Gaucher Disease Treated With Lentiviral-Mediated Gene Therapy: First Case

Gaucher disease is a rare, autosomal recessive disease, with decreased activity of lysosomal glucocerebrosidase (GCase) due to changes in the GBA1 gene. There is no cure for Gaucher disease, and standard treatment involves the use of enzyme replacement therapy or substrate reduction therapy. We describe the first case of Gaucher disease that was treated with an autologous transplant of lentivirus-transduced CD34⁺ cells. Enzyme therapy was stopped 4 weeks prior to Day 0 of transplant. At 5 years of follow-up, dried blood spot GCase enzyme levels have remained in the normal range; there has been a consistent and sustained reduction of lyso-GB1 and liver volume, and hematological indices such as leukocyte count, hemoglobin, and platelet count have remained in the normal range despite no additional therapy for the Gaucher disease. This case shows a sustained response to a single dose of lentiviral gene therapy for Gaucher disease.