Advances in gene therapy using factor VIIa in hemophilia

Semin Hematol. 2006 Jan;43(1 Suppl 1):S101-4. doi: 10.1053/j.seminhematol.2005.11.015.

Abstract

The development of recombinant activated factor VII (rFVIIa; NovoSeven, Novo Nordisk, Bagsvaerd, Denmark) has provided an effective, alternative treatment strategy for hemophilia patients with inhibitors. However, its short half-life necessitates frequent infusions and results in high treatment costs. One potential solution to this problem may lie in the use of FVIIa gene transfer, which would achieve long-lasting therapeutic levels of expression from a single injection. Studies in animal models have shown that a recombinant adeno-associated viral vector can be used to insert both murine and human FVIIa into murine liver. Following FVIIa gene transfer, mice with hemophilia B demonstrated a long-term, dose-dependent increase in circulating levels of FVIIa, reduced prothrombin time, and correction of activated partial thromboplastin time into the normal range. In addition, blood loss following a modified tail-clip assay was significantly reduced. Ongoing studies in mice engineered to express a wide range of FVIIa levels aim to analyze organ histology and evaluate long-term survival, reproductive fitness, and real-time in vivo clot formation in the microvasculature. These studies are expanding our knowledge of the effects of continuously expressed rFVIIa, and it is hoped that they may eventually provide a new avenue for treatment of hemophilia.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Dependovirus*
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Factor VII / genetics*
  • Factor VII / metabolism
  • Factor VIIa
  • Gene Targeting / methods
  • Gene Transfer Techniques
  • Genetic Therapy*
  • Genetic Vectors / administration & dosage*
  • Hemophilia B / genetics
  • Hemophilia B / metabolism
  • Hemophilia B / therapy*
  • Humans
  • Liver / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Recombinant Proteins / genetics
  • Recombinant Proteins / metabolism

Substances

  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Factor VII
  • recombinant FVIIa
  • Factor VIIa