Published in

Nature Research, Nature Communications, 1(11), 2020

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17552-3

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Ex vivo editing of human hematopoietic stem cells for erythroid expression of therapeutic proteins

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

AbstractTargeted genome editing has a great therapeutic potential to treat disorders that require protein replacement therapy. To develop a platform independent of specific patient mutations, therapeutic transgenes can be inserted in a safe and highly transcribed locus to maximize protein expression. Here, we describe an ex vivo editing approach to achieve efficient gene targeting in human hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) and robust expression of clinically relevant proteins by the erythroid lineage. Using CRISPR-Cas9, we integrate different transgenes under the transcriptional control of the endogenous α-globin promoter, recapitulating its high and erythroid-specific expression. Erythroblasts derived from targeted HSPCs secrete different therapeutic proteins, which retain enzymatic activity and cross-correct patients’ cells. Moreover, modified HSPCs maintain long-term repopulation and multilineage differentiation potential in transplanted mice. Overall, we establish a safe and versatile CRISPR-Cas9-based HSPC platform for different therapeutic applications, including hemophilia and inherited metabolic disorders.