Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
A Textbook of Clinical Pharmacology and ... - clinicalevidence
A Textbook of Clinical Pharmacology and ... - clinicalevidence
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CHAPTER 16<br />
CELL-BASED AND RECOMBINANT<br />
DNA THERAPIES<br />
● Gene therapy 94 ● Human stem cell therapy 95<br />
The term ‘biotechnology’ encompasses the application of<br />
advances in our knowledge of cell <strong>and</strong> molecular biology since<br />
the discovery of DNA to the diagnosis <strong>and</strong> treatment of disease.<br />
Recent progress in molecular genetics, cell biology <strong>and</strong><br />
the human genome has assisted the discovery of the mechanisms<br />
<strong>and</strong> potential therapies of disease. The identification of<br />
a nucleotide sequence that has a particular function (e.g. production<br />
of a protein), coupled with our ability to insert that<br />
human nucleotide sequence into a bacterial or yeast chromosome<br />
<strong>and</strong> to extract from those organisms large quantities of<br />
human proteins, has presented a whole array of new opportunities<br />
in medicine. (Human gene sequences have also been<br />
inserted into mice to develop murine models of human disease.)<br />
In 1982, the first recombinant pharmaceutical product,<br />
human recombinant insulin, was marketed. Since then, more<br />
than 100 medicines derived via biotechnology have been<br />
licensed for use in patients, whilst hundreds more are currently<br />
undergoing clinical trials. Successes include hormones,<br />
coagulation factors, enzymes <strong>and</strong> monoclonal antibodies,<br />
extending the range of useful therapeutic agents from low<br />
molecular weight chemical entities to macromolecules. Once<br />
discovered, some biotechnology products are manufactured<br />
by chemical synthesis rather than by biological processes.<br />
Examples of recombinant products are listed in Table 16.1. In<br />
parallel with these advances, the human genome project is<br />
establishing associations between specific genes <strong>and</strong> specific<br />
diseases. Detailed medical histories <strong>and</strong> genetic information<br />
are being collected <strong>and</strong> collated from large population samples.<br />
This will identify not only who is at risk of a potential disease<br />
<strong>and</strong> may thus benefit from prophylactic therapy, but also<br />
who may be at risk of particular side effects of certain drugs.<br />
This carries potentially momentous implications for selecting<br />
the right drug for the individual patient – a ‘holy grail’ known<br />
as personalized medicine. Achieving this grail is not imminent.<br />
It is not just the physical presence but, more importantly,<br />
the expression of a gene that is relevant. Often a complex interaction<br />
between many genes <strong>and</strong> the environment gives rise to<br />
disease. Despite these complexities, the human genome project<br />
linked with products of recombinant DNA technology,<br />
including gene therapy, offers unprecedented opportunities<br />
for the treatment of disease.<br />
Most recombinant proteins are not orally bioavailable, due<br />
to the efficiency of the human digestive system. However, the<br />
ability to use bacteria to modify proteins systematically may<br />
aid the identification of orally bioavailable peptides. Nucleic<br />
acids for gene therapy (see below) are also inactive when<br />
administered by mouth. Drug delivery for such molecules is<br />
very specialized <strong>and</strong> at present consists mainly of incorporating<br />
the gene in a virus which acts as a vector, delivering the<br />
DNA into the host cell for incorporation into the host genome<br />
<strong>and</strong> subsequent transcription <strong>and</strong> translation by the cellular<br />
machinery of the host cell.<br />
Human proteins from transgenic animals <strong>and</strong> bacteria are<br />
used to treat diseases that are caused by the absence or<br />
impaired function of particular proteins. Before gene cloning<br />
permitted the synthesis of these human proteins in large<br />
quantities, their only source was human tissues or body fluids,<br />
carrying an inherent risk of viral (e.g. hepatitis B <strong>and</strong> C<br />
<strong>and</strong> HIV) or prion infections. An example in which protein<br />
replacement is life-saving is the treatment of Gaucher’s disease,<br />
a lysosomal storage disease, which is caused by an<br />
inborn error of metabolism inherited as an autosomal recessive<br />
trait, which results in a deficiency of glucocerebrosidase,<br />
which in turn results in the accumulation of glucosylceramide<br />
in the lysosomes of the reticulo-endothelial system, particularly<br />
the liver, bone marrow <strong>and</strong> spleen. This may result in<br />
hepatosplenomegaly, anaemia <strong>and</strong> pathological fractures.<br />
Originally, a modified form of the protein, namely alglucerase,<br />
had to be extracted from human placental tissue. The deficient<br />
enzyme is now produced by recombinant technology.<br />
The production of recombinant factor VIII for the treatment<br />
of haemophilia has eliminated the risk of blood-borne viral<br />
infection. Likewise, the use of human recombinant growth<br />
hormone has eliminated the risk of Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease<br />
that was associated with human growth hormone extracted<br />
from bulked cadaver-derived human pituitaries.<br />
Recombinant technology is used to provide deficient proteins<br />
(Table 16.1) <strong>and</strong> can also be used to introduce modifications<br />
of human molecules. In the human insulin analogue,<br />
lispro insulin, produced using recombinant technology, the<br />
order of just two amino acids is reversed in one chain of the<br />
insulin molecule, resulting in a shorter duration of action than