American researchers wanted to find out whether exposing a foetus to AAV9 during pregnancy could be envisaged:
- in vivo experiments were carried out on lamb foetuses,
- the product used was a GFP gene contained in a type 9 AAV, administered either intracranially or via the umbilical vein, at 75 days gestation,
- tissue expression of the transgene was significant and long-lasting, with no direct toxicity, particularly in the dorsal lymph nodes,
- however, these good results are tempered by the observation of intra-uterine growth retardation in the foetus and liver damage in the pregnant ewe, two side-effects whose risks are still poorly understood.
Finally, the authors highlight the presence of integrative particles in female germ cells.
