Gene therapy for ultrarare diseases: a geneticist’s perspective

Abstract

Gene therapy has made considerable strides in recent years. More than 4000 protein-coding genes have been implicated in more than 6000 genetic diseases; next-generation sequencing has dramatically revolutionized the diagnosis of genetic diseases. Most genetic diseases are considered very rare or ultrarare, defined here as having fewer than 1:100,000 cases, but only one of the 12 approved gene therapies (excluding RNA therapies) targets an ultrarare disease. This article explores three gene supplementation therapy approaches suitable for various rare genetic diseases: lentiviral vector-modified autologous CD34+ hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, systemic delivery of adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors to the liver, and local AAV delivery to the cerebrospinal fluid and brain. Together with RNA therapies, we propose a potential business model for these gene therapies.