Objective
Inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) cause blindness in over 200,000 individuals in Europe. The majority are due to mutations in genes expressed in photoreceptors (PR) in the retina. We have recently demonstrated the safety and efficacy of gene therapy for IRDs in patients with Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA). One of the major limitations to extend this clinical success to other blinding conditions is that many are caused by mutations in genes with large coding sequences that exceed the cargo capacity of the most efficient gene transfer vector for PR, the adeno-associated virus (AAV). Conversely, vectors for large gene delivery like lentiviral (LV) or high-capacity adenoviral (HC-Ad) vectors have poor PR tropism.
This project aims at overcoming the challenge of large gene delivery to the retina. We propose to either expand AAV cargo capacity or to identify/modify LV and HD-Ad vectors with improved PR transduction ability. We plan to expand AAV cargo capacity by either producing AAV vectors from single plasmid containing large genes or by generating 2-split AAV vectors each containing one of 2 halves of a large gene which is reconstituted upon AAV intermolecular concatemerization in the nucleus of target cells. In parallel, we will screen a series of existing LV pseudotypes and Ad serotypes for their ability to transduce PR. Alternatively, we propose to modify the Ad capsid or LV envelope using epitopes identified by in vivo biopanning that bind to PR and. We will compare the efficiency of the three vector platforms to transduce murine and porcine PR. The platform with highest PR transduction efficiency will then be used to correct the retinal phenotype of murine models of common severe IRDs due to mutations in large genes.
Overcoming the challenge of large gene transfer will allow to cure photoreceptor-specific diseases which are currently untreatable and will provide important therapeutic tools for those diseases targeting tissues other than the retina.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology genetic engineering gene therapy
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology virology
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine ophthalmology
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics mutation
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
ERC-2011-StG_20101109
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Host institution
00185 ROMA
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.