The present invention relates to viral vectors that are capable of delivering a heterologous gene to the retina and in particular delivering RLBP1 to RPE and Mller cells of the retina. The invention also relates nucleic acids useful for producing viral vectors, compositions comprising the viral vectors and uses of the compositions and viral vectors. The invention also relates to methods of delivering and/or expressing a heterologous gene to the retina, improving the rate of dark adaption in a subject and treating RLBP1-associated retinal dystrophy.

The present disclosure provides methods for treating autosomal dominant diseases in a subject. In some aspects, the methods involve the use of a gene editing enzyme with a pair of unique guide RNA sequences that targets both mutant and wildtype forms of autosomal dominant disease-related gene for destruction in cells, and then supplying the cells with wildtype autosomal dominant disease-related gene cDNA which is codon modified to evade recognition by the guide RNAs. These methods are broadly applicable to any autosomal dominant disease.

The present invention relates to innovative protoparvoviruses (PV) expressing RNAi effectors, preferably shRNAs, against the CDK9 gene which display improved anticancer activity. These new viruses are based on the H-1PVsilencer platform that consists of a protoparvovirus H-1PV featuring an in-frame deletion within the NS region (H-IPV) and harbouring a shRNA expression cassette in which the expression of the shRNA is controlled by the HI Polymerase III promoter. In this invention the inventors aimed to use the H-1PVsilencer to silence the CDK9 gene whose activity is often dysregulated in cancer cells and known to contribute to tumorigenesis. The present invention also provides cells or organisms comprising said parvovirus.

The invention relates to a method for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Specifically, the invention implements the use of an antisense sequence adapted to affect alternative splicing in a human SOD1 pre-mRNA, thereby leading to the destruction of the skipped m RNA by the cell machinery.

Described herein are methods for treating a retinal degeneration in a subject, such as Leber's congenital amaurosis (LCA), retinitis pigmentosa (RP), and glaucoma. Also provided herein are methods of altering expression of one or more gene products in a cell, such as a retinal ganglion cell. Such methods may comprise utilizing a modified nuclease system, such as Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) system comprising a bidirectional HI promoter and gRNAs directed to retinal degeneration related genes, packaged in a single, compact adeno-associated virus (AAV) particle.

The present disclosure provides nucleic acid molecules comprising a first inverted terminal repeat (ITR), a second ITR, and a genetic cassette encoding a target sequence. In some embodiments, the target sequence encodes a miRNA and/or a therapeutic protein. In certain embodiments, the therapeutic protein comprises a clotting factor, a growth factor, a hormone, a cytokine, an antibody, a fragment thereof, and a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the first ITR and/or the second ITR is an ITR of a non-adeno-associated virus (AAV). The present disclosure also provides methods of treating a metabolic disorder of the liver in a subject comprising administering to the subject the nucleic acid molecule or a polypeptide encoded thereby.

The present invention relates to viral vectors that are capable of delivering a heterologous gene to the retina and in particular delivering RLBP1 to RPE and Mller cells of the retina. The invention also relates nucleic acids useful for producing viral vectors, compositions comprising the viral vectors and uses of the compositions and viral vectors. The invention also relates to methods of delivering and/or expressing a heterologous gene to the retina, improving the rate of dark adaption in a subject and treating RLBP1-associated retinal dystrophy.

A vector that includes a nucleic acid sequence encoding protelomerase, a pair of nucleic acid sequences recognized by the protelomerase, and a nucleic acid sequence located between the pair of nucleic acid sequences and encoding a protein.

The present invention relates to vectors containing liver-specific regulatory sequences and codon-optimized factor IX or factor VIII genes, methods employing these vectors and uses of these vectors. Expression cassettes and vectors containing these liver-specific regulatory elements and codon-optimized factor IX or factor VIII genes are also disclosed. The present invention is particularly useful for applications using gene therapy, in particular for the treatment of hemophilia A and B.

Described herein are engineered nucleases comprising mutations in the cleavage domain (e.g., FokI or homologue thereof) and/or DNA binding domain (zinc finger protein, TALE, single guide RNA) such that on-target specificity is increased.