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Williams-Fegredo T, Davies L, Knevelman C, Mitrophanous K, Miskin J, Rafiq QA. Degradation of specific glycosaminoglycans improves transfection efficiency and vector production in transient lentiviral vector manufacturing processes. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2024; 12:1409203. [PMID: 38994127 PMCID: PMC11238175 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1409203] [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: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Both cell surface and soluble extracellular glycosaminoglycans have been shown to interfere with the exogenous nucleic acid delivery efficiency of non-viral gene delivery, including lipoplex and polyplex-mediated transfection. Most gene therapy viral vectors used commercially and in clinical trials are currently manufactured using transient transfection-based bioprocesses. The growing demand for viral vector products, coupled with a global shortage in production capability, requires improved transfection technologies and processes to maximise process efficiency and productivity. Soluble extracellular glycosaminoglycans were found to accumulate in the conditioned cell culture medium of suspension adapted HEK293T cell cultures, compromising transfection performance and lentiviral vector production. The enzymatic degradation of specific, chondroitin sulphate-based, glycosaminoglycans with chondroitinase ABC was found to significantly enhance transfection performance. Additionally, we report significant improvements in functional lentiviral vector titre when cultivating cells at higher cell densities than those utilised in a control lentiviral vector bioprocess; an improvement that was further enhanced when cultures were supplemented with chondroitinase ABC prior to transfection. A 71.2% increase in functional lentiviral vector titre was calculated when doubling the cell density prior to transfection compared to the existing process and treatment of the high-density cell cultures with 0.1 U/mL chondroitinase ABC resulted in a further 18.6% increase in titre, presenting a method that can effectively enhance transfection performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Williams-Fegredo
- Oxford Biomedica (UK) Limited, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, Advanced Centre for Biochemical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Lee Davies
- Oxford Biomedica (UK) Limited, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - James Miskin
- Oxford Biomedica (UK) Limited, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Qasim A. Rafiq
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, Advanced Centre for Biochemical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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Howe G, Wasmuth M, Emanuelle P, Massaro G, Rahim AA, Ali S, Rivera M, Ward J, Keshavarz-Moore E, Mason C, Nesbeth DN. Engineering an Autonucleolytic Mammalian Suspension Host Cell Line to Reduce DNA Impurity Levels in Serum-Free Lentiviral Process Streams. ACS Synth Biol 2024; 13:466-473. [PMID: 38266181 PMCID: PMC10877604 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.3c00682] [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: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
We engineered HEK293T cells with a transgene encoding tetracycline-inducible expression of a Staphylococcus aureus nuclease incorporating a translocation signal. We adapted the unmodified and nuclease-engineered cell lines to grow in suspension in serum-free media, generating the HEK293TS and NuPro-2S cell lines, respectively. Transient transfection yielded 1.19 × 106 lentiviral transducing units per milliliter (TU/mL) from NuPro-2S cells and 1.45 × 106 TU/mL from HEK293TS cells. DNA ladder disappearance revealed medium-resident nuclease activity arising from NuPro-2S cells in a tetracycline-inducible manner. DNA impurity levels in lentiviral material arising from NuPro-2S and HEK293TS cells were undetectable by SYBR Safe agarose gel staining. Direct measurement by PicoGreen reagent revealed DNA to be present at 636 ng/mL in lentiviral material from HEK293TS cells, an impurity level reduced by 89% to 70 ng/mL in lentiviral material from NuPro-2S cells. This reduction was comparable to the 23 ng/mL achieved by treating HEK293TS-derived lentiviral material with 50 units/mL Benzonase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey Howe
- Department
of Biochemical Engineering, University College
London, Bernard Katz
Building, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew Wasmuth
- Department
of Biochemical Engineering, University College
London, Bernard Katz
Building, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Pamela Emanuelle
- Department
of Biochemical Engineering, University College
London, Bernard Katz
Building, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Giulia Massaro
- UCL
School of Pharmacy, University College London, London WC1N 1AX, U.K.
| | - Ahad A. Rahim
- UCL
School of Pharmacy, University College London, London WC1N 1AX, U.K.
| | - Sadfer Ali
- Department
of Biochemical Engineering, University College
London, Bernard Katz
Building, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Milena Rivera
- Department
of Biochemical Engineering, University College
London, Bernard Katz
Building, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - John Ward
- Department
of Biochemical Engineering, University College
London, Bernard Katz
Building, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Eli Keshavarz-Moore
- Department
of Biochemical Engineering, University College
London, Bernard Katz
Building, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Chris Mason
- Department
of Biochemical Engineering, University College
London, Bernard Katz
Building, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Darren N. Nesbeth
- Department
of Biochemical Engineering, University College
London, Bernard Katz
Building, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
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