Engineering Adeno-Associated Virus for Protease Targeted Gene Therapy and Immune Avoidance

dc.contributor.advisorHartgerink, Jeffrey D.en_US
dc.contributor.committeeMemberSuh, Junghaeen_US
dc.creatorRobinson, Tawana Men_US
dc.date.accessioned2019-05-17T19:24:16Zen_US
dc.date.available2019-05-17T19:24:16Zen_US
dc.date.created2019-05en_US
dc.date.issued2019-04-19en_US
dc.date.submittedMay 2019en_US
dc.date.updated2019-05-17T19:24:16Zen_US
dc.description.abstractAdeno-associated virus (AAV) has earned significant attention as a safe and efficient gene therapy tool. AAV has been used in over 100 clinical trials to treat a variety of human diseases. However, non-specific targeting to diseased cells and activation of the host immune response hinder its therapeutic efficacy. To address these challenges, genetic modification of the AAV capsid can lead to an improved gene delivery platform. Therefore, capsid-engineering strategies may be necessary to develop optimized vectors for clinical progress. This present work reveals design rules governed by amino acid properties for engineered AAV to become activated by upregulated proteolytic biomarkers in diseased sites. AAV constructs with varying chemical properties were synthesized and characterized for functional behavior. In parallel, a Nature-inspired strategy was employed to create an immune-evasive AAV vector. A panel of AAV vectors with inserted stealth peptides in the AAV capsid was generated to study immune cell uptake. Finally, to gain a better understanding of AAV intracellular trafficking, we found several amino acid residues that are necessary for viral infectivity. The ultimate goal for my research contributions is to develop and to advance AAV vectors for future clinical applications.en_US
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen_US
dc.identifier.citationRobinson, Tawana M. "Engineering Adeno-Associated Virus for Protease Targeted Gene Therapy and Immune Avoidance." (2019) Diss., Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/106024">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/106024</a>.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/106024en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.rightsCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.en_US
dc.subjectAdeno-associateden_US
dc.subjectvirusen_US
dc.subjectgene therapyen_US
dc.titleEngineering Adeno-Associated Virus for Protease Targeted Gene Therapy and Immune Avoidanceen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.type.materialTexten_US
thesis.degree.departmentChemistryen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineNatural Sciencesen_US
thesis.degree.grantorRice Universityen_US
thesis.degree.levelDoctoralen_US
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophyen_US
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