’s presented his groundbreaking, one-year clinical trial results for the novel gene therapy treatment for glycogen storage disease (GSD). The rare and deadly genetic liver disorder, GSD type Ia, affects children from infancy through adulthood, causing dangerously low blood sugar levels and constant dependence on glucose consumption in the form of cornstarch every few hours for survival. If a cornstarch dose is missed, the disease can lead to seizures and even death. Weinstein, whose team first administered the investigational gene therapy at UConn John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington, Connecticut, on July 24, 2018, calls the results “remarkable.”
Gene Therapy News
- Mechanism for how common gene therapy vectors enter cells - Science Daily
Thu, 23 Jan 2020 19:03 GMT - Voretigene neparvovec will 'pave the way' for more gene therapy treatments - Healio
Fri, 24 Jan 2020 00:32 GMT - Real estate group creating $1.1B gene therapy CDMO at former GSK site - FiercePharma
Thu, 23 Jan 2020 15:19 GMT - Gene Therapy Discovery Offers Hope for Patients with AMD - Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News
Thu, 23 Jan 2020 08:00 GMT - Anemocyte Brings Italian Excellence in the Cell and Gene Therapy Sector to Phacilitate Leaders World 2020 in Miami - BioSpace
Thu, 23 Jan 2020 19:26 GMT
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