Background: Phosphatidylserine (PS) reduces immunogenicity of FVIII by possibly inducing tolerance. Results: FVIII-PS exposure leads to hypo-responsiveness in hemophilia A mice to FVIII challenge but responds normally to ovalbumin. Conclusion: Exposure of FVIII in the presence of PS leads to hypo-responsiveness/tolerance. Significance: An innovative reverse/inverse vaccination could desensitize the patients to antigen.

A major clinical complication in the treatment of Hemophilia A using exogenously administered recombinant Factor VIII (FVIII) is the development of neutralizing antibodies. It has been shown previously that FVIII complexed with phosphatidylserine (PS) reduces the development of total and neutralizing antibody titers in hemophilic mice. The effect of complexation of FVIII with PS upon dendritic cell (DC) uptake, maturation and processing, T-cell proliferation and cytokine secretion profiles was investigated. Flow cytometric studies of DC showed that PS inhibited the up-regulation of cell surface co-stimulatory markers (CD86 and CD40). PS reduced T-cell proliferation and increased significantly levels of TGF-β and IL-10 but reduced secretion of IL-6 and IL-17 compared to controls. The data suggest that PS reduces immunogenicity of FVIII by regulating dendritic cell maturation and subsequent T-lymphocyte activity through modulation of cytokine secretion. A possible mechanism for PS-mediated induction of FVIII tolerance is discussed.

A pharmacokinetic (PK) model was developed for nusinersen, an antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) that is the first approved treatment for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The model was built with data from 92 nonhuman primates (NHPs) following intrathecal doses (0.3–7 mg) and characterized the PK in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), plasma, total spinal cord, brain, and pons. The estimated volumes were 13.6, 937, 4.5, 53.8, and 2.11 mL, respectively. Global sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the CSF‐to‐plasma drug distribution rate (0.09 hour−1) is a major determinant of the maximum nusinersen concentration in central nervous system (CNS) tissues. Physiological age‐based and body weight‐based allometric scaling was implemented with exponent values of −0.08 and 1 for the rate constants and the volume of distribution, respectively. Simulations of the scaled model were in agreement with clinical observations from 52 pediatric phase I PK profiles. The developed model can be used to guide the design of clinical trials with ASOs.

Factor VIII is a multi-domain glycoprotein and is an essential cofactor in the blood coagulation cascade. Its deficiency or dysfunction causes Hemophilia A, a bleeding disorder. Replacement using exogenous recombinant Factor VIII (FVIII) is the first line of therapy for Hemophilia A. Immunogenicity, the development of binding (total) and neutralizing (inhibitory) antibody against administered protein is a clinical complication of the therapy. There are several product related factors such as presence of aggregates, route and frequency of administration and glycosylation have been shown to contribute to immunogenicity. The effect of route of administration of Factor VIII on antibody development in Hemophilia A is not completely understood. Here we investigated the effect of route of administration (sc or iv) on immunogenicity in Hemophilia A mice. The total and inhibitory titers were determined using ELISA and modified Bethesda Assay respectively. The results indicated that sc is more immunogenic compared to iv route in terms of total antibody titer development (binding antibodies) but no significant differences in inhibitory titer levels could be established.

Factor VIII (FVIII) is an important coagulation cofactor and its deficiency causes Hemophilia A, a bleeding disorder. Replacement therapy using recombinant FVIII is currently the first line of therapy for Hemophilia A, but the development of neutralizing antibody is a major clinical complication for this therapy. Recently, it has been shown that FVIII associated with Phosphatidylinositol (PI) containing lipidic nanoparticles reduced development of neutralizing antibodies in Hemophilia A mice (1). Here, we investigated the underlying mechanism of this reduction in antibody response in culturing conditions. In vitro, PI interfered with the processing of FVIII by cultured dendritic cells, resulting in a reduction in the up-regulation of phenotypic co-stimulatory signal CD40. Furthermore, PI increased secretion of regulatory cytokines Transforming Growth Factor beta1 (TGF-β1) and Interleukin 10 (IL-10) but reduced the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and IL-17. The data suggests that PI reduces the immunogenicity of FVIII by modulating DC maturation and by secretion of regulatory cytokines.