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Williams-Fegredo T, Davies L, Knevelman C, Mitrophanous K, Miskin J, Rafiq QA. Development of novel lipoplex formulation methodologies to improve large-scale transient transfection for lentiviral vector manufacture. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2024; 32:101260. [PMID: 38745895 PMCID: PMC11092396 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2024.101260] [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: 12/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Large-scale transient transfection has advanced significantly over the last 20 years, enabling the effective production of a diverse range of biopharmaceutical products, including viral vectors. However, a number of challenges specifically related to transfection reagent stability and transfection complex preparation times remain. New developments and improved transfection technologies are required to ensure that transient gene expression-based bioprocesses can meet the growing demand for viral vectors. In this paper, we demonstrate that the growth of cationic lipid-based liposomes, an essential step in many cationic lipid-based transfection processes, can be controlled through adoption of low pH (pH 6.40 to pH 6.75) and in low salt concentration (0.2× PBS) formulations, facilitating improved control over the nanoparticle growth kinetics and enhancing particle stability. Such complexes retain the ability to facilitate efficient transfection for prolonged periods compared with standard preparation methodologies. These findings have significant industrial applications for the large-scale manufacture of lentiviral vectors for two principal reasons. First, the alternative preparation strategy enables longer liposome incubation times to be used, facilitating effective control in a good manufacturing practices setting. Second, the improvement in particle stability facilitates the setting of wider process operating ranges, which will significantly improve process robustness and maximise batch-to-batch control and product consistency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Williams-Fegredo
- Oxford Biomedica (UK) Limited, Windrush Court, Transport Way, Oxford OX4 6LT, UK
- Advanced Centre for Biochemical Engineering, Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, Bernard Katz Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Lee Davies
- Oxford Biomedica (UK) Limited, Windrush Court, Transport Way, Oxford OX4 6LT, UK
| | - Carol Knevelman
- Oxford Biomedica (UK) Limited, Windrush Court, Transport Way, Oxford OX4 6LT, UK
| | | | - James Miskin
- Oxford Biomedica (UK) Limited, Windrush Court, Transport Way, Oxford OX4 6LT, UK
| | - Qasim A. Rafiq
- Advanced Centre for Biochemical Engineering, Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, Bernard Katz Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
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2
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Schimek A, Ng JK, Basbas I, Martin F, Xin D, Saleh D, Hubbuch J. An HPLC-SEC-based rapid quantification method for vesicular stomatitis virus particles to facilitate process development. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2024; 32:101252. [PMID: 38774583 PMCID: PMC11107205 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2024.101252] [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: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/24/2024]
Abstract
Virus particle (VP) quantification plays a pivotal role in the development of production processes of VPs for virus-based therapies. The yield based on total VP count serves as a process performance indicator for evaluating process efficiency and consistency. Here, a label-free particle quantification method for enveloped VPs was developed, with potential applications in oncolytic virotherapy, vaccine development, and gene therapy. The method comprises size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) separation using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) instruments. Ultraviolet (UV) was used for particle quantification and multi-angle light scattering (MALS) for particle characterization. Consistent recoveries of over 97% in the SEC were achieved upon mobile phase screenings and addition of bovine serum albumin (BSA) as sample stabilizer. A calibration curve was generated, and the method's performance and applicability to in-process samples were characterized. The assay's repeatability variation was <1% and its intermediate precision variation was <3%. The linear range of the method spans from 7.08 × 108 to 1.72 × 1011 VP/mL, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 7.72 × 107 VP/mL and a lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) of 4.20 × 108 VP/mL. The method, characterized by its high precision, requires minimal hands-on time and provides same-day results, making it efficient for process development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Schimek
- ViraTherapeutics GmbH, Bundesstraße 27, 6063 Rum, Austria
| | - Judy K.M. Ng
- ViraTherapeutics GmbH, Bundesstraße 27, 6063 Rum, Austria
| | - Ioannes Basbas
- ViraTherapeutics GmbH, Bundesstraße 27, 6063 Rum, Austria
| | - Fabian Martin
- ViraTherapeutics GmbH, Bundesstraße 27, 6063 Rum, Austria
| | - Dongyue Xin
- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc, 900 Ridgebury Road, Ridgefield, CT 06877, USA
| | - David Saleh
- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Birkendorfer Str. 65, 88397 Biberach, Germany
| | - Jürgen Hubbuch
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Process Engineering in Life Sciences, Section IV Biomolecular Separation Engineering, Fritz-Haber-Weg 2, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
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3
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Mier NC, Roper DK. Effects of an indole derivative on cell proliferation, transfection, and alternative splicing in production of lentiviral vectors by transient co-transfection. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0297817. [PMID: 38833479 PMCID: PMC11149887 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0297817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Lentiviral vectors derived from human immunodeficiency virus type I are widely used to deliver functional gene copies to mammalian cells for research and gene therapies. Post-transcriptional splicing of lentiviral vector transgene in transduced host and transfected producer cells presents barriers to widespread application of lentiviral vector-based therapies. The present study examined effects of indole derivative compound IDC16 on splicing of lentiviral vector transcripts in producer cells and corresponding yield of infectious lentiviral vectors. Indole IDC16 was shown previously to modify alternative splicing in human immunodeficiency virus type I. Human embryonic kidney 293T cells were transiently transfected by 3rd generation backbone and packaging plasmids using polyethyleneimine. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction of the fraction of unspliced genomes in human embryonic kidney 293T cells increased up to 31% upon the indole's treatment at 2.5 uM. Corresponding yield of infectious lentiviral vectors decreased up to 4.5-fold in a cell transduction assay. Adjusting timing and duration of IDC16 treatment indicated that the indole's disruption of early stages of transfection and cell cycle had a greater effect on exponential time course of lentiviral vector production than its reduction of post-transcriptional splicing. Decrease in transfected human embryonic kidney 293T proliferation by IDC16 became significant at 10 uM. These findings indicated contributions by early-stage transfection, cell proliferation, and post-transcriptional splicing in transient transfection of human embryonic kidney 293T cells for lentiviral vector production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nataly Carolina Mier
- Department of Biological Engineering, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, United States of America
| | - Donald Keith Roper
- Department of Biological Engineering, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, United States of America
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Rayati M, Mansouri V, Ahmadbeigi N. Gene therapy in glioblastoma multiforme: Can it be a role changer? Heliyon 2024; 10:e27087. [PMID: 38439834 PMCID: PMC10909773 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e27087] [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: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most lethal cancers with a poor prognosis. Over the past century since its initial discovery and medical description, the development of effective treatments for this condition has seen limited progress. Despite numerous efforts, only a handful of drugs have gained approval for its treatment. However, these treatments have not yielded substantial improvements in both overall survival and progression-free survival rates. One reason for this is its unique features such as heterogeneity and difficulty of drug delivery because of two formidable barriers, namely the blood-brain barrier and the tumor-blood barrier. Over the past few years, significant developments in therapeutic approaches have given rise to promising novel and advanced therapies. Target-specific therapies, such as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and small molecules, stand as two important examples; however, they have not yielded a significant improvement in survival among GBM patients. Gene therapy, a relatively nascent advanced approach, holds promise as a potential treatment for cancer, particularly GBM. It possesses the potential to address the limitations of previous treatments and even newer advanced therapies like mAbs, owing to its distinct properties. This review aims to elucidate the current status and advancements in gene therapy for GBM treatment, while also presenting its future prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Rayati
- Gene Therapy Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Vahid Mansouri
- Gene Therapy Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Naser Ahmadbeigi
- Gene Therapy Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Rezaei F, Bolhassani A, Sadat SM, Arashkia A, Fotouhi F, Milani A, Pordanjani PM. Development of novel HPV therapeutic vaccine constructs based on engineered exosomes and tumor cell lysates. Life Sci 2024; 340:122456. [PMID: 38266814 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2024.122456] [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: 10/28/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
AIMS Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are highly prevalent globally. While preventive HPV vaccines exist, therapeutic vaccines are needed to treat existing HPV lesions and malignancies. This study evaluated the immunostimulatory and anti-tumor effects of three therapeutic vaccine candidates based on the recombinant protein, tumor cell lysate (TCL), and engineered exosome (Exo) harboring the heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27)-E7 fusion construct in mouse model. MAIN METHODS At first, the recombinant Hsp27-E7 protein was generated in E. coli expression system. Then, tumor cell lysates-based and engineered exosomes-based vaccine constructs harboring green fluorescent protein (GFP) and Hsp27-E7 were produced using lentiviral system. Finally, their immunological and antitumor effects were investigated in both prophylactic and therapeutic experiments. KEY FINDINGS Our data showed that the recombinant Hsp27-E7 protein, TCL-Hsp27-E7 and Exo-Hsp27-E7 regimens can induce the highest level of IFN-γ, TNF-α and Granzyme B, respectively. The percentage of tumor-free mice was identical for three vaccine strategies (survival rate: 75 %) in both prophylactic and therapeutic experiments. Generally, the TCL-Hsp27-E7, Exo-Hsp27-E7 and recombinant Hsp27-E7 protein regimens induced effective immune responses toward Th1 and CTL activity, and subsequently antitumor effects in mouse model. SIGNIFICANCE Regarding to higher Granzyme B secretion, lower tumor growth and more safety, the Exo-Hsp27-E7 regimen can be considered as the most promising HPV vaccination strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeh Rezaei
- Department of Hepatitis and AIDS, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Azam Bolhassani
- Department of Hepatitis and AIDS, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Seyed Mehdi Sadat
- Department of Hepatitis and AIDS, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Arash Arashkia
- Department of Molecular Virology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Fotouhi
- Influenza and Respiratory Viruses Department, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Alireza Milani
- Department of Hepatitis and AIDS, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran; Iranian Comprehensive Hemophilia Care Center, Tehran, Iran
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Vaz TA, Rodrigues AF, Coroadinha AS. Exploring nutrient supplementation and bioprocess optimization to improve the production of lentiviral vectors in serum-free medium suspension cultures. Biotechnol J 2024; 19:e2300212. [PMID: 37903159 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202300212] [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: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/01/2023]
Abstract
The use of lentiviral vectors (LV) in gene therapy has been growing in recent years. To meet the increasing clinical demand, LV production platforms will benefit from improved productivity and scalability to enable cost-effective manufacture of LV-based therapies. Here we report the adaptation of 293T cells to serum-free suspension cultures and the improvement of LV yields through transfection parameters optimization, process intensification and medium supplementation with nutrient boosters. Cells were sequentially adapted to different serum-free culture media, transfection parameters were optimized and the two best-performing conditions were selected to explore process intensification by increasing cell density at the time of transfection. LV production at higher cell densities increased volumetric titers up to 12-fold and lipid supplementation was the most efficient metabolic optimization strategy further enhancing LV productivity by 3-fold. Furthermore, cell concentration was identified and validated as an important source of transfection variability impairing cellular uptake of DNA polyplexes, impacting transfection efficiency and reducing LV titers down to 6-fold. This work contributes to improving LV-based gene therapy by establishing new scalable manufacturing platforms and providing key metabolic insights, unveiling important bioreaction parameters to improve vector yields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiago A Vaz
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras, Portugal
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Ana F Rodrigues
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras, Portugal
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
- LASIGE, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ana S Coroadinha
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras, Portugal
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
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McCarron A. Slow and steady wins the race: Optimizing lentiviral vector production for efficient clinical-scale manufacturing. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2023; 30:484-485. [PMID: 37681060 PMCID: PMC10480568 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2023.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra McCarron
- Adelaide Medical School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
- Department of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Women’s and Children’s Hospital, North Adelaide, SA, Australia
- Robinson Research Institute, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
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Klimpel M, Terrao M, Ching N, Climenti V, Noll T, Pirzas V, Laux H. Development of a perfusion process for continuous lentivirus production using stable suspension producer cell lines. Biotechnol Bioeng 2023; 120:2622-2638. [PMID: 37148430 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28413] [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: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
The large-scale production of clinical-grade lentiviral vectors (LVs) for gene therapy applications is a remaining challenge. The use of adherent cell lines and methods like transient transfection are cost-intensive and hamper process scalability as well as reproducibility. This study describes the use of two suspension-adapted stable packaging cell lines, called GPRGs and GPRTGs, for the development of a scalable and serum-free LV production process. Both stable packaging cell lines are based on an inducible Tet-off system, thus requiring doxycycline removal for initiation of the virus production. Therefore, we compared different methods for doxycycline removal and inoculated three independent 5 L bioreactors using a scalable induction method by dilution, an acoustic cell washer and manual centrifugation. The bioreactors were inoculated with a stable producer cell line encoding for a LV carrying a clinically relevant gene. LV production was performed in perfusion mode using a cell retention device based on acoustic wave separation. Comparable cell-specific productivities were obtained with all three methods and cumulative functional yields up to 6.36 × 1011 transducing units per bioreactor were generated in a 234-h long process, demonstrating the usability of stable Tet-off cell lines for an easily scalable suspension process. Remarkably, cell viabilities >90% were maintained at high cell densities without compromising productivity throughout the whole process, allowing to further extend the process time. Given its low effects of toxicity during virus production, the presented cell lines are excellent candidates to develop a fully continuous LV production process to overcome the existing bottlenecks in LV manufacturing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian Klimpel
- Biopharmaceutical Product Development, CSL Behring Innovation GmbH, Marburg, Germany
| | - Monica Terrao
- Biopharmaceutical Product Development, CSL Behring Innovation GmbH, Marburg, Germany
| | - Nilakshi Ching
- Biopharmaceutical Product Development, CSL Behring Innovation GmbH, Marburg, Germany
| | - Vanessa Climenti
- Biopharmaceutical Product Development, CSL Behring Innovation GmbH, Marburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Noll
- Chair for Cell Culture Technology, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Vicky Pirzas
- Biopharmaceutical Product Development, CSL Behring Innovation GmbH, Marburg, Germany
| | - Holger Laux
- Biopharmaceutical Product Development, CSL Behring Innovation GmbH, Marburg, Germany
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9
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Ali S, Rivera M, Ward J, Keshavarz-Moore E, Mason C, Nesbeth DN. Serum-free lentiviral vector production is compatible with medium-resident nuclease activity arising from adherent HEK293T host cells engineered with a nuclease-encoding transgene. Heliyon 2023; 9:e17067. [PMID: 37484388 PMCID: PMC10361239 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
At present lentiviral vector production for cell and gene therapy commonly involves transient plasmid transfection of mammalian cells cultivated in serum-containing media and addition of exogenous nuclease to reduce host cell and plasmid DNA impurities. Switching from serum-containing media to chemically-defined, serum free media, and minimising the number of process additions, are both increasingly regarded as necessary steps for simplifying and potentially automating lentiviral vector bioprocessing in future. Here we adapted human embryonic kidney 293T (HEK293T) cells to grow in serum-free media and also modified these cells with transgenes designed to encode a secreted nuclease activity. Stable transfection of HEK293T cells with transgenes encoding the Staphylococcus aureus nuclease B (NucB) open reading frame with either its native secretion signal peptide, the murine Igκ chain leader sequence or a novel viral transport fusion protein, all resulted in qualitatively detectable nuclease activity in serum-free media. Serum-free transient transfection of human embryonic kidney HEK293T cells stably harbouring the transgene for NucB with its native secretion signal produced active lentivirus in the presence of medium-resident nuclease activity. This lentivirus material was able to transduce the AGF-T immortal T cell line with a green fluorescent protein reporter payload at a level of 2.05 × 105 TU/mL (±3.34 × 104 TU/mL). Sufficient nuclease activity was present in 10 μL of this unconcentrated lentivirus material to degrade 1.5 μg DNA within 2 h at 37 °C, without agitation - conditions compatible with lentivirus production. These observations demonstrate that lentiviral vector production, by transient transfection, is compatible with host cells harbouring a nuclease transgene and evidencing nuclease activity in their surrounding growth media. This work provides a solid basis for future investigations, beyond the scope of this present study, in which commercial and academic groups can apply this approach to therapeutic payloads and potentially omit exogenous nuclease bioprocess additions.
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10
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Hu Y, Wu W. Application of Membrane Filtration to Cold Sterilization of Drinks and Establishment of Aseptic Workshop. FOOD AND ENVIRONMENTAL VIROLOGY 2023:10.1007/s12560-023-09551-6. [PMID: 36933166 PMCID: PMC10024305 DOI: 10.1007/s12560-023-09551-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Aseptic packaging of high quality beverage is necessary and its cold-pasteurization or sterilization is vital. Studies on application of ultrafiltration or microfiltration membrane to cold- pasteurization or sterilization for the aseptic packaging of beverages have been reviewed. Designing and manufacturing ultrafiltration or microfiltration membrane systems for cold-pasteurization or sterilization of beverage are based on the understanding of size of microorganisms and theoretical achievement of filtration. It is concluded that adaptability of membrane filtration, especially its combination with other safe cold method, to cold- pasteurization and sterilization for the aseptic packaging of beverages should be assured without a shadow of doubt in future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunhao Hu
- College of Food Science, Southwest University, No.2 Tian Shengqiao, Beibei, Chongqing, People's Republic of China
| | - Wenbiao Wu
- College of Food Science, Southwest University, No.2 Tian Shengqiao, Beibei, Chongqing, People's Republic of China.
- Research Center of Grains, Oils and Foods Engineering Design, Industrial Research Institute, Southwest University, No.2 Tian Shengqiao, Beibei, Chongqing, People's Republic of China.
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Moreira AS, Bezemer S, Faria TQ, Detmers F, Hermans P, Sierkstra L, Coroadinha AS, Peixoto C. Implementation of Novel Affinity Ligand for Lentiviral Vector Purification. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24043354. [PMID: 36834764 PMCID: PMC9966744 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24043354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The use of viral vectors as therapeutic products for multiple applications such as vaccines, cancer treatment, or gene therapies, has been growing exponentially. Therefore, improved manufacturing processes are needed to cope with the high number of functional particles required for clinical trials and, eventually, commercialization. Affinity chromatography (AC) can be used to simplify purification processes and generate clinical-grade products with high titer and purity. However, one of the major challenges in the purification of Lentiviral vectors (LVs) using AC is to combine a highly specific ligand with a gentle elution condition assuring the preservation of vector biological activity. In this work, we report for the first time the implementation of an AC resin to specifically purify VSV-G pseudotyped LVs. After ligand screening, different critical process parameters were assessed and optimized. A dynamic capacity of 1 × 1011 total particles per mL of resin was determined and an average recovery yield of 45% was found for the small-scale purification process. The established AC robustness was confirmed by the performance of an intermediate scale providing an infectious particles yield of 54%, which demonstrates the scalability and reproducibility of the AC matrix. Overall, this work contributes to increasing downstream process efficiency by delivering a purification technology that enables high purity, scalability, and process intensification in a single step, contributing to time-to-market reduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Sofia Moreira
- IBET Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal
- ITQB Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Avenida da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Sandra Bezemer
- Thermo Fisher Scientific, 2333 CH Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Tiago Q. Faria
- IBET Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Frank Detmers
- Thermo Fisher Scientific, 2333 CH Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Pim Hermans
- Thermo Fisher Scientific, 2333 CH Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Ana Sofia Coroadinha
- IBET Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Cristina Peixoto
- IBET Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, 2780-901 Oeiras, Portugal
- Correspondence:
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12
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Culture media selection and feeding strategy for high titer production of a lentiviral vector by stable producer clones cultivated at high cell density. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 2022; 45:1267-1280. [PMID: 35758994 PMCID: PMC9363386 DOI: 10.1007/s00449-022-02737-5] [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: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
The growing interest in the use of lentiviral vectors (LVs) for various applications has created a strong demand for large quantities of vectors. To meet the increased demand, we developed a high cell density culture process for production of LV using stable producer clones generated from HEK293 cells, and improved volumetric LV productivity by up to fivefold, reaching a high titer of 8.2 × 107 TU/mL. However, culture media selection and feeding strategy development were not straightforward. The stable producer clone either did not grow or grow to lower cell density in majority of six commercial HEK293 media selected from four manufacturers, although its parental cell line, HEK293 cell, grows robustly in these media. In addition, the LV productivity was only improved up to 53% by increasing cell density from 1 × 106 and 3.8 × 106 cells/mL at induction in batch cultures using two identified top performance media, even these two media supported the clone growth to 5.7 × 106 and 8.1 × 106 cells/mL, respectively. A combination of media and feed from different companies was required to provide diverse nutrients and generate synergetic effect, which supported the clone growing to a higher cell density of 11 × 106 cells/mL and also increasing LV productivity by up to fivefold. This study illustrates that culture media selection and feeding strategy development for a new clone or cell line can be a complex process, due to variable nutritional requirements of a new clone. A combination of diversified culture media and feed provides a broader nutrients and could be used as one fast approach to dramatically improve process performance.
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13
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Tran MY, Kamen AA. Production of Lentiviral Vectors Using a HEK-293 Producer Cell Line and Advanced Perfusion Processing. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:887716. [PMID: 35774066 PMCID: PMC9237754 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.887716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The field of lentiviral vector (LV) production continues to face challenges in large-scale manufacturing, specifically regarding producing enough vectors to meet the demand for treating patients as well as producing high and consistent quality of vectors for efficient dosing. Two areas of interest are the use of stable producer cell lines, which facilitates the scalability of LV production processes as well as making the process more reproducible and robust for clinical applications, and the search of a cell retention device scalable to industrial-size bioreactors. This manuscript investigates a stable producer cell line for producing LVs with GFP as the transgene at shake flask scale and demonstrates LV production at 3L bioreactor scale using the Tangential Flow Depth Filtration (TFDF) as a cell retention device in perfusion mode. Cumulative functional yields of 3.3 x 1011 and 3.9 x 1011 transducing units were achieved; the former over 6 days of LV production with 16.3 L of perfused media and the latter over 4 days with 16 L. In comparing to a previously published value that was achieved using the same stable producer cell line and the acoustic filter as the perfusion device at the same bioreactor scale, the TFDF perfusion run produced 1.5-fold higher cumulative functional yield. Given its scale-up potential, the TFDF is an excellent candidate to be further evaluated to determine optimized conditions that can ultimately support continuous manufacturing of LVs at large scale.
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14
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Transition from serum-supplemented monolayer to serum-free suspension lentiviral vector production for generation of chimeric antigen receptor T cells. Cytotherapy 2022; 24:850-860. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2022.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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15
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Shi R, Jia S, Liu H, Nie H. Clinical grade lentiviral vector purification and quality control requirements. J Sep Sci 2022; 45:2093-2101. [PMID: 35247228 DOI: 10.1002/jssc.202100937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Revised: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Lentiviral vectors have been proven to be a powerful tool in gene therapies that includes the ability to perform long-term gene editing in both dividing and non-dividing cells. In order to meet the rising demand of clinical grade lentiviral vectors for future clinical trials and requirements by regulatory agencies, new methods and technologies were developed, including the rapid optimization of production and purification processes. However, gaps still exist in achieving ideal yields and recovery rates in large-scale manufacturing process steps. The downstream purification process is a critical step required to obtain sufficient quantity and high-quality lentiviral vectors products, which is challenged by the low stability of the LV particles and large production volumes associated with the manufacturing process. This review summarizes the most recent and promising technologies and enhancements used in the large-scale purification process step of LV manufacturing and aims to provide a significant contribution towards the achievement of providing sufficient quantity and quality of LVs in scalable processes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruina Shi
- Immunochina Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Beijing, China
| | - Shenghua Jia
- Immunochina Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Beijing, China
| | - Huwei Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Wuchang University of Technology, Wuhan, China.,Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Honggang Nie
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Analytical Instrumental Center, Peking University, Beijing, China
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16
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Engineering Novel Lentiviral Vectors for Labelling Tumour Cells and Oncogenic Proteins. Bioengineering (Basel) 2022; 9:bioengineering9030091. [PMID: 35324780 PMCID: PMC8945451 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering9030091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Revised: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Lentiviral vectors are unique and highly efficient genetic tools to incorporate genetic materials into the genome of a variety of cells whilst conserving biosafety. Their rapid acceptance made it necessary to improve existing protocols, including molecular engineering and cloning, production of purified lentiviral particles, and efficient infection of target cells. In addition to traditional protocols, which can be time-consuming, several biotechnology companies are providing scientists with commercially available lentiviral constructs and particles. However, these constructs are limited by their original form, tend to be costly, and lack the flexibility to re-engineer based on the ever-changing needs of scientific projects. Therefore, the current study organizes the existing methods and integrates them with novel ideas to establish a protocol that is simple and efficient to implement. In this study we, (i) generated an innovative site-directed nucleotide attachment/replacement and DNA insertion method using unique PCR primers, (ii) improved traditional methods by integrating plasmid clarification steps, (iii) utilized endogenous mRNA as a resource to construct new lentiviruses, and (iv) identified an existing purification method and incorporated it into an organized workflow to produce high-yield lentiviral particle collection. Finally, (v) we verified and demonstrated the functional validity of our methods using an infection strategy.
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17
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SINGH G. Resveratrol Delivery <i>via</i> Gene Therapy: Entering the Modern Era. Turk J Pharm Sci 2022; 19:104-109. [DOI: 10.4274/tjps.galenos.2020.89577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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18
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Coroadinha AS. Cancer Gene Therapy: Development and Production of Lentiviral Vectors for Gene Therapy. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2521:297-315. [PMID: 35733005 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2441-8_16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Lentiviral vectors are among the most used vectors in gene therapy to treat pathologies of different origins, such as cancers, rare monogenic diseases or neurological disorders. This chapter provides an overview on lentiviral vector developments in terms of vector design and manufacture for gene therapy applications. The state of the art of vector production will be summarized face to the recent developments contributing to improve vector safety, efficacy and manufacturing robustness, focusing on human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) based lentiviral vectors. Transient and stable production systems will be discussed highlighting recent advances in producer cell line development. Challenges in lentiviral vector development upstream and downstream will be addressed with a particular focus on the improvements undertaken to increase vector yields and production scalability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana S Coroadinha
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras, Portugal.
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal.
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19
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Tan E, Chin CSH, Lim ZFS, Ng SK. HEK293 Cell Line as a Platform to Produce Recombinant Proteins and Viral Vectors. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 9:796991. [PMID: 34966729 PMCID: PMC8711270 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.796991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Animal cell-based expression platforms enable the production of complex biomolecules such as recombinant proteins and viral vectors. Although most biotherapeutics are produced in animal cell lines, production in human cell lines is expanding. One important advantage of using human cell lines is the increased potential that the resulting biotherapeutics would carry more “human-like” post-translational modifications. Among the human cell lines, HEK293 is widely utilized due to its high transfectivity, rapid growth rate, and ability to grow in a serum-free, suspension culture. In this review, we discuss the use of HEK293 cells and its subtypes in the production of biotherapeutics. We also compare their usage against other commonly used host cell lines in each category of biotherapeutics and summarise the factors influencing the choice of host cell lines used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan Tan
- Bioprocessing Technology Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Cara Sze Hui Chin
- Bioprocessing Technology Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Zhi Feng Sherman Lim
- Bioprocessing Technology Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Say Kong Ng
- Bioprocessing Technology Institute, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR), Singapore, Singapore
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20
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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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21
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Emerson J, Glassey J. Bioprocess monitoring and control: challenges in cell and gene therapy. Curr Opin Chem Eng 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.coche.2021.100722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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22
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Tang QL, Gu LX, Xu Y, Liao XH, Zhou Y, Zhang TC. Establishing functional lentiviral vector production in a stirred bioreactor for CAR-T cell therapy. Bioengineered 2021; 12:2095-2105. [PMID: 34047682 PMCID: PMC8806440 DOI: 10.1080/21655979.2021.1931644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Abstract
As gene delivery tools, lentiviral vectors (LV) have broad applications in chimeric antigen receptor therapy (CAR-T). Large-scale production of functional LV is limited by the adherent, serum-dependent nature of HEK293T cells used in the manufacturing. HEK293T adherent cells were adapted to suspension cells in a serum-free medium to establish large-scale processes for functional LV production in a stirred bioreactor without micro-carriers. The results showed that 293 T suspension was successfully cultivated in F media (293 CD05 medium and SMM293-TII with 1:1 volume ratio), and the cells retained the capacity for LV production. After cultivation in a 5.5 L bioreactor for 4 days, the cells produced 1.5 ± 0.3 × 107 TU/mL raw LV, and the lentiviral transduction efficiency was 48.6 ± 2.8% in T Cells. The yield of LV equaled to the previous shake flask. The critical process steps were completed to enable a large-scale LV production process. Besides, a cryopreservation solution was developed to reduce protein involvement, avoid cell grafting and reduce process cost. The process is cost-effective and easy to scale up production, which is expected to be highly competitive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qu-Lai Tang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology of the Ministry of Education & Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Li-Xing Gu
- College of Life Science and Health, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Yao Xu
- College of Life Science and Health, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Xing-Hua Liao
- College of Life Science and Health, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Yong Zhou
- College of Life Science and Health, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Tong-Cun Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology of the Ministry of Education & Tianjin Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
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23
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Moreira A, Faria T, Oliveira J, Kavara A, Schofield M, Sanderson T, Collins M, Gantier R, Alves P, Carrondo M, Peixoto C. Enhancing the purification of Lentiviral vectors for clinical applications. Sep Purif Technol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2021.118598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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24
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Scaled preparation of extracellular vesicles from conditioned media. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2021; 177:113940. [PMID: 34419502 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2021.113940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) especially of mesenchymal stem/stomal cells (MSCs) are increasingly considered as biotherapeutic agents for a variety of different diseases. For translating them effectively into the clinics, scalable production processes fulfilling good manufacturing practice (GMP) are needed. Like for other biotherapeutic agents, the manufacturing of EV products can be subdivided in the upstream and downstream processing and the subsequent quality control, each of them containing several unit operations. During upstream processing (USP), cells are isolated, stored (cell banking) and expanded; furthermore, EV-containing conditioned media are produced. During downstream processing (DSP), conditioned media (CM) are processed to obtain concentrated and purified EV products. CM are either stored until DSP or are directly processed. As first unit operation in DSP, clarification removes remaining cells, debris and other larger impurities. The key operations of each EV DSP is volume-reduction combined with purification of the concentrated EVs. Most of the EV preparation methods used in conventional research labs including differential centrifugation procedures are limited in their scalability. Consequently, it is a major challenge in the therapeutic EV field to identify appropriate EV concentration and purification methods allowing scale up. As EVs share several features with enveloped viruses, that are used for more than two decades in the clinics now, several principles can be adopted to EV manufacturing. Here, we introduce and discuss volume reducing and purification methods frequently used for viruses and analyze their value for the manufacturing of EV-based therapeutics.
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25
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Cmielewski P, Delhove J, Donnelley M, Parsons D. Assessment of Lentiviral Vector Mediated CFTR Correction in Mice Using an Improved Rapid in vivo Nasal Potential Difference Measurement Protocol. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:714452. [PMID: 34385926 PMCID: PMC8353152 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.714452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is caused by a defect in the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene responsible for epithelial ion transport. Nasal potential difference (PD) measurement is a well established diagnostic technique for assessing the efficacy of therapies in CF patients and animal models. The aim was to establish a rapid nasal PD protocol in mice and quantify the efficacy of lentiviral (LV) vector-based CFTR gene therapy. Anaesthetised wild-type (WT) and CF mice were non-surgically intubated and nasal PD measurements were made using a range of buffer flow rates. Addition of the cAMP agonist, isoproterenol, to the buffer sequence was then examined. The optimised rapid PD technique was then used to assess CFTR function produced by second and third generation LV-CFTR vectors. V5 epitope tagged-CFTR in nasal tissue was identified by immunohistochemistry. When intubated, mice tolerated higher flow rates. Isoproterenol could discriminate between WT and CF mice. Improved chloride transport was observed for the second and third generation LV-CFTR vectors, with up to 60% correction of the cAMP-driven chloride response towards WT. V5-CFTR was located in ciliated epithelial cells. The rapid PD technique enables improved functional assessment of the bioelectrical ion transport defect for both current and potential CF therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Cmielewski
- Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, SA, Australia.,Robinson Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.,Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - J Delhove
- Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, SA, Australia.,Robinson Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.,Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - M Donnelley
- Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, SA, Australia.,Robinson Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.,Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - D Parsons
- Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, SA, Australia.,Robinson Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.,Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia
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26
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Gopal S, Osborne AE, Hock L, Zemianek J, Fang K, Gee G, Ghosh R, McNally D, Cramer SM, Dordick JS. Advancing a rapid, high throughput screening platform for optimization of lentivirus production. Biotechnol J 2021; 16:e2000621. [PMID: 34260824 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202000621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lentiviral vectors (LVVs) hold great promise as delivery tools for gene therapy and chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy. Their ability to target difficult to transfect cells and deliver genetic payloads that integrate into the host genome makes them ideal delivery candidates. However, several challenges remain to be addressed before LVVs are more widely used as therapeutics including low viral vector concentrations and the absence of suitable scale-up methods for large-scale production. To address these challenges, we have developed a high throughput microscale HEK293 suspension culture platform that enables rapid screening of conditions for improving LVV productivity. KEY RESULTS High density culture (40 million cells mL-1 ) of HEK293 suspension cells in commercially available media was achieved in microscale 96-deep well plate platform at liquid volumes of 200 μL. Comparable transfection and LVV production efficiencies were observed at the microscale, in conventional shake flasks and a 1-L bioreactor, indicating that significant scale-down does not affect LVV concentrations and predictivity of scale-up. Optimization of production step allowed for final yields of LVVs to reach 1.5 × 107 TU mL-1 . CONCLUSIONS The ability to test a large number of conditions simultaneously with minimal reagent use allows for the rapid optimization of LVV production in HEK293 suspension cells. Therefore, such a system may serve as a valuable tool in early stage process development and can be used as a screening tool to improve LVV concentrations for both batch and perfusion based systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sneha Gopal
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Center for Biotechnology & Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA
| | - Adam E Osborne
- MassBiologics, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Mattapan, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Lindsay Hock
- MassBiologics, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Mattapan, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jill Zemianek
- MassBiologics, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Mattapan, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kun Fang
- MassBiologics, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Mattapan, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Gretchen Gee
- MassBiologics, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Mattapan, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ronit Ghosh
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Center for Biotechnology & Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA
| | - David McNally
- MassBiologics, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Mattapan, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Steven M Cramer
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Center for Biotechnology & Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA.,Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA
| | - Jonathan S Dordick
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Center for Biotechnology & Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA.,Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, USA
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27
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Sagoo P, Gaspar HB. The transformative potential of HSC gene therapy as a genetic medicine. Gene Ther 2021; 30:197-215. [PMID: 34040164 DOI: 10.1038/s41434-021-00261-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are precursor cells that give rise to blood, immune and tissue-resident progeny in humans. Their position at the starting point of hematopoiesis offers a unique therapeutic opportunity to treat certain hematologic diseases by implementing corrective changes that are subsequently directed through to multiple cell lineages. Attempts to exploit HSCs clinically have evolved over recent decades, from initial approaches that focused on transplantation of healthy donor allogeneic HSCs to treat rare inherited monogenic hematologic disorders, to more contemporary genetic modification of autologous HSCs offering the promise of benefits to a wider range of diseases. We are on the cusp of an exciting new era as the transformative potential of HSC gene therapy to offer durable delivery of gene-corrected cells to a range of tissues and organs, including the central nervous system, is beginning to be realized. This article reviews the rationale for targeting HSCs, the approaches that have been used to date for delivering therapeutic genes to these cells, and the latest technological breakthroughs in manufacturing and vector design. The challenges faced by the biotechnology cell and gene therapy sector in the commercialization of HSC gene therapy are also discussed.
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28
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Li J, Wang W, Wang J, Cao Y, Wang S, Zhao J. Viral Gene Therapy for Glioblastoma Multiforme: A Promising Hope for the Current Dilemma. Front Oncol 2021; 11:678226. [PMID: 34055646 PMCID: PMC8155537 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.678226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), as one of the most common malignant brain tumors, was limited in its treatment effectiveness with current options. Its invasive and infiltrative features led to tumor recurrence and poor prognosis. Effective treatment and survival improvement have always been a challenge. With the exploration of genetic mutations and molecular pathways in neuro-oncology, gene therapy is becoming a promising therapeutic approach. Therapeutic genes are delivered into target cells with viral vectors to act specific antitumor effects, which can be used in gene delivery, play an oncolysis effect, and induce host immune response. The application of engineering technology makes the virus vector used in genetics a more prospective future. Recent advances in viral gene therapy offer hope for treating brain tumors. In this review, we discuss the types and designs of viruses as well as their study progress and potential applications in the treatment of GBM. Although still under research, viral gene therapy is promising to be a new therapeutic approach for GBM treatment in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junsheng Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing, China.,Center of Stroke, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine for Cerebrovascular Disease, Beijing, China.,Beijing Translational Engineering Center for 3D Printer in Clinical Neuroscience, Beijing, China
| | - Wen Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing, China.,Center of Stroke, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine for Cerebrovascular Disease, Beijing, China.,Beijing Translational Engineering Center for 3D Printer in Clinical Neuroscience, Beijing, China
| | - Jia Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing, China.,Center of Stroke, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine for Cerebrovascular Disease, Beijing, China.,Beijing Translational Engineering Center for 3D Printer in Clinical Neuroscience, Beijing, China
| | - Yong Cao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing, China.,Center of Stroke, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine for Cerebrovascular Disease, Beijing, China.,Beijing Translational Engineering Center for 3D Printer in Clinical Neuroscience, Beijing, China
| | - Shuo Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing, China.,Center of Stroke, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine for Cerebrovascular Disease, Beijing, China.,Beijing Translational Engineering Center for 3D Printer in Clinical Neuroscience, Beijing, China
| | - Jizong Zhao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases, Beijing, China.,Center of Stroke, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine for Cerebrovascular Disease, Beijing, China.,Beijing Translational Engineering Center for 3D Printer in Clinical Neuroscience, Beijing, China.,Savaid Medical School, University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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29
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Xiong X, Xi J, Liu Q, Wang C, Jiang Z, Yue SY, Shi L, Rong Y. Co-expression of IL-7 and PH20 promote anti-GPC3 CAR-T tumour suppressor activity in vivo and in vitro. Liver Int 2021; 41:1033-1043. [PMID: 33347692 DOI: 10.1111/liv.14771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND While CAR-T therapy has successfully treated haematological malignancies, it has proved sub-optimal for solid tumours. The main limitation is the inability of CAR-T cells to infiltrate and then proliferate within tumours. METHOD We co-expressed IL-7 and PH20, a type of hyaluronidase, with CAR targeting GPC3 (G3CAR-7 × 20). We test the anti-tumour ability in vitro and in vivo. Moreover the capacity of infiltration and proliferation of G3CAR-7 × 20 was measured. RESULT We found (G3CAR-7 × 20) exhibited better proliferation in vivo and in vitro than G3CAR, reduced the level of apoptosis after stimulation by tumour cells, and maintained the memory phenotype of CAR-T cells. G3CAR-7 × 20 also increased the ability of CAR-T cells to infiltrate tumour tissue. CONCLUSION co-expressed IL-7 and PH20 may significantly enhance the efficacy of targeted GPC3 CAR-T cells in solid tumours treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingcheng Xiong
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Juanli Xi
- Department of Gastroenterology, Wuhan Third Hospital, Wuhan, China
| | - Qian Liu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Cixiao Wang
- Nephrology Department II, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Zeyou Jiang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China
| | - Su-Yang Yue
- Department of Gastroenterology, The Affiliated Huai'an Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, The Second People's Hospital of Huai'an, Huaian, China
| | - Lei Shi
- Department of Oncology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yuping Rong
- Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
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30
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Abstract
Gene therapy makes it possible to engineer chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) to create T cells that target specific diseases. However, current approaches require elaborate and expensive protocols to manufacture engineered T cells ex vivo, putting this therapy beyond the reach of many patients who might benefit. A solution could be to program T cells in vivo. Here, we evaluate the clinical need for in situ CAR T cell programming, compare competing technologies, review current progress, and provide a perspective on the long-term impact of this emerging and rapidly flourishing biotechnology field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neha N Parayath
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA
| | - Matthias T Stephan
- Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA.,Department of Bioengineering and Molecular Engineering & Sciences Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA;
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31
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Britten CM, Shalabi A, Hoos A. Industrializing engineered autologous T cells as medicines for solid tumours. Nat Rev Drug Discov 2021; 20:476-488. [PMID: 33833444 DOI: 10.1038/s41573-021-00175-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cell therapy is one of the fastest growing areas in the pharmaceutical industry, with considerable therapeutic potential. However, substantial challenges regarding the utility of these therapies will need to be addressed before they can become mainstream medicines with applicability similar to that of small molecules or monoclonal antibodies. Engineered T cells have achieved success in the treatment of blood cancers, with four chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapies now approved for the treatment of B cell malignancies based on their unprecedented efficacy in clinical trials. However, similar results have not yet been achieved in the treatment of the much larger patient population with solid tumours. For cell therapies to become mainstream medicines, they may need to offer transformational clinical effects for patients and be applicable in disease settings that remain unaddressed by simpler approaches. This Perspective provides an industry perspective on the progress achieved by engineered T cell therapies to date and the opportunities and current barriers for accessing broader patient populations, and discusses the solutions and new development strategies required to fully industrialize the therapeutic potential of engineered T cells as medicines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cedrik M Britten
- Oncology R&D, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, UK.,Immatics Biotechnologies, Munich, Germany
| | - Aiman Shalabi
- Oncology R&D, GlaxoSmithKline, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Axel Hoos
- Oncology R&D, GlaxoSmithKline, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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32
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He X, He Q, Yu W, Huang J, Yang M, Chen W, Han W. Optimized protocol for high-titer lentivirus production and transduction of primary fibroblasts. J Basic Microbiol 2021; 61:430-442. [PMID: 33683727 DOI: 10.1002/jobm.202100008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Revised: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The lentivirus-short hairpin RNA (shRNA) system is a widely used tool for RNA interference. Multiple factors may affect the RNA interference efficiency during lentivirus production and transduction procedures. Thus, an optimized protocol is required to achieve high-titer lentivirus and efficient gene delivery. In the present study, lentivirus was produced by transfecting lentiviral transfer and packaging plasmids into HEK 293T cells. The factors affecting lentiviral titer were assessed, including lentiviral plasmid ratio, lentiviral transfer plasmid type, serum type for cell culture, transfection reagent-plasmid mixture incubation time, and the inoculation density of 293T cells for transfection. The high-titer lentivirus was achieved when plasmids were transfected at a molar ratio of 1:1:1:2, and the transfection reagent-plasmid mixture was replaced 6-8 h after transfection. The pLVX-shRNA2 lentiviral transfer plasmid was associated with the highest lentiviral titer, while both pLVX-shRNA2 and psi-LVRU6GP plasmids were associated with efficient RNA interference in target cells. The serum type for 293T cell culture affected the lentiviral titer significantly, while the inoculation density of 293T cells showed no influence on transfection efficiency or lentiviral titer. Moreover, the human primary fibroblasts infected with lentivirus, using the centrifugation method, achieved higher transduction efficiency than those infected with the non-centrifugation method. In conclusion, this study helped optimize lentiviral production and transduction procedures for more efficient gene delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoying He
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Qin He
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wangshu Yu
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jiani Huang
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Ming Yang
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wei Chen
- Institute of Immunology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wei Han
- Department of Ophthalmology, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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33
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Comisel RM, Kara B, Fiesser FH, Farid SS. Lentiviral vector bioprocess economics for cell and gene therapy commercialization. Biochem Eng J 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bej.2020.107868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Perry C, Rayat ACME. Lentiviral Vector Bioprocessing. Viruses 2021; 13:268. [PMID: 33572347 PMCID: PMC7916122 DOI: 10.3390/v13020268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Lentiviral vectors (LVs) are potent tools for the delivery of genes of interest into mammalian cells and are now commonly utilised within the growing field of cell and gene therapy for the treatment of monogenic diseases and adoptive therapies such as chimeric antigen T-cell (CAR-T) therapy. This is a comprehensive review of the individual bioprocess operations employed in LV production. We highlight the role of envelope proteins in vector design as well as their impact on the bioprocessing of lentiviral vectors. An overview of the current state of these operations provides opportunities for bioprocess discovery and improvement with emphasis on the considerations for optimal and scalable processing of LV during development and clinical production. Upstream culture for LV generation is described with comparisons on the different transfection methods and various bioreactors for suspension and adherent producer cell cultivation. The purification of LV is examined, evaluating different sequences of downstream process operations for both small- and large-scale production requirements. For scalable operations, a key focus is the development in chromatographic purification in addition to an in-depth examination of the application of tangential flow filtration. A summary of vector quantification and characterisation assays is also presented. Finally, the assessment of the whole bioprocess for LV production is discussed to benefit from the broader understanding of potential interactions of the different process options. This review is aimed to assist in the achievement of high quality, high concentration lentiviral vectors from robust and scalable processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Perry
- The Advanced Centre for Biochemical Engineering, Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT, UK;
- Division of Advanced Therapies, National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, South Mimms EN6 3QG, UK
| | - Andrea C. M. E. Rayat
- The Advanced Centre for Biochemical Engineering, Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT, UK;
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35
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Moreira AS, Cavaco DG, Faria TQ, Alves PM, Carrondo MJT, Peixoto C. Advances in Lentivirus Purification. Biotechnol J 2020; 16:e2000019. [PMID: 33089626 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202000019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Lentiviral vectors (LVs) have been increasingly used as a tool for gene and cell therapies since they can stably integrate the genome in dividing and nondividing cells. LV production and purification processes have evolved substantially over the last decades. However, the increasing demands for higher quantities with more restrictive purity requirements are stimulating the development of novel materials and strategies to supply the market with LV in a cost-effective manner. A detailed review of each downstream process unit operation is performed, limitations, strengths, and potential outcomes being covered. Currently, the majority of large-scale LV manufacturing processes are still based on adherent cell culture, although it is known that the industry is migrating fast to suspension cultures. Regarding the purification strategy, it consists of batch chromatography and membrane technology. Nevertheless, new solutions are being created to improve the current production schemes and expand its clinical use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Sofia Moreira
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, Oeiras, Portugal.,Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - David Guia Cavaco
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, Oeiras, Portugal.,Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Tiago Q Faria
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, Oeiras, Portugal.,Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Paula M Alves
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, Oeiras, Portugal.,Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Manuel J T Carrondo
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Cristina Peixoto
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Apartado 12, Oeiras, Portugal
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36
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Ullah I, Zhao J, Su B, Rukh S, Guo J, Ren XK, Xia S, Zhang W, Feng Y. Redox stimulus disulfide conjugated polyethyleneimine as a shuttle for gene transfer. JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE. MATERIALS IN MEDICINE 2020; 31:118. [PMID: 33247778 DOI: 10.1007/s10856-020-06457-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Redox-responsive cationic polymers have gained considerable attention in gene delivery due to low cytotoxicity and spatio-temporal release of DNA into the cells. Here, we reported the synthesis of reducible disulfide conjugated polyethyleneimine (1.8 kDa) (denoted as SS-PEI) and its application to transfer pEGFP-ZNF580 plasmid (pZNF580) into EA.hy926 cell. This reducible SS-PEI polymer was prepared by one-step polycondensation reaction of low molecular weight PEI with bis-(p-nitrophenyl)-3,3'-dithiodipropionate. The SS-PEI successfully condensed pZNF580 into nano-sized complexes (170 ± 1.5 nm to 255 ± 1.6 nm) with zeta potentials of 3 ± 0.4 mV to 17 ± 0.9 mV. The complexes could be triggered to release pZNF580 when exposed to the reducing environment of 5 mM dithiothreitol. Besides, the SS-PEI exhibited low cytotoxicity. In vitro transfection results showed that SS-PEI exhibited good transfection efficiency comparable to PEI25kDa. Thus, the SS-PEI could act as an reducible gene carrier with good transfection efficiency and low cytotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ihsan Ullah
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Yaguan Road 135, Tianjin, 300350, China
| | - Jing Zhao
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Yaguan Road 135, Tianjin, 300350, China
| | - Bin Su
- Department of Clinical Research, Characteristic Medical Center of Chinese People's Armed Police Force, 220 Chenglin Road, Tianjin, 300162, China
| | - Shah Rukh
- Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, 23200, Pakistan
| | - Jintang Guo
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Yaguan Road 135, Tianjin, 300350, China
- Collaborative Innovation Centre of Chemical Science and Chemical Engineering (Tianjin), Weijin Road 92, Tianjin, 300072, China
| | - Xiang-Kui Ren
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Yaguan Road 135, Tianjin, 300350, China
- Collaborative Innovation Centre of Chemical Science and Chemical Engineering (Tianjin), Weijin Road 92, Tianjin, 300072, China
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Weijin Road 92, Tianjin, 300072, China
| | - Shihai Xia
- Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary and Splenic Medicine, Affiliated Hospital, Logistics University of People's Armed Police Force, Chenglin Road 220, Tianjin, 300162, China
| | - Wencheng Zhang
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Logistics University of People's Armed Police Force, Tianjin, 300309, China
| | - Yakai Feng
- School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Yaguan Road 135, Tianjin, 300350, China.
- Department of Clinical Research, Characteristic Medical Center of Chinese People's Armed Police Force, 220 Chenglin Road, Tianjin, 300162, China.
- Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering (Ministry of Education), Tianjin University, Weijin Road 92, Tianjin, 300072, China.
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37
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Martínez-Molina E, Chocarro-Wrona C, Martínez-Moreno D, Marchal JA, Boulaiz H. Large-Scale Production of Lentiviral Vectors: Current Perspectives and Challenges. Pharmaceutics 2020; 12:pharmaceutics12111051. [PMID: 33153183 PMCID: PMC7693937 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics12111051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/31/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Lentiviral vectors (LVs) have gained value over recent years as gene carriers in gene therapy. These viral vectors are safer than what was previously being used for gene transfer and are capable of infecting both dividing and nondividing cells with a long-term expression. This characteristic makes LVs ideal for clinical research, as has been demonstrated with the approval of lentivirus-based gene therapies from the Food and Drug Administration and the European Agency for Medicine. A large number of functional lentiviral particles are required for clinical trials, and large-scale production has been challenging. Therefore, efforts are focused on solving the drawbacks associated with the production and purification of LVsunder current good manufacturing practice. In recent years, we have witnessed the development and optimization of new protocols, packaging cell lines, and culture devices that are very close to reaching the target production level. Here, we review the most recent, efficient, and promising methods for the clinical-scale production ofLVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Martínez-Molina
- Biopathology and Medicine Regenerative Institute (IBIMER), University of Granada (D.M.), 18016 Granada, Spain; (E.M.-M.); (C.C.-W.); (D.M.-M.); (J.A.M.)
- Department of Human Anatomy and Embryology, University of Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain
| | - Carlos Chocarro-Wrona
- Biopathology and Medicine Regenerative Institute (IBIMER), University of Granada (D.M.), 18016 Granada, Spain; (E.M.-M.); (C.C.-W.); (D.M.-M.); (J.A.M.)
- Department of Human Anatomy and Embryology, University of Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain
- Excellence Research Unit “Modeling Nature” (MNat), University of Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain
- Biosanitary Institute of Granada (ibs.GRANADA), SAS-Universidad de Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain
| | - Daniel Martínez-Moreno
- Biopathology and Medicine Regenerative Institute (IBIMER), University of Granada (D.M.), 18016 Granada, Spain; (E.M.-M.); (C.C.-W.); (D.M.-M.); (J.A.M.)
- Department of Human Anatomy and Embryology, University of Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain
- Excellence Research Unit “Modeling Nature” (MNat), University of Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain
- Biosanitary Institute of Granada (ibs.GRANADA), SAS-Universidad de Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain
| | - Juan A. Marchal
- Biopathology and Medicine Regenerative Institute (IBIMER), University of Granada (D.M.), 18016 Granada, Spain; (E.M.-M.); (C.C.-W.); (D.M.-M.); (J.A.M.)
- Department of Human Anatomy and Embryology, University of Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain
- Excellence Research Unit “Modeling Nature” (MNat), University of Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain
- Biosanitary Institute of Granada (ibs.GRANADA), SAS-Universidad de Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain
| | - Houria Boulaiz
- Biopathology and Medicine Regenerative Institute (IBIMER), University of Granada (D.M.), 18016 Granada, Spain; (E.M.-M.); (C.C.-W.); (D.M.-M.); (J.A.M.)
- Department of Human Anatomy and Embryology, University of Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain
- Excellence Research Unit “Modeling Nature” (MNat), University of Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain
- Biosanitary Institute of Granada (ibs.GRANADA), SAS-Universidad de Granada, 18016 Granada, Spain
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-958-241-271
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38
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Soldi M, Sergi Sergi L, Unali G, Kerzel T, Cuccovillo I, Capasso P, Annoni A, Biffi M, Rancoita PMV, Cantore A, Lombardo A, Naldini L, Squadrito ML, Kajaste-Rudnitski A. Laboratory-Scale Lentiviral Vector Production and Purification for Enhanced Ex Vivo and In Vivo Genetic Engineering. MOLECULAR THERAPY-METHODS & CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT 2020; 19:411-425. [PMID: 33294490 PMCID: PMC7683235 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2020.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Lentiviral vectors (LVs) are increasingly employed in gene and cell therapy. Standard laboratory production of LVs is not easily scalable, and research-grade LVs often contain contaminants that can interfere with downstream applications. Moreover, purified LV production pipelines have been developed mainly for costly, large-scale, clinical-grade settings. Therefore, a standardized and cost-effective process is still needed to obtain efficient, reproducible, and properly executed experimental studies and preclinical development of ex vivo and in vivo gene therapies, as high infectivity and limited adverse reactions are important factors potentially influencing experimental outcomes also in preclinical settings. We describe here an optimized laboratory-scale workflow whereby an LV-containing supernatant is purified and concentrated by sequential chromatographic steps, obtaining biologically active LVs with an infectious titer and specific activity in the order of 109 transducing unit (TU)/mL and 5 × 104 TU/ng of HIV Gag p24, respectively. The purification workflow removes >99% of the starting plasmid, DNA, and protein impurities, resulting in higher gene transfer and editing efficiency in severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID)-repopulating hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) ex vivo, as well as reduced activation of inflammatory responses ex vivo and in vivo as compared to TU-matched, laboratory-grade vectors. Our results highlight the value of accessible purified LV production for experimental studies and preclinical testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Soldi
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-TIGET), IRCSS Ospedale San Raffaele, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Lucia Sergi Sergi
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-TIGET), IRCSS Ospedale San Raffaele, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Giulia Unali
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-TIGET), IRCSS Ospedale San Raffaele, 20132 Milan, Italy.,Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, School of Medicine, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Thomas Kerzel
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-TIGET), IRCSS Ospedale San Raffaele, 20132 Milan, Italy.,Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, School of Medicine, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Ivan Cuccovillo
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-TIGET), IRCSS Ospedale San Raffaele, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Paola Capasso
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-TIGET), IRCSS Ospedale San Raffaele, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Andrea Annoni
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-TIGET), IRCSS Ospedale San Raffaele, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Mauro Biffi
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-TIGET), IRCSS Ospedale San Raffaele, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Paola Maria Vittoria Rancoita
- CUSSB-University Center for Statistics and the Biomedical Statistics, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Alessio Cantore
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-TIGET), IRCSS Ospedale San Raffaele, 20132 Milan, Italy.,Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, School of Medicine, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Angelo Lombardo
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-TIGET), IRCSS Ospedale San Raffaele, 20132 Milan, Italy.,Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, School of Medicine, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Luigi Naldini
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-TIGET), IRCSS Ospedale San Raffaele, 20132 Milan, Italy.,Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, School of Medicine, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Mario Leonardo Squadrito
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-TIGET), IRCSS Ospedale San Raffaele, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Anna Kajaste-Rudnitski
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-TIGET), IRCSS Ospedale San Raffaele, 20132 Milan, Italy
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39
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Emerson J, Kara B, Glassey J. Multivariate data analysis in cell gene therapy manufacturing. Biotechnol Adv 2020; 45:107637. [PMID: 32980438 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2020.107637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Revised: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of cell gene therapy (CGT) as a safe and efficacious treatment for numerous severe inherited and acquired human diseases has led to growing interest and investment in new CGT products. The most successful of these have been autologous viral vector-based treatments. The development of viral vector manufacturing processes and ex vivo patient cell processing capabilities is a pressing issue in the advancement of autologous viral vector-based CGT treatments. In viral vector production, scale-up is a critical task due to the limited scalability of traditional laboratory systems and the demand for high volumes of viral vector manufactured in accordance with current good manufacturing practice. Ex vivo cell processing methods require optimisation and automation before they can be scaled out, and several other manufacturing challenges are prevalent such as high levels of raw material and process variability, difficulty characterising complex materials, and a lack of knowledge of critical process parameters and their effect on critical quality attributes of the viral vector and cell drug products. Multivariate data analysis (MVDA) has been leveraged successfully in a variety of applications in the chemical and biochemical industries, including for tasks such as bioprocess monitoring, identification of critical process parameters and assessment of process variability and comparability during process development, scale-up and technology transfer. Henceforth, MVDA is reviewed here as a suitable tool for tackling some of the challenges faced in the development of CGT manufacturing processes. A summary of some key CGT manufacturing challenges is provided along with a review of MVDA applications to mammalian and microbial processes, and an exploration of the potential benefits, requirements and pre-requisites of MVDA applications in the development of CGT manufacturing processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Emerson
- School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK.
| | - Bo Kara
- Currently, Evox Therapeutics, Medawar Centre, Oxford OX4 4HG, UK.
| | - Jarka Glassey
- School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK.
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40
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Schmidts A, Marsh LC, Srivastava AA, Bouffard AA, Boroughs AC, Scarfò I, Larson RC, Bedoya F, Choi BD, Frigault MJ, Bailey SR, Leick MB, Vatsa S, Kann MC, Prew MS, Kleinstiver BP, Joung JK, Maus MV. Cell-based artificial APC resistant to lentiviral transduction for efficient generation of CAR-T cells from various cell sources. J Immunother Cancer 2020; 8:jitc-2020-000990. [PMID: 32900862 PMCID: PMC7477986 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2020-000990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Adoptive cell therapy with chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T) has become a standard treatment for patients with certain aggressive B cell malignancies and holds promise to improve the care of patients suffering from numerous other cancers in the future. However, the high manufacturing cost of CAR-T cell therapies poses a major barrier to their broader clinical application. Among the key cost drivers of CAR-T production are single-use reagents for T cell activation and clinical-grade viral vector. The presence of variable amounts of contaminating monocytes in the starting material poses an additional challenge to CAR-T manufacturing, since they can impede T cell stimulation and transduction, resulting in manufacturing failure. Methods We created K562-based artificial antigen-presenting cells (aAPC) with genetically encoded T cell stimulation and costimulation that represent an inexhaustible source for T cell activation. We additionally disrupted endogenous expression of the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) on these aAPC (aAPC-ΔLDLR) using CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing nucleases to prevent inadvertent lentiviral transduction and avoid the sink effect on viral vector during transduction. Using various T cell sources, we produced CD19-directed CAR-T cells via aAPC-ΔLDLR-based activation and tested their in vitro and in vivo antitumor potency against B cell malignancies. Results We found that lack of LDLR expression on our aAPC-ΔLDLR conferred resistance to lentiviral transduction during CAR-T production. Using aAPC-ΔLDLR, we achieved efficient expansion of CAR-T cells even from unpurified starting material like peripheral blood mononuclear cells or unmanipulated leukapheresis product, containing substantial proportions of monocytes. CD19-directed CAR-T cells that we produced via aAPC-ΔLDLR-based expansion demonstrated potent antitumor responses in preclinical models of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and B-cell lymphoma. Conclusions Our aAPC-ΔLDLR represent an attractive approach for manufacturing of lentivirally transduced T cells that may be simpler and more cost efficient than currently available methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Schmidts
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Leah C Marsh
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ambike A Srivastava
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Amanda A Bouffard
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Angela C Boroughs
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Irene Scarfò
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rebecca C Larson
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Felipe Bedoya
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Bryan D Choi
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program and Department of Neurosurgery, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Matthew J Frigault
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Stefanie R Bailey
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mark B Leick
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sonika Vatsa
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Michael C Kann
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Michelle S Prew
- Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Benjamin P Kleinstiver
- Center for Genomic Medicine and Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - J Keith Joung
- Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Marcela V Maus
- Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA .,Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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41
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Chen YH, Pallant C, Sampson CJ, Boiti A, Johnson S, Brazauskas P, Hardwicke P, Marongiu M, Marinova VM, Carmo M, Sweeney NP, Richard A, Shillings A, Archibald P, Puschmann E, Mouzon B, Grose D, Mendez-Tavio M, Chen MX, Warr SRC, Senussi T, Carter PS, Baker S, Jung C, Brugman MH, Howe SJ, Vink CA. Rapid Lentiviral Vector Producer Cell Line Generation Using a Single DNA Construct. MOLECULAR THERAPY-METHODS & CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT 2020; 19:47-57. [PMID: 32995359 PMCID: PMC7501408 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2020.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Stable suspension producer cell lines for the production of vesicular stomatitis virus envelope glycoprotein (VSVg)-pseudotyped lentiviral vectors represent an attractive alternative to current widely used production methods based on transient transfection of adherent 293T cells with multiple plasmids. We report here a method to rapidly generate such producer cell lines from 293T cells by stable transfection of a single DNA construct encoding all lentiviral vector components. The resulting suspension cell lines yield titers as high as can be achieved with transient transfection, can be readily scaled up in single-use stirred-tank bioreactors, and are genetically and functionally stable in extended cell culture. By removing the requirement for efficient transient transfection during upstream processing of lentiviral vectors and switching to an inherently scalable suspension cell culture format, we believe that this approach will result in significantly higher batch yields than are possible with current manufacturing processes and enable better patient access to medicines based on lentiviral vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Hua Chen
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Celeste Pallant
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | | | - Alessia Boiti
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Sabine Johnson
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Pijus Brazauskas
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Philip Hardwicke
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Michela Marongiu
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Vanesa M Marinova
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Marlene Carmo
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Nathan P Sweeney
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Ashkenaz Richard
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Anthony Shillings
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Peter Archibald
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Eva Puschmann
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Bernadette Mouzon
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - David Grose
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Miriam Mendez-Tavio
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Mao Xiang Chen
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Stephen R C Warr
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Tarik Senussi
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Paul S Carter
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Sean Baker
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Cindy Jung
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Martijn H Brugman
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Steven J Howe
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Conrad A Vink
- GlaxoSmithKline Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
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42
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Lentiviral Vector Production from a Stable Packaging Cell Line Using a Packed Bed Bioreactor. MOLECULAR THERAPY-METHODS & CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT 2020; 19:1-13. [PMID: 32995355 PMCID: PMC7490643 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2020.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Self-inactivating lentiviral vectors (LVVs) are used regularly for genetic modification of cells, including T cells and hematopoietic stem cells for cellular gene therapy. As vector demand grows, scalable and controllable methods are needed for production. LVVs are typically produced in HEK293T cells in suspension bioreactors using serum-free media or adherent cultures with serum. The iCELLis® is a packed-bed bioreactor for adherent or entrained cells with surface areas from 0.53 to 500 m2. Media are pumped through the fixed bed and overflows, creating a thin film that is replenished with oxygen and depleted of CO2 as media return to the reservoir. We describe the optimization and scale-up of the production of GPRTG-EF1α-hγc-OPT LVV using a stable packaging cell line in the iCELLis Nano 2-cm to the 10-cm bed height low compaction bioreactors (0.53 and 2.6 m2 surface area) and compare to the productivity and efficacy of GPRTG-EF1α-hγc-OPT LVV manufactured under current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) using 10-layer cell factories for the treatment of X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency. By optimizing fetal bovine serum (FBS) concentration, pH post-induction, and day of induction, we attain viral yields of more than 2 × 107 transducing units/mL. We compared transduction efficiency between LVVs produced from the iCELLis Nano and cell factories on healthy, purified CD34+ cells and found similar results.
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43
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Transfiguracion J, Tran MY, Lanthier S, Tremblay S, Coulombe N, Acchione M, Kamen AA. Rapid In-Process Monitoring of Lentiviral Vector Particles by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography. MOLECULAR THERAPY-METHODS & CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT 2020; 18:803-810. [PMID: 32953931 PMCID: PMC7479275 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2020.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Lentiviral vectors (LVs) are a popular gene delivery tool in cell and gene therapy and they are a primary tool for ex vivo transduction of T cells for expression of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) in CAR-T cell therapies. Extensive process and product characterization are required in manufacturing virus-based gene vectors to better control batch-to-batch variability. However, it has been an ongoing challenge to make quantitative assessments of LV product because current analytical tools often are low throughput and lack robustness and standardization is still required. This paper presents a high-throughput and robust physico-chemical characterization method that directly assesses total LV particles. With simple sample preparation and fast elution time (6.24 min) of the LV peak in 440 mM NaCl (in 20 mM Tris-HCl [pH 7.5]), this ion exchange high-performance liquid chromatography (IEX-HPLC) method is ideal for routine in-process monitoring to facilitate the development of scalable and robust LV manufacturing processes. Furthermore, this HPLC method is suitable for the analysis of all in-process samples, from crude samples such as LV supernatants to final purified products. The linearity range of the standard curve is 3.13 × 108 to 1.0 × 1010 total particles/mL, and both the intra- and inter-assay variabilities are less than 5%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Transfiguracion
- National Research Council, Human Health Therapeutics Research Center, 6100 Royalmount Avenue, Montreal, QC H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Michelle Yen Tran
- Viral Vectors and Vaccine Bioprocessing Group, Department of Bioengineering, McGill University, 817 Sherbrooke West #270, Montreal, QC H3A 0C3, Canada
| | - Stéphane Lanthier
- National Research Council, Human Health Therapeutics Research Center, 6100 Royalmount Avenue, Montreal, QC H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Sonia Tremblay
- National Research Council, Human Health Therapeutics Research Center, 6100 Royalmount Avenue, Montreal, QC H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Nathalie Coulombe
- National Research Council, Human Health Therapeutics Research Center, 6100 Royalmount Avenue, Montreal, QC H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Mauro Acchione
- National Research Council, Human Health Therapeutics Research Center, 6100 Royalmount Avenue, Montreal, QC H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Amine A Kamen
- National Research Council, Human Health Therapeutics Research Center, 6100 Royalmount Avenue, Montreal, QC H4P 2R2, Canada.,Viral Vectors and Vaccine Bioprocessing Group, Department of Bioengineering, McGill University, 817 Sherbrooke West #270, Montreal, QC H3A 0C3, Canada
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44
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Munis AM, Bentley EM, Takeuchi Y. A tool with many applications: vesicular stomatitis virus in research and medicine. Expert Opin Biol Ther 2020; 20:1187-1201. [PMID: 32602788 DOI: 10.1080/14712598.2020.1787981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) has long been a useful research tool in virology and recently become an essential part of medicinal products. Vesiculovirus research is growing quickly following its adaptation to clinical gene and cell therapy and oncolytic virotherapy. AREAS COVERED This article reviews the versatility of VSV as a research tool and biological reagent, its use as a viral and vaccine vector delivering therapeutic and immunogenic transgenes and an oncolytic virus aiding cancer treatment. Challenges such as the immune response against such advanced therapeutic medicinal products and manufacturing constraints are also discussed. EXPERT OPINION The field of in vivo gene and cell therapy is advancing rapidly with VSV used in many ways. Comparison of VSV's use as a versatile therapeutic reagent unveils further prospects and problems for each application. Overcoming immunological challenges to aid repeated administration of viral vectors and minimizing harmful host-vector interactions remains one of the major challenges. In the future, exploitation of reverse genetic tools may assist the creation of recombinant viral variants that have improved onco-selectivity and more efficient vaccine vector activity. This will add to the preferential features of VSV as an excellent advanced therapy medicinal product (ATMP) platform.
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Affiliation(s)
- Altar M Munis
- Nuffield Division of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford , Oxford, UK.,Division of Advanced Therapies, National Institute for Biological Standards and Control , South Mimms, UK
| | - Emma M Bentley
- Division of Virology, National Institute for Biological Standards and Control , South Mimms, UK
| | - Yasuhiro Takeuchi
- Division of Advanced Therapies, National Institute for Biological Standards and Control , South Mimms, UK.,Division of Infection and Immunity, University College London , London, UK
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45
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Preclinical Development of Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell-Based Gene Therapy for Immune Deficiencies: A Journey from Mouse Cage to Bed Side. Pharmaceutics 2020; 12:pharmaceutics12060549. [PMID: 32545727 PMCID: PMC7357087 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics12060549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Revised: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent clinical trials using patient’s own corrected hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), such as for primary immunodeficiencies (Adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency, X-linked Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID), X-linked chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), Wiskott–Aldrich Syndrome (WAS)), have yielded promising results in the clinic; endorsing gene therapy to become standard therapy for a number of diseases. However, the journey to achieve such a successful therapy is not easy, and several challenges have to be overcome. In this review, we will address several different challenges in the development of gene therapy for immune deficiencies using our own experience with Recombinase-activating gene 1 (RAG1) SCID as an example. We will discuss product development (targeting of the therapeutic cells and choice of a suitable vector and delivery method), the proof-of-concept (in vitro and in vivo efficacy, toxicology, and safety), and the final release steps to the clinic (scaling up, good manufacturing practice (GMP) procedures/protocols and regulatory hurdles).
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46
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Toran PT, Wohlfahrt M, Foye J, Kiem HP, Wojchowski DM. Assessment and streamlined preparation of low-cytotoxicity lentiviral vectors for mobilized human hematopoietic stem cell transduction. Exp Hematol 2020; 86:28-42.e3. [PMID: 32473295 DOI: 10.1016/j.exphem.2020.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Revised: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
As important vectors for ectopic protein expression, gene silencing, and progenitor cell barcoding, lentiviruses continue to emerge as versatile research and clinical tools. For studies employing cell types that are relatively resistant to transduction, high-titer lentivirus preparations with low cytotoxicity are required. During lentivirus production, carryover plasmid DNA endotoxins, transfection reagents, damaged packaging cells, and virus concentration procedures are potential sources of cytotoxicity. As an often unevaluated property of lentivirus preparations, cytotoxicity can unwittingly skew estimates of functional titers and complicate interpretations of transduced cell phenotypes. By employing hematopoietic UT7epo cells cultured in erythropoietin (EPO) below maximal dosing, we first define a sensitive flow cytometric bioassay for critically assessing the cytotoxicity (and titers) of lentivirus preparations. Bioassay of custom preparations of research-grade lentiviruses from six commercial sources unexpectedly revealed substantial cytotoxicity (with certain preparations additionally registering titers several log below designated values). To overcome such limiting properties, we further report on unique, efficient workflows for reproducibly preparing and processing high-titer, low-cytotoxicity (HTLC) lentiviruses at research scale. These HTLC lentiviruses reliably transduce peripheral blood hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (PB-HSPCs) at frequencies ≥40%, with low cytotoxicity. In addition, by employing cyclosporin H (to inhibit IFITM3), PB-HSPCs can be transduced at heightened efficiency with nominal cytotoxicity. Overall, this work provides straightforward approaches to (1) critical assessment of the cytotoxicity of lentivirus preparations; (2) reproducible generation (and concentration) of high-quality lentiviruses via a streamlined workflow; and (3) transduction of PB-HSPCs at benchmark levels with nominal cytotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul T Toran
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
| | | | - Julia Foye
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
| | | | - Don M Wojchowski
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH.
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47
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Whitehead TA, Banta S, Bentley WE, Betenbaugh MJ, Chan C, Clark DS, Hoesli CA, Jewett MC, Junker B, Koffas M, Kshirsagar R, Lewis A, Li CT, Maranas C, Terry Papoutsakis E, Prather KLJ, Schaffer S, Segatori L, Wheeldon I. The importance and future of biochemical engineering. Biotechnol Bioeng 2020; 117:2305-2318. [PMID: 32343367 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Revised: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 04/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Today's Biochemical Engineer may contribute to advances in a wide range of technical areas. The recent Biochemical and Molecular Engineering XXI conference focused on "The Next Generation of Biochemical and Molecular Engineering: The role of emerging technologies in tomorrow's products and processes". On the basis of topical discussions at this conference, this perspective synthesizes one vision on where investment in research areas is needed for biotechnology to continue contributing to some of the world's grand challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy A Whitehead
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado
| | - Scott Banta
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, New York
| | - William E Bentley
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
| | - Michael J Betenbaugh
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Christina Chan
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan
| | - Douglas S Clark
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California
| | - Corinne A Hoesli
- Department of Chemical Engineering & Department of Biological and Biomedical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Michael C Jewett
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and Center for Synthetic Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | - Beth Junker
- BioProcess Advantage LLC, Middesex, New Jersey
| | - Mattheos Koffas
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York
| | | | | | - Chien-Ting Li
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Costas Maranas
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
| | - E Terry Papoutsakis
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering & the Delaware Biotechnology Institute, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware
| | - Kristala L J Prather
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | | | - Laura Segatori
- Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas
| | - Ian Wheeldon
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Riverside, California
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48
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Development of a laboratory scalable process for enhancing lentivirus production by transient transfection of HEK293 adherent cultures. Gene Ther 2020; 27:482-494. [DOI: 10.1038/s41434-020-0152-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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49
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Valkama AJ, Oruetxebarria I, Lipponen EM, Leinonen HM, Käyhty P, Hynynen H, Turkki V, Malinen J, Miinalainen T, Heikura T, Parker NR, Ylä-Herttuala S, Lesch HP. Development of Large-Scale Downstream Processing for Lentiviral Vectors. MOLECULAR THERAPY-METHODS & CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT 2020; 17:717-730. [PMID: 32346549 PMCID: PMC7177191 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2020.03.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The interest in lentiviral vectors (LVs) has increased prominently for gene therapy applications, but few have reached the later stages of clinical trials. The main challenge has remained in scaling up the manufacturing process for the fragile vector to obtain high titers for in vivo usage. We have previously scaled up the LV production to iCELLis 500, being able to produce up to 180 L of harvest material in one run with perfusion. The following challenge considers the purification and concentration of the product to meet titer and purity requirements for clinical use. We have developed a downstream process, beginning with clarification, buffer exchange, and concentration, by tangential flow filtration. This is followed by a purification step using single membrane-based anion exchange chromatography and final formulation with tangential flow filtration. Different materials and conditions were compared to optimize the process, especially for the chromatography step that has been the bottleneck in lentiviral vector purification scale-up. The final infectious titer of the lentiviral vector product manufactured using the optimized scale-up process was determined to be 1.97 × 109 transducing units (TU)/mL, which can be considered as a high titer for lentiviral vectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anniina J Valkama
- Kuopio Center for Gene and Cell Therapy, 70210 Kuopio, Finland
- FinVector, 70210 Kuopio, Finland
- Molecular Medicine, A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70210 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Igor Oruetxebarria
- Kuopio Center for Gene and Cell Therapy, 70210 Kuopio, Finland
- FinVector, 70210 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Eevi M Lipponen
- Kuopio Center for Gene and Cell Therapy, 70210 Kuopio, Finland
- FinVector, 70210 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Hanna M Leinonen
- Kuopio Center for Gene and Cell Therapy, 70210 Kuopio, Finland
- FinVector, 70210 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Piia Käyhty
- Molecular Medicine, A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70210 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Heidi Hynynen
- Kuopio Center for Gene and Cell Therapy, 70210 Kuopio, Finland
- FinVector, 70210 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Vesa Turkki
- Kuopio Center for Gene and Cell Therapy, 70210 Kuopio, Finland
- FinVector, 70210 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Joonas Malinen
- Kuopio Center for Gene and Cell Therapy, 70210 Kuopio, Finland
- FinVector, 70210 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Tuukka Miinalainen
- Molecular Medicine, A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70210 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Tommi Heikura
- Molecular Medicine, A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70210 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Nigel R Parker
- Molecular Medicine, A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70210 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Seppo Ylä-Herttuala
- Molecular Medicine, A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70210 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Hanna P Lesch
- Kuopio Center for Gene and Cell Therapy, 70210 Kuopio, Finland
- FinVector, 70210 Kuopio, Finland
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50
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Do Minh A, Tran MY, Kamen AA. Lentiviral Vector Production in Suspension Culture Using Serum-Free Medium for the Transduction of CAR-T Cells. Methods Mol Biol 2020; 2086:77-83. [PMID: 31707669 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0146-4_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The production of lentiviral vectors (LVs) in human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells using serum-free medium in a suspension culture for the transduction of chimeric antigen receptor T-cells (CAR-T) can be achieved by different methods. This chapter describes LV production by transient transfection, induction of stable packaging cell lines, and induction of stable producer cell lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Do Minh
- Department of Bioengineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Michelle Yen Tran
- Department of Bioengineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Amine A Kamen
- Department of Bioengineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
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