Hemophilia B is an X-linked coagulopathy caused by absence of functional coagulation factor IX (FIX). Using adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated, liver-directed gene therapy, we achieved long-term (> 17 months) substantial correction of canine hemophilia B in 3 of 4 animals, including 2 dogs with an FIX null mutation. This was accomplished with a comparatively low dose of 1 ؋ 10 12 vector genomes/kg. Canine FIX (cFIX) levels rose to 5% to 12% of normal, high enough to result in nearly complete phenotypic correction of the disease. Activated clotting times and whole blood clotting times were normalized, activated partial thromboplastin times were substantially reduced, and anti-cFIX was not detected. The fourth animal, also a null mutation dog, showed transient expression (4 weeks), but subsequently developed neutralizing anti-cFIX (inhibitor IntroductionHemophilia B is a sex-linked bleeding disorder caused by a deficiency of functional coagulation factor IX (FIX). Current replacement therapy consists of intravenous infusion of protein concentrate. However, this treatment is costly and inconvenient and carries with it the risk of blood-borne disease transmission. Furthermore, bleeds are often treated only after they have occurred, rather than prophylactically, so that chronic joint damage occurs and the risk of a fatal bleed is always present. Hemophilia is an ideal model for gene therapy because precise regulation and tissue-specific transgene expression are not required. 1,2 A number of animal models are available including knockout mice and well-described hemophilic dog colonies with phenotypes corresponding to the human disease. [3][4][5] Clinical end points for treatment are well defined. An increase of factor levels to more than 1% will improve the phenotype of the disease from severe to moderate, with reduced frequency of spontaneous bleeds, and a further increase to more than 5% will result in a mild phenotype; that is, patients would likely require factor infusion only after severe injury or during surgery. Currently the most serious complication of treatment is the formation of inhibitory antibodies to the deficient protein, which occurs with a frequency of 3% to 4% in patients with hemophilia B. 6,7 Inhibitor formation is observed mostly in those patients with extensive loss of FIX coding information. 6,8 Sustained expression of canine FIX (cFIX) in dogs with a missense mutation has been observed following administration of an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector into the portal vein for hepatic gene transfer or into skeletal muscle. 9-11 The latter approach is currently being tested in a phase 1 clinical trial. 12 AAV vectors can be produced in a helper virus-free system, are devoid of any viral gene products, and often fail to activate antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes. 13 However, inhibitor formation is still a frequent complication following intramuscular administration of AAV vector in hemophilia B mice (with a large F9 gene deletion) and dogs with a FIX null mutation. 14,15 In these anima...

The X-linked bleeding disorder hemophilia B is caused by absence of functional blood coagulation factor IX (F9) and can be treated by adeno-associated viral (AAV) mediated gene transfer to skeletal muscle. The safety of this approach is currently being evaluated in a phase I clinical trial. Efficacy of this and several other gene therapy strategies has been addressed in hemophilia B dogs, an important preclinical model of the disease. While previously published data demonstrated sustained expression of canine F9 in dogs with a missense mutation in the gene F9, we show here that AAV-mediated canine F9 gene transfer to skeletal muscle of hemophilia B dogs carrying a null mutation of F9 (causing an early stop codon and an unstable mRNA) results in induction of inhibitory anti-canine F9 at comparable vector doses (1 x 10(12) vector genomes/kg). Thus, the risk of inhibitor formation following AAV-mediated F9 gene therapy may be influenced by the nature of the underlying mutation in F9. Transient immune suppression with cyclophosphamide at the time of vector administration blocked formation of anti-canine F9 antibodies in the one animal treated with this approach. Treatment with this combination of gene transfer and transient immune modulation has resulted in sustained expression (>8 months) of canine F9 at levels sufficient for partial correction of coagulation parameters.