Immune Responses to Ocular Cell and Gene therapies
A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Cellular Immunology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2021) | Viewed by 303
Special Issue Editors
Interests: inflammatory diseases of the eye and central nervous system; in vivo and in vitro models for immune-mediated ocular disease; ocular immune privilege; T cells and cytokines
Interests: inflammation; ocular inflammatory diseases; immune privilege; innate immunity; adaptive immunity; tissue homeostasis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Gene- and cell-based therapies offer huge improvements for managing blinding retinal disorders. The retina has specific advantages due to its accessibility for diagnostic imaging and its immune privilege status, maintained via the blood–retinal barrier, leading to a highly immunosuppressive microenvironment. Furthermore, the penetrance of drugs to retinal tissues has improved, allowing a more targeted therapeutic approach.
The commonly used AAV vectors in gene therapy have been successfully applied in ophthalmic clinical trials. However, intraocular inflammation and/or loss of efficacy after initial functional improvements have been reported due to adverse effects of treatment including the activation of innate pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), resulting in the release of cytokines such as type I interferons. The production of neutralizing anti-AAV antibodies and specific T-cell responses further limit long-term benefits.
The therapeutic potential of stem cells is also widely studied in ocular disease. Whilst mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been shown to be well-tolerated by the recipient in allogeneic transplantation, risks of adverse reactions by the host have been reported.
The aim of this Special Issue is to collect original research findings and reviews discussing the immune responses triggered by these advanced therapeutics at the cellular and molecular level, and to debate the potential strategies for modulating host immunity in order to improve the safety and efficacy of ocular treatments.
Prof. Dr. Virginia Calder
Dr. Malihe Eskandarpour
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- gene therapy
- cell therapy
- innate immunity
- adaptive immunity
- toll like receptors
- pattern recognition receptors
- nucleic acid sensors
- type I interferons
- TNFα
- NF-κB
- cytokines
