Liver-directed AAV gene therapy normalizes disease symptoms and provides cross-correction in a model of lysosomal acid lipase deficiency

Abstract

Lysosomal acid lipase deficiency (LAL-D) is caused by mutations in the LIPA gene, which encodes the lysosomal enzyme that hydrolyzes triglycerides and cholesteryl esters to free fatty acids and free cholesterol. The objective of this study was to develop a curative single-treatment therapy for LAL-D using adeno-associated virus (AAV). Treatment at both early (1-2 days) and late (8-week) timepoints with rscAAVrh74.LP1.LIPA, a liver-directed AAV gene therapy, normalized many disease measures in Lipa^-/- mice when measured at 24 weeks of age, including hepatosplenomegaly, serum transaminase activity, organ triglyceride and cholesterol levels, and biomarkers of liver inflammation and fibrosis. For most measures, liver-directed therapy was superior to therapy utilizing a constitutive tissue expression approach. rscAAVrh74.LP1.LIPA treatment elevated LAL enzyme activity above wild-type levels in all tissues tested, including liver, spleen, intestine, muscle, and brain, and treatment elicited minimal serum antibody responses to transgenic protein. AAV treatment at 8 weeks of age with 1 × 10¹³ vg/kg extended survival significantly, with all AAV-treated mice surviving beyond the maximal lifespan of untreated Lipa^-/- mice. These results show that this liver-directed LIPA gene therapy has the potential to be a transformative treatment for LAL-D.

Keywords: adeno-associated virus; enzyme; fibrosis; gene therapy; hepatitis; lipid metabolism; liver; lysosomal acid lipase deficiency; lysosome; muscle.