Exploring the Potential Feasibility of Intra-Articular Adeno-Associated Virus-Mediated Gene Therapy for Hemophilia Arthropathy

Abstract

Hemophilia arthropathy (HA) represents the majority of morbidity in severe hemophilia patients, especially in resource-limited countries. Adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated gene therapy is showing promise for managing hemophilia. However, patients with neutralizing antibodies against AAV, and inhibitors to clotting factors, are excluded from such therapy. This study explored the potential feasibility of AAV-mediated local gene therapy for HA. Factor VIII knockout (FVIII-/-) mice, with or without a FVIII inhibitor, were subjected to hemarthrosis induction and treated with either intravenous (IV) or intraarticular (IA) recombinant human factor VIII (rhFVIII). To investigate whether rhFVIII carried the risk to develop a FVIII inhibitor, FVIII-/- mice were treated with 3 doses of IV or IA rhFVIII and inhibitor development was measured. In patients with established HA requiring synovial fluid aspiration, plasma and synovial fluid were collected and measured for anti-AAV capsid IgG (serotypes 1-9 and 843) and neutralizing antibodies for AAV843. IA rhFVIII provided better protection from synovitis compared to IV rhFVIII, with or without the FVIII inhibitor. While IV rhFVIII led to all FVIII-/- mice developing a FVIII inhibitor (n = 31, median 4.9 Bethesda units (BU)/mL), only 50% of the mice developed a FVIII inhibitor by IA administration, and at a lower titer (median 0.55 BU/mL). In hemophilia patients, total anti-AAV IgG was lowest for AAV4 and AAV5, both in plasma and synovial fluid. Anti-AAV IgGs in synovial fluid for most samples were lower or similar to the plasma levels. These results show that direct IA rhFVIII administration yields better protection against bleeding-induced joint damage, even in the presence of an inhibitor antibody. IA rhFVIII delivery carried a lower risk of FVIII inhibitor formation compared to IV FVIII. The anti-AAV antibody level in synovial fluid was similar or lower than the plasma level, supporting the feasibility of local gene therapy for managing HA.