Page 16 - Hormel Report 2023

George Aslanidi, PhD
“Our lab develops safe and effective tools for genetic manipulation in an effort to give patients with rare genetic diseases and cancers a fighting chance to overcome what
nature has planned for them.”
George Aslanidi
16 | THE HORMEL INSTITUTE // Molecular Bioengineering and
Cancer Vaccine
PROFESSOR
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
We use rational molecular bioengineering to develop the capsid- and expression cassette modified adeno-associated
virus (AAV) vectors. These optimized viral vectors further uses for possible treatment of vast verity of rare genetic disorders and cancers. In some cases, genetic material is delivered by virus directly to the diseased tissues and substitutes dysfunctional genes. For example, Cockayne syndrome (CS) is a severe, ultra-rare autosomal recessive disease in which symptoms can include but are not limited to premature aging, short stature, microcephaly, photosensitivity, and neurological dysfunction. Although the major underlying genetic causes of CS (mutations in the ERCC8 (CSA) or ERCC6 (CSB) genes), have been identified, there are no disease altering therapy options currently available for those
who suffer from this devastating disease. Another example is cystic fibrosis. Lack of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) can cause improper function of lung cells, accumulation of excessive mucus, bacterial contamination and ultimately lung
failure. In other cases, tumor specific antigen carried by these novel AAV vectors are injected into animal model of melanoma or prostate cancer using standard needle vaccination procedures. As a result, local antigen presenting cells (APC) uploaded with the AAV-delivered tumor antigen either directly or by a cross- presentation pathway activate both a cytotoxic CD8+ T-cells and a humoral response against the tumor.
Current Research Projects
Our lab is initiating a pre-clinical testing of
an AAV-based vaccine in collaboration with Clinical Investigation Center Veterinary School University of Minnesota. Importantly, cancers that develop in dogs exhibit the similar and complex interaction of genetics, age, and environmental factors associated with human cancers. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) uses information from studies of canine cancer to help guide studies of human cancer, and the FDA recognizes the value of the canine model for preclinical studies included in Investigational New Drug (IND) applications for new cancer