1
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Soni H, Lako I, Placidi M, Cramer SM. Implications of AAV affinity column reuse and vector stability on product quality attributes. Biotechnol Bioeng 2024; 121:2449-2465. [PMID: 37485847 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
In this work, the implications of AAV9 capsid design and column reuse on AAV9 vector product quality were assessed with POROS CaptureSelect (PCS) AAVX and AAV9 resins using sf9 insect cell-derived model AAV9 vectors with varying viral protein (VP) ratios. Chromatographic experiments with purified drug substance AAV9 model feeds indicated consistent vector elution profiles, independent of adeno-associated virus (AAV) VP ratio, or cycle number. In contrast, the presence of process impurities in the clarified lysate feeds resulted in clear changes in the elution patterns. This included increased aggregate content in the vector eluates over multiple cycles as well as clear differences in the performance of these affinity resin systems. The AAV9-serotype specific PCS AAV9 column, with lower vector elution pH, resulted in higher aggregate content over multiple cycles as compared to the serotype-independent PCS AAVX column. Further, the results with vectors of varying VP ratio indicated that while one vector type eluate displayed higher aggregation in both affinity columns over column reuse, the eluate with the other vector type did not exhibit changes in the aggregation profile. Interestingly, vector aggregates in the affinity eluates also contained double-stranded DNA impurities and histone proteins, with similar trends to the aggregate levels. This behavior upon column reuse indicates that these host cell impurities are likely carried over to subsequent runs due to incomplete clean-in-place (CIP). These results indicate that feed impurities, affinity resin characteristics, elution pH, column CIP, and vector stability can impact the reusability of AAV affinity columns and product quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harshal Soni
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA
| | - Ira Lako
- Voyager Therapeutics, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Steven M Cramer
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA
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2
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Sia KC, Fu ZY, Mohd Rodhi SH, Yee JHY, Qu K, Gan SU. Efficient AAV9 Purification Using a Single-Step AAV9 Magnetic Affinity Beads Isolation. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:8342. [PMID: 39125910 PMCID: PMC11313462 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25158342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2024] [Revised: 07/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/26/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) have emerged as promising tools for gene therapy due to their safety and efficacy in delivering therapeutic genes or gene editing sequences to various tissues and organs. AAV serotype 9 (AAV9), among AAV serotypes, stands out for its ability to efficiently target multiple tissues, thus holding significant potential for clinical applications. However, existing methods for purifying AAVs are cumbersome, expensive, and often yield inconsistent results. In this study, we explore a novel purification strategy utilizing Dynabeads™ CaptureSelect™ magnetic beads. The AAV9 magnetic beads capture AAV9 with high specificity and recovery between 70 and 90%, whereas the AAVX magnetic beads did not bind to the AAV9. Through continuous interaction with AAVs in solution, these beads offer enhanced clearance of genomic DNA and plasmids even in the absence of endonuclease. The beads could be regenerated at least eight times, and the used beads could be stored for up to six months and reused without a significant reduction in recovery. The potency of the AAV9-purified vectors in vivo was comparable to that of iodixanol purified vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kian Chuan Sia
- Phoenix Laboratory of Gene Therapy and Cell Therapy, Department of Surgery, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, MD11, Basement 1, 10, Medical Drive, Singapore 117597, Singapore; (K.C.S.); (Z.Y.F.); (S.H.M.R.)
| | - Zhen Ying Fu
- Phoenix Laboratory of Gene Therapy and Cell Therapy, Department of Surgery, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, MD11, Basement 1, 10, Medical Drive, Singapore 117597, Singapore; (K.C.S.); (Z.Y.F.); (S.H.M.R.)
| | - Siti Humairah Mohd Rodhi
- Phoenix Laboratory of Gene Therapy and Cell Therapy, Department of Surgery, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, MD11, Basement 1, 10, Medical Drive, Singapore 117597, Singapore; (K.C.S.); (Z.Y.F.); (S.H.M.R.)
| | - Joan Hua Yi Yee
- Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme, Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117545, Singapore; (J.H.Y.Y.); (K.Q.)
| | - Kun Qu
- Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme, Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117545, Singapore; (J.H.Y.Y.); (K.Q.)
| | - Shu Uin Gan
- Phoenix Laboratory of Gene Therapy and Cell Therapy, Department of Surgery, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, MD11, Basement 1, 10, Medical Drive, Singapore 117597, Singapore; (K.C.S.); (Z.Y.F.); (S.H.M.R.)
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3
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Ye X, Hu Y, Qiu H, Li N. Probe capsid structure stability and dynamics of adeno-associated virus as an important viral vector for gene therapy by hydrogen-deuterium exchange-mass spectrometry. Protein Sci 2024; 33:e5074. [PMID: 38888268 PMCID: PMC11184576 DOI: 10.1002/pro.5074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Revised: 04/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Adeno-associated virus (AAV), a widely used gene therapy vector, is a small, nonenveloped virus that contains a single-stranded DNA genome with a maximum length of 4.7 kb. Despite extensive biophysical and structural characterization, many aspects of AAV functions remain elusive. This knowledge gap is primarily due to a lack of structurally resolved dynamic information and the absence of structural coverage of functionally critical segments on the AAV capsid. Here, we developed a protocol to study AAV structural dynamics by hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS), a powerful method for monitoring protein structure stability and dynamics in solution. We performed HDX-MS measurements on AAVs without or with different DNA payloads of different sizes, and obtained detailed dynamic information on the entire AAV sequence including the two functionally important segments not previously structurally characterized. The unique N terminus of the capsid protein VP1 (VP1u) was found to adopt a highly dynamic and unstable conformation with low HDX protection across the entire region, whereas the presence of a DNA payload increased its protection. The VP1 and VP2 shared region (VP1/2) showed no measurable protection, with or without DNA. Differential HDX between empty and full capsid samples allowed us to identify potential new DNA-capsid interaction sites located primarily around the five-fold channel, which differ from the three-fold pocket binding site previously identified. Our HDX-MS method for characterizing AAV structural dynamics opens a new way for future efforts to understand AAV structure-function relationships and engineer next-generation AAV vectors with improved gene delivery properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiang Ye
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.TarrytownNew YorkUSA
| | - Yunli Hu
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.TarrytownNew YorkUSA
| | - Haibo Qiu
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.TarrytownNew YorkUSA
| | - Ning Li
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.TarrytownNew YorkUSA
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4
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Hu Y, Hu M, Ye X, Wu Z, Kang J, Wong C, Palackal N, Qiu H, Li N. A simple and sensitive differential digestion method to analyze adeno-associated virus residual host cell proteins by LC-MS. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2024; 242:116009. [PMID: 38354541 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2024.116009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Many methods using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) have been established for identifying residual host cell proteins (HCPs) to aid in the process development and quality control of therapeutic proteins. However, the use of MS-based techniques for adeno-associated virus (AAV) is still in its infancy, with few methods reported and minimal information available on potentially problematic HCPs. In this study, we developed a highly sensitive and effective differential digestion method to profile residual HCPs in AAV. Unlike direct digestion, which completely digests both AAV and HCPs, our differential digestion method takes advantage of AAV's unique characteristics to maintain the integrity of AAV while preferentially digesting HCPs under denaturing and reducing conditions. This differential digestion method requires only several micrograms of sample and significantly enhances the identification of HCPs. Furthermore, this method can be applied to all five different AAV serotypes for comprehensive HCP profiling. Our work fills a gap in AAV HCP analysis by providing a sensitive and robust strategy for detecting, monitoring, and measuring HCPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunli Hu
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, NY 10591-6707, USA.
| | - Mengqi Hu
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, NY 10591-6707, USA
| | - Xiang Ye
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, NY 10591-6707, USA
| | - Zhijie Wu
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, NY 10591-6707, USA
| | - Jianming Kang
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, NY 10591-6707, USA
| | - Christina Wong
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, NY 10591-6707, USA
| | - Nisha Palackal
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, NY 10591-6707, USA
| | - Haibo Qiu
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, NY 10591-6707, USA.
| | - Ning Li
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, NY 10591-6707, USA
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5
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Coplan L, Zhang Z, Ragone N, Reeves J, Rodriguez A, Shevade A, Bak H, Tustian AD. High-yield recombinant adeno-associated viral vector production by multivariate optimization of bioprocess and transfection conditions. Biotechnol Prog 2024; 40:e3445. [PMID: 38450973 DOI: 10.1002/btpr.3445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
Recombinant adeno-associated viral vectors (rAAVs) are one of the most used vehicles for gene therapy, with five rAAV therapeutics commercially approved by the FDA. To improve product yield, we optimized the suspension production process of rAAV8 vectors carrying a proprietary transgene using a commercially available transfection reagent, FectoVIR-AAV. Using a miniaturized automated 250 mL scale bioreactor system, we generated models of vector genome (vg) titer, capsid (cp) titer, and Vg:Cp percentage from two multivariate design of experiment studies, one centered around bioreactor operating parameters, and another based on the transfection conditions. Using the optimized process returned from these models, the vector genome titer from the bioreactor was improved to beyond 1 × 1012 vg/mL. Five critical parameters were identified that had large effects on the pre-purification vector quantity-the transfection pH, production pH, complexation time, viable cell density at transfection, and transfection reagent to DNA ratio. The optimized process was further assessed for its performance extending to six AAV serotypes, namely AAV1, AAV2, AAV5, AAV6, AAV8, and AAV9 carrying a transgene encoding for green fluorescent protein (GFP). Five of the six serotypes returned higher vector genome titers than the control condition. These data suggest that the choice of transfection reagent is a major factor in improving vector yield. The multivariate design of experiment approach is a powerful way to optimize production processes, and the optimized process from one AAV vector can to some extent be generalized to other serotypes and transgenes to accelerate development timelines of new programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louis Coplan
- Preclinical Manufacturing and Process Development, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc, Tarrytown, New York, USA
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Zhe Zhang
- Preclinical Manufacturing and Process Development, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc, Tarrytown, New York, USA
| | - Nicole Ragone
- Research Operations, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc, Tarrytown, New York, USA
| | - John Reeves
- Preclinical Manufacturing and Process Development, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc, Tarrytown, New York, USA
| | - Audrey Rodriguez
- Preclinical Manufacturing and Process Development, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc, Tarrytown, New York, USA
| | - Aishwarya Shevade
- Preclinical Manufacturing and Process Development, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc, Tarrytown, New York, USA
| | - Hanne Bak
- Preclinical Manufacturing and Process Development, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc, Tarrytown, New York, USA
| | - Andrew D Tustian
- Preclinical Manufacturing and Process Development, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc, Tarrytown, New York, USA
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6
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Ma J, Tian Z, Shi Q, Dong X, Sun Y. Affinity chromatography for virus-like particle manufacturing: Challenges, solutions, and perspectives. J Chromatogr A 2024; 1721:464851. [PMID: 38574547 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2024.464851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2024] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
The increasing medical application of virus-like particles (VLPs), notably vaccines and viral vectors, has increased the demand for commercial VLP production. However, VLP manufacturing has not yet reached the efficiency level achieved for recombinant protein therapeutics, especially in downstream processing. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the challenges associated with affinity chromatography for VLP purification with respect to the diversity and complexity of VLPs and the associated upstream and downstream processes. The use of engineered affinity ligands and matrices for affinity chromatography is first discussed. Although several representative affinity ligands are currently available for VLP purification, most of them have difficulty in balancing ligand universality, ligand selectivity and mild operation conditions. Then, phage display technology and computer-assisted design are discussed as efficient methods for the rapid discovery of high-affinity peptide ligands. Finally, the VLP purification by affinity chromatography is analyzed. The process is significantly influenced by virus size and variation, ligand type and chromatographic mode. To address the updated regulatory requirements and epidemic outbreaks, technical innovations in affinity chromatography and process intensification and standardization in VLP purification should be promoted to achieve rapid process development and highly efficient VLP manufacturing, and emphasis is given to the discovery of universal ligands, applications of gigaporous matrices and platform technology. It is expected that the information in this review can provide a better understanding of the affinity chromatography methods available for VLP purification and offer useful guidance for the development of affinity chromatography for VLP manufacturing in the decades to come.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Ma
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering and Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Zengquan Tian
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering and Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Qinghong Shi
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering and Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China.
| | - Xiaoyan Dong
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering and Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China
| | - Yan Sun
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering and Frontiers Science Center for Synthetic Biology (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Tianjin 300350, China.
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7
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Mayani M, Nellimarla S, Mangalathillam R, Rao H, Patarroyo-White S, Ma J, Figueroa B. Depth filtration for clarification of intensified lentiviral vector suspension cell culture. Biotechnol Prog 2024; 40:e3409. [PMID: 37985144 DOI: 10.1002/btpr.3409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/29/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Depth filtration significantly impacts efficiency of lentiviral (LV) vector purification process. However, it is often deprioritized in the overall scope of viral vector manufacturing process optimization. The demand for LV vectors has increased with the rise in disease indications, making it crucial to improve current manufacturing processes. Upstream bioreactor process intensification has enabled cell densities of over 107 viable cells/mL, creating challenges for harvest unit operations. The larger size of LV vectors and their physiochemical similarity to host cell-DNA (HC-DNA) and poor clarification performance causes significant challenges for the subsequent chromatography-based purifications. As a result, a robust and scalable harvest of LV process is needed, especially for LV in vivo therapeutic quality needs. In this study, we systematically evaluated the overlooked yet important issue of depth filtration systems to improve enveloped LV functional vector recovery. We found that an established depth filtration system in process A that provided 94% (n = 6) LV functional recovery could not be translated to intensified Process B cell culture. Hence, the depth filtration process became a bottleneck for the purification performance in an intensified process. We demonstrated an improvement in LV functional vector recovery from 34% to 82% via filter train optimization for an intensified suspension cell culture system (>107 cells/mL with higher titer), while still maintaining a loading throughput of ≥82 L/m2 and turbidity ≤20 NTU. It was demonstrated that the two or three-stage depth filtration scheme is scalable and more suitable for high cell density culture for large scale for LV manufacturing process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mukesh Mayani
- Genomic Medicine Unit CMC, Global CMC Development, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
- Process and Analytical Development (PAD), Gene Therapy Franchise, National Resilience Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Srinivas Nellimarla
- Genomic Medicine Unit CMC, Global CMC Development, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Hema Rao
- Genomic Medicine Unit CMC, Global CMC Development, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Junfen Ma
- Genomic Medicine Unit CMC, Global CMC Development, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Bruno Figueroa
- Genomic Medicine Unit CMC, Global CMC Development, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
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8
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Barbieri E, Mollica GN, Moore BD, Sripada SA, Shastry S, Kilgore RE, Loudermilk CM, Whitacre ZH, Kilgour KM, Wuestenhagen E, Aldinger A, Graalfs H, Rammo O, Schulte MM, Johnson TF, Daniele MA, Menegatti S. Peptide ligands targeting the vesicular stomatitis virus G (VSV-G) protein for the affinity purification of lentivirus particles. Biotechnol Bioeng 2024; 121:618-639. [PMID: 37947118 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
The recent uptick in the approval of ex vivo cell therapies highlights the relevance of lentivirus (LV) as an enabling viral vector of modern medicine. As labile biologics, however, LVs pose critical challenges to industrial biomanufacturing. In particular, LV purification-currently reliant on filtration and anion-exchange or size-exclusion chromatography-suffers from long process times and low yield of transducing particles, which translate into high waiting time and cost to patients. Seeking to improve LV downstream processing, this study introduces peptides targeting the enveloped protein Vesicular stomatitis virus G (VSV-G) to serve as affinity ligands for the chromatographic purification of LV particles. An ensemble of candidate ligands was initially discovered by implementing a dual-fluorescence screening technology and a targeted in silico approach designed to identify sequences with high selectivity and tunable affinity. The selected peptides were conjugated on Poros resin and their LV binding-and-release performance was optimized by adjusting the flow rate, composition, and pH of the chromatographic buffers. Ligands GKEAAFAA and SRAFVGDADRD were selected for their high product yield (50%-60% of viral genomes; 40%-50% of HT1080 cell-transducing particles) upon elution in PIPES buffer with 0.65 M NaCl at pH 7.4. The peptide-based adsorbents also presented remarkable values of binding capacity (up to 3·109 TU per mL of resin, or 5·1011 vp per mL of resin, at the residence time of 1 min) and clearance of host cell proteins (up to a 220-fold reduction of HEK293 HCPs). Additionally, GKEAAFAA demonstrated high resistance to caustic cleaning-in-place (0.5 M NaOH, 30 min) with no observable loss in product yield and quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Barbieri
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Gina N Mollica
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Brandyn D Moore
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Sobhana A Sripada
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Shriarjun Shastry
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Ryan E Kilgore
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Casee M Loudermilk
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Zachary H Whitacre
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Katie M Kilgour
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Thomas F Johnson
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, London, UK
| | - Michael A Daniele
- North Carolina Viral Vector Initiative in Research and Learning (NC-VVIRAL), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, North Carolina State University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Stefano Menegatti
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- North Carolina Viral Vector Initiative in Research and Learning (NC-VVIRAL), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- LigaTrap Technologies LLC, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
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9
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Gaudry JP, Aebi A, Valdés P, Schneider BL. Production and Purification of Adeno-Associated Viral Vectors (AAVs) Using Orbitally Shaken HEK293 Cells. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2810:55-74. [PMID: 38926272 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3878-1_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Here, we describe methods for the production of adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors by transient transfection of HEK293 cells grown in serum-free medium using orbital shaken bioreactors and the subsequent purification of vector particles. The protocol for expression of AAV components is based on polyethyleneimine (PEI)-mediated transfection of a three-plasmid system and is specified for production in milliliter-to-liter scales. After PEI and plasmid DNA (pDNA) complex formation, the diluted cell culture is transfected without a prior concentration step or medium exchange. Following a 7-day batch process, cell cultures are further processed using a set of methods for cell lysis and vector recovery. Methods for the purification of viral particles are described, including immunoaffinity and anion-exchange chromatography, ultrafiltration, as well as digital PCR to quantify the concentration of vector particles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Philippe Gaudry
- Bertarelli Platform for Gene Therapy, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Aline Aebi
- Bertarelli Platform for Gene Therapy, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Pamela Valdés
- Bertarelli Platform for Gene Therapy, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Bernard L Schneider
- Bertarelli Platform for Gene Therapy, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Geneva, Switzerland.
- Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.
- NeuroX Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.
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10
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Shastry S, Chu W, Barbieri E, Greback-Clarke P, Smith WK, Cummings C, Minzoni A, Pancorbo J, Gilleskie G, Ritola K, Daniele MA, Johnson TF, Menegatti S. Rational design and experimental evaluation of peptide ligands for the purification of adeno-associated viruses via affinity chromatography. Biotechnol J 2024; 19:e2300230. [PMID: 37728197 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202300230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
Adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) have acquired a central role in modern medicine as delivery agents for gene therapies targeting rare diseases. While new AAVs with improved tissue targeting, potency, and safety are being introduced, their biomanufacturing technology is lagging. In particular, the AAV purification pipeline hinges on protein ligands for the affinity-based capture step. While featuring excellent AAV binding capacity and selectivity, these ligands require strong acid (pH <3) elution conditions, which can compromise the product's activity and stability. Additionally, their high cost and limited lifetime has a significant impact on the price tag of AAV-based therapies. Seeking to introduce a more robust and affordable affinity technology, this study introduces a cohort of peptide ligands that (i) mimic the biorecognition activity of the AAV receptor (AAVR) and anti-AAV antibody A20, (ii) enable product elution under near-physiological conditions (pH 6.0), and (iii) grant extended reusability by withstanding multiple regenerations. A20-mimetic CYIHFSGYTNYNPSLKSC and AAVR-mimetic CVIDGSQSTDDDKIC demonstrated excellent capture of serotypes belonging to distinct clones/clades - namely, AAV1, AAV2, AAV5, AAV6, AAV8, and AAV9. This corroborates the in silico models documenting their ability to target regions of the viral capsid that are conserved across all serotypes. CVIDGSQSTDDDKIC-Toyopearl resin features binding capacity (≈1014 vp mL-1 ) and product yields (≈60%-80%) on par with commercial adsorbents, and purifies AAV2 from HEK293 and Sf9 cell lysates with high recovery (up to 78%), reduction of host cell proteins (up to 700-fold), and high transduction activity (up to 65%).
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Affiliation(s)
- Shriarjun Shastry
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Wenning Chu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Eduardo Barbieri
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Paul Greback-Clarke
- Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - William K Smith
- Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Christopher Cummings
- Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Arianna Minzoni
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jennifer Pancorbo
- Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Gary Gilleskie
- Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Kimberly Ritola
- Neuroscience Center, Brain Initiative Neurotools Vector Core, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
- North Carolina Viral Vector Initiative in Research and Learning (NC-VVIRAL), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Michael A Daniele
- North Carolina Viral Vector Initiative in Research and Learning (NC-VVIRAL), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, North Carolina State University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Thomas F Johnson
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, London, UK
| | - Stefano Menegatti
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- North Carolina Viral Vector Initiative in Research and Learning (NC-VVIRAL), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- LigaTrap Technologies LLC, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
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11
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Ay C, Frenzel L, Pinachyan K, Le Quellec S. Gene therapy for haemophilia A and B, from basic principles to clinical implementation: An illustrated review. Haemophilia 2024; 30:5-15. [PMID: 38111029 DOI: 10.1111/hae.14907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION With recent approval of the first two gene therapies for haemophilia A and B, educational materials about AAV-based gene therapy are needed by the haemophilia community for a better understanding of this novel therapeutic approach and helping healthcare providers and patients making personalized choices amongst an increasing array of therapeutic options. AIM To provide a comprehensive summary of the whole process of AAV-based gene therapy from basic principles to clinical implementation through an illustrated review. METHODS The authors, with expertise in and knowledge about gene therapy for haemophilia A and B, reviewed relevant articles from PubMed database and translated them into illustrations. RESULTS The review is divided into eight illustrated sections providing an overview of gene therapy for haemophilia A and B from haemophilia basics and current treatment landscape, principles of the AAV-based liver-directed gene therapy, through exploring the efficacy and safety results of published phase III clinical trials, current and future challenges, to implementation in clinical practice, including the hub and spoke models and the patient journey. CONCLUSION This illustrated review educates healthcare professionals on AAV-based gene therapy for haemophilia A and B enabling them to further educate their peers and their patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cihan Ay
- Department of Medicine I, Clinical Division of Hematology and Hemostaseology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Laurent Frenzel
- Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Hematological Disorders and Therapeutical Implications, Labex GR-Ex, Imagine Institute, Inserm, Paris Descartes - Sorbonne Paris Cité University, Paris, France
- Hematology unit care, Hemophilia Center, Necker Hospital, Paris, France
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12
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Kilgore R, Minzoni A, Shastry S, Smith W, Barbieri E, Wu Y, LeBarre JP, Chu W, O'Brien J, Menegatti S. The downstream bioprocess toolbox for therapeutic viral vectors. J Chromatogr A 2023; 1709:464337. [PMID: 37722177 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2023.464337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
Viral vectors are poised to acquire a prominent position in modern medicine and biotechnology owing to their role as delivery agents for gene therapies, oncolytic agents, vaccine platforms, and a gateway to engineer cell therapies as well as plants and animals for sustainable agriculture. The success of viral vectors will critically depend on the availability of flexible and affordable biomanufacturing strategies that can meet the growing demand by clinics and biotech companies worldwide. In this context, a key role will be played by downstream process technology: while initially adapted from protein purification media, the purification toolbox for viral vectors is currently undergoing a rapid expansion to fit the unique biomolecular characteristics of these products. Innovation efforts are articulated on two fronts, namely (i) the discovery of affinity ligands that target adeno-associated virus, lentivirus, adenovirus, etc.; (ii) the development of adsorbents with innovative morphologies, such as membranes and 3D printed monoliths, that fit the size of viral vectors. Complementing these efforts are the design of novel process layouts that capitalize on novel ligands and adsorbents to ensure high yield and purity of the product while safeguarding its therapeutic efficacy and safety; and a growing panel of analytical methods that monitor the complex array of critical quality attributes of viral vectors and correlate them to the purification strategies. To help explore this complex and evolving environment, this study presents a comprehensive overview of the downstream bioprocess toolbox for viral vectors established in the last decade, and discusses present efforts and future directions contributing to the success of this promising class of biological medicines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Kilgore
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States.
| | - Arianna Minzoni
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States
| | - Shriarjun Shastry
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States; Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States
| | - Will Smith
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States
| | - Eduardo Barbieri
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States
| | - Yuxuan Wu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States
| | - Jacob P LeBarre
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States
| | - Wenning Chu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States
| | - Juliana O'Brien
- Department of Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States
| | - Stefano Menegatti
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States; Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States; North Carolina Viral Vector Initiative in Research and Learning, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States
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13
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Lavoie RA, Zugates JT, Cheeseman AT, Teten MA, Ramesh S, Freeman JM, Swango S, Fitzpatrick J, Joshi A, Hollers B, Debebe Z, Lindgren TK, Kozak AN, Kondeti VK, Bright MK, Yearley EJ, Tracy A, Irwin JA, Guerrero M. Enrichment of adeno-associated virus serotype 5 full capsids by anion exchange chromatography with dual salt elution gradients. Biotechnol Bioeng 2023; 120:2953-2968. [PMID: 37256741 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Adeno-associated virus-based gene therapies have demonstrated substantial therapeutic benefit for the treatment of genetic disorders. In manufacturing processes, viral capsids are produced with and without the encapsidated gene of interest. Capsids devoid of the gene of interest, or "empty" capsids, represent a product-related impurity. As a result, a robust and scalable method to enrich full capsids is crucial to provide patients with as much potentially active product as possible. Anion exchange chromatography has emerged as a highly utilized method for full capsid enrichment across many serotypes due to its ease of use, robustness, and scalability. However, achieving sufficient resolution between the full and empty capsids is not trivial. In this work, anion exchange chromatography was used to achieve empty and full capsid resolution for adeno-associated virus serotype 5. A salt gradient screen of multiple salts with varied valency and Hofmeister series properties was performed to determine optimal peak resolution and aggregate reduction. Dual salt effects were evaluated on the same product and process attributes to identify any synergies with the use of mixed ion gradients. The modified process provided as high as ≥75% AAV5 full capsids (≥3-fold enrichment based on the percent full in the feed stream) with near baseline separation of empty capsids and achieved an overall vector genome step yield of >65%.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Matt A Teten
- BridgeBio Gene Therapy LLC, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | | | | | - Summer Swango
- BridgeBio Gene Therapy LLC, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | | | - Amod Joshi
- BridgeBio Gene Therapy LLC, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | | | | | | | - Amber N Kozak
- BridgeBio Gene Therapy LLC, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | | | - Mary K Bright
- BridgeBio Gene Therapy LLC, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Eric J Yearley
- BridgeBio Gene Therapy LLC, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | | | - Jacob A Irwin
- BridgeBio Gene Therapy LLC, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
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14
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Turco F, Wegelius A, Lind O, Norrman N, Magnusson AC, Sund-Lundström C, Norén B, Hedberg J, Palmgren R. Combined clarification and affinity capture using magnetic resin enables efficient separation of rAAV5 from cell lysate. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2023; 30:394-402. [PMID: 37637382 PMCID: PMC10457685 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2023.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors have displayed enormous potential as a platform for delivery of gene therapies. Purification of rAAV at industrial scale involves a series of elaborate, material, and time-consuming midstream steps, such as clarification by depth filtration and concentration/buffer exchange by tangential flow filtration. In this study, we developed a filter-less flow capture method for purification of rAAV serotype 5, using a high-gradient magnetic separator and magnetic Mag Sepharose beads coupled to an AVB affinity ligand. In under 2 h, we captured and eluted rAAV5 directly from ∼5 L of cell lysate with a recovery yield of 63% (±5%, n = 3). Compared to cell lysate, the eluate showed a 3-log reduction of host cell DNA and host cell proteins. The process developed eliminates the need for filtration and column chromatography in the early steps of industrial rAAV purification. This will be of high value for industrial-scale manufacturing of rAAVs by reducing time and material in the purification process, without compromising product recovery and purity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Turco
- Cytiva, Björkgatan 30, 753 23 Uppsala, Sweden
- Testa Center, Björkgatan 30, 753 23 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Adam Wegelius
- Cytiva, Björkgatan 30, 753 23 Uppsala, Sweden
- Testa Center, Björkgatan 30, 753 23 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ola Lind
- Cytiva, Björkgatan 30, 753 23 Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | | | | | - Björn Norén
- Cytiva, Björkgatan 30, 753 23 Uppsala, Sweden
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15
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Lothert K, Wolff MW. Affinity and Pseudo-Affinity Membrane Chromatography for Viral Vector and Vaccine Purifications: A Review. MEMBRANES 2023; 13:770. [PMID: 37755191 PMCID: PMC10537005 DOI: 10.3390/membranes13090770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023]
Abstract
Several chromatographic approaches have been established over the last decades for the production of pharmaceutically relevant viruses. Due to the large size of these products compared to other biopharmaceuticals, e.g., proteins, convective flow media have proven to be superior to bead-based resins in terms of process productivity and column capacity. One representative of such convective flow materials is membranes, which can be modified to suit the particular operating principle and are also suitable for economical single-use applications. Among the different membrane variants, affinity surfaces allow for the most selective separation of the target molecule from other components in the feed solution, especially from host cell-derived DNA and proteins. A successful membrane affinity chromatography, however, requires the identification and implementation of ligands, which can be applied economically while at the same time being stable during the process and non-toxic in the case of any leaching. This review summarizes the current evaluation of membrane-based affinity purifications for viruses and virus-like particles, including traditional resin and monolith approaches and the advantages of membrane applications. An overview of potential affinity ligands is given, as well as considerations of suitable affinity platform technologies, e.g., for different virus serotypes, including a description of processes using pseudo-affinity matrices, such as sulfated cellulose membrane adsorbers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael W. Wolff
- Institute of Bioprocess Engineering and Pharmaceutical Technology, Department Life Science Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Mittelhessen (THM), 35390 Giessen, Germany
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16
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Chu W, Shastry S, Barbieri E, Prodromou R, Greback-Clarke P, Smith W, Moore B, Kilgore R, Cummings C, Pancorbo J, Gilleskie G, Daniele MA, Menegatti S. Peptide ligands for the affinity purification of adeno-associated viruses from HEK 293 cell lysates. Biotechnol Bioeng 2023; 120:2283-2300. [PMID: 37435968 PMCID: PMC10440015 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Revised: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023]
Abstract
Adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) are the vector of choice for delivering gene therapies that can cure inherited and acquired diseases. Clinical research on various AAV serotypes significantly increased in recent years alongside regulatory approvals of AAV-based therapies. The current AAV purification platform hinges on the capture step, for which several affinity resins are commercially available. These adsorbents rely on protein ligands-typically camelid antibodies-that provide high binding capacity and selectivity, but suffer from low biochemical stability and high cost, and impose harsh elution conditions (pH < 3) that can harm the transduction activity of recovered AAVs. Addressing these challenges, this study introduces peptide ligands that selectively capture AAVs and release them under mild conditions (pH = 6.0). The peptide sequences were identified by screening a focused library and modeled in silico against AAV serotypes 2 and 9 (AAV2 and AAV9) to select candidate ligands that target homologous sites at the interface of the VP1-VP2 and VP2-VP3 virion proteins with mild binding strength (KD ~ 10-5 -10- 6 M). Selected peptides were conjugated to Toyopearl resin and evaluated via binding studies against AAV2 and AAV9, demonstrating the ability to target both serotypes with values of dynamic binding capacity (DBC10% > 1013 vp/mL of resin) and product yields (~50%-80%) on par with commercial adsorbents. The peptide-based adsorbents were finally utilized to purify AAV2 from a HEK 293 cell lysate, affording high recovery (50%-80%), 80- to 400-fold reduction of host cell proteins (HCPs), and high transduction activity (up to 80%) of the purified viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenning Chu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Shriarjun Shastry
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Eduardo Barbieri
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Raphael Prodromou
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Paul Greback-Clarke
- Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Will Smith
- Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Brandyn Moore
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Ryan Kilgore
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Christopher Cummings
- Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jennifer Pancorbo
- Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Gary Gilleskie
- Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Michael A Daniele
- North Carolina Viral Vector Initiative in Research and Learning (NC-VVIRAL), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, North Carolina State University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Stefano Menegatti
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- North Carolina Viral Vector Initiative in Research and Learning (NC-VVIRAL), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- LigaTrap Technologies LLC, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
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17
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Swartz AR, Shieh Y, Gulasarian A, Curtis E, Hofmann CF, Baker JB, Templeton N, Olson JW. Glutathione affinity chromatography for the scalable purification of an oncolytic virus immunotherapy from microcarrier cell culture. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1193454. [PMID: 37397964 PMCID: PMC10310922 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1193454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic viral vectors are an emerging technology with several clinical applications in gene therapy, vaccines, and immunotherapy. Increased demand has required the redevelopment of conventional, low-throughput cell culture and purification manufacturing methods such as static cell stacks and ultracentrifugation. In this work, scalable methods were investigated for the manufacture of an oncolytic virus immunotherapy application consisting of a prototype strain of coxsackievirus A21 (CVA21) produced in adherent MRC-5 cells. Cell culture was established in stirred-tank microcarrier bioreactors, and an efficient affinity chromatography method was developed for the purification of harvested CVA21 through binding of the viral capsids to an immobilized glutathione (GSH) ligand. Bioreactor temperature during infection was investigated to maximize titer, and a decrease in temperature from 37°C to 34°C yielded a two-three-fold increase in infectivity. After purification of the 34°C harvests, the GSH affinity chromatography elution not only maintained a >two-fold increase in infectivity and viral genomes but also increased the proportion of empty capsids compared to 37°C harvests. Using material generated from both infection temperature setpoints, chromatographic parameters and mobile phase compositions were studied at the laboratory scale to maximize infectious particle yields and cell culture impurity clearance. Empty capsids that co-eluted with full capsids from 34°C infection temperature harvests were poorly resolved across the conditions tested, but subsequent polishing anion exchange and cation exchange chromatography steps were developed to clear residual empty capsids and other impurities. Oncolytic CVA21 production was scaled-up 75-fold from the laboratory scale and demonstrated across seven batches in 250 L single-use microcarrier bioreactors and purified with customized, prepacked, single-use 1.5 L GSH affinity chromatography columns. The large-scale bioreactors controlled at 34°C during infection maintained a three-fold increase in productivity in the GSH elution, and excellent clearance of host cell and media impurities was observed across all batches. This study presents a robust method for the manufacture of an oncolytic virus immunotherapy application that may be implemented for the scalable production of other viruses and viral vectors which interact with glutathione.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R. Swartz
- Process Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, United States
| | - Yvonne Shieh
- Process Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, United States
| | - Amanda Gulasarian
- Process Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, United States
| | - Erik Curtis
- Process Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, United States
| | - Carl F. Hofmann
- Analytical Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, United States
| | - Jack B. Baker
- Analytical Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, United States
| | - Neil Templeton
- Process Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, United States
| | - Jessica W. Olson
- Process Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, United States
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18
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Neto S, Mendes JP, Santos SBD, Solbrand A, Carrondo MJT, Peixoto C, Silva RJS. Efficient adeno-associated virus serotype 5 capture with affinity functionalized nanofiber adsorbents. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1183974. [PMID: 37260828 PMCID: PMC10229133 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1183974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) are one of the most promising tools for gene therapy applications. These vectors are purified using affinity and ion exchange chromatography, typically using packed beds of resin adsorbents. This leads to diffusion and pressure drop limitations that affect process productivity. Due to their high surface area and porosity, electrospun nanofiber adsorbents offer mass transfer and flow rate advantages over conventional chromatographic media. The present work investigated the use of affinity cellulose-based nanofiber adsorbents for adeno-associated virus serotype 5 (AAV5) capture, evaluating dynamic binding capacity, pressure drop, and AAV5 recovery at residence times (RT) less than 5 s. The dynamic binding capacity was found to be residence time-dependent, but nevertheless higher than 1.0 × 1014 TP mL-1 (RT = 1.6 s), with a pressure drop variation of 0.14 MPa obtained after loading more than 2,000 column volumes of clarified AAV5 feedstock. The single affinity chromatography purification step using these new affinity adsorbents resulted in 80% virus recovery, with the removal of impurities comparable to that of bead-based affinity adsorbents. The high binding capacity, virus recovery and reduced pressure drop observed at residence times in the sub-minute range can potentially eliminate the need for prior concentration steps, thereby reducing the overall number of unit operations, process time and costs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salomé Neto
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras, Portugal
- ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - João P. Mendes
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras, Portugal
- ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | | | | | | | - Cristina Peixoto
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras, Portugal
- ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Ricardo J. S. Silva
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras, Portugal
- ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
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Asaad W, Volos P, Maksimov D, Khavina E, Deviatkin A, Mityaeva O, Volchkov P. AAV genome modification for efficient AAV production. Heliyon 2023; 9:e15071. [PMID: 37095911 PMCID: PMC10121408 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The adeno-associated virus (AAV) is one of the most potent vectors in gene therapy. The experimental profile of this vector shows its efficiency and accepted safety, which explains its increased usage by scientists for the research and treatment of a wide range of diseases. These studies require using functional, pure, and high titers of vector particles. In fact, the current knowledge of AAV structure and genome helps improve the scalable production of AAV vectors. In this review, we summarize the latest studies on the optimization of scalable AAV production through modifying the AAV genome or biological processes inside the cell.
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20
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Meierrieks F, Pickl A, Wolff MW. A robust and efficient alluvial filtration method for the clarification of adeno-associated viruses from crude cell lysates. J Biotechnol 2023; 367:31-41. [PMID: 36997072 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2023.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
Adeno-associated virus (AAV) based vectors have recently been gaining importance as DNA delivery systems. Efficient downstream processing of AAV remains a major challenge as serotypes differ in physicochemical properties, making it difficult to design uniform purification processes. Clarification of AAV is an especially critical step. Harvesting of AAV, like other viruses, often requires cell lysis, resulting in a difficult-to-filter cell lysate. In this study, we evaluated the applicability of diatomaceous earth (DE) as a filter aid for clarification of AAV crude cell lysates. DE filtration proved to be a viable clarification method for AAV2, AAV5 and AAV8. Based on a design of experiment approach, the DE concentration was identified as the main factor influencing AAV particle loss. The loss of AAV during DE filtration was limited to <2% by maintaining the DE quantity below 0.181mg DE/1010 AAV. Use of DE reduced manual handling time 3-fold and increased the filter capacity 3.5-fold compared to filtration combined with a prior centrifugation step. Moreover, we showed that the DE type had only a minor influence on the filtration performance. This study demonstrated that filtration with DE as a filter aid is an efficient clarification method for different AAV serotypes.
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21
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Weger S. High-Level rAAV Vector Production by rAdV-Mediated Amplification of Small Amounts of Input Vector. Viruses 2022; 15:64. [PMID: 36680104 PMCID: PMC9867474 DOI: 10.3390/v15010064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The successful application of recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors for long-term transgene expression in clinical studies requires scalable production methods with genetically stable components. Due to their simple production scheme and the high viral titers achievable, first generation recombinant adenoviruses (rAdV) have long been taken into consideration as suitable tools for simultaneously providing both the helper functions and the AAV rep and cap genes for rAAV packaging. So far, however, such rAdV-rep/cap vectors have been difficult to generate and often turned out to be genetically unstable. Through ablation of cis and trans inhibitory function in the AAV-2 genome we have succeeded in establishing separate and stable rAdVs for high-level AAV serotype 2 Rep and Cap expression. These allowed rAAV-2 production at high burst sizes by simple coinfection protocols after providing the AAV-ITR flanked transgene vector genome either as rAAV-2 particles at low input concentrations or in form of an additional rAdV. With characteristics such as the ease of producing the required components, the straightforward adaption to other transgenes and the possible extension to further serotypes or capsid variants, especially the rAdV-mediated rAAV amplification system presents a very promising candidate for up-scaling to clinical grade vector preparations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Weger
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Clinic for Neurology with Experimental Neurology, Gene Therapy Group, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm27, 12203 Berlin, Germany
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22
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Sonugür FG, Babahan C, Abdi Abgarmi S, Akbulut H. Incubation Temperature and Period During Denarase Treatment and Microfiltration Affect the Yield of Recombinant Adenoviral Vectors During Downstream Processing. Mol Biotechnol 2022:10.1007/s12033-022-00616-8. [PMID: 36451062 PMCID: PMC9713150 DOI: 10.1007/s12033-022-00616-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Adenoviral vectors (AV) are commonly used as vaccine and gene therapy vehicles because of their ease of construction, ability to grow to high titers in the large-scale production process, and safety for human applications. However, the efficiency rate of downstream processes for adenoviral vectors still varies greatly. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the effect of the downstream treatment protocol and microfiltration of the harvested upstream material on viral vector yield. We compared the performance of the repeated freeze-thaw (RFT) and the Tween-20 detergent lysis (DLT) methods. In addition, the effects of the cell lysis method, incubation temperature, and time on viral yield were investigated. The samples were incubated at either room temperature or 37 °C for 1-, 2-, and 4-h periods. Samples were filtered with PES and SFCA membrane. Virus yield and infectivity were assayed by qPCR and immuno-titration. In conclusion, our results suggest that 2-h incubation gives the best results when incubated at 37 °C for denarase activity when Tween-20 is used for virus recovery. If the room temperature is preferred, 4-h incubation could be preferred. A phase 1 clinical trial (NCT05526183, January 21, 2022) was started with the recombinant adenovirus used in the study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatma Gizem Sonugür
- Department of Tumor Biology, Cancer Research Institute, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Cansu Babahan
- Department of Tumor Biology, Cancer Research Institute, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Samira Abdi Abgarmi
- Department of Tumor Biology, Cancer Research Institute, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Hakan Akbulut
- Department of Tumor Biology, Cancer Research Institute, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey ,Department of Medical Oncology, School of Medicine, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey
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Doan TNK, Le MD, Bajrovic I, Celentano L, Krause C, Balyan HG, Svancarek A, Mote A, Tretiakova A, Jude Samulski R, Croyle MA. Thermostability and in vivo performance of AAV9 in a film matrix. COMMUNICATIONS MEDICINE 2022; 2:148. [DOI: 10.1038/s43856-022-00212-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors are stored and shipped frozen which poses logistic and economic barriers for global access to these therapeutics. To address this issue, we developed a method to stabilize AAV serotype 9 (AAV9) in a film matrix that can be stored at ambient temperature and administered by systemic injection.
Methods
AAV9 expressing the luciferase transgene was mixed with formulations, poured into molds and films dried under aseptic conditions. Films were packaged in individual particle-free bags with foil overlays and stored at various temperatures under controlled humidity. Recovery of AAV9 from films was determined by serial dilution of rehydrated film in media and infection of HeLa RC32 cells. Luciferase expression was compared to that of films rehydrated immediately after drying. Biodistribution of vector was determined by in vivo imaging and quantitative real-time PCR. Residual moisture in films was determined by Karl Fischer titration.
Results
AAV9 embedded within a film matrix and stored at 4 °C for 5 months retained 100% of initial titer. High and low viscosity formulations maintained 90 and 85% of initial titer after 6 months at 25 °C respectively. AAV was not detected after 4 months in a Standard Control Formulation under the same conditions. Biodistribution and transgene expression of AAV stored in film at 25 or 4 °C were as robust as vector stored at −80 °C in a Standard Control Formulation.
Conclusions
These results suggest that storage of AAV in a film matrix facilitates easy transport of vector to remote sites without compromising in vivo performance.
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24
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Fan J, Barbieri E, Shastry S, Menegatti S, Boi C, Carbonell RG. Purification of Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) Serotype 2 from Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) Lysate by Chromatographic Nonwoven Membranes. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:membranes12100944. [PMID: 36295703 PMCID: PMC9606886 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12100944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 09/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The success of adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based therapeutics in gene therapy poses the need for rapid and efficient processes that can support the growing clinical demand. Nonwoven membranes represent an ideal tool for the future of virus purification: owing to their small fiber diameters and high porosity, they can operate at high flowrates while allowing full access to target viral particles without diffusional limitations. This study describes the development of nonwoven ion-exchange membrane adsorbents for the purification of AAV2 from an Sf9 cell lysate. A strong anion-exchange (AEX) membrane was developed by UV grafting glycidyl methacrylate on a polybutylene terephthalate nonwoven followed by functionalization with triethylamine (TEA), resulting in a quaternary amine ligand (AEX-TEA membrane). When operated in bind-and-elute mode at a pH higher than the pI of the capsids, this membrane exhibited a high AAV2 binding capacity (9.6 × 1013 vp·mL-1) at the residence time of 1 min, and outperformed commercial cast membranes by isolating AAV2 from an Sf9 lysate with high productivity (2.4 × 1013 capsids·mL-1·min-1) and logarithmic reduction value of host cell proteins (HCP LRV ~ 1.8). An iminodiacetic acid cation-exchange nonwoven (CEX-IDA membrane) was also prepared and utilized at a pH lower than the pI of capsids to purify AAV2 in a bind-and-elute mode, affording high capsid recovery and impurity removal by eluting with a salt gradient. To further increase purity, the CEX-IDA and AEX-TEA membranes were utilized in series to purify the AAV2 from the Sf9 cell lysate. This membrane-based chromatography process also achieved excellent DNA clearance and a recovery of infectivity higher that that reported using ion-exchange resin chromatography.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinxin Fan
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Eduardo Barbieri
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Shriarjun Shastry
- Golden LEAF Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
| | - Stefano Menegatti
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
- Golden LEAF Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
| | - Cristiana Boi
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
- Golden LEAF Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
- Department of Civil, Chemical Environmental and Materials Engineering, DICAM, University of Bologna, Via Terracini 28, 40131 Bologna, Italy
| | - Ruben G. Carbonell
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
- Golden LEAF Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
- National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL), Newark, DE 19711, USA
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25
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Nadar S, Somasundaram B, Charry M, Billakanti J, Shave E, Baker K, Lua LHL. Design and optimization of membrane chromatography for monoclonal antibody charge variant separation. Biotechnol Prog 2022; 38:e3288. [PMID: 35818846 PMCID: PMC10078440 DOI: 10.1002/btpr.3288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The manufacturing scale implementation of membrane chromatography to purify monoclonal antibodies has gradually increased with the shift in industry focus towards flexible manufacturing and disposable technologies. Membrane chromatography are used to remove process-related impurities such as host cell proteins and DNA, leachates and endotoxins, with improved productivity and process flexibility. However, application of membrane chromatography to separate product-related variants such as charge variants has not gained major traction due to low binding capacity. The work reported here demonstrates that a holistic process development strategy to optimize static binding (pH and salt concentration) and dynamic process (membrane loading, flowrate, and gradient length) parameters can alleviate the capacity limitations. The study employed high throughput screening tools and scale-down membranes for intermediate and polishing purification of the model monoclonal antibody. An optimized process consisting of anion exchange and cation exchange membrane chromatography reduced the acidic variants present in Protein A eluate from 89.5 % to 19.2 % with 71 % recovery of the target protein. The membrane chromatography process also cleared host cell protein to below limit of detection with 6 to 30-fold higher membrane loading, compared to earlier reported values. The results confirm that membrane chromatography is effective in separating closely related product variants when supported by a well-defined process development strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sathish Nadar
- Australian Research Council Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Corner College and Cooper Roads, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Balaji Somasundaram
- Protein Expression Facility, The University of Queensland, Corner College and Cooper Roads, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Marcela Charry
- Protein Expression Facility, The University of Queensland, Corner College and Cooper Roads, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jagan Billakanti
- Global Life Sciences Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, 32 Phillip St, Parramatta, Sydney, New south wales, Australia
| | - Evan Shave
- Australian Research Council Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Corner College and Cooper Roads, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,Patheon Biologics, Pharma Services Group, Thermo Fisher Scientific, 37 Kent St, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Kym Baker
- Patheon Biologics, Pharma Services Group, Thermo Fisher Scientific, 37 Kent St, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Linda H L Lua
- Australian Research Council Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Corner College and Cooper Roads, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.,Protein Expression Facility, The University of Queensland, Corner College and Cooper Roads, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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26
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Mendes JP, Bergman M, Solbrand A, Peixoto C, Carrondo MJT, Silva RJS. Continuous Affinity Purification of Adeno-Associated Virus Using Periodic Counter-Current Chromatography. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:1346. [PMID: 35890242 PMCID: PMC9323845 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14071346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 06/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Replacing batch unit operations of biopharmaceuticals by continuous manufacturing is a maturing concept, with periodic counter-current chromatography (PCC) favoured to replace batch chromatography. Continuous affinity capture of adeno-associated virus (AAV) using PCC has the potential to cope with the high doses required for AAV therapies thanks to its inherent high throughput. The implementation of continuous AAV affinity capture using a four-column PCC process is described herein. First, elution buffer screening was used to optimize virus recovery. Second, breakthrough curves were generated and described using a mechanistic model, which was later used to characterize the loading zone of the PCC. The experimental runs achieved a stable cyclic steady state yielding virus recoveries in line with the optimized batch process (>82%), with almost a three-fold improvement in productivity. The PCC affinity capture process developed here can bolster further improvements to process economics and manufacturing footprint, thereby contributing to the integrated continuous manufacturing concept.
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Affiliation(s)
- João P. Mendes
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal; (J.P.M.); (C.P.); (M.J.T.C.)
- ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | | | | | - Cristina Peixoto
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal; (J.P.M.); (C.P.); (M.J.T.C.)
- ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Manuel J. T. Carrondo
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal; (J.P.M.); (C.P.); (M.J.T.C.)
- ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Ricardo J. S. Silva
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal; (J.P.M.); (C.P.); (M.J.T.C.)
- ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
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27
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Puhl DL, Mohanraj D, Nelson DW, Gilbert RJ. Designing electrospun fiber platforms for efficient delivery of genetic material and genome editing tools. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2022; 183:114161. [PMID: 35183657 PMCID: PMC9724629 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2022.114161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Electrospun fibers are versatile biomaterial platforms with great potential to support regeneration. Electrospun fiber characteristics such as fiber diameter, degree of alignment, rate of degradation, and surface chemistry enable the creation of unique, tunable scaffolds for various drug or gene delivery applications. The delivery of genetic material and genome editing tools via viral and non-viral vectors are approaches to control cellular protein production. However, immunogenicity, off-target effects, and low delivery efficiencies slow the progression of gene delivery strategies to clinical settings. The delivery of genetic material from electrospun fibers overcomes such limitations by allowing for localized, tunable delivery of genetic material. However, the process of electrospinning is harsh, and care must be taken to retain genetic material bioactivity. This review presents an up-to-date summary of strategies to incorporate genetic material onto or within electrospun fiber platforms to improve delivery efficiency and enhance the regenerative potential of electrospun fibers for various tissue engineering applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devan L Puhl
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, NY 12180, USA; Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1623 15th Street, Troy, NY 12180, USA.
| | - Divya Mohanraj
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, NY 12180, USA; Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1623 15th Street, Troy, NY 12180, USA.
| | - Derek W Nelson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, NY 12180, USA; Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1623 15th Street, Troy, NY 12180, USA.
| | - Ryan J Gilbert
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, NY 12180, USA; Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1623 15th Street, Troy, NY 12180, USA.
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28
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Trivedi PD, Yu C, Chaudhuri P, Johnson EJ, Caton T, Adamson L, Byrne BJ, Paulk NK, Clément N. Comparison of highly pure rAAV9 vector stocks produced in suspension by PEI transfection or HSV infection reveals striking quantitative and qualitative differences. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2022; 24:154-170. [PMID: 35071688 PMCID: PMC8760416 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2021.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Recent clinical successes have propelled recombinant adeno-associated virus vectors (rAAV) to the center stage for human gene therapy applications. However, the exploding demand for high titers of highly pure rAAV vectors for clinical applications and market needs remains hindered by challenges met at the manufacturing stage. The production of rAAV by transfection in suspension cells remains one of the most commonly used production platforms. In this study, we describe our optimized protocol to produce rAAV by polyethyleneimine (PEI)-mediated transfection in suspension HEK293 cells, along with a side-by-side comparison to our high-performing system using the herpes simplex virus (HSV). Further, we detail a new, robust, and highly efficient downstream purification protocol compatible with both transfection and infection-based harvests that generated rAAV9 stocks of high purity. Our in-depth comparison revealed quantitative, qualitative, and biological differences between PEI-mediated transfection and HSV infection. The HSV production system yielded to higher rAAV vector titers, higher specific yields, and a higher percentage of full capsids than transfection. Furthermore, HSV-produced stocks had a significantly lower concentration of residual host cell proteins and helper DNA impurities, but contained detectable levels of HSV DNA. Importantly, the potency of PEI-produced and HSV-produced rAAV stocks were identical. Analyses of AAV Rep and Cap expression levels and replication showed that HSV-mediated production led to a lower expression of Rep and Cap, but increased levels of AAV genome replication. Our methodology enables high-yield, high purity rAAV production and a biological framework to improve transfection quality and yields by mimicking HSV-induced biological outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prasad D Trivedi
- Department of Pediatrics, Powell Gene Therapy Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Chenghui Yu
- Department of Pediatrics, Powell Gene Therapy Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.,State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Payel Chaudhuri
- Department of Pediatrics, Powell Gene Therapy Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Evan J Johnson
- Department of Pediatrics, Powell Gene Therapy Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Tina Caton
- Department of Pediatrics, Powell Gene Therapy Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Laura Adamson
- Department of Pediatrics, Powell Gene Therapy Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Barry J Byrne
- Department of Pediatrics, Powell Gene Therapy Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
| | - Nicole K Paulk
- Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Nathalie Clément
- Department of Pediatrics, Powell Gene Therapy Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
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29
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Chu LK, Wickramasinghe SR, Qian X, Zydney AL. Retention and Fouling during Nanoparticle Filtration: Implications for Membrane Purification of Biotherapeutics. MEMBRANES 2022; 12:299. [PMID: 35323774 PMCID: PMC8953984 DOI: 10.3390/membranes12030299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2022] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
One major challenge in the development of nanoparticle-based therapeutics, including viral vectors for the delivery of gene therapies, is the development of cost-effective purification technologies. The objective of this study was to examine fouling and retention behaviors during the filtration of model nanoparticles through membranes of different pore sizes and the effect of solution conditions. Data were obtained with 30 nm fluorescently labeled polystyrene latex nanoparticles using both cellulosic and polyethersulfone membranes at a constant filtrate flux, and both pressure and nanoparticle transmission were evaluated as a function of cumulative filtrate volume. The addition of NaCl caused a delay in nanoparticle transmission and an increase in fouling. Nanoparticle transmission was also a function of particle hydrophobicity. These results provide important insights into the factors controlling transmission and fouling during nanoparticle filtration as well as a framework for the development of membrane processes for the purification of nanoparticle-based therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang-Kai Chu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA;
| | - S. Ranil Wickramasinghe
- Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AK 72701, USA;
| | - Xianghong Qian
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AK 72701, USA;
| | - Andrew L. Zydney
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA;
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30
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Escandell JM, Pais DA, Carvalho SB, Vincent K, Gomes-Alves P, Alves PM. Leveraging rAAV bioprocess understanding and next generation bioanalytics development. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2022; 74:271-277. [PMID: 35007989 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2021.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Recombinant adeno-associated (rAAV) vector-based gene therapy has been the focus of intense research driven by the safety profile and several recent clinical breakthroughs. As of April 2021, there are two rAAV-based gene therapies approved and more than two-hundred active clinical trials (approximately thirty in Phase III). However, the expected increase in demand for rAAV vectors still poses several challenges. Discussed herein are key aspects related to R&D needs and Chemistry, Manufacturing and Control (CMC) efforts required to attend this growing demand. Authors provide their perspective on strategic topics for rAAV-based therapies success: scalability and productivity; improved safety; increased process understanding combined with development of orthogonal bioanalytics that are able to identify, monitor and control Critical Quality Attributes (CQAs) during bioprocessing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose M Escandell
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, Oeiras, 2780-901, Portugal; ITQB-NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. Da República, Oeiras, 2780-157, Portugal
| | - Daniel Am Pais
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, Oeiras, 2780-901, Portugal; ITQB-NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. Da República, Oeiras, 2780-157, Portugal
| | - Sofia B Carvalho
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, Oeiras, 2780-901, Portugal; ITQB-NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. Da República, Oeiras, 2780-157, Portugal
| | - Karen Vincent
- SANOFI, 49 New York Avenue, Framingham, MA 01701, USA
| | - Patrícia Gomes-Alves
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, Oeiras, 2780-901, Portugal; ITQB-NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. Da República, Oeiras, 2780-157, Portugal
| | - Paula M Alves
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, Oeiras, 2780-901, Portugal; ITQB-NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. Da República, Oeiras, 2780-157, Portugal.
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31
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Quan DN, Shiloach J. rAAV Production and Titration at the Microscale for High-Throughput Screening. Hum Gene Ther 2022; 33:94-102. [PMID: 34328798 PMCID: PMC8819507 DOI: 10.1089/hum.2021.080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In the literature, there are few high-throughput screens or even methods for high-throughput screens of recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) production despite potential benefits to research and production. In this study, a generalizable high-throughput relative rAAV titration method is examined within the context of an siRNA screen as siRNA knockdown is a common means of pathway engineering in bioproduction. Crude samples generated from transfected HEK293T/17 cultures were subjected to quantitative PCR (qPCR) and used to transduce COS7 cells to assess relative differences in genomic and infectious rAAV titer, respectively, at the 384-well scale, evaluating both supernatant and lysed samples. To evaluate relevant differences in titer for conditions that could be used in an actual screen, cultures subjected to an siRNA reverse transfection and subsequent rAAV forward transfection were also tested. The delayed forward rAAV triple-plasmid transfection was not seen to affect the siRNA activity of tested controls, while siRNA transfection was shown to measurably impact rAAV titer. Effective differentiation between infectious titer levels was dependent upon the choice of sample dilution, but trends between qPCR and infectious titer assays were consistent across sample sets.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Nathan Quan
- NIDDK Biotechnology Core, NIDDK, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Joseph Shiloach
- NIDDK Biotechnology Core, NIDDK, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.,Correspondence: Dr. Joseph Shiloach, NIDDK Biotechnology Core, National Institutes of Health, 14 Service Road W, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA.
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32
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Johnson SA, Chen S, Bolton G, Chen Q, Lute S, Fisher J, Brorson K. Virus filtration: A Review of Current and Future Practices in Bioprocessing. Biotechnol Bioeng 2021; 119:743-761. [PMID: 34936091 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
For drug products manufactured in mammalian cells, safety assurance practices are needed during production to assure that the final medicinal product is safe from the potential risk of viral contamination. Virus filters provide viral retention for a range of viruses through robust, largely size-based retention mechanism. Therefore, a virus filtration step is commonly utilized in a well-designed recombinant therapeutic protein purification process and is a key component in an overall strategy to minimize the risks of adventitious and endogenous viral particles during the manufacturing of biotechnology products. This review summarizes the history of virus filtration, currently available virus filters and prefilters, and virus filtration integrity test methods and study models. There is also discussion of current understanding and gaps with an eye toward future trends and emerging filtration technologies. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah A Johnson
- Office of Biotechnology Products, CDER, FDA 10903 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring, Maryland, 20903
| | - Shuang Chen
- NGM Biopharmaceuticals Inc., 333 Oyster Point Blvd., South San Francisco, CA, 94080
| | - Glen Bolton
- Amgen Inc., 360 Binney Street, Cambridge, MA, 02142
| | - Qi Chen
- Genentech Inc. One DNA Way,, South San Francisco, CA, 94080
| | - Scott Lute
- Office of Biotechnology Products, CDER, FDA 10903 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring, Maryland, 20903
| | - John Fisher
- Genentech Inc. One DNA Way,, South San Francisco, CA, 94080
| | - Kurt Brorson
- Parexel International., 275 Grove Street Suite 101C, Newton, MA, 02466
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33
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Comisel RM, Kara B, Fiesser FH, Farid SS. Gene therapy process change evaluation framework: Transient transfection and stable producer cell line comparison. Biochem Eng J 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bej.2021.108202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Nejatishahidein N, Zydney AL. Depth filtration in bioprocessing — new opportunities for an old technology. Curr Opin Chem Eng 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.coche.2021.100746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Ide S. Filter made of cuprammonium regenerated cellulose for virus removal: a mini-review. CELLULOSE (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2021; 29:2779-2793. [PMID: 34840442 PMCID: PMC8609256 DOI: 10.1007/s10570-021-04319-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In 1989, Asahi Kasei commercialized a porous hollow fiber membrane filter (Planova™) made of cuprammonium regenerated cellulose, making it possible for the first time in the world to "remove viruses from protein solutions by membrane filtration". Planova has demonstrated its usefulness in separating proteins and viruses. Filters that remove viruses from protein solutions, i.e., virus removal filters (VFs), have become one of the critical modern technologies to assure viral safety of biological products. It has also become an indispensable technology for the future. The performance characteristics of VFs can be summarized in two points: 1) the virus removal performance increases as the virus diameter increases, and 2) the recovery rate of proteins with molecular weights greater than 10,000 exceeds the practical level. This paper outlines the emergence of VF and its essential roles in the purification process of biological products, requirements for VF, phase separation studies for cuprammonium cellulose solution, comparison between Planova and other regenerated cellulose flat membranes made from other cellulose solutions, and the development of Planova. The superior properties of Planova can be attributed to its highly interconnected three-dimensional network structure. Furthermore, future trends in the VF field, the subject of this review, are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shoichi Ide
- Planova Production Department, Bioprocess Division, Asahi Kasei Medical Co. Ltd, Asahi-machi, Nobeoka, Miyazaki 882-0847 Japan
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Meade O, Clark J, McCutchen M, Kerwin J. Exploring the design space of AAV transient-transfection in suspension cell lines. Methods Enzymol 2021; 660:341-360. [PMID: 34742397 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2021.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The safety and utility of adeno-associated virus (AAV) to modulate target gene expression has been well demonstrated, and AAV vectors are a leading gene therapy platform. However, manufacturing presents challenges in terms of productivity and scalability as compared to incumbent therapeutic modalities. In particular, a pivot from adherent cell- to suspension culture-based AAV manufacturing processes requires enhanced study of the transfection step. For the method proposed herein, a Response Surface Design of Experiments is suggested to explore the role of five transfection factors-cell density at transfection, DNA concentration, ratio of complexing reagent to DNA, and molar ratios of the transfecting plasmids-influencing viral genome titer and biological potency. Additionally, an AAV categorical factor matrix is presented for developing a workflow to interrogate the impact of AAV permutations for different capsid serotypes, harbored genes of interest, and inverted terminal repeat configurations on transfection process parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Meade
- Gene Therapy Process Development, Resilience, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Jeffrey Clark
- Gene Therapy Process Development, Resilience, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Michael McCutchen
- Gene Therapy Process Development, Resilience, Boston, MA, United States
| | - John Kerwin
- Gene Therapy Process Development, Resilience, Boston, MA, United States.
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Tustian AD, Bak H. Assessment of quality attributes for adeno-associated viral vectors. Biotechnol Bioeng 2021; 118:4186-4203. [PMID: 34309017 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
There is a strong and growing interest in the development and production of gene therapy products, including those utilizing adeno-associated virus (AAV) particles. This is evident with the increase in the number of clinical trials and agency approvals for AAV therapeutics. As bioproduction of AAV viral vectors matures, a quality by design (QbD) approach to process development can aid in process robustness and product quality. Furthermore, it may become a regulatory expectation. The first step in any QbD approach is to determine what physical, chemical, biological, or microbiological property or characteristic product attributes should be controlled within an appropriate limit, range, or distribution to ensure the desired product quality. Then predefined goals are set to allow proactive process development to design in quality. This review lists typical quality attributes used for release testing of AAV viral vectors and discusses these and selected attributes important to extended characterization studies in terms of safety, efficacy, and impact upon the patient immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hanne Bak
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., Tarrytown, NY, USA
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Analytics of host cell proteins (HCPs): lessons from biopharmaceutical mAb analysis for Gene therapy products. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2021; 71:98-104. [PMID: 34311150 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2021.06.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Analytics for host cell protein (HCP) analysis of therapeutic monoclonal antibody preparations have developed enormously. We consider how learnings from this can inform HCP analysis of gene therapy viral vector products. The application of mass spectrometry (MS) approaches for analysis of HCPs in viral vector preparations is being established, although such information remains limited and is yet to be widely applied into process or host cell line development to reduce HCP amounts or risk. As these MS approaches, and the data from them, are applied and become available, the process understanding created will speed process development activity. We describe technologies that have been, or can be, applied to viral vector HCP analysis to aid process development, reduce HCP amounts, identify critical HCPs and thus inform risk assessment and management based on a knowledge of specific HCPs, ultimately delivering safe and efficacious gene therapy products to the clinic.
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Rieser R, Koch J, Faccioli G, Richter K, Menzen T, Biel M, Winter G, Michalakis S. Comparison of Different Liquid Chromatography-Based Purification Strategies for Adeno-Associated Virus Vectors. Pharmaceutics 2021; 13:pharmaceutics13050748. [PMID: 34070226 PMCID: PMC8158740 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13050748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors have evolved as one of the most promising technologies for gene therapy due to their good safety profile, high transduction efficacy, and long-term gene expression in nondividing cells. rAAV-based gene therapy holds great promise for treating genetic disorders like inherited blindness, muscular atrophy, or bleeding disorders. There is a high demand for efficient and scalable production and purification methods for rAAVs. This is particularly true for the downstream purification methods. The current standard methods are based on multiple steps of gradient ultracentrifugation, which allow for the purification and enrichment of full rAAV particles, but the scale up of this method is challenging. Here, we explored fast, scalable, and universal liquid chromatography-based strategies for the purification of rAAVs. In contrast to the hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC), where a substantial amount of AAV was lost, the cation exchange chromatography (CEX) was performed robustly for multiple tested serotypes and resulted in a mixture of full and empty rAAVs with a good purity profile. For the used affinity chromatography (AC), a serotype dependence was observed. Anion exchange chromatography (AEX) worked well for the AAV8 serotype and achieved high levels of purification and a baseline separation of full and empty rAAVs. Depending on the AAV serotype, a combination of CEX and AEX or AC and AEX is recommended and holds promise for future translational projects that require highly pure and full particle-enriched rAAVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Rieser
- Department of Pharmacy—Center for Drug Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstr. 5-13, 81377 Munich, Germany; (R.R.); (J.K.); (G.F.); (M.B.)
| | - Johanna Koch
- Department of Pharmacy—Center for Drug Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstr. 5-13, 81377 Munich, Germany; (R.R.); (J.K.); (G.F.); (M.B.)
| | - Greta Faccioli
- Department of Pharmacy—Center for Drug Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstr. 5-13, 81377 Munich, Germany; (R.R.); (J.K.); (G.F.); (M.B.)
| | - Klaus Richter
- Coriolis Pharma, Fraunhoferstr. 18 b, 82152 Martinsried, Germany; (K.R.); (T.M.)
| | - Tim Menzen
- Coriolis Pharma, Fraunhoferstr. 18 b, 82152 Martinsried, Germany; (K.R.); (T.M.)
| | - Martin Biel
- Department of Pharmacy—Center for Drug Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstr. 5-13, 81377 Munich, Germany; (R.R.); (J.K.); (G.F.); (M.B.)
| | - Gerhard Winter
- Department of Pharmacy—Center for Drug Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstr. 5-13, 81377 Munich, Germany; (R.R.); (J.K.); (G.F.); (M.B.)
- Correspondence: (G.W.); (S.M.)
| | - Stylianos Michalakis
- Department of Pharmacy—Center for Drug Research, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstr. 5-13, 81377 Munich, Germany; (R.R.); (J.K.); (G.F.); (M.B.)
- Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Mathildenstr. 8, 80336 Munich, Germany
- Correspondence: (G.W.); (S.M.)
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