BCL11A +58/+55 enhancer-editing facilitates HSPC engraftment and HbF induction in rhesus macaques conditioned with a CD45 antibody-drug conjugate

Abstract

Editing the +58 region of the BCL11A erythroid enhancer has shown promise in treating β-globin disorders. To address variations in fetal hemoglobin (HbF) response, we investigated editing both +58 and +55 enhancers. Rhesus macaques transplanted with edited hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) following busulfan conditioning exhibited durable, high-level (∼90%) editing frequencies post transplantation with sustained HbF reactivation over 4 years, without hematological perturbations. HbF levels were further boosted by stress erythropoiesis or hydroxyurea. Bone marrow analysis revealed that gene edits were predominantly programmed deletions, programmed inversions, and short indels, each disrupting the enhancer core TGN_7-9WGATAR half E-box/GATA binding motifs. Nonprogrammed long deletions were disfavored in engrafting cells. CD45 antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) conditioning achieved comparable engraftment and HbF reactivation, whereas lentiviral vector tracking showed polyclonal reconstitution with dynamics similar to animals conditioned with total body irradiation (TBI) or busulfan. Joining CD45-ADC conditioning with combined enhancer editing presents an effective strategy for β-hemoglobinopathies, enabling durable HbF reactivation without chemotherapy.

Keywords: CRISPR-Cas9; HSC transplantation; antibody conditioning; busulfan; fetal hemoglobin; hydroxyurea; sickle cell disease; therapeutic gene editing; β-globin disorders; γ-globin.