Hemophilia A (factor VIII deficiency) and von Willebrand disease (VWF deficiency) are well recognized severe and/or common bleeding disorders that require frequent treatment with IV infusion of clotting factors ? FVIII and VWF respectively. Studies by our laboratory and others suggest a unique relationship between VWF and FVIII that will be explored further in this proposal. While prophylaxis to prevent bleeding is the current standard of care, this requires infusions several times a week. While gene therapy could be curative, studies in patients have yet to achieve adequate efficacy except in patients with hemophilia B (factor IX deficiency). Over the past several years our laboratory has focused on delivering FVIII by targeting expression to the platelet so that FVIII is stored together with VWF and this approach results in therapeutic efficacy even in the presence of high titer FVIII inhibitors. The local release of the FVIII/VWF complex circumvents the immediate inactivation of FVIII and permits cessation of bleeding even in the face of high-titer FVIII inhibitory antibodies.
In Aim -1 a second animal model has been developed to study the role of the VWF and FVIII complex in gene therapy of hemophilia A even in the context of FVIII inhibitors in a rat model that has both spontaneous bleeding, a high propensity to form FVIII inhibitory antibodies, and has a blood volume size that enables easy sequential sampling unlike the mouse where sequential time points require animal sacrifice rather than sequential phlebotomy. This can substantiate the efficacy of 2bF8 in an inhibitor prone model and potentially demonstrate efficacy in preventing spontaneous bleeding ? a characteristic that cannot be studied in the mouse or the dog were spontaneous bleeding is difficult to study. While it is well recognized that VWF prolongs the survival of FVIII, in Aim 2 we will explore the functional importance of this VWF delivering FVIII to the site of the evolving thrombus.
In Aim 3 we will further study VWF and FVIII synthesis and the cells that produce them as a complex and as individual proteins. These three aims will further our understanding of the biologic role for the complex of FVIII and VWF in normal hemostasis and thrombosis and through these interactions offer a strategy for effectively treating hemophilia A subjects with FVIII inhibitors through a unique gene therapy strategy that ectopically expresses FVIII with VWF in platelets.

Public Health Relevance

Von Willebrand factor (VWF) is a plasma protein that carries clotting factor VIII (FVIII) in blood and protects it from degradation. This project will study how VWF helps to deliver FVIII to the clot, whether it is made in the same cell as FVIII, and further explore if a unique gene therapy that takes advantage of their interaction will be effective even in the presence of inhibitory antibodies that develop in some hemophilia patients after being treated following FVIII replacement. While VWF complexes with FVIII, we will define their site of cell synthesis and that role of VWF in delivering FVIII to the site of thrombus formation.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01HL139847-02
Application #
9645115
Study Section
Hemostasis and Thrombosis Study Section (HT)
Program Officer
Warren, Ronald Q
Project Start
2018-02-15
Project End
2021-12-31
Budget Start
2019-01-01
Budget End
2019-12-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2019
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Versiti Wisconsin, Inc.
Department
Type
DUNS #
057163172
City
Milwaukee
State
WI
Country
United States
Zip Code
53233
Flood, Veronica H; Johnsen, Jill M; Kochelek, Caroline et al. (2018) Common VWF sequence variants associated with higher VWF and FVIII are less frequent in subjects diagnosed with type 1 VWD. Res Pract Thromb Haemost 2:390-398
Kanaji, Sachiko; Orje, Jennifer N; Kanaji, Taisuke et al. (2018) Humanized GPIb?-von Willebrand factor interaction in the mouse. Blood Adv 2:2522-2532
Swystun, Laura L; Lai, Jesse D; Notley, Colleen et al. (2018) The endothelial cell receptor stabilin-2 regulates VWF-FVIII complex half-life and immunogenicity. J Clin Invest 128:4057-4073
Flood, Veronica H; Abshire, Thomas C; Christopherson, Pamela A et al. (2018) Von Willebrand disease in the United States: perspective from the Zimmerman program. Ann Blood 3:
Szederjesi, A; Baronciani, L; Budde, U et al. (2018) An international collaborative study to compare different von Willebrand factor glycoprotein Ib binding activity assays: the COMPASS-VWF study. J Thromb Haemost :
Baumgartner, C K; Mattson, J G; Weiler, H et al. (2017) Targeting factor VIII expression to platelets for hemophilia A gene therapy does not induce an apparent thrombotic risk in mice. J Thromb Haemost 15:98-109
Doruelo, A L; Haberichter, S L; Christopherson, P A et al. (2017) Clinical and laboratory phenotype variability in type 2M von Willebrand disease. J Thromb Haemost 15:1559-1566
Montgomery, Robert R; Flood, Veronica H (2016) What have we learned from large population studies of von Willebrand disease? Hematology Am Soc Hematol Educ Program 2016:670-677
Pipe, Steven W; Montgomery, Robert R; Pratt, Kathleen P et al. (2016) Life in the shadow of a dominant partner: the FVIII-VWF association and its clinical implications for hemophilia A. Blood 128:2007-2016
Kuether, E L; Schroeder, J A; Fahs, S A et al. (2012) Lentivirus-mediated platelet gene therapy of murine hemophilia A with pre-existing anti-factor VIII immunity. J Thromb Haemost 10:1570-80

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