A targeted antisense therapeutic approach for Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome.

Nature medicine 2021 Mar

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Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is a rare accelerated aging disorder characterized by premature death from myocardial infarction or stroke. It is caused by de novo single-nucleotide mutations in the LMNA gene that activate a cryptic splice donor site, resulting in the production of a toxic form of lamin A, which is termed progerin. Here we present a potential genetic therapeutic strategy that utilizes antisense peptide-conjugated phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (PPMOs) to block pathogenic splicing of mutant transcripts. Of several candidates, PPMO SRP-2001 provided the most significant decrease in progerin transcripts in patient fibroblasts. Intravenous delivery of SRP-2001 to a transgenic mouse model of HGPS produced significant reduction of progerin transcripts in the aorta, a particularly critical target tissue in HGPS. Long-term continuous treatment with SRP-2001 yielded a 61.6% increase in lifespan and rescue of vascular smooth muscle cell loss in large arteries. These results provide a rationale for proceeding to human trials.

Citation

Michael R Erdos, Wayne A Cabral, Urraca L Tavarez, Kan Cao, Jelena Gvozdenovic-Jeremic, Narisu Narisu, Patricia M Zerfas, Stacy Crumley, Yoseph Boku, Gunnar Hanson, Dan V Mourich, Ryszard Kole, Michael A Eckhaus, Leslie B Gordon, Francis S Collins. A targeted antisense therapeutic approach for Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome. Nature medicine. 2021 Mar;27(3):536-545