{"id":10694,"date":"2025-03-18T15:31:16","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T19:31:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/ophth\/?p=10694"},"modified":"2025-03-18T15:41:42","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T19:41:42","slug":"unc-ncsu-discovery-genetically-engineered-pathway-decreased-rejection-corneal-transplantation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/ophth\/2025\/03\/unc-ncsu-discovery-genetically-engineered-pathway-decreased-rejection-corneal-transplantation\/","title":{"rendered":"UNC-NCSU Team Discovers Genetically Engineered Pathway to Decrease Rejection of High-Risk Corneal Transplantation"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

\"\"
\nJackie Bower, PhD\u00a0 (UNC-CH)<\/strong><\/div>\n

\n\"\"
\nMatt Hirsch, PhD\u00a0 (UNC-CH)<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n\"\"
\nBrian Gilger, DVM\u00a0 (NCSU)<\/strong><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

A cross-disciplinary UNC-North Carolina State University (NCSU) team with collaborative ties in developing ocular drug delivery systems has recently discovered a genetically engineered pathway to reduce corneal blindness via decreasing rejection of high-risk corneal transplantation (CT). In the November 6th, 2024 Molecular Therapy<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, two UNC Ophthalmology basic scientists — Research Assistant Professor Jackie Bower, PhD,<\/strong> and lead study author Associate Professor Matt Hirsch, PhD <\/strong>— collaborated with NCSU Professor of Ophthalmology Brian Gilger, PhD — in publishing a study entitled, “A chimeric anti-vascularization immunomodulator prevents high-risk corneal transplantation rejection via ex vivo gene therapy<\/em>.”
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

In this study, adeno-associated virus (AAV) ex vivo<\/em> gene therapy was employed to establish immune tolerance in the corneal allograft to prevent high-risk CT rejection. Building on prior research that demonstrated human leukocyte antigen G (HLA-G)-boosted ocular immune privilege, the research team engineered a single-chain immunomodulator (scIM) mimicking the structural conformation and function of the potent HLA-G homodimer complex. In this Molecular Therapy<\/em><\/strong><\/a> study, AAV-scIM was injected to the subconjunctival space to reduce trauma induced corneal vascularization and fibrosis in a murine model. Then, ex vivo<\/em> AAV-scIM gene delivery to corneal allografts reduced high-risk CT rejection in a leporine model.<\/p>\n

Study data collectively demonstrate that scIM gene therapy prevents corneal neovascularization, reduces trauma-induced corneal fibrosis, and prevents allogeneic CT rejection in a high-risk large animal model. The results also promote further study and discovery of therapeutic tissue engineering mechanisms for treating corneal blindness, a disease that affects more than five million individuals worldwide. This work was supported by the NIH and Bedrock Therapeutics, Inc. a UNC spinout biotech company co-founded by Drs. Gilger and Hirsch that is advancing these promising results towards a Phase I clinical trial.<\/p>\n

Dr. Hirsch, an AAV-gene delivery engineering expert, added, \u201cWhile the work herein demonstrates Proof-of-Concept for ex vivo<\/em> scIM gene therapy to prevent corneal transplant rejection, our optimism is growing towards broader applications to prevent immunological rejection of other organs including the heart, liver, and kidneys.\u201d<\/p>\n

To read more on this UNC-NCSU collaborative study, refer to the November 6, 2024 issue of Molecular Therapy<\/em><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A cross-disciplinary UNC-North Carolina State University (NCSU) team with collaborative ties in developing ocular drug delivery systems has recently discovered a genetically engineered pathway to reduce corneal blindness via decreasing rejection of high-risk corneal transplantation (CT).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17488,"featured_media":10712,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"layout":"","cellInformation":"","apiCallInformation":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","odd"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nUNC-NCSU Team Discovers Genetically Engineered Pathway to Decrease Rejection of High-Risk Corneal Transplantation | Department of Ophthalmology<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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