The journal of the American Society for Gene and Cellular Therapies “Molecular Therapy” published an article authored by researchers from the Department of Medical Biotechnology at the Jagiellonian University (UJ) in Krakow. The aim of the described research was to determine the mechanism of transduction of human heart cells by viral vectors based on adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) and to identify strategies to increase the efficiency of this process.

As reported by the UJ Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, the results shed new light on the importance of the protein kinase CK2 in the AAV host-vector interaction, identifying the activity of this kinase as a key barrier that reduces transduction efficiency and transgene expression. This creates the potential for the development of new therapeutic strategies.

The research was funded by the National Science Centre. The authors of the paper are Dr Izabela Kraszewska, Katarzyna Sarad, Dr Kalina Andrysiak, Dr Aleksandra Kopacz, Prof Józef Dulak and Dr Agnieszka Jaźwa-Kusior from the Jagiellonian University and Luisa Schmidt and Prof Marcus Krüger from the University of Cologne.

Read more: 

https://www.cell.com/molecular-therapy-family/molecular-therapy/fulltext/S1525-0016(23)00611-1