Just as the FDA is about to commence its two day meeting to evaluate the safety risks of gene therapy....
@hottod
There are more headwinds on the way for gene therapy that utilise AAV vector products. I have previously raised the issue of the ability to re-dose patients. It is commonly understood that AAV vectors induce the production of antibodies that prohibits re-dosing while some patients already carry antibodies. The article
Gene therapies and COVID-19 vaccines: a necessary discussion in relation with viral vector-based approaches highlights the potential impact of viral vector vaccines e.g. AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, in future gene therapy treatments.
The article points out that the cross-reactivity among different AAV serotypes can be as high as 50%. Will the efficacy of gene therapies be impacted by the immune response elicited by COVID-19 vaccines that use a viral vector approach? It should be noted that Pfizer is a mRNA vaccine which is a non-viral platform.
All eyes are on the outcome of the FDA meeting in relation to the safety risks of gene therapy. We are still yet to fully factor in the risks associated with the development of antibodies against viral vectors magnified by the widespread use of vaccines like AZ which is the world's most widely used COVID vaccine with more than 1B doses issued in 170 countries.
(20min delay)