Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40346084›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

Large-scale discovery of potent, compact and erythroid specific enhancers for gene therapy vectors.

Nikoletta Psatha, Pavel Sova, Grigorios Georgolopoulos, Kiriaki Paschoudi, Mineo Iwata, Jordan Bloom, Tatyana Ulyanova, Hao Wang, Alexandra Kirtsou, Ninos-Ioannis Vasiloudis and 6 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

Nikoletta PsathaAltius Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Seattle, WA, USA. npsatha@bio.auth.gr.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3139-057X
Pavel Sova *Altius Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Seattle, WA, USA.
Grigorios Georgolopoulos *Altius Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Seattle, WA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9906-4797
Kiriaki PaschoudiDepartment of Genetics, Development and Molecular Biology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Mineo IwataAltius Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Seattle, WA, USA.
Jordan BloomAltius Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Seattle, WA, USA.
Tatyana UlyanovaDivision of Hematology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Hao WangAltius Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Seattle, WA, USA.
Alexandra KirtsouDepartment of Genetics, Development and Molecular Biology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-5210-8701
Ninos-Ioannis VasiloudisDepartment of Genetics, Development and Molecular Biology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0009-7941-8541
Matthew S WilkenAltius Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Seattle, WA, USA.
John A StamatoyannopoulosAltius Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Seattle, WA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2664-5769
Evangelia YannakiDivision of Hematology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9849-1279
Thalia PapayanopoulouDivision of Hematology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
George StamatoyannopoulosDivision of Medical Genetics, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Jeff VierstraAltius Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Seattle, WA, USA. jvierstra@altius.org.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6406-8563

Funding

New Chromatin Insulators and Enhancers for Gene Therapy of the HemoglobinopathiesR01HL136375 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI STAMATOYANNOPOULOS, THALIA · 2017 to 2020
$2.3M
European Hematology Association (EHA) TIF Advance Research GrantNHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL136375U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) 5R01HL136375-02
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Gene expression during cell development and differentiation is orchestrated by distal regulatory elements that precisely modulate cell selective gene activity. Gene therapy vectors leverage these elements for precise spatiotemporal transgene expression. Here, we develop a one-shot approach to screen candidate regulatory sequences from large-scale epigenomics data for programmable transgene expression within gene therapy viral vectors. We assess a library of 15,000 short sequences derived from developmentally active elements during erythropoiesis using a clinically relevant reporter vector. These elements display a gradient of transcriptional enhancer activity in erythroid cells, with high cell type restriction and developmental stage specificity. Finally, replacing the canonical β-globin μLCR with a compact enhancer in a β-thalassemia lentiviral vector successfully corrects the thalassemic phenotype in patient-derived hematopoietic and stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs), while increasing viral titers and cell transducibility. Our approach provides further insights into enhancer biology with wider implications for human gene therapy.

Indexed as

beta-ThalassemiaEnhancer Elements, GeneticErythroid CellsGenetic TherapyGenetic VectorsAnimalsbeta-GlobinsErythropoiesisHematopoietic Stem CellsHumansLentivirusTransgenesbeta-Globins

Identifiers

PMID40346084
PMCPMC12064758

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.