Abstract 481: Development of a rapid method for the detection of neutralizing antibodies in sera of primates for viral gene therapy stratification

Abstract Gene therapeutical intervention using viral vectors is becoming increasingly relevant for the treatment of various diseases, including cancer. A critical factor for a successful viral therapy is that the patient has not previously developed neutralizing antibodies to the respective viral serotype in the context of a naturally occurring anti-infection immune response. Such antibodies would impose the risk to neutralize and thus jeopardize the intended therapeutic response. This is especially relevant in therapies with adeno-associated virus (AAV), as immunity against AAV-serotypes is very common. We here report on the development and validation of a straightforward method to functionally detect neutralizing antibodies in primate sera, employing a transduction method on a human cell line using AAVs of different serotype coding for an easily detectable transgene. The reported methodology will be helpful for the stratification of primates and patients exploiting their sera for the prevalence of neutralizing antibodies prior to the initiation of the AAV treatment. In addition, our assay has the potential to be applied to other viral treatment strategies also. Citation Format: Gregor Sommerkamp, Eva M. Egenter, Katharina Schaich, Daniel Feger, Sebastian Dempe, Jan E. Ehlert. Development of a rapid method for the detection of neutralizing antibodies in sera of primates for viral gene therapy stratification [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2025; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2025 Apr 25-30; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2025;85(8_Suppl_1):Abstract nr 481.