Treatment of severe combined immunodeficiency disease (SCID) due to adenosine deaminase deficiency with CD34+ selected autologous peripheral blood cells transduced with a human ADA gene. Amendment to clinical research project, Project 90-C-195, January 10, 1992

Abstract

Significant increases in lymphocyte adenosine deaminase activity, T cell numbers and immune function have been achieved in the two children with SCID thus far treated with autologous T cells genetically-corrected by retroviral-mediated insertion of a normal ADA gene. Although the data obtained to date demonstrate that the use of ADA gene corrected peripheral T cells appears to be an effective treatment for ADA(-)SCID, it is theoretically preferable to try to develop a treatment for these children that will result in stem cell gene correction. The genetic correction of T cell progenitors with long-term immune reconstituting ability would be more desirable because repeated infusions of genetically altered cells should not be necessary and the generation of a more complete repertoire of T cell specificities might also be possible. Furthermore, the present treatment protocol involves indefinite continuation of enzyme replacement treatment with PEG-ADA. The demonstration of ADA gene expression in the progeny of transduced stem cells may simplify the decision concerning cessation of this very costly enzyme treatment (approximately $250,000/yr./patient). Recent evidence suggests that a small fraction of bone marrow or peripheral blood mononuclear cells bearing the CD34 antigen contains hematopoietic stem cells with both lymphoid and myeloid reconstituting ability. We propose in this amendment to supplement the infusion of human ADA gene-transduced autologous T cells in children with ADA(-)SCID with autologous peripheral blood CD34+ cells transduced with a second, readily distinguishable ADA vector.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)