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Metanat Y, Viktor P, Amajd A, Kaur I, Hamed AM, Abed Al-Abadi NK, Alwan NH, Chaitanya MVNL, Lakshmaiya N, Ghildiyal P, Khalaf OM, Ciongradi CI, Sârbu I. The paths toward non-viral CAR-T cell manufacturing: A comprehensive review of state-of-the-art methods. Life Sci 2024; 348:122683. [PMID: 38702027 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2024.122683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024]
Abstract
Although CAR-T cell therapy has emerged as a game-changer in cancer immunotherapy several bottlenecks limit its widespread use as a front-line therapy. Current protocols for the production of CAR-T cells rely mainly on the use of lentiviral/retroviral vectors. Nevertheless, according to the safety concerns around the use of viral vectors, there are several regulatory hurdles to their clinical use. Large-scale production of viral vectors under "Current Good Manufacturing Practice" (cGMP) involves rigorous quality control assessments and regulatory requirements that impose exorbitant costs on suppliers and as a result, lead to a significant increase in the cost of treatment. Pursuing an efficient non-viral method for genetic modification of immune cells is a hot topic in cell-based gene therapy. This study aims to investigate the current state-of-the-art in non-viral methods of CAR-T cell manufacturing. In the first part of this study, after reviewing the advantages and disadvantages of the clinical use of viral vectors, different non-viral vectors and the path of their clinical translation are discussed. These vectors include transposons (sleeping beauty, piggyBac, Tol2, and Tc Buster), programmable nucleases (ZFNs, TALENs, and CRISPR/Cas9), mRNA, plasmids, minicircles, and nanoplasmids. Afterward, various methods for efficient delivery of non-viral vectors into the cells are reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yekta Metanat
- Faculty of Medicine, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran
| | - Patrik Viktor
- Óbuda University, Karoly Keleti faculty, Tavaszmező u. 15-17, H-1084 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ayesha Amajd
- Faculty of Transport and Aviation Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, Krasińskiego 8 Street, 40-019 Katowice, Poland
| | - Irwanjot Kaur
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetics, Jain (Deemed-to-be) University, Bangalore, Karnataka, India; Department of Allied Healthcare and Sciences, Vivekananda Global University, Jaipur, Rajasthan-303012, India
| | | | | | | | - M V N L Chaitanya
- School of pharmaceutical sciences, Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar-Delhi G.T. Road, Phagwara, Punjab - 144411, India
| | | | - Pallavi Ghildiyal
- Uttaranchal Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, India
| | | | - Carmen Iulia Ciongradi
- 2nd Department of Surgery-Pediatric Surgery and Orthopedics, "Grigore T. Popa" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iași, Romania.
| | - Ioan Sârbu
- 2nd Department of Surgery-Pediatric Surgery and Orthopedics, "Grigore T. Popa" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iași, Romania.
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2
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Ferreira PL, Marie H, Berger T, Edelmann B, Rammo O, Sousa F. Evaluation of novel chromatographic prototypes for supercoiled plasmid DNA polishing. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2024; 11:1296444. [PMID: 38249801 PMCID: PMC10797707 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1296444] [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: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Since the world first approved gene therapeutics, nucleic acid-based therapies have gained prominence. Several strategies for DNA-based therapy have been approved, and numerous clinical trials for plasmid DNA (pDNA)-based vaccines are currently in development. Due to the rising interest in pDNA for vaccination and gene therapy, plasmid manufacturing must become more effective. One of the most critical steps is downstream processing, involving isolation and purification procedures. To comply with the regulatory guidelines, pDNA must be available as a highly purified, homogeneous preparation of supercoiled pDNA (sc pDNA). This process undertakes several challenges, primarily due to the diversity of molecules derived from the producer organism. In this study, different resins were tested for the adsorption and selective polishing of sc pDNA. To identify optimal pDNA adsorption conditions, batch and column assays were performed with different resins while promoting electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. The effect of ionic strength, pH, and contact time were evaluated and optimized. Additionally, static and dynamic binding capacities were determined for the selected resins. Analytical chromatography and agarose gel electrophoresis were used to assess the selectivity of the most promising resins toward sc pDNA isoform. Also, genomic DNA, endotoxins, and proteins were quantified to characterize the final sc pDNA quality. At the same time, the recovery and purity yields were evaluated by quantification of sc pDNA after the purification procedure. Overall, the results of the chromatographic assays using agmatine- and arginine-based resins have shown promising potential for sc pDNA polishing. Both resins demonstrated excellent binding capacity for pDNA, with agmatine outperforming arginine-based resin in terms of capacity. However, arginine-based resin exhibited a superior pDNA recovery yield, reaching a notable 52.2% recovery compared to 10.09% from agmatine. Furthermore, both resins exhibited high relative purity levels above 90% for the sc pDNA. The comprehensive characterization of the recovered sc pDNA also revealed a significant reduction in gDNA levels, reinforcing the potential of these prototypes for obtaining high-quality and pure sc pDNA. These findings highlight the promising applications of both resins in scalable pDNA purification processes for gene therapy and biopharmaceutical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro L. Ferreira
- CICS-UBI—Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | | | - Tim Berger
- Merck Life Science KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
| | | | | | - Fani Sousa
- CICS-UBI—Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
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3
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Webber BR, Johnson MJ, Skeate JG, Slipek NJ, Lahr WS, DeFeo AP, Mills LJ, Qiu X, Rathmann B, Diers MD, Wick B, Henley T, Choudhry M, Starr TK, McIvor RS, Moriarity BS. Cas9-induced targeted integration of large DNA payloads in primary human T cells via homology-mediated end-joining DNA repair. Nat Biomed Eng 2023:10.1038/s41551-023-01157-4. [PMID: 38092857 PMCID: PMC11169092 DOI: 10.1038/s41551-023-01157-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
The reliance on viral vectors for the production of genetically engineered immune cells for adoptive cellular therapies remains a translational bottleneck. Here we report a method leveraging the DNA repair pathway homology-mediated end joining, as well as optimized reagent composition and delivery, for the Cas9-induced targeted integration of large DNA payloads into primary human T cells with low toxicity and at efficiencies nearing those of viral vectors (targeted knock-in of 1-6.7 kb payloads at rates of up to 70% at multiple targeted genomic loci and with cell viabilities of over 80%). We used the method to produce T cells with an engineered T-cell receptor or a chimaeric antigen receptor and show that the cells maintained low levels of exhaustion markers and excellent capacities for proliferation and cytokine production and that they elicited potent antitumour cytotoxicity in vitro and in mice. The method is readily adaptable to current good manufacturing practices and scale-up processes, and hence may be used as an alternative to viral vectors for the production of genetically engineered T cells for cancer immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beau R Webber
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
| | - Matthew J Johnson
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Joseph G Skeate
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Nicholas J Slipek
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Walker S Lahr
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Anthony P DeFeo
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Lauren J Mills
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Xiaohong Qiu
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Blaine Rathmann
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Miechaleen D Diers
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Bryce Wick
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | | | | | - Timothy K Starr
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Ob-Gyn and Women's Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - R Scott McIvor
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Branden S Moriarity
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
- Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
- Center for Genome Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
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4
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Talebnia F, Pushparajah D, Chandrasekaran S, Hersch SJ, Nafissi N, Slavcev R. Application of an electro elution system for direct purification of linear covalently closed DNA fragments. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 2023; 1218:123622. [PMID: 36842293 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2023.123622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
Gene therapy is a powerful treatment modality. Non-viral gene therapy vectors power one arm of this important approach, due to their enhanced safety profile compared to their viral counterparts. New non-viral approaches continue to be developed, but purification can bottleneck the scaleup and cost-effectiveness and quality of some of these advanced vectors. We require more advanced purification and separation techniques compared to conventional methods to maximize resolution in a scalable manner. The Prep Cell system is a continuous electro elution system that contains a circular gel casting tube where DNA mixtures can be run through and subsequently migrate into an elution chamber, to be eluted by a peristaltic pump. This DNA separation and purification process confers advantages over other conventional methods, including i) the elimination of multiple downstream purification process requirements; ii) its ability to be applied in mid-scale settings, and iii), its high-resolution power. In this study, we assessed the ability of this Prep Cell Model 491 system to purify a novel type of non-viral linear covalently closed (LCC) DNA minivector (ministring DNA) from its precursor parent plasmid DNA and process by-product DNA species by analyzing for effective separation via agarose gel electrophoresis, recovery yield, single enzyme digestion, and quality control assessments. Overall, effective separation and resolution of mini-DNA vectors was obtained using the Prep Cell system, conferring its potential to be applied towards mid-scale purification of DNA vectors for a variety of research, and eventually, clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Talebnia
- Mediphage Bioceuticals, Inc. 661 University Avenue, Suite 1300, MaRS West Tower, Toronto, ON M5G0B7, Canada
| | - D Pushparajah
- University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - S Chandrasekaran
- Mediphage Bioceuticals, Inc. 661 University Avenue, Suite 1300, MaRS West Tower, Toronto, ON M5G0B7, Canada
| | - S J Hersch
- Mediphage Bioceuticals, Inc. 661 University Avenue, Suite 1300, MaRS West Tower, Toronto, ON M5G0B7, Canada
| | - N Nafissi
- Mediphage Bioceuticals, Inc. 661 University Avenue, Suite 1300, MaRS West Tower, Toronto, ON M5G0B7, Canada.
| | - R Slavcev
- Mediphage Bioceuticals, Inc. 661 University Avenue, Suite 1300, MaRS West Tower, Toronto, ON M5G0B7, Canada; University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada.
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5
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Giandomenico SL, Schuman EM. Genetic manipulation and targeted protein degradation in mammalian systems: practical considerations, tips and tricks for discovery research. FEBS Open Bio 2023. [PMID: 36815235 DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.13581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Gaining a mechanistic understanding of the molecular pathways underpinning cellular and organismal physiology invariably relies on the perturbation of an experimental system to infer causality. This can be achieved either by genetic manipulation or by pharmacological treatment. Generally, the former approach is applicable to a wider range of targets, is more precise, and can address more nuanced functional aspects. Despite such apparent advantages, genetic manipulation (i.e., knock-down, knock-out, mutation, and tagging) in mammalian systems can be challenging due to problems with delivery, low rates of homologous recombination, and epigenetic silencing. The advent of CRISPR-Cas9 in combination with the development of robust differentiation protocols that can efficiently generate a variety of different cell types in vitro has accelerated our ability to probe gene function in a more physiological setting. Often, the main obstacle in this path of enquiry is to achieve the desired genetic modification. In this short review, we will focus on gene perturbation in mammalian cells and how editing and differentiation of pluripotent stem cells can complement more traditional approaches. Additionally, we introduce novel targeted protein degradation approaches as an alternative to DNA/RNA-based manipulation. Our aim is to present a broad overview of recent approaches and in vitro systems to study mammalian cell biology. Due to space limitations, we limit ourselves to providing the inexperienced reader with a conceptual framework on how to use these tools, and for more in-depth information, we will provide specific references throughout.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Erin M Schuman
- Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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6
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Salem-Bekhit MM, Youssof AME, Alanazi FK, Aleanizy FS, Abdulaziz A, Taha EI, Amara AAAF. Bacteria from Infectious Particles to Cell Based Anticancer Targeted Drug Delivery Systems. Pharmaceutics 2021; 13:1984. [PMID: 34959266 PMCID: PMC8706210 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13121984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial ghosts (BGs) are empty cell envelopes of nonliving evacuated bacterial cells. They are free from their cytoplasmic contents; however, they sustain their cellular 3D morphology and antigenic structures, counting on bioadhesive properties. Lately, they have been tested as an advanced drug delivery system (DDS) for different materials like DNA, peptides, or drugs, either single components or combinations. Different studies have revealed that, BG DDS were paid the greatest attention in recent years. The current review explores the impact of BGs on the field of drug delivery and drug targeting. BGs have a varied area of applications, including vaccine and tumor therapy. Moreover, the use of BGs, their synthesis, their uniqueness as a delivery system and application principles in cancer are discussed. Furthermore, the safety issues of BGs and stability aspects of using ghost bacteria as delivery systems are discussed. Future perspective efforts that must be followed for this important system to continue to grow are important and promising.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mounir M. Salem-Bekhit
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (A.M.E.Y.); (F.K.A.); (F.S.A.); (A.A.); (E.I.T.)
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11884, Egypt
- Kayyali Chair for Pharmaceutical Industry, Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullah M. E. Youssof
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (A.M.E.Y.); (F.K.A.); (F.S.A.); (A.A.); (E.I.T.)
- Kayyali Chair for Pharmaceutical Industry, Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Fars K. Alanazi
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (A.M.E.Y.); (F.K.A.); (F.S.A.); (A.A.); (E.I.T.)
- Kayyali Chair for Pharmaceutical Industry, Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Fadilah Sfouq Aleanizy
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (A.M.E.Y.); (F.K.A.); (F.S.A.); (A.A.); (E.I.T.)
| | - Alsuwyeh Abdulaziz
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (A.M.E.Y.); (F.K.A.); (F.S.A.); (A.A.); (E.I.T.)
- Kayyali Chair for Pharmaceutical Industry, Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ehab I. Taha
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia; (A.M.E.Y.); (F.K.A.); (F.S.A.); (A.A.); (E.I.T.)
| | - Amro Abd Al Fattah Amara
- Protein Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications, Alexandria 21934, Egypt;
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Vermeire G, De Smidt E, Geukens N, Williams JA, Declerck P, Hollevoet K. Improved Potency and Safety of DNA-Encoded Antibody Therapeutics Through Plasmid Backbone and Expression Cassette Engineering. Hum Gene Ther 2021; 32:1200-1209. [PMID: 34482757 DOI: 10.1089/hum.2021.105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA-encoded delivery of antibodies presents a labor- and cost-effective alternative to conventional antibody therapeutics. This study aims to improve the potency and safety of this approach by evaluating various plasmid backbones and expression cassettes. In vitro, antibody levels consistently improved with decreasing sizes of backbone, ranging from conventional to minimal. In vivo, following intramuscular electrotransfer in mice, the correlation was less consistent. While the largest conventional plasmid (10.2 kb) gave the lowest monoclonal antibody (mAb) levels, a regular conventional plasmid (8.6 kb) demonstrated similar levels as a minimal Nanoplasmid (6.8 kb). A reduction in size beyond a standard conventional backbone thus did not improve mAb levels in vivo. Cassette modifications, such as swapping antibody chain order or use of two versus a single encoding plasmid, significantly increased antibody expression in vitro, but failed to translate in vivo. Conversely, a significant improvement in vivo but not in vitro was found with a set of muscle-specific promoters, of which a newly engineered variant gave roughly 1.5- to 2-fold higher plasma antibody concentrations than the ubiquitous CAG promoter. In conclusion, despite the limited translation between in vitro and in vivo, we identified various clinically relevant improvements to our DNA-based antibody platform, both in potency and biosafety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giles Vermeire
- Laboratory for Therapeutic and Diagnostic Antibodies, KU Leuven-University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Elien De Smidt
- Laboratory for Therapeutic and Diagnostic Antibodies, KU Leuven-University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,PharmAbs, the KU Leuven Antibody Center-University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nick Geukens
- PharmAbs, the KU Leuven Antibody Center-University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Paul Declerck
- Laboratory for Therapeutic and Diagnostic Antibodies, KU Leuven-University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,PharmAbs, the KU Leuven Antibody Center-University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Kevin Hollevoet
- Laboratory for Therapeutic and Diagnostic Antibodies, KU Leuven-University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,PharmAbs, the KU Leuven Antibody Center-University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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