Clinical Trial

Disease: Transfusion Dependent Beta-Thalassaemia, TDT, (ChiCTR2100053406)

Disease info:

Beta-thalassaemia is a group of blood disorders characterised by a reduction in the production of haemoglobin. Haemoglobin is the iron-containing protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to cells throughout the body.

Haemoglobin is produced by genes that control the expression of the haemoglobin protein. Defects in these genes can produce abnormal haemoglobins and anaemia, which are conditions termed "haemoglobinopathies". Abnormal haemoglobins appear in one of three basic circumstances:

Structural defects in the haemoglobin molecule. Alterations in the gene for one of the two haemoglobin subunit chains, alpha (a) or beta (b), are called mutations. Often, mutations change a single amino acid building block in the subunit. Most commonly the change is innocuous, perturbing neither the structure nor function of the haemoglobin molecule. Occasionally, alteration of a single amino acid dramatically disturbs the behaviour of the haemoglobin molecule and leads to a diseased state. Sickle haemoglobin exemplifies this phenomenon.

Diminished production of one of the two subunits of the haemoglobin molecule. Mutations that produce this condition are termed "thalassaemias." Equal numbers of haemoglobin alpha and beta chains are necessary for normal function. Haemoglobin chain imbalance damages and destroys red cells thereby causing anaemia. Although there is a dearth of the affected haemoglobin subunit, with most thalassemias the few subunits synthesised are structurally normal.

Abnormal associations of otherwise normal subunits. A single subunit of the alpha chain (from the a-globin locus) and a single subunit from the b-globin locus combine to produce a normal haemoglobin dimer. With severe a-thalassemia, the b-globin subunits begin to associate into groups of four (tetramers) due to the paucity of potential a-chain partners. These tetramers of b-globin subunits are functionally inactive and do not transport oxygen. No comparable tetramers of alpha globin subunits form with severe beta-thalassaemia. Alpha subunits are rapidly degraded in the absence of a partner from the beta-globin gene cluster (gamma, delta, beta globin subunits).

In individuals suffering from beta-thalassaemia, low levels of haemoglobin lead to a lack of oxygen in many parts of the body. People with beta-thalassemia are at an increased risk of developing abnormal blood clots.

Frequency:
Beta-thalassaemia is a fairly common blood disorder worldwide. Thousands of infants are born with β-thalassaemia each year. Beta-thalassaemia occurs most frequently in people from Mediterranean countries, North Africa, the Middle East, India, Central Asia
Official title:
CD34-positive cells edited by autologous CRISPR-Cas9 (RM-001) Treatment of transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia Safety and effectiveness exploration
Who:

Lai Yongrong and Liu Rongrong

Sponsor:

The First Affiliated Hospital, Guangxi Medical University  

Partners:

Guangzhou Reforgene Medicine Co., Ltd.

Locations:

Nanning, Guangxi, China

Study start:
Dec. 1, 2021
Enrollment:
5
Gene editing method:
CRISPR-Cas9
Type of edit:
Gene disruption
Gene:
HGB1/HGB2
Delivery method:
Undisclosed - Ex-vivo
Indicator
IND Enabling Pre-clinical
Phase I Safety
Phase II Safety and Dosing
Phase III Safety and Efficacy

Status: Active recruiting

Last updated: Jun. 5, 2023
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