Biologics, Volume 4, Issue 2 (June 2024) – 3 articles

Cardiovascular disease remains the main cause of mortality in the 21st century. Hypertension, vessel atherosclerosis, and familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) are responsible for increased mortality and morbidity in patients. Therapies for cardiovascular disease are based on drug treatment options, but in the era of precision medicine, personalized treatments are being developed. Studies have shown that these conditions have a strong genetic background, creating an opportunity for the implementation of gene therapy for these diseases. Currently, gene therapy is not widely used in clinical practice. Recent advances in this research field are making gene therapy a very promising preventive and therapeutic tool for cardiovascular disease. Essential hypertension’s (EH) pathophysiology is mostly based on the activation of both the sympathetic nervous system and the renin angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS), natriuretic peptide production, and endothelial dysfunction. Plasmid DNA and viral vectors can be used, targeting the main mechanisms in the pathogenesis of EH. Many preclinical studies have been developed across the years, presenting a significant decrease in blood pressure. Nevertheless, no clinical studies have been developed studying the implementation of gene therapy in EH. Atherosclerotic damage is caused by monogenic diseases or is deteriorated by the activation of inflammation in the vessel wall. Gene therapy studies have been developed in the pre- and clinical phases targeting the lipoprotein and cholesterol metabolism and the inflammation of the vessels. FH is a common inherited metabolic disease associated with high levels of cholesterol in the blood. Clinical trials of gene therapy have been developed and presented optimistic results. In this review, the challenges of gene therapy for cardiovascular disease are outlined. Nevertheless, more clinical trials are needed to be performed for the development of convenient and safe drug schemes for our patients. Full article

Tick-borne diseases account for a large proportion of vector-borne illnesses. They include, for example, a variety of infections caused by bacteria, spirochetes, viruses, rickettsiae, and protozoa. We aim to present a review that demonstrates the connection between the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and the significance of certain emergency tick-borne diseases in humans and their clinical–epidemiological features. This review covers three diseases: anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, and babesiosis. The emergence of ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis is become more frequently diagnosed as the cause of human infections, as animal reservoirs and tick vectors have increased in numbers and humans have inhabited areas where reservoir and tick populations are high. They belong to the order Rickettsiales and the family Anaplasmataceae, and the clinical manifestations typically coexist. Furthermore, prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment are critical to the patient’s recovery. Similar to malaria, babesiosis causes hemolysis. It is spread by intraerythrocytic protozoa, and the parasitemia dictates how severe it can get. Left untreated, some patients might have a fatal outcome. The correct diagnosis can be difficult sometimes; that is why an in-depth knowledge of the diseases is required. Prevention, prompt diagnosis, and treatment of these tick-borne diseases depend on the understanding of their clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory features. Full article

Heparan sulfate proteoglycans are highly glycosylated proteins in which heparan sulfate, a glycosaminoglycan sugar chain, is an acidic sugar chain consisting of a repeating disaccharide structure of glucuronic acid and N-acetylglucosamine is locally sulfated. Syndecan, one of the transmembrane HSPGs, functions as a receptor that transmits signals from the extracellular microenvironment to the inside of the cell. In the vascular system, heparan sulfate proteoglycans, a major component of the glycocalyx, enable the binding of various plasma-derived molecules due to their diversity, epimerization of glycosaminoglycans chains, long chains, and sulfation. Heparan sulfate proteoglycans present in the extracellular matrix serve as a reservoir for bioactive molecules such as chemokines, cytokines, and growth factors. Aberrant expression of heparan sulfate proteoglycans, heparanase, and sulfatase is observed in many pathological conditions. Therefore, it can be applied to therapeutic strategies for a wide range of fields including Alzheimer’s disease, heart failure, cancer, organ transplants, diabetes, chronic inflammation, aging, and autoimmune diseases. Full article