Issue 2, 2019

Characterizing the encapsulation and release of lentivectors and adeno-associated vectors from degradable alginate hydrogels

Abstract

Gene therapy using viral vectors has been licensed for clinical use both in the European Union and the United States. Lentivectors (LV) and adeno-associated vectors (AAV) are two promising and FDA approved gene-therapy viral vectors. Many future applications of these vectors will benefit from targeting specific regions of interest within the body. Therefore, building on the early success of these vectors may depend on finding effective delivery systems to localize therapeutic administration. Degradable alginate hydrogels have been tested as appealing delivery vehicles for the controlled delivery of vector payloads. In this study, we compare the ability of two different degradable alginate hydrogel formulations to efficiently deliver LV and AAV. We propose that release rates of viral vectors are dependent on the physical properties of both the hydrogels and vectors. Here, we demonstrate that the initial strength and degradation rate of alginate hydrogels provides levers of control for tuning LV release but do not provide control in the release of AAV. While both alginate formulations used showed sustained release of both LV and AAV, LV release was shown to be dependent on alginate hydrogel degradation, while AAV release was largely governed by diffusive mechanisms. Altogether, this study demonstrates alginate's use as a possible delivery platform for LV and, for the first time, AAV – highlighting the potential of injectable degradable alginate hydrogels to be used as a versatile delivery tool in gene therapy applications.

Graphical abstract: Characterizing the encapsulation and release of lentivectors and adeno-associated vectors from degradable alginate hydrogels

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
01 Eki 2018
Accepted
03 Ara 2018
First published
04 Ara 2018

Biomater. Sci., 2019,7, 645-656

Author version available

Characterizing the encapsulation and release of lentivectors and adeno-associated vectors from degradable alginate hydrogels

J. L. Madrigal, S. Shams, R. S. Stilhano and E. A. Silva, Biomater. Sci., 2019, 7, 645 DOI: 10.1039/C8BM01218K

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements