Evaluation of Risks Related to the Use of Adeno-Associated Virus-Based Vectors
Transcription
Evaluation of Risks Related to the Use of Adeno-Associated Virus-Based Vectors
Current Gene Therapy, 2003, 3, 545-565 545 Evaluation of Risks Related to the Use of Adeno-Associated Virus-Based Vectors L. Tenenbaum1,2,*, E. Lehtonen1,2 and P.E. Monahan3 1 Institut de Recherche Interdisciplinaire en Biologie Humaine et Moléculaire. 2Laboratory of Experimental Neurosurgery, ULB, Belgium. 3 Gene Therapy Center and Department of Pediatrics, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA Abstract: Recombinant AAV efficacy has been demonstrated in numerous gene therapy preclinical studies. As this vector is increasingly applied to human clinical trials, it is a priority to evaluate the risks of its use for workers involved in research and clinical trials as well as for the patients and their descendants. At high multiplicity of infection, wild-type AAV integrates into human chromosome 19 in ~60% of latently infected cell lines. However, it has been recently demonstrated that only approximately 1 out of 1000 infectious units can integrate. The mechanism of this site-specific integration involves AAV Rep proteins which are absent in vectors. Accordingly, recombinant AAV (rAAV) do not integrate site-specifically. Random integration of vector sequences has been demonstrated in established cell lines but only in some cases and at low frequency in primary cultures and in vivo. In contrast, episomal concatemers predominate.Therefore, the risks of insertional mutagenesis and activation of oncogenes are considered low. Biodistribution studies in non-human primates after intramuscular, intrabronchial, hepatic artery and subretinal administration showed low and transient levels of vector DNA in body fluids and distal organs. Analysis of patients body fluids revealed rAAV sequences in urine, saliva and serum at short-term. Transient shedding into the semen has been observed after delivery to the hepatic artery. However, motile germ cells seemed refractory to rAAV infection even when directly exposed to the viral particles, suggesting that the risk of insertion of new genetic material into the germ line is absent or extremely low. Risks related to viral capsid-induced inflammation also seem to be absent since immune response is restricted to generation of antibodies. In contrast, transgene products can elicit both cellular and humoral immune responses, depending on the nature of the expressed protein and of the route of vector administration. Finally, a correlation between early abortion as well as male infertility and the presence of wt AAV DNA in the genital tract has been suggested. Although no causal relationship has been established, this issue stresses the importance of using rAAV stocks devoid of contaminating replication-competent AAV. This review comprehensively examines virus integration, biodistribution, immune interactions, and other safety concerns regarding the wild-type AAV and recombinant AAV vectors. INTRODUCTION Recombinant AAV (rAAV)-based vectors efficacy has been demonstrated in various tissues including muscle [Xiao, 1996], brain [McCown et al., 1996], lung [Conrad et al.,1996], liver [Snyder et al., 1997] and retina [Ali R, et al., 1996). Based on successful preclinical studies in animal models, clinical trials have then been launched in particular for cystic fibrosis [Wagner et al., 2002], hemophilia [Kay et al., 2000] and limb girdle muscular dystrophy [Stedman et al., 2000]. In this context, it is primordial to evaluate the risks related to the use of rAAV for the environment, workers involved in research and clinical trials as well as patients and their offspring. Those include vector shedding into non-targeted organs and body fluids, vector DNA integration, immune reactions against viral capsid proteins and transgene products, inadvertent insertion of genetic material into the germ line. A clinically oriented review on safety of AAV vectors has recently appeared [Monahan et al., 2002]. *Address correspondence to this author at the Institut de Recherche Interdisciplinaire en Biologie Humaine et Moléculaire, Laboratory of Experimental Neurosurgery, ULB, Belgium; Fax: 32-2-5554655; E-mail: [email protected] 1566-5232/03 $41.00+.00 In light of the epidemiology of the wild-type (wt) virus, which, despite ubiquitous exposure in humans, nevertheless results in no pathology and low immunogenicity, rAAV vectors are perceived as the most promising system in terms of safety. This review will first describe the epidemiology and biology of wt AAV as a foundation for understanding safety issues related to the recombinant vectors derived from this virus. However, specific properties of rAAV vectors cannot be extrapolated from the fundamental knowledge accumulated on wt AAV since for example, the integration specificity is different. Thus, safety aspects need to be addressed by designing specific experiments using recombinant vectors. In this review, only aspects that are relevant for the evaluation of the risks related to the use of AAV vectors will be presented and discussed. Readers interested in the technologies developed to construct and produce recombinant AAV (rAAV) as well as in their potential applications will find this information in various excellent reviews [Muzyczka, 1992,1994; Flotte & Carter, 1995; Carter & Samulski, 2000; Rabinowitz & Samulski, 2000; Peel & Klein, 2000; Monahan & Samulski, 2000]. © 2003 Bentham Science Publishers Ltd. 546 Current Gene Therapy, 2003, Vol. 3, No. 6 In view of further improvements to the vectors likely to be required before demonstrating clinical efficacy, additional biosafety evaluations will be needed. A number of recent advances in rAAV purification will be discussed, which support the expectation that biosafety and GMP requirements will be relatively easily met when producing clinical lots. Nevertheless, large-scale commercial rAAV production may still require the use of new cell lines and helper viruses which will need to be extensively characterized as to the contamination of the produced stocks with wt AAV and adenovirus. WILD-TYPE ADENO-ASSOCIATED VIRUS Epidemiology Adeno-associated virus is a member of the Parvoviridae family, which are among the smallest and structurally simplest of animal DNA viruses. The family Parvoviridae has been divided into three genera [Siegl et al., 1985]: parvoviruses, which are able to replicate in dividing cells of vertebrates, densoviruses, which multiply in insects and dependoviruses, which infect a broad range of vertebrates but usually require a co-infection with an adenovirus for a productive infection in cell culture. Because of the frequent association with adenovirus stocks, the dependoviruses have been called adenoassociated viruses (AAV) [Melnick & McCombs, 1966; Hoggan et al., 1968]. Different AAV serotypes have been isolated from avian and mammalian hosts. Human AAVs were first isolated from the throat or feces of patients concurrently infected with adenovirus. Initially, four serotypes were described [Hoggan et al., 1966], types 2 and 3 being the most prevalent types infecting humans, whereas type 1 and 4 appear to be simian viruses. A fifth serotype has been isolated from a genital site in 1984 [Bantel-Schaal & Zur, 1984; Georg-Fries et al., 1984]. AAV5 seems to be rare and less closely related to the other serotypes than they are among each other. A sixth serotype exhibiting high similarities to AAV1, has been isolated as a contaminant from an adenovirus stock [Rutledge et al., 1998]. Recently, two novel AAVs designated AAV7 and –8 have been isolated from nonhuman primates [Gao et al. 2002]. Antibodies directed against capsids from different serotypes, notably serotypes 2 and 3, usually cross-react as defined by ELISA and neutralization tests [Erles et al., 1999]. However, data on crossreactivity between AAV serotypes revisited in the context of recombinant vectors vary between reports, probably reflecting differential sensitivity of the assays. For example, vector readministration studies suggested that cross-neutralisation between AAV2 and AAV5 is low [Hildinger et al., 2001] whereas in vitro transduction inhibition experiments suggested that AAV5 is neutralized by all other serotypes except 4 [Grimm et al., 2003a]. In contrast, AAV4 [Grimm et al., 2003] as well as AAV7 and 8 [Gao et al., 2002] are not neutralized by vectors of others serotypes. Most adults (85-90% in Belgium and in the USA) are seropositive for antibodies against AAV [Blacklow et al., 1967a, 1968b; Luchsinger et al., 1970; Blacklow, 1975]. These data have been recently updated for other countries [Erles et al., 1999]. Fifty percent of the 20-30 year-olds were Tenenbaum et al. found seropositive in Germany, 63% in France, 55% in Brazil, and 46% in Japan. Seroconversion occurs during childhood and is usually concomitant with an adenovirus infection [Blacklow et al., 1967a, 1967b, 1968a, 1968b; Hoggan et al., 1966; Blacklow et al., 1971]. Among these, about 30% have neutralizing antibodies [Chirmule et al., 1999]. Although human infections are common, AAV has never been implicated as an etiological agent for any disease [Blacklow et al., 1968, 1971]. The infection appears to be benign or even beneficial. Indeed, several studies have found that women with cervical carcinomas are seronegative for antibodies to AAV [Luchsinger et al., 1970; Georg-Fries et al., 1984]. These data raise the possibility that AAV might actually protect against the effects of certain oncogenic processes [Walz et al., 1997; Raj et al. 2001, Walz et a;. 2002], a hypothesis that is supported by in vitro experiments in transformed cell lines [Yalkinoglu et al., 1990]. Cryptic infections are also common. AAV can be latent in human and monkey cells. Up to 20% of the lots of primary African green monkey kidney cells and 1-2% of primary lots of human embryonic kidney cells were found to be naturally latently infected with AAV, which can be rescued by adenoviral infection [reviewed in Berns & Bohenzky, 1987]. Despite the lack of evidence for pathogenicity, correlations have recently been made between: i). the occurrence of male infertility and the presence of AAV viral DNA sequences in human semen [Rohde et al., 1999] ii). the occurrence of miscarriage and the presence of infectious AAV in embryonic material as well as in the cervical epithelium [Tobiasch et al., 1998; Walz et al., 1997]. A clear association is hard to establish from these studies, given that co-incident evidence of human papillomavirus infection is present in most subjects [Malhomme et al., 1997], and that AAV DNA can be detected in cervical samples in the majority of women [Burguete et al., 1999] but is very dependent on differences in sample collection between studies [Erles et al., 2001]. In favor of a possible causal role of AAV in the occurrence of miscarriage, AAV 2 has been shown to interfere with mouse embryonic development [Botquin et al., 1994]. Furthermore, a significant correlation has been established between the presence of AAV DNA in amnion fluids and premature amniorrhexis and premature labor [Burguete et al., 1999]. It should be noted that when documented, the pathogenicity of parvoviruses is related to the Rep proteins, which are absent in rAAV vectors [Ozawa et al., 1988; Muzyczka, 1992; Brownstein et al. 1992]. Although vectors are devoid of a rep-coding sequence, the presence of biologically active Rep proteins encapsidated in mature progeny of extensively purified AAV and rAAV particles has been demonstrated [Kube et al., 1997]. At particle: cell ratio of 104, growth inhibition of primary human cells has been described [Kube et al., 1997]. It was shown later that during productive infection, complexes of Rep proteins and capsids are formed prior to DNA packaging [King et al., Evaluation of Risks Related to the Use of Adeno-Associated 2001]. However, since capsids are rapidly eliminated in infected cells [Bartlett et al., 2000], Rep-mediated effects, if any, are probably transient. Transmission and Reservoir Grossman and colleagues used PCR to show that AAV DNA can be detected in blood samples from healthy donors [Grossman et al., 1992]. However, a higher prevalence of AAV is found in the genital tract, in the cervical epithelium [Walz et al., 1997] and in semen [Rohde et al., 1999]. The concomitant presence in cervical biopsies of human papilloma virus, which can serve as a helper for AAV [Hermonat, 1994] furthermore suggests the possibility of sexual transmission of AAV [Walz et al., 1997]. The concern that AAV might be vertically transmitted was also raised. In favor of this hypothesis, 27% of amnion fluid samples scored positive for AAV DNA and 30% of these contained infectious AAV virions [Burguete et al., 1999]. Further supporting vertical transmission, transplacental transmission of avian AAV has been experimentally demonstrated in mice [Lipps & Mayor, 1980, 1982]. Current Gene Therapy, 2003, Vol. 3, No. 6 547 virus [Walz et al., 1997] and vaccinia virus [Schlehofer et al., 1986], can also serve as helpers to support AAV replication. Exposure of several cell lines to agents which interfere with cellular DNA synthesis, such as chemical carcinogens, UV irradiation or cycloheximide [Schlehofer et al., 1983, 1986; Yalkinoglu et al., 1990, 1991; Yakobson et al., 1989] as well as cell synchronizing treatments [Yakobson et al., 1987], render the cells permissive for viral production or at least for AAV macromolecular synthesis. Therefore, it has been suggested that cellular functions induced by the helper rather than viral functions are responsible for the helper effect. The interaction between AAV and its helpers results in enhancement of AAV functions whereas helper virus replication is usually inhibited to some degree [Bantel-Schaal and Zur Hausen, 1988; Heilbronn et al., 1990; Hermonat, 1994]. Recombinant AAV replicates in the presence of wt AAV and of a helper virus. Therefore, when present in the genital tract, rAAV is likely to be co-transmitted with AAV. In this regard, it is very important to carefully evaluate the biodistribution of vector sequences in relation to the method of administration (see further). PRODUCTIVE PATHWAY The requirement for a co-infection with a helper virus to establish a productive infection renders AAV naturally defective. However, human AAV serotypes are able to replicate in cell cultures derived from different species provided that the cells are co-infected with a helper virus for which the cells are permissive (reviewed in [Berns & Bohenzky, 1987]). Fig. (2). Adeno-associated virus DNA replication. Upon entering the cell, the AAV virion particles uncoat in the nucleus and release their single-stranded DNA genome which is converted into a T-shape hairpin intermediate. As a result the entire coding sequence plus the 5’-end inverted terminal repeat (ITR) is completely replicated. To replicate the 3’-end ITR, a nick is made by the Rep proteins on the parental strand at the terminal resolution site (TRS). This nick is then used as a primer to complete replication of the 3’ ITR. The resulting duplex replicative form serves as a template for strand displacement synthesis generating a new double-standed replicative form and a single-stranded AAV genome which is packaged to produce mature virions. Solid lines represent parental DNA molecules ; dotted lines represent newly synthesized DNA molecules. RF represents the double-stranded replicative form. LATENCY Fig. (1). Adeno-associated virus life cycle. Wild-type AAV can be propagated either in a latent state as an integrated provirus that can be rescued by superinfection with adenovirus or by lytic infection in the presence of a co-infecting adenovirus. Viruses of different families unrelated to the adenovirus family, such as herpesvirus [Georg-Fries et al., 1984; Handa & Carter, 1979; Schlehofer et al., 1986], human papilloma In the absence of a helper virus, the dependovirion traffics into the cell nucleus where the DNA is uncoated and is then integrated into the cell genome [Handa & Shimojo, 1977; Berns et al., 1975]. The genome can be rescued from the integrated state after superinfection of the cell with a helper virus [Cheung et al., 1980]. Berns and collaborators demonstrated that a latent infection could be achieved in cell culture by simply infecting human cell lines with AAV in the absence of adenovirus [Berns et al., 1975; Cheung et al., 1980]. Such culture can remain latently infected for more 548 Current Gene Therapy, 2003, Vol. 3, No. 6 than 100 passages. At high multiplicities of infection (250 infectious units per cell), AAV has been observed to cause latent infection in 10-30% of the infected cells. The viral DNA was found to be integrated into cell DNA as a tandem repeat of several copies, with the termini of the viral genome close to the junction with cellular sequences [Kotin & Berns, 1989]. However, it has been recently demonstrated using real-time PCR that only approximately 1% of the infectious units are able to integrate site-specifically in HeLa cells [Hüser et al., 2002]. The cellular sequences flanking AAV provirus were used as probes to characterize the AAV integration site in latently infected cell lines. It was shown that in 68% of the cell lines examined, the provirus was linked to the same cellular flanking sequences. This sequence, called AAVS1 is localized on human chromosome 19 [Kotin et al., 1990, 1991; Samulski et al., 1991; reviewed in Samulski, 1993]. The AAVS1 site contains a motif corresponding to a repbinding site (RBS) present in the AAV ITRs [Weitzman et al., 1994]. It furthermore contains a terminal resolution site (trs) similar to the site of rep-dependent nicking, which resolves the AAV replication intermediates during productive replication (see figure 2). A 33-nucleotide sequence containing RBS and trs has shown to be sufficient to mediate site-specific integration in a plasmidic shuttle vector [Giraud et al., 1994, 1995]. It has been furthermore shown in a cell-free assay that Rep can form a triple complex with AAV ITR and the AAVS1 RBS site [Weitzman et al., 1994] strongly pointing out that Rep proteins function as the central actors in site-specific integration. Clones of transformed cells harbouring integrated AAV sequences show a reduced growth rate and a reduced ability to form clones in agar [Walz & Schlehofer, 1992] as well as an increased sensitivity to UV irradiation [Winocour et al., 1992]. The comparison of cell clones containing integrated rep+ and rep- vectors suggests that the expression of Rep proteins is required to observe these inhibitory effects [Winocour et al., 1992]. Normal cell growth and progression Tenenbaum et al. through the cell cycle was also shown to be affected by AAV infection [Winocour et al., 1988]. However, very high multiplicities were necessary and no AAV gene expression was required, since heavily irradiated virus had the same effect as non-irradiated virus. It should be noted however that until now, no conclusive evidence for the integration of wild-type AAV in man has been obtained. Physical Properties of the Viral Particles The non-enveloped wt AAV virion has a diameter of 2022 nm. It contains a linear single-stranded DNA genome of 4.7 kb encapsidated within a simple icosahedral capsid composed solely of three proteins called VP1-3. The 3dimensional structure of the AAV2 capsid has been recently determined by x-ray crystallography [Xie et al., 2002]. AAV DNA strands of both polarities are packaged into separate virions and with equal frequency. The AAV particles are stable in a wide pH range between 3 and 9 and are resistant to heating at 56°C for at least 1 h. The particles can be dissociated by exposure to either a combination of papain and ionic detergents or an alkaline pH (reviewed in [Berns & Bohenzky, 1987]). Since the production of wt AAV depends on the presence of a helper virus, purification requires the separation of AAV and helper virus particles. This is usually achieved using cesium chloride gradients. The buoyant density of infectious AAV particles is 1.39-1.42 g/cm3. The particle: infectivity ratio of these particles is usually equal to or lower than 1:100. Since the density of adenovirus is 1.37 g/cm3, the separation between the two viruses is incomplete and therefore AAV preparations have to be heated at 56°C for 30 min to 1 hr in order to inactivate the residual adenoviruses. In addition, infectious virus particles of lower (from 1.32 g/cm3) and higher (up to 1.45 g/cm3) densities can be harvested from the gradients [de la Maza &Carter, 1980]. The lighter particles have been shown to be empty particles. It has been proposed that the intermediate densities (1.321.39 g/cm3) correspond to partial genomes and that these Fig. (3). Adeno-associated virus genome and open reading frames. The AAV genome has been arbitrarily divided into 100 map units. The position of the inverted terminal repeats is indicated by bold lines flanking the genome. The positions of the three AAV promoters (p5, p19 and p40) are shown. All mRNA terminate at a common polyadenylation signal located at map unit 96. The p5 and p19 promoters direct the synthesis of the non-structural Rep proteins whereas p40 directs the synthesis the Cap proteins which constitute the viral capsid. The position of the introns is shown. Evaluation of Risks Related to the Use of Adeno-Associated function as defective interfering particles. The high-density particles (1.45 g/cm3) have a DNA and protein composition similar to the infectious particles. However their particle: infectivity ratio is drastically (10-20-fold) higher [de la Maza &Carter, 1980]. AAV-BASED VECTORS Genetic structure (see Fig. 3) The isolation of two different molecular clones of AAV2 by ligation of the double-stranded form of the virus in pBR322 plasmids [Laughlin et al., 1983; Samulski et al., 1982, 1983] has opened doors for the genetic analysis of the virus [Hermonat et al., 1984]. The cloned genome is infectious when transfected into a permissive cell, i.e. the viral genes are expressed and the viral genome is rescued from the plasmid, replicated and then encapsidated to form infectious virus [Samulski et al., 1983]. There are two large open reading frames in the wt AAV genome; the left one codes for the « Rep » regulatory proteins and the right one for the « Cap » structural proteins. The coding region is flanked on both sides by non-coding inverted terminal repeats (ITRs) of 145 bp. Genetic analysis of AAV mutants indicated that the only cis-acting sequences required for AAV rescue from bacterial plasmids, DNA replication and encapsidation are the AAV ITRs. Consequently, 95% of the wt AAV genome can be deleted and substituted by foreign DNA [review: Muzyczka, 1992] to create recombinant vectors. Risks Related to Production Strategies Traditional protocols for producing rAAV vectors consist of a cotransfection into adenovirus-infected 293 cells of a rAAV vector plasmid and a packaging plasmid providing in trans the AAV rep and cap genes [Samulski et al., 1989, Snyder et al., 1996]. Consequently, rAAV preparations were contaminated with adenoviral particles [Snyder et al., 1997]. Furthermore, homologous and nonhomologous recombination events between the vector and the complementing plasmid generate wild-type or wild-type-like replicationcompetent AAV (rcAAV) particles [Allen et al., 1997]. CREATION OF REPLICATION-COMPETENT PARTICLES BY RECOMBINATION Although wt AAV is incapable of replicating without a helper virus, its presence is highly undesirable for clinical applications (see above: epidemiology). The presence of residual adenovirus (or other helper viruses) or even marginal amounts of helper virus proteins is similarly undesirable in view of their potential toxicity and immunogenicity. The vector plasmids in current use retain only the 145bp ITRs from the AAV genome. The vector plasmids in current used helper plasmids encoding rep and cap genes have no homology with the vector plasmids, in order to minimize recombination events between the helper and vector plasmids giving rise to replication-competent plasmids. Note that, in this context, « replication-competent » refers to DNA molecules that, upon adenovirus infection, can give rise to replicative centers in permissive cell lines (see further: titration assays) without Current Gene Therapy, 2003, Vol. 3, No. 6 549 addition of wt AAV. However, even using pairs of vector/helper plasmids harboring no homology (see Figure 4) the resulting viral stocks have been shown to be contaminated up to 10% with rcAAV [Wang et al., 1998]. Analysis of the virus’ replicative DNA revealed that the contaminating genomes were not authentic wild-type but AAV-like sequences resulting from non-homologous recombination between AAV ITRs in the vector plasmid and AAV sequences in the helper plasmid. The identification of a 10 bp sequence in the ITRs present at the recombination junctions led to the development of strategies for the elimination of wt-like genomes. Recombination events producing rcAAV-like viral particles even occur when a heterologous promoter replacing the endogenous p5 promoter [Allen et al., 1997] is used. CONTAMINATION WITH ADENOVIRUS Adenoviral genes required for rAAV production have been identified as: E1a, E1b, E2a, E4orf6 and VA RNA. In all production strategies described above, 293 cells (which express the adenovirus E1a) are used as a producer cell line and adenovirus as a helper virus. Adenovirus is then heatinactivated at 56°C during the purification process. However, residual adenoviral proteins are usually still present in the final preparation. Helper adenovirus can be totally eliminated thanks to novel plasmids, which contain only those adenovirus genes required for the AAV helper effects, except those already present in 293 cells [Grimm et al., 1998; Xiao et al., 1998]. In the system developed by Xiao et al., a triple transfection is performed with the AAV vector plasmid, a plasmid containing rep and cap genes, and a « mini-adeno » plasmid containing the E2a, E4 and Va RNA adenoviral genes. In the system designed by Grimm et al., the AAV rep and cap genes have been included in a single « mini-adeno » plasmid under the control of the dexamethasone-inducible promoter of MMTV (mouse mammary tumor virus) thus creating pDG (see figure 5). Titration by in situ focus hybridization assay [Yakobson et al., 1989] shows that laboratory-scale rAAV prepared by means of this plasmid are characterized by a complete absence of replicationcompetent virions from either AAV or adenovirus (our data). Recently, similar helper virus-free production systems for AAV vectors of serotypes 1 to 6 have been developed [Grimm et al., 2003b]. However, transient transfection is difficult to adapt for the purpose of large-scale commercial preparation of clinical lots. Therefore, producer cell lines are being developed, which contain both the vector and the rep and cap genes and therefore do not require any transfection step but rather infection with a helper virus. These cell lines have been difficult to isolate, due to the toxicity of Rep proteins. Therefore, they usually are rep-inducible [Clark et al., 1995; Inoue & Russell, 1998]. However, these systems rely on overexpression of viral proteins and the titers obtained are usually not higher than those of the transfection methods. Furthermore, production still depends on infection with wt adenovirus and wild-type-like AAV contaminants do appear. 550 Current Gene Therapy, 2003, Vol. 3, No. 6 Tenenbaum et al. Fig. (4). Production of recombinant AAV virus by the co-transfection/adenovirus infection method. Recombinant AAV virus is produced by co-transfection of HEK-293 cells with i) the vector plasmid harboring the transgene and regulatory sequences bracketed by AAV non-coding inverted terminal repeats (ITRs) and ii) a helper plasmid containing the AAV coding region (for example : pIM45 ; Mc Carty et al.,1994). One day posttransfection, the cells are infected with adenovirus at a multiplicity of 3 particleforming units per cell. Forty-eight hours after infection, the cells are lysed by cycles of freeze-thawing and the lysate is purified by 2 rounds of CsCl gradients (Snyder et al., 1996 ; Tenenbaum et al., 1999). This procedure gives rise to recombinant viral preparations which are contaminated with replication-competent AAV particles, originating from recombination events between the vector plasmid and the helper plasmid, and residual adenovirus uncompletely separated by the CsCl gradients. The latter can be heat-inactivated at 56°C resulting in rAAV preparations contaminated by adenoviral proteins and nucleic acids. An alternative strategy uses replication-defective herpes simplex virus (HSV) to deliver the rep and cap genes and thus generate a single infectious helper, the HSV-rep-cap [Conway et al., 1999]. This recombinant HSV virus is used to infect cell lines harboring the rAAV construct. Cell lines, which do not complement the HSV vector replication defect, produce rAAV without generating additional HSV-rep-cap. The same recombinant HSV can be used for serial passages of rAAV virus in order to increase the titer of the viral preparation. Residual HSV-rep-cap helper is heat-inactivated at 55°C. Attempts to isolate adenoviral vectors expressing rep and cap genes have failed until recently, probably due to the inhibitory effect of Rep proteins on adenovirus replication. A complete adenovirus-based method in which all components necessary for rAAV production were delivered by adenovirus has been proposed [Zhang & Li, 2001]. This new method relies on the inducible expression of rep and cap, which are under the control of a tetracycline-responsive promoter. ii) a second adenoviral vector containing the AAV coding sequence with the tetracyline-responsive promoter instead of the endogenous p5 and iii) a third adenoviral vector containing the tetracycline transactivator under the control of the constitutive CMV promoter. Also this method allows a serial passaging of the rAAV virus resulting in higher titers. The rAAV stocks obtained by means of this method were devoid of wild-type virions as evaluated by Southern blot analysis and replication-center assay (less than one active wild-type particle in 108 active rAAV particles). However, potential adenovirus contamination, inherent to the adenoviral vectors technology has not been ruled out. Heparin-sulfate-based columns (see below), which have been shown to potentially completely eliminate adenovirus contamination [Zolotuhkin et al., 1999], could be used to purify rAAV obtained by this method. The complete absence of contaminants when producing rAAV with either inducible adenovirus-rep-cap or HSV-rep-cap remains yet to be demonstrated. The production scheme consists in a triple infection with: i) an adenoviral vector containing the transgene and regulatory sequences bracketed by AAV ITRs , PURITY The discovery of the heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) as a receptor for AAV 2 [Summersford & Samulski, 1998] led to the use of heparin columns [Zolotuhkin et al., Evaluation of Risks Related to the Use of Adeno-Associated Current Gene Therapy, 2003, Vol. 3, No. 6 551 Fig. (5). Production of recombinant AAV virus by the co-transfection method. Recombinant AAV virus is produced by co-transfection of HEK-293 or HEK-293T cells with i) the vector plasmid harboring the transgene and regulatory sequences bracketed by AAV non-coding inverted terminal repeats (ITRs) and ii) a helper adenoviral vector plasmid containing the AAV coding region and the adenoviral genes required for the adenovirus helper effect (Grimm et al. , 1998). Alternatively, helper adenoviral genes and AAV coding region can be provided using 2 separate plasmids in triple co-transfections (Xiao et al. , 1998). Forty-eight to 50 hours after transfection, the cells are lysed by cycles of freeze-thawing and the lysate is further purified by iodixanol gradient combined with heparin agarose chromatography (Zolotukhin et al., 1999). Using this procedure at the laboratory scale, rAAV stocks devoid of detectable replication-competent viruses are obtained (Lehtonen et al., unpublished). 1999] instead of CsCl gradients for virus purification, allowing a higher recovery as well as a more scalable process usable in GMP production. Since at least some alternative serotypes do not use HSPG as a receptor [Rabinowitz et al., 2002], other purification techniques will need to be developed. Recently, AAV4 and AAV5 have been shown to bind sialic acid and consequently mucin (a sialic acid polymer) agarose columns were proposed to purify rAAV5 [Auricchio et al., 2001]. The use of immunoaffinity columns using an antibody specifically recognizing viral capsids is also very promising [Grimm et al., 1998]. Purity is an important issue for the evaluation of safety. Using the new affinity columns combined to HPLC, the resultant drug is considerably cleaner than that obtained using previous purification methods that were largely based on less specific virus properties such as density and size [Zolotukhin et al., 1999]. Use of improved ion exchange HPLC without affinity columns however allows purification of vectors based on different serotypes with the uniform technique [Kaludov et al., 2002; Drittanti et al., 2001]. When purifying rAAV5, a similar or slightly higher (depending on the particular vector construct) virus yield in terms of transducing units was obtained using the ion exchange HPLC [Kaludov et al., 2002 ] versus mucin column [Auricchio et al., 2001] method. Furthermore, the use of HPLC in combination with a high molecular weight retention filter step [Kaludov et al., 2002] resulted in rAAV5 with a higher ratio of full versus empty particles than previously described purification methods. Risks Related to the Titration Method Classically, wt AAV and adenovirus are used to titer infectious rAAV particles in replicative center assays [Yakobson et al., 1989]. The issue of high risks of laboratory contamination with wild-type viruses is raised by this method. In particular, contaminant wt AAV cannot be eliminated from contaminated cell lines or viral stocks. Therefore, it is advisable to use alternative replicative assays such as co-infection with rAAV and adenovirus of cell lines carrying integrated rep-cap sequences [Liu et al., 1999]. This constitutes an improvement in the safety of AAV technology, since it does not require the presence of wildtype AAV in the laboratory, thus reducing the risk of contamination of cell lines, rAAV and adenovirus stocks. Other titration methods include quantification of the number of rAAV genomes by dot-blot [Samulski et al., 1989; {Potter et al., 2002], and quantification of the number of viral capsids by ELISA [Grimm & Kleinschmidt, 1999]. [Grimm & Kleinschmidt, 1999]. However, the latter methods do not address the biological functionality of recombinant viral particles. Of particular interest, are anti-capsid antibodies detecting only DNA-containing viral particles. Risks Related to Integration The fate of recombinant AAV DNA sequences after in vivo delivery is a crucial issue for the risk:benefit evaluation of gene therapy protocols. 552 Current Gene Therapy, 2003, Vol. 3, No. 6 Tenenbaum et al. Fig. (6). Titration of rAAV stocks by in situ focus hybridization assay. The in situ focus hybridization assay (Yakobson et al., 1989) is a biological test revealing genomes with replication-competent ITRs. Subconfluent HeLa cells were infected with 3 µl (A), 10 µl (B) or 30 µl (B) of a 10,000-fold diluted rAAV stock, in the presence of excesses of wild-type AAV and adenovirus. Twenty-eight hours after infection, the cell monolayer was transferred to a nitrocellulose filter, alkali denatured and hybridized with a 32P-labeled DNA probe directed to the transgene. Foci of cells synthesizing rAAV DNA were vizualized after autoradiography. Titers were evaluated by counting the number of autoradiographic spots (A,27 ; B, 118; C,280) and expressed as infectious units per ml (1 x 108 I.U./ml). The property of site-specific integration is not retained by rep- vectors [Yang et al., 1997; Recchia et al., 1999]. Instead, persistent expression of vector sequences may occur from randomly integrated sequences as well as from extrachromosomal (episomal) sequences [Flotte et al., 1994; Nakai et al., 2001]. In vitro, in non-dividing cells, some vector sequences integrate [Wu et al., 1998]. This is also the case -although in a limited fashion- in transformed cell lines [Cheung et al., 1980; Yang et al., 1997; Duan et al., 1997; Miller et al., 2002]. In vivo, several lines of evidence suggest that most early transgene expression derives from episomal vectors [Flotte et al., 1994; Goodman et al., 1994] which consist of circular concatemers [Yang et al., 1999; VincentLacaze et al. 1999; Schnepp, et al., 2003]. This evidence shows that, at least in non-dividing cells, integration is neither required for transgene expression, nor for stability of the vector. At long-term, however, vector sequences were often found associated with high molecular weight DNA [Xiao et al., 1996; Clark et al., 1997; Wu et al., 1998; Malik, et al., 2000]. Whether these represent genomic DNA contaning integrated vector sequences or large episomes has been a matter of debate. In one case, PCR products obtained using one primer in repetitive genomic sequences and one primer in the vector provided convincing evidence for integration in the brain [Wu et al., 1998]. However, the frequency of occurrence of such integrants has not been evaluated in this study. In another study, integrated vector sequences were detected at low frequency in the liver [Nakai, et al., 2001]. Recently, the absence of chromosomally-integrated vector sequences after intramuscular injection in mice has been unequivocally demonstrated [Schnepp et al., 2003]. In the latter case, expression from skeletal muscle has been correlated with the widespread presence of episomal concatemers. Previous studies in primary cultures of muscle cells have already suggested that high molecular weight vector-containing DNA could mainly represent large viral concatemers rather that integrated forms [Malik et al. 2000 ]. It should be noted that, when demonstrated, in vivo rAAV DNA integration seems to be a low frequency event. The limits of sensitivity of experimental systems used to examine in vivo integration in skeletal muscle and liver allowed the conclusion that at least 99.5% (skeletal muscle) and at least 90% (liver) of persisting vector DNA was not integrated [Schnepp et al., 2003; Nakai et al. ,1999; Nakai et al., 2001]. In conclusion, the majority of the persistent rAAV sequences observed in animal studies are likely to represent large episomal concatemers. However, whether the concommitant occurrence of integrated vector sequences represents a safety concern is still a matter of debate. The ITR sequences have been shown to contain a weak transcriptional promoter [Flotte et al., 1993; Haberman et al., 2000]. When vectors are integrating, the risk of activation or interruption of cellular genes is raised. In fact, viruses that do not require integration as a step in the wild-type life cycle may still carry a risk of DNA recombination with the host chromosomal DNA. For example, adenovirus as well as early-generation adenovirus vector DNA sequences have been shown to integrate into primary and transformed cell lines [Schagen et al., 2000; Harui et al., 1999]. Such illegitimate recombination might be reduced using “gutless” adenovirus vectors, but argues for long-term follow-up of all patients involved in gene therapy trials with any vector. A number of investigations of rAAV vector integration in transformed cell lines [Yang et al., 1997; Rutledge and Russel 1997; Miller et al., 2002; Huser et al.2002] or in mice (which do not carry sequences homologous to the human AAVS1 integration site) [Nakai et al., 1999; Nakai et al. 2003] suggest that rAAV’s “random” integration favors transcriptionally active regions of the host genome [Rivadeneira et al. 1998; Nakai et al. 2003], that is to say, within the introns and exons of genes . Rearrangements of vector sequences in the process of integration occur mainly in the ITR and flanking regions, while changes in transgene sequences are rare. Great variability in the extent of Evaluation of Risks Related to the Use of Adeno-Associated chromosomal sequence rearrangements, duplications or short deletions is seen with vector integration in these experimental systems. In two different model systems, the observed deletions of cellular gene sequences were usually 2bp to <300 bp and occured in active genes [Russell, et al. 2002; Nakai et al. 2003]. Most systems designed to examine chromosomal effects have employed immortalized cells or tissues induced to actively proliferate; the possibility remains that AAV integrates preferentially into chromosome regions with existing DNA strand breaks, rather than creating breaks [Miller et al., 2002].The importance of such variable nonhomologous recombination events following in vivo vector integration in normal human cells or tissues is an unresolved safety concern. Although activation or interruption of cellular genes represent real possibilities associated with randomly integrating viral gene transfer vectors, in practice neither the inactivation of a tumor suppressor gene nor activation of an oncogene leading to tumor formation has ever been documented using helper-free AAV stocks [Schagen et al., 2000]. The chance of an individual integration event leading to detrimental mutagenesis is likely to be very small (especially when considered in comparison to the spontaneous mutation rate of a single base in the mammalian genome [Cole and Skopek, 1994; Kazazian, 1999; Kazazian and Goodier, 2002 ; Schnepp, et al., 2003]. It appears that the integration of non-Rep-containing vectors occurs in a small minority of rAAV infections, if at all, in tissues that are not actively dividing. Nevertheless, concern regarding the safety of rAAV vectors was raised by a disturbing finding in a recent AAV-mediated gene therapy experiment utilizing a mouse model of the lysosomal storage disease mucopolysaccharidosis Type VII (MPS VII) [Donsante et al., 2001]. This lysosomal storage disease in humans, resulting from deficient activity of β-glucuronidase, leads to multi-organ disease and premature death, with the clinical picture closely modeled in the MPS VII mouse. Following treatment as newborns with an AAV2 vector encoding the βglucuronidase gene, MPS VII mice were observed over 18 months with striking clinical improvement, prolonged survival, and no apparent toxicity. However, over an 18month period at least 6 out of 59 treated MPS VII mice developed metastatic liver tumors (hepatocellular carcinoma and/or angiosarcoma). The development of liver cancers was particularly unsettling in light of the fact that previous longterm studies in this extensively characterized strain of mice using other therapeutic approaches (e.g. bone marrow transplantation and enzyme replacement therapy) failed to uncover any predisposition of MPS VII mice towards tumor formation. To investigate rAAV-mediated insertional mutagenesis as the causative event in hepatic tumor formation, the number of AAV genomes per cell in the tumor samples was examined. The simplest model of mutagenesis-mediated tumor formation from a clonal malignant proliferation predicts that one copy of the vector genome per host genome should be detected per cell in the tumor. Instead, it was discovered that the number of AAV genomes per cell in the tumor samples ranged from undetectable (less than one copy per 1000 diploid genomes) to 0.113. Other hypotheses might explain the tumor formation in this model: dramatic overexpression of the Current Gene Therapy, 2003, Vol. 3, No. 6 553 therapeutic protein in a small percentage of cells, chronic occupation of the mannose-6-phosphate/IGII receptor by the therapeutic protein, delivery of the viral vector during an early developmental period (day 1-2 of life). These hypotheses are being investigated [Vogler et al., 2003]. It should be noted that no other group has observed tumor formation following rAAV administration. However, most of the systematic studies designed to determine the toxicity of rAAV have been performed for less than one year and the rate of tumor formation in the MPS VII study was relatively slow (5 of the 6 tumors appeared in animals one year old or greater). Positive outcomes for the field from this unexpected treatment complication should include a greater emphasis on appropriate design of long-term toxicity studies, where possible in the relevant animal models, and an openness to sharing pre-clinical adverse event reporting among investigators [Flotte et al., 2001;Verma 2001]. It is possible that mutations in the ITRs could be designed to minimize undesirable properties of the ITR, such as promotion of transcriptional activity and rescue from latency [Young and Samulski, 2001]. It should be noted that the trs and RBS sites are retained in the vectors and that Rep proteins have been shown to promote site-specific integration of recombinant AAV when provided in trans [Lamartina et al., 1998; Palombo et al., 1998; Recchia et al., 1999]. In these systems, integration is both more efficient and predictable. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES VIRAL PARTICLES OF RECOMBINANT Risks Related to the AAV Capsid Recombinant AAV particles are similar to wt AAV particles. However, rAAV preparations contain different types of particles having different stabilities [Kube et al., 1997]. AAV capsids elicit a humoral immune response, and the percentage of empty capsids in a given rAAV preparation is important to evaluate. Titration of viral particles by capsid ELISA provides this information [Grimm & Kleinschmidt, 1999]. Different production methods yield different amounts of empty particles. The total particle titer of rAAV is equal to or slightly lower than that of wt AAV stocks. In contrast, the number of DNA-containing particles is usually markedly lower for rAAV (ratio of physical to DNA-containing particles of 60:1). The number of infectious or transducing particles is even lower (less than 0.1% of the assembled viral particles). These findings are consistent with electron microscopy analysis of rAAV2 stocks in which the majority of observed rAAV particles were found to be empty capsids [Grimm et al., 1998]. A recently developed purification method based on HPLC and high molecular weight retention filter centrifugation (Centriplus) allows generation of rAAV2, rAAV4 and rAAV5 viral preparations containing 90% of full particles as estimated by the comparison of the quantity of DNA and proteins and confirmed by electron microscopy [Kaludov et al., 2002 ]. VIRUS-CELL INTERACTIONS DNA microarrays have recently been used to screen changes in cellular mRNA levels resulting from infection 554 Current Gene Therapy, 2003, Vol. 3, No. 6 with wt AAV or rAAV [Stillwell and Samulski, 2001, Stillwell and Samulski, 2003]. A relatively limited number of cellular genes demonstrated changes in their expression pattern (38 of 5600 mRNA showed a >4-fold increase or decrease) in the primary diploid cells tested (IM4-90 primary lung fibroblasts). The majority of changes were decreases of expression in genes related to cell cycle regulation, DNA replication and kinesin-like motor proteins. Interestingly, similar changes were seen after infection with empty AAV capsids. This suggests that the AAV particles themselves are able to set in motion molecular events leading to decreased cell proliferation, which are potentially conducive to the establishment of latency. These trends offer some molecular insight into the antiproliferative effect of wt AAV infection that has been described phenotypically and correlated with apparent antitumor effect in some [Raj et al., 2001; Smith et al., 2001; Walz and Schlehöfer, 1992] but not all [Strickler et al., 1999; Odunsi et al., 2000] studies. IMMUNE RESPONSES TO THE CAPSID Recombinant AAV vectors do not contain any viral genes, leaving the transgene product and the virus capsid as the only source of foreign antigen. No cellular immune response to the VP proteins has been described following rAAV-mediated gene transfer to muscle, lung, brain, or retina [Joos et al., 1998; Fisher et al., 1997; Xiao et al., 1996; Hernandez et al., 1999; Herzog et al., 1997; Song et al., 1998; Conrad et al., 1996; Lo et al., 1999; Mastakov et al., 2002; Anandet al., 2002]. A single report showing an innate cellular immune response following high doses of rAAV2 administered to the mouse liver has recently been published [Zaiss et al., 2002] The response was markedly truncated, however, with chemokine (e.g. TNF-α) upregulation demonstrable at 1 h postinfection but returned to baseline at 6 h postinfection (next time point examined). This study is complicated by the use of AAV vector produced with live Ad, with potential contamination by Ad capsid proteins, which are immunostimulatory independent of infectious capacity [Molinier-Frenkel et al., 2002; Stilwell JL, McCarty DM, et al. 2003]. In the DNA microarray analysis (see Virus-Cell Interactions, above), cells exposed in vitro to wt AAV, rAAV, or empty AAV capsid particles demonstrated no changes or decreases in mRNA for cellular inflammatory mediators or stress response genes [Stilwell et al. 2001; Stillwell et al. 2003]. Nevertheless antibodies directed against the AAV capsid proteins are frequently generated, and a subset of these can block subsequent vector infectivity. These neutralizing antibodies can significantly reduce the efficacy of vector readministration in some but not all settings [Moskalenko et al., 2000; Beck et al., 1999; Halbert et al., 1998]. In animal studies of rAAV administration to the muscle or liver, vector serotype-specific anti-AAV neutralizing antibodies consistently have developed. These neutralizing antibodies have eliminated the efficacy of rAAV readministration following liver-directed [Moskalenko et al., 2000; Xiao W, et al. 2000] and some intramuscular [Xiao X, et al. 2000; Manning, et al., 1998] approaches, but only blunted transduction in others [Chirmule et al., 2000; Fisher et al., 1997]. However, anti-AAV neutralizing antibody formation is reportedly transient and low titer or absent following Tenenbaum et al. delivery to the brain [Lo et al., 1999; Mastakov et al., 2002] and retina [Anand et al., 2000; Anand et al., 2002] and repeat administration will likely be efficacious. The effect of pre-existing neutralizing antibodies on transduction of animal lung has been inconsistent [Halbert, et al., 1998; Beck et al. 1999], and emphasizes the recognition that animal models will be limited in predicting the response by the human immune system to human and primate serotype capsids, as well as to transgene products (see below). Eight subjects in a human clinical trial of intramuscularly administered rAAV2 carrying the gene for coagulation factor IX demonstrated increases in anti-AAV2 neutralizing antibody titers of one to three logs at 1 and at 6 months after treatment [Manno et al., 2003]. Gene delivery in this phase I trial is difficult to quantify, but did not appear to correlate with pre-existing or treatment-related neutralizing antibody titers. In a clinical trial for cystic fibrosis, no changes in serum neutralizing antibody titers were seen after delivery of low doses (108 AAV2 particles) to the maxillary sinus [Wagner et al., 2002; Wagner et al., 1998]. Aerosolized or bronchoscopic delivery of the same vector to the lung at 1011 to 1013 particles led to serum neutralizing antibodies in some patients in two trials. No correlation with degree of gene transfer could be determined [Aitken et al. 2001]. It is not clear whether naturally-acquired immunity to wt AAV will impact rAAV gene delivery. While pre-existing antibodies to AAV2 are found in up to 90% of humans, neutralizing antibodies occur in a much smaller subset (~30%) and only 5% of one series of patients tested had peripheral blood lymphocytes that proliferated in response to AAV antigens [Chirmule et al., 1999]. The use of alternative serotypes, more especially those isolated from non-human primates such as AAV4, AAV7 and AAV8 [Gao et al., 2002], may overcome the obstacle of seroprevalent antiAAV2 antibodies. One cited “risk” of participation in Phase I/II clinical trials using viral gene vectors is that participants, after developing antibody responses to the AAV vector, will lose the chance for later treatment with improved AAV vectors. It appears likely that treatment strategies in some sites (e.g. subretinal) and using some vector modifications (e.g. serotype capsid switch) [Beck et al., 1999; Halbert et al. 2000] will permit successful re-administration of AAV vectors. HUMORAL AND CELLULAR IMMUNE RESPONSES TO THE TRANSGENE PRODUCT Although long-term expression of transgenes after AAV delivery has been achieved with a variety of transgenes, cellular and humoral immune responses against the encoded gene product have arisen in some applications [Manning et al., 1997; Monahan et al., 1998; Herzog et al. 1999; Zhang et al., 2000; Brockstedt et al., 1999; Sarukhan et al. 2001a; Yuasa et al., 2002 ]. Therefore, while rAAV vectors carry an advantage of relatively low immunogenicity, they do not appear to bear a universal mechanism of immune evasion. Likewise, when immune responses to the transgene product have been characterized, a variety of factors contribute. These include the route of vector administration, the cellular localization, tissue-specific expression and intrinsic immunogenicity of the transgene product (including whether Evaluation of Risks Related to the Use of Adeno-Associated derived from cDNA of homologous or heterologous species), and host factors such as the major histocompatibility complex haplotype as well as underlying gene defects of the host. Two reports in 1996 demonstrated that after intramuscular rAAV injection in mice, persistent expression of intracellular E. coli β-galactosidase [Xiao et al., 1996] or secreted human erythropoietin [Kessler et al., 1996] was achieved without cellular immune response. The rAAV β-gal transduced cells persisted even as a cytotoxic T lymphocyte response selectively eliminated cells in the same muscle that were concurrently transduced with rAd-β-gal. A partial explanation came from investigations showing that rAAV2 only directly transduce professional antigen presenting cells (mature dendritic cells) at a very low rate [Jooss et al., 1998]. Subsequent investigations have shown that immature dendritic cells (DC) [Zhang et al., 2000] and DC precursors, on the other hand, can be transduced by rAAV and effectively participate in activation of T cells. This differential transduction has been exploited for a rAAVbased vaccine strategy [Ponnazhagan et al., 2001]. Recognition that DC transduction may contribute to elimination of transgene expression supports strategies using tissue-specific promoters to avoid transgene expression outside the specific target cells [Cordier et al., 2001 ]. In the absence of direct transduction of antigenpresenting cells (APCs), the likely mechanism for immune responses to rAAV-delivered transgenic proteins is crosspresentation of antigen by APCs [Kurts, 2000; Sarukhan et al., 2001a; Sarukhan et al. 2001b]. A number of factors that have been implicated in anti-transgene immune responses may contribute to this mechanism, including site of localization of the transgenic protein, the route and mechanics of the vector administration, and the level of transgene produced. For instance, in contrast to the persistent expression of β-galactosidase protein (LacZ) in muscle described above, a modified rAAV intramuscular vector expressing LacZ retargeted from the cytoplasm to the cell surface resulted in the induction of LacZ -specific cellular immune responses and target cell destruction [Sarukhan et al., 2001b]. Accordingly, rAAV-lacZ vectors that elicit no immune responses when expressing intracellularly in normal mice, have nevertheless generated immune responses when administered to dystrophin-deficient mice with poor cell membrane integrity [Yuasa, et al. 2002]. Regarding expression of the factor IX transgene (F.IX), humoral immune responses against F.IX have been stimulated more consistently following muscle transduction than liver transduction [Ge et al., 2001]. The fact that transgenic factor IX is trapped locally in muscle by collagen IV binding, in contrast to efficient intravascular secretion from the liver, may facilitate F.IX antigen cross-presentation via cellular localization, similar to the LacZ example. Levels of antigens in peripheral tissues must be high in order to facilitate priming of naïve CD8+ T cells by crosspresentation [Kurts et al. 1998]. In the example of I.M. rAAV for hemophilia gene therapy, in addition to cellsurface localization of the transgenic protein, the absolute level of transgene expression achieved has been implicated in antibody formation in some investigations [Herzog et al. 2002], although not in others [Chao and Walsh, 2001]. In addition, more weakly-expressed protein may activate naïve Current Gene Therapy, 2003, Vol. 3, No. 6 555 T cells if the target tissue is destroyed or inflammation elicited, effectively presenting a danger signal in conjunction with the novel transgene [Kurts et al., 1998; Gallucci et al., 1999; Matzinger et al., 2002]. The underlying myocyte degeneration of muscular dystrophy may provide danger signals that promote cross-presentation and the loss of expression from AAV-γ-sarcoglycan or AAV-lacZ vectors reported in mouse models of muscular dystrophy [Cordier et al., 2001 ; Yuasa, et al., 2002 ]. As another example, the intramuscular route of administration leads to greater bleeding and inflammation than the intravenous route. Intramuscular factor IX gene therapy may produce a unique combination of factors all favoring immune priming by cross-presentation particular to this high-profile rAAV application but not others [Song et al., 2002]. Unexpectedly, the recent human clinical trial of intrahepatic delivery of rAAV/human factor IX has provided evidence of both apparent efficacy and immune responses, not observed in the human intramuscular trial for hemophilia B. [Kay et al., 2002] A subject in the highest dose cohort (2 x 1012 vector genomes/kg; revised dose estimate) achieved factor IX levels of >10% for three weeks, followed at week 4 postinfection by an elevation of liver transaminases, indicating hepatocytes injury. While the liver studies returned to normal over six weeks, circulating factor IX also fell to <1%, in a pattern suggesting that a significant portion of transduced cells were eliminated. The role and mechanisms of immune response to vector and transgene in this subject are under investigation. An additional subject, treated at the same dose and with a more modest and transient factor IX expression, has not shown evidence of toxicity or immune response. These examples underscore the limitations of predicting human immune responses from available models, and support efforts to coordinate development of uniform models and assays to mimic human responses [The Second Cabo Gene Therapy Working Group, 2002]. Biodistribution The biodistribution of a recombinant vector should be evaluated independently for each different route of administration. In addition, differential transduction by alternative AAV serotypes of individual cell types within organs have begun to be described. Differences in the global patterns of biodistribution with the alternative serotypes, e.g. after systemic administration, are also being mapped [Grimm et al., 2003a; Monahan et al., 2003]. Recombinant AAV2 vector DNA scatter beyond the site of administration has been examined in several animal and 2 clinical studies (see Table). After intramuscular delivery of rAAV2 in a dog model of hemophilia, PCR tissue analysis revealed vector sequences in injected muscle tissue and adjacent lymph nodes, without dissemination to other organs (including gonads) [Monahan et al., 1998; Chao et al., 1999]. Nevertheless, dogs are not a natural host forAAVs, and non-human primate pharmacokinetic and safety studies will likely be more predictive of results in humans. Studies in macaques demonstrated that rAAV2 therapy to the muscle results in detectable vector sequences in serum for up to 6 days [Favre et al., 2001]. Tissue examined at 18 months after 556 Current Gene Therapy, 2003, Vol. 3, No. 6 Tenenbaum et al. intramuscular injection showed PCR-detected rAAV in liver, peripheral blood mononuclear cells and scattered lymph node sites. No macaques had detectable vector DNA in the gonads, a finding consistent with another recent trial of I.M. rAAV in baboons [Song et al., 2002]. Following intrabronchial administration of AAV2 particles to the lungs of rhesus macaques, vector sequences were detected in peripheral blood up to 14 days after treatment, with half of the animals testing positive for vector DNA in distal organs, albeit at quite low levels (<0.01% of cells). Again, no vector DNA was detected in the gonads [Conrad et al., 1996]. A cohort of macaques treated to the liver via the hepatic artery also shed rAAV sequences in urine and plasma for up to six days; tissue analysis of a single animal revealed hepatosplenic vector distribution without gonadal spread [Nathwani et al., 2002] A recent study attempts to model in several animal species the risk of rAAV2 gene transfer to male germ cells [Arruda et al., 2001]. rAAV vector spread to gonadal tissue, semen and spermatogonia in mice and rabbits following Table. intramuscular administration, as well as in rats and dogs after hepatic artery administration were examined. At doses used in human clinical trials, vector sequences were not detected in cells from semen of rabbits or dogs by PCR or Southern blot following intramuscular injections but could be detected in testicular tissue. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis of the testicular tissue from day 7 postinfection demonstrated vector sequences localized to the testicular basement membrane and interstitial space but not within germ cells. In addition, in vitro attempts to directly infect isolated murine spermatogonia with a rAAV vector failed. The investigators concluded that the risk of inadvertent transduction of male germ cells is very low[Arruda et al., 2001]. The same authors have recently reported additional analyses in rabbits after intravenous rAAV [Arruda et al., 2003] and rats after hepatic artery rAAV [Arruda et al. 2001] doses ranging from 1011 to 1013 vector genomes/kg (doses similar to those used in a human clinical trial)[Kay et al., 2003]. A dose-dependent increase in PCR positive vector sequences was seen in semen samples; at no timepoint could infectious AAV particles be recovered from the semen PCR Analysis of Body Fluids for rAAV Vector Sequences 1 day Route of delivery Fluid 3-6 days > Week 1 Species (subjects testing positive/subjects analyzed) Intramuscular Subretinal Serum Rabbit1, Macaque2 Human3,¶ 0/3 0/8 1/8 (Remains + week12) 7/8 1/6 2/8 0/8 0/8 0/8 Macaque2 Human3,¶ Feces Macaque2 4/8 2/8 0/8 2 Saliva Macaque Human3,¶ 3/8 6/8 0/8 N.A. 0/8 1/8 (Latest +: week 2) Lacrymal Macaque2 2/8 2/8 0/8 Nasal Macaque2 3/8 4/8 0/8 Dog1,¶ Rabbit1, ¶ Human3, ¶ [First sample at 1.5 months] Semen Serum Dog4 Macaque 5 0/4 0/3 0/7 0/3 0/7 N.A. 0/7 6/6 6/6 6/6 (Latest +: 25 days) 1/2 1/2 1/2 (Latest +: 16 days) Plasma/Serum Rabbit Macaque6 Human7, 8 27/27 4/4 N.A. N.A. 0/4 4/5 (Latest +: 10 weeks) Urine Macaque6 2/4 0/4 Salary 6 1/4 0/4 N.A. N.A. 0/3 6/6 (Latest+: 14 weeks) Macaque 1 Semen 1 N.A. 5/8 N.A. Urine 4 Hepatic delivery 3/3 8/8 6/6 Dog Human7, 8 Arruda, et al., 2001; 2Favre, et al., 2001; 3Manno, et al., 2003; 4Weber, et al., 2003; 5Arruda, et al., 2003; 6Nathwani, et al., 2002; 7Kay, et al., 2002 In these studies, intramuscular injections were performed with ultrasound guidance to avoid inadvertent intravascular delivery. No signal detectable in motile sperm. Evaluation of Risks Related to the Use of Adeno-Associated samples [Arruda et al., 2003]. No formal study of rAAV tranduction of female germ cells has been performed. The most relevant studies of viral shedding are those from human clinical trials. Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) vectors have been detected after airway delivery of rAAV2 in peripheral blood and sputum for 1 day and 1 week, respectively [Aitken et al., 2001]. Screening by PCR after rAAV2 intramuscular gene therapy for coagulation factor F.IX deficiency revealed vector sequences in the serum during the first 7 days after treatment, in the urine, saliva during the first 48 h [Manno et al., 2003], but no positive semen samples at any timepoint. Nevertheless, the first six subjects of a trial delivering a similar rAAV2/F.IX vector via the hepatic artery produced positive semen samples. Upon separate analysis of sperm and semen, however, fractions containing motile germ cells tested negative for transferred vector sequences. The low level PCR signal cleared within weeks in all the subjects but remained positive for greater than 3 months in one subject [Kay 2003]. An additional concern regarding “distribution” of rAAV vectors has to do with the mode of persistence of AAV sequences through the mechanism of latency. In tissue culture systems, AAV vector genomes can be rescued from latency and replicate upon infection with wt AAV and helper adenovirus. The risk of rescue of recombinant vectors after in vivo gene transfer is not established, but could theoretically result in undesirable promiscuous spread of vector beyond the targeted organ (e.g. to antigen-presenting cells) or even to the treated subject’s environment. Afione, et al. attempted to rescue vector from AAV/CFTR-treated macaques in three separate rescue models. rAAV was delivered to the lower lobe of the lung or to the nose and a high dose of wt AAV and adenovirus was administered through the nose of the animal. Vector shedding was not detected; only by administering large doses of wt AAV to the lower lung lobe followed by subsequent rAAV to the same area and nasal Ad could rAAV sequences be made to rescue [Afione et al., 1996]. Similarly, Favre, et al., after establishing that vector sequences persist in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of I.M.-treated macaques, were unable to produce rescue of vector sequences from the blood cells after coincident wt AAV and either Ad or herpesvirus helper infection [Favre, et al., 2001]. Therefore, the risk of horizontal dissemination of rAAV appears to be quite low but worth close monitoring in human trials. Recombinant AAV theoretically could be transmitted to sexual partners or to embryos together with wt AAV and a helper (e.g. HPV) (see above: Epidemiology). As experience in human trials accumulates, transgenes that are likely to be dangerous for the development of embryos should be used with caution and the use of barrier contraceptives by trial participants is advisable. Risks of Dissemination Several members of the Parvoviridae family were shown to be efficiently transmitted either directly through contacts between infected and healthy subjects or indirectly between a healthy subject and the contaminated environment. This is due to the high survival rate of these viruses outside the host, Current Gene Therapy, 2003, Vol. 3, No. 6 557 probably because of the high stability of the capsid [Berthier et al., 2000; Myiamoto et al., 2000; Shamir et al., 2001; Truyen et al., 1998]. For example, contaminating parvovirus B19 can survive heat treatment and other specific virusreduction techniques in the processing of plasma-derived coagulation factors, and lead to seroconversion or symptomatic infection in factor recipients. It is therefore likely that rAAVs with similarly stable capsids [Xie et al. 2002] can remain biologically active in the environment for long periods of time. Recombinant AAV vectors have retained infectivity and transduction capacity at room temperature for at least a month after simple dessication [Monahan et al., 2000] or lyophilization [Croyle, et al. 2001]. CONTROL OF TRANSGENE EXPRESSION For clinical applications it is often desirable to limit transgene expression to a defined time frame and/or to precisely control its level. In addition, ideally, in order to avoid undesirable effects, such as long-term toxicity or immune response, transgene expression should be restricted to the particular cell type targeted. The main limitation of rAAV vector technology resides in their low cloning capacity (4.5 kb). The impact of the size limitation is likely to be drastic for efficient regulation of gene expression, e.g. with inducible promoter systems or the use of large cellular tissue-specific promoters (for example, see above: immunological aspects), and therefore affects the emergence of vectors that meet safety requirements. Tight regulation of transgene expression has been usually achieved using 2 separate vectors [Rivera et al. 1999; Rendahl et al., 1998; McGee Sanftner et al., 2001]. This strategy works only if the multiplicity of infection is high enough to ensure a sufficient level of co-infection with both vectors after in vivo delivery and therefore the production of very high-titer rAAV is required. Initial attempts to design single vectors achieving tight regulation resulted in a high level of residual gene expression in the non-induced state, due to transcriptional interferences [Haberman et al., 1998; Rivera et al., 1999]. After “leakiness” of a tetracyclineregulated AAV system was noted, a specific 37 nt region of the AAV ITR was identified that weakly promotes gene expression. [Haberman et al. 2000; Flotte, et al. 1993] Whether this weak promoter activity will complicate AAV approaches that require tight regulation is an unresolved safety consideration. Additionally, humoral and cellular immune responses directed against the tetracyclinedependent transactivator have complicated one intramuscular rAAV approach.[Favre et al., 2002] More recently, regulatable single-cassette rAAV vectors with relatively low background have been obtained using a bi-directional tetracycline-responsible promoter and either the tetracycline transactivator resulting in a tetracycline-repressible system [Fitzimmons et al., 2001], or the reverse transactivator resulting in a tetracycline-inducible [Chtarto et al., 2003] system. Tissue-specific gene expression is also difficult to achieve given the large size of cellular promoters. Vectors using truncated promoters which nevertheless retain tissue- 558 Current Gene Therapy, 2003, Vol. 3, No. 6 specificity are currently under investigaion (Yuasa et al., 2002). New AAV-based Vectors With current developments in capsid modification methods such as mutagenesis [Rabinowitz & Samulski, 2000; Wu et al., 2000], peptide insertion [Girod et al., 1999], immunological retargeting [Bartlett et al., 1999], and vectors based on serotypes 1, 3-8 [Rutledge et al., 1998; Chao et al., 2000; Xiao et al., 1999; Rabinowitz et al., 2002; Zabner et al., 2000; Gao et al. 2002] several of the issues discussed above - notably biodistribution - will have to be re-evaluated. The conversion of the single-stranded viral genome to double-stranded form is a limiting step in rAAV-mediated transduction causing a delay in transduction in some cell types and a drastically reduced transduction efficiency in others [Ferrari et al., 1997; Fisher et al., 1997]. An interesting approach to overcome this problem is the use of self-complementary or “double-stranded” (ds) AAV vectors [McCarty et al., 2001; McCarty et al., 2003 (in press citation); Xiao X et al., 2003 (in press citation)]. The occurrence of dimeric intermediate replicative forms during the productive cycle is exploited by designing vectors having half the wild-type AAV size. Indeed, during the production of recombinant virus, the dimeric forms whose size is within the limits of packaging capacity can be encapsidated. These dimeric forms consist of two inverted complementary copies of single-stranded DNA which can fold to form a functionally double-stranded vector DNA. Upon infection of a target cell with self-complementary vectors, onset of transgene expression is immediate since these vectors do not require cellular factors to undergo second-strand synthesis, thus generating a double-stranded template for transcription. Self-complementary vectors may allow efficient delivery of genes smaller than 2.2 kb using a reduced viral number as compared to full-length vectors. This strategy is likely to improve the safety of rAAV vectors by reducing the risk of vector scatter and immune response to the capsid proteins. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Risk Assessment Recombinant AAV biology is distinct from that of wt AAV. The vectors contain no viral coding sequence. In particular, they do not express Rep proteins which play a key role not only for DNA replication but also for site-specific integration and cellular growth inhibitory effects. Therefore, the biosafety assessment of rAAV must rely on studies performed directly with the vectors in relevant animal and cellular models. Recently accumulated data enlighten the specific biological properties of rAAV such as integration specificity and efficiency [Flotte et al., 1994; Goodman et al., 1994; Duan et al., 1997; Yang et al., 1997; Rutledge and Russell, 1997; Wu et al., 1998; Yang et al., 1999; Nakai et al., 1999; Young and Samulski, 2001; Nakai et al., 2001; Miller et al., 2002; Wu et al. 1998 ; {Schnepp et al. , 2003; Nakai et al., 2003], immunogenicity [Xiao et al., 1996; Fisher et al., 1997; Herzog et al., 1997; Manning et al., 1997; Halbert et al., 1998; Jooss et al., 1998; Song et al., 1998; Beck et al., 1999; Hernandez et al., 1999; Brockstedt et al., 1999; Moskalenko et al., 2000; Sarukhan et al., 2001a; Tenenbaum et al. Sarukhan et al., 2001b; Ge et al., 2001; Zaiss et al., 2002] and biodistribution [Manno et al., 2003] [Conrad et al., 1996; Afione et al., 1996; Monahan et al., 1998; Kay et al., 2000; Favre et al., 2001; Arruda et al., 2001; Aitken et al., 2001; Marshall, 2001]. In cell culture, rAAV genome can be rescued and replicated by superinfection with wtAAV and a helper virus. However, in vivo rescue experiments failed [Favre et al., 2001] except in one case in which very large doses of wtAAV and adenovirus were administered in a particular setting [Afione et al., 1996]. Thus, adventitious contamination of workers or material in the laboratory is likely to be restricted to the amount of rAAV initially present. Nevertheless, given the high stability of AAV particles, the presence of even very low amounts of rAAV should be identified and adequate decontamination should be undertaken (see below). More especially, rAAV harboring potentially harmful inserts should be manipulated with caution (at least as class 2 viruses), since they could have undesirable effects even at low doses when infecting human through uncontrolled routes. Pre-existing immunity to AAV in a large proportion of the human population might complicate the use of rAAV vectors derived from serotypes isolated from human samples. However, only 30% of the population have neutralizing antibodies and in only 5% of patients, proliferation of peripheral blood lymphocytes was observed in response to stimulation by AAV antigens [Chirmule et al., 1999]. Evidence of gene transfer has now been demonstrated in a human clinical trial despite measurable neutralizing antibody titers [Manno et al., 2003]. Insertional mutagenesis, more especially when leading to tumorigenicity, is a theoretical concern for any gene therapy vector, and in particular for integrative ones. The ITR sequences seem to have a structure with the potential for recombination structure even in the absence of Rep proteins [Yang et al., 1999]. Although integration of vector sequences into the cellular genome seems to occur preferentially into transcriptionally active regions [Rivadeneira et al., 1998], except in one particular case, no formation of tumor has been observed in rAAV-mediated therapy in animals, even after long-term follow-up [Flotte et al., 2002]. Following treatment of newborn β-glucuronidasedeficient mice with a rAAV2 vector encoding βglucuronidase, 6 out of 59 mice developed liver tumors after 18 months [Donsante et al., 2001]. Given the very low number of rAAV copies per cell in these tumors, insertional mutagenesis does not seem to be an explanation for their occurrence. In view of the increasing number of animal studies performed at long-term and showing no tumor occurrence, it is more likely that the tumors that arose in mucopolysaccharosis model are related to a specific aspect of this model. However, the risk of insertional mutagenesis should be taken into account and further evaluated. Preliminary data on patients undergoing gene therapy trials showed that, when semen scored positive rAAV for DNA sequences, these were not contained in the motile sperm cells, suggesting that vertical transmission of transgene sequences through inadvertent infection of male germ cells is not likely to occur [Kay et al., 2000; 2002]. Evaluation of Risks Related to the Use of Adeno-Associated Lack of infection of murine spermatogonia in vitro also supports this conclusion [Arruda et al., 2001]. However, this issue requires further and more extensive studies in human. In particular, it will be also important to study the infectivity of rAAV vectors for female germ cells. Finally, recently suggested correlations between i) the occurrence of male infertility and the presence of wt AAV DNA in human semen [Rohde et al., 1999] and ii) the occurrence of miscarriage and the presence of infectious wt AAV virus in embryonic material as well as in the cervical epithelium [Tobiasch et al., 1994; Walz et al., 1997] prompt further evaluation of the classification of wt AAV, as a class 1 agent.These data argue against the use of wt AAV in the laboratory (e.g. when titering rAAV stocks) and for the use of a production method which does not give rise to replication-competent particles. Laboratory Confinement in Research and Development Facilities The high stability of rAAV particles demands the complete inactivation of all contaminated material before its removal from the P2 laboratory. Alkaline solutions at pH higher than 9 can be used for that purpose. When the use of alkali is impossible (for example for centrifugation buckets), material should be autoclaved. Concomitant presence of wild-type and recombinant viruses in the same laminar flow or in the same incubator should be totally excluded. Whenever possible, plasmids or cell lines containing necessary genes from wild-type AAV and/or adenovirus should be used instead of infectious virus in production [Clark et al., 1995; Xiao et al., 1998; Grimm et al., 1998] and titration [Liu et al., 1999; Grimm and Kleinschmidt, 1999] procedures. Recombinant virus production methods allowing virtually no contamination with wild-type viruses should be preferred. At the laboratory scale, the use of the pDG plasmid expressing all necessary AAV and adenoviral genes [Grimm et al., 1998] meets these requirements. Alternatively, the 3 plasmids system using separate adenoviral and rep/cap plasmids [Xiao et al., 1998] can be used with similar results and safety profile. New tools developed for large-scale production are still to be completely evaluated. Stocks manufactured using the current producer cell lines or recombinant viral helpers should go through a thorough quality control in order to screen for the presence of wild-type viral contaminants. Purity is an important issue for the evaluation of safety. The chosen purification methods should yield a final product with low amounts of contaminant proteins and nucleic acids [Zolotukhin et al., 1999]. A purification strategy using a ligand-affinity column, originally developed following the identification of heparin sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) as the primary receptor for AAV2 [Summersford and Samulski, 1998], greatly reduces contamination with cellular proteins and potentially toxic reagents such as cesium chloride used in early steps. With the recognition of sialic acid as a primary receptor for AAV5 [Kaludov et al., 2001], a singlestep affinity column rich in sialic acid has been developed Current Gene Therapy, 2003, Vol. 3, No. 6 559 and greatly increases the purity of this alternative serotype vector [Auricchio et al., 2001]. Alternatively, ion exchange high- performance liquid chromatography (HPLC]-based purification for AAV2, AAV4, and AAV5 have recently been developed [Kaludov et al. 2002]. Furthermore, protocols yielding a high ratio of full-to-empty particles should be preferred in order to reduce the risk of immune response against the capsid [Kaludov et al., 2002]. Finally, the stability of AAV viral particles (which allow a final filtration step) [Drittanti et al., 2001] - as compared to retroviral and lentiviral vectors - reduces the need for a highly sterile environment, thereby lowering the costs of GMP production. Thus, rAAV with higher purity can be obtained at lower costs, making it more likely that biosafety requirements will be relatively easily met when producing clinical lots. Recent evaluations of rAAV vector scatter to body fluids in animal and human studies can be used to develop safety precautions minimizing rAAV vector contamination in the laboratory setting. Ideally, animals used for evaluation of rAAV vectors should be housed in a BL2 laboratory separated from the rest of the BL2 facility. Although this precaution may not always be practical, it minimizes 1) the risk of experiments being confounded by adventitious viruses with potential AAV helper functions, and 2) the risk of facility contamination by the very stable rAAV particles. While available PCR analyses for persistent AAV genomes in treated subjects (see Table 1) certainly overestimate the persistence of infectious particles, a prudent approach is to autoclave bedding, bottles and cages from the initial 1-2 weeks after vector administration. Workers should wear resistant gloves and adsorption masks for small particles when manipulating the animals and animal blood in particular. Additional Safety Concerns for Clinical Trials Contaminating viral or cellular proteins in the stocks should be avoid in view of immunological reactions (for example, adenoviral proteins are very immunogenic). If a residual presence, even at low doses, were to be assessed in the stocks, extensive dose-response toxicity and immunological tests on laboratory animals should be performed before defining a safety-compatible dose threshold. The clinical protocol of administration should be designed in order to use as a delivery site an organ in which the immune response is reduced or absent (for example, antibodies directed against the transgene product are present at lower titer after intra-hepatic than intra-muscular administration). The presence of both AAV and HPV in the uterine tissue raises the question of potential sexual and/or transplacental co-transmission of wild-type and recombinant AAV. The presence of rAAV in the genital tract should be carefully analyzed. Patients involved in gene therapy trials should be advised to use barrier contraceptives and should be submitted to regular testing of blood, urine, feces and sperm samples. 560 Current Gene Therapy, 2003, Vol. 3, No. 6 Epidemiologic data for the incidence and prevalence of neutralizing antibodies for different AAV serotypes (nonserotype 2) for different human populations and at different ages needs to be established. The age or developmental stage of the patient may be a useful parameter for consideration in tailoring efficacious gene therapy. Pre-existing neutralizing antibodies for different AAV serotypes should be screened for in individual patient populations (or individual patients) and in the future, when new vectors will be available for the clinics, the gene therapy protocol (serotype of the vector, capsid modification, route of administration) could be adapted according to the immunological status of the patients. Transduction efficiency of the current vectors based on serotype 2 is generally lower than those achieved using adenoviral or lentiviral vectors. A higher efficiency would increase safety by reducing the amount of recombinant virus needed to obtain clinically relevant effects. The use of stronger or less attenuated promoters such as the CMV/chicken β-actin hybrid promoter (CBA) [Xu et al. 2001; Klein et al., 2002] and regulatory elements stabilizing the messenger RNA, such as the woodchuck hepatitis posttranscriptional element (WPRE) [Loeb et al., 1999] result in higher efficiencies. For optimal safety in some applications, however, the use of tissue-specific promoters is preferable to stronger ubiquitous promoters, e.g. when ectopic transgene expression in antigen-presenting cells may evoke immune responses against the gene or genetransduced cells. Furthermore, vectors derived from other AAV serotypes might provide a more efficient transduction of cell types that are poorly transduced by rAAV2 vectors [Chao et al., 2000; Davidson et al., 2000; Zabner et al., 2000; Gao, et al. 2002.]. However, each new serotype will require a separate evaluation of its biosafety profile. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank Dr Francis Dupont and Myriam Sneyers for stimulating discussions. E.L. is a recipient of a fellowship from the Belgian National Research Foundation (F.N.R.S./ Télévie). PEM is supported by NIH K08 HL03960-01 and R01 HL65404-01. This work was also supported by grants of the Belgian National Research Foundation (FNRS-FRSM) n° 3.4565.98, n° 3.4619.00 and n°3.4501.02 and by grants from “Société Générale de Belgique” and from “Bruxelles-Capitale”. REFERENCES Afione, S.A., Conrad, C.K., Kearns, W.G., Chunduru, S., Adams, R., Reynolds, T.C., Guggino, W.B., Cutting, G.R., Carter, B.J., Flotte., T.R. (1996) In vivo model of adeno-associated virus vector persistence and rescue. J. Virol., 70: 3235-3241. Aitken, M.L., Moss, R.B., Waltz, D.A., Dovey, M.E., Tonelli, M.R., McNamara, S.C., Gibson,R.L., Ramsey, B.W., Carter, B.J., Reynolds, T.C. (2001) A phase I study of aerosolized administration of tgAAVCF to cystic fibrosis subjects with mild lung disease. 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