Haemophilia gene therapy is in clinical studies, making continuous safety and efficacy testing a key emphasis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moataz Dowaidar

Patients and clinicians worldwide seeking access to gene therapy, lentiviral vector or gene editing-mediated gene therapy may become feasible options. Several nations have built vectors, manufacturing and regulatory methods and either run separate clinical trials or participate in international trials in order to get access to and experience.Vector safety and effectiveness across habitats should be identical. The dilemma of whether to utilize larger or lower vector doses or whether to seek higher or lower steady-state factor levels remains unanswered. Multiple vector-specific factors (preclinical data, early trial data, threshold effect presence, interpatient dose-expression relationship variability, or dose and risk of transaminitis relationship, estimated expression duration) as well as cost-effectiveness analyzes for each setting are all relevant to the vector dose decision (including data on the healthcare system, economics, available alternative treatments, accepted goal for quality of life or contribution of patients to society). Because patients are unlikely to get a second vector dosage, the initial dosage should be delivered and monitored under optimum conditions, especially to avoid early expression loss due to uncontrolled transaminitis.In clinical research, haemophilia gene therapy is crucial to continuing safety and efficacy testing. Communicating and coordinating internationally is crucial to providing worldwide access to gene therapy, avoiding a new gap in haemophilia care, raising awareness, sharing knowledge and experience, and building suitable infrastructure and regulatory and financial platforms.

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 570-583
Author(s):  
Sherif M. Badawy ◽  
Usman Beg ◽  
Robert I. Liem ◽  
Sonali Chaudhury ◽  
Alexis A. Thompson

Abstract Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) and thalassemia experience several complications across their lifespan that lead to impairment in different health-related quality of life (HRQOL) domains. There is increasing interest in curative therapies for patients with SCD and thalassemia, including hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) and gene therapy; however, the effect of these therapies on various HRQOL domains remains unclear. Our objective was to systematically evaluate the most recent evidence for the effect of HSCT and gene therapy on HRQOL in patients with SCD and thalassemia. A systematic search of medical literature databases was conducted. A total of 16 studies (thalassemia, n = 9; SCD, n = 6; both, n = 1) involving 517 participants met inclusion criteria (thalassemia, n = 416; SCD, n = 101). HSCT was associated with a small to large positive effects in most HRQOL domains (Cohen’s d; mean = 0.47; median = 0.37; range, 0.27-2.05). In thalassemia, HSCT was frequently associated with large positive effects in physical and emotional HRQOL domains (median d = 0.79 and d = 0.57, respectively). In SCD, HSCT was associated with large positive effects in all HRQOL domains. Emerging data suggest improvement in HRQOL outcomes across different domains following gene therapy in thalassemia and SCD. The quality of evidence was moderate in 13 studies (81%). HSCT has a positive impact on several HRQOL domains in patients with SCD and thalassemia; however, more longitudinal studies are warranted to assess the sustainability of these effects. Reporting HRQOL outcomes from ongoing gene therapy or gene-editing trials in SCD and thalassemia is key to better understand the benefits of such therapies.


2005 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Szalavetz

This paper discusses the relation between the quality and quantity indicators of physical capital and modernisation. While international academic literature emphasises the role of intangible factors enabling technology generation and absorption rather than that of physical capital accumulation, this paper argues that the quantity and quality of physical capital are important modernisation factors, particularly in the case of small, undercapitalised countries that recently integrated into the world economy. The paper shows that in Hungary, as opposed to developed countries, the technological upgrading of capital assets was not necessarily accompanied by the upgrading of human capital i.e. the thesis of capital skill complementarity did not apply to the first decade of transformation and capital accumulation in Hungary. Finally, the paper shows that there are large differences between the average technological levels of individual industries. The dualism of the Hungarian economy, which is also manifest in terms of differences in the size of individual industries' technological gaps, is a disadvantage from the point of view of competitiveness. The increasing differences in the size of the technological gaps can be explained not only with industry-specific factors, but also with the weakness of technology and regional development policies, as well as with institutional deficiencies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oladimeji Adebayo ◽  
Kehinde Kanmodi ◽  
Olusegun Olaopa ◽  
Omotayo Francis Fagbule ◽  
Iyanu Adufe ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundEarly career doctors (ECDs) are faced with many challenges due to their transition from undergraduate medical/dental studentship to being postgraduate doctors and being in an early phase of their career. The specific factors that affect ECDs in their careers and endeavors at the workplace range from poor remuneration, particularly in developing countries, to psychosocial problems (such as burnout [BO] syndrome). There is a dearth of information on BO among ECDs in Nigeria. This qualitative study aims to explore the opinions of ECDs in Nigeria on the causal/predisposing factors of BO, effects of BO, and strategies for mitigating BO among ECDs in Nigeria.MethodUsing purposive sampling method, two sessions of focus group discussions (FGDs) involving 14 ECDs (key informants) holding key leadership positions and who were delegates of other ECDs in Nigeria were conducted to explore their experiences on psychological issues among ECDs. Data collected were transcribed and analyzed thematically.ResultsBO is an issue of serious concern among ECDs in Nigeria. The causes of BO are diverse, some of which include low staff strength, prolonged work hours, wrong counseling, lack of job description and specification, and abuse of powers by trainers. In order to mitigate the issue of BO among ECDs, the respondents recommended that work policy review, medical workforce strengthening, stakeholder dialog on ECDs’ welfare, regular psychological review of ECDs, and provision of free yearly medicals need to be looked into. Conclusion: Our findings revealed that the participants considered BO issues among ECDs to be common, and it affected their performance and the overall quality of care in Nigeria health system. Based on our findings, there is an urgent need to mitigate the problem of emotional exhaustion among ECDs in Nigeria.


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