image: Human Gene Therapy presents reports on the transfer and expression of genes in mammals, including humans. view more
Credit: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers
New Rochelle, NY, April 12, 2018--Researchers engineered a donor cornea, introducing two genes intended to prevent new blood vessel formation following transplantation, and have shown this novel approach to be safe, well tolerated, and effective at reducing the risk of tissue rejection in a high-risk rabbit model. These conclusive findings support angiogenesis as a valid target for treatment to prevent corneal graft rejection in high-risk patients, accord-ing to the study published in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert Inc., publishers. The article is available free for download on the Human Gene Therapy website until May 12, 2018.
Tim Stout, Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, TX), Scott Ellis, Oxford BioMedica (Ox-ford, U.K.) and coauthors from Baylor, Oxford Biomedica, and Oregon Health and Scienc-es University (Portland) describe the study design, the outcomes, and the implications of their results in the article entitled "Safety and Efficacy of OXB-202, a Genetically Engineered Tissue Therapy for the Prevention of Rejection in High Risk Corneal Transplant Patients." The researchers used a lentiviral vector to transfer the genes for the human proteins endostatin and angiostatin into the donor corneas. These secreted proteins inhibit vasculari-zation, helping to prevent an immune reaction to the transplanted tissue and rejection of the cornea.
"The work from Drs. Stout and Ellis and their colleagues represents yet another example of how gene therapy for disorders of the eye has led the way in clinical translation," says Editor-in-Chief Terence R. Flotte, MD, Celia and Isaac Haidak Professor of Medical Education and Dean, Provost, and Executive Deputy Chancellor, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA. "Gene modification of corneal transplants could provide a unique approach to filling a pressing unmet medical need."
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About the Journal
Human Gene Therapy, the Official Journal of the European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, British Society for Gene and Cell Therapy, French Society of Cell and Gene Therapy, German Society of Gene Therapy, and five other gene therapy societies, is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly in print and online. Led by Editor-in-Chief Terence R. Flotte, MD, Celia and Isaac Haidak Professor of Medical Education and Dean, Provost, and Executive Deputy Chancellor, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Human Gene Therapy presents reports on the transfer and expression of genes in mammals, including humans. Related topics include improvements in vector development, delivery systems, and animal models, particularly in the areas of cancer, heart disease, viral disease, genetic disease, and neurological disease, as well as ethical, legal, and regulatory issues related to the gene transfer in humans. Its companion journals, Human Gene Therapy Methods, published bimonthly, focuses on the application of gene therapy to product testing and development, and Human Gene Therapy Clinical Development, published quarterly, features data relevant to the regulatory review and commercial development of cell and gene therapy products. Tables of contents for all three publications and a free sample issue may be viewed on the Human Gene Therapy website.
About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, Tissue Engineering, Stem Cells and Development, and Cellular Reprogramming. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. 140 Huguenot St., New Rochelle, NY 10801-5215 http://www.liebertpub.com
Phone: (914) 740-2100 (800) M-LIEBERT Fax: (914) 740-2101
Journal
Human Gene Therapy