Gene Suppression and Replacement Vectors

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Solution Overview

Problem

The challenge of mutational heterogeneity in disease-causing genes poses a significant barrier to the development of effective therapies, as existing strategies face difficulties in delivering and regulating suppressor and replacement nucleic acids in vivo, leading to ineffective gene suppression and replacement.

Innovation Solution

The use of enhanced expression vectors, including those with conserved sequences from retinal genes, to optimize the expression of suppression agents and replacement nucleic acids, such as siRNAs, from viral and non-viral vectors, allowing for efficient suppression and replacement of disease-causing genes while avoiding recognition by suppression agents.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If conventional vectors are used to deliver suppression agents and replacement nucleic acids, then delivery is achieved, but expression efficiency is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveexpression efficiencyVSAvoidsuppression effectiveness
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent modifies vector parameters by incorporating tissue-specific promoters and enhancers to optimize expression levels. The regulatory elements are tuned to achieve high expression of suppression agents and replacement nucleic acids specifically in target tissues, resolving the contradiction between delivery and expression efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The invention applies local quality by using tissue-specific regulatory elements that enhance expression only in the desired target tissue. This ensures high expression efficiency in the correct location while maintaining safety and specificity, addressing both productivity and reliability concerns.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If suppression agents are used to target mutant genes, then gene suppression is achieved, but replacement genes may be recognized and inhibited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesuppression specificityVSAvoidreplacement gene compatibility
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs asymmetry by designing replacement nucleic acids with modified sequences that differ from the endogenous gene sequence. These asymmetric modifications prevent recognition by suppression agents while maintaining functional expression, allowing selective suppression of mutant alleles without inhibiting replacement genes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

Solution Approach 2:

The invention uses copying by creating synthetic replacement nucleic acids that replicate the functional characteristics of the endogenous gene but with modified sequences. These copies maintain the necessary biological function while evading suppression agent recognition, resolving the contradiction between suppression specificity and replacement compatibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

3Measurement precision

If mutation-specific therapies are developed for each disease-causing mutation, then therapeutic precision is improved, but development complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetherapeutic precisionVSAvoidtherapy development complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies universality by designing a platform therapy that can target multiple different mutations within a gene using the same suppression agent. The replacement nucleic acids are designed to be compatible with multiple mutation types, allowing a single therapeutic approach to address diverse mutational causes of the same disease, thereby reducing development complexity while maintaining precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP2140004B1Genetic suppression and replacement
Publication Date: 2022.01.12 THE PROVOST FELLOWS FOUND SCHOLARS & THE O
  • EP2140004B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP2140004B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2B
  • EP2140004B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to gene suppression and replacement. In particular, the invention relates to enhanced expression of suppression agents for suppressing gene expression in a cell and in vivo and replacement nucleic acids that are not inhibited by the suppression agent. Regulatory elements are included in expression vectors to optimize expression of the suppression agent and/or replacement nucleic acid.