Current clinical applications of AAV-mediated gene therapy

Currently, there are an estimated 8,000 genetic disorders that cumulatively affect approximately 10% of the population. Even among the 5% of patients with genetic disease that have treatment options, these therapeutics rarely address the underlying cause of disease but rather focus on managing or modifying symptoms and typically require recurrent, lifelong therapy. A therapeutic approach to genetic disease that in vivo delivers a functional copy of the aberrant gene is an intuitive solution that has thus far taken 3 decades to reduce to clinical practice, predominantly using adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors. Among available viral and non-viral gene delivery approaches, AAV vectors remain the most efficient means for in vivo delivery of DNA to the nucleus. AAV vectors now constitute a bone fide novel therapeutic drug class composed of seven US Food and Drug Administration-approved products with over 10-fold more in clinical development for an expanding number of disease indications and an identified list of problems to overcome for widespread clinical application. Here, we review current progress in clinical AAV gene therapy, including for neuromuscular disorders, hemophilia, primary cardiovascular disorders, or disorders with cardiovascular manifestations, lysosomal storage disorders, mucopolysaccharide disorders, primary central nervous systemic disorders, and ocular disorders.