1
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Li X, Gu J, Wu H, Xie Y. Pilot-scale process development for recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) production based on high-density Sf9 cell culture. Virol J 2024; 21:281. [PMID: 39511576 PMCID: PMC11542467 DOI: 10.1186/s12985-024-02550-4] [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: 07/10/2024] [Accepted: 10/21/2024] [Indexed: 11/15/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In recent years, gene therapy drugs have been widely marketed, and their effectiveness and potential have been confirmed. Thus, increasing their production on an industrial scale is critical. Recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAVs) are optimal vectors for gene therapy applications, and the baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS), which is based on Sf9 cell culture, is a common tool for rAAV production. METHODS In this work, an Sf9 cell fed-batch process was developed using shake flasks. In the laboratory-scale bioreactor, four processes were selected as the key factors when carrying out the orthogonal experiment. On the basis of the equal P/V principle and considering the problem posed by air bubbles, a pilot-scale level bioreactor process was established. RESULTS Here, we describe a method in which a BEVS was used to produce rAAV vectors, with the cell density increasing to 22.8 × 106 cells/mL and the rAAV titre increasing to 20 × 1011 VG/mL upon adding feed material. By resolving the problems associated with high-density cell culture and air bubbles, this process was successfully scaled to a 50 L pilot-scale level. CONCLUSIONS This successful experiment not only provides a technological basis for further scale-up but also guarantees product capacity. We hope that this development process can provide reference data for studying cell culture-based drug production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinran Li
- College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310000, China
- Kanglin Biotec (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd, Hangzhou, 310000, China
| | - Jieyi Gu
- Kanglin Biotec (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd, Hangzhou, 310000, China
| | - Haoquan Wu
- Kanglin Biotec (Hangzhou) Co., Ltd, Hangzhou, 310000, China.
| | - Yuanyuan Xie
- College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310000, China.
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Yangtze River Delta Region Green Pharmaceutical, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310000, China.
- Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Engineering of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310000, China.
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2
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Destro F, Wu W, Srinivasan P, Joseph J, Bal V, Neufeld C, Wolfrum JM, Manalis SR, Sinskey AJ, Springs SL, Barone PW, Braatz RD. The state of technological advancement to address challenges in the manufacture of rAAV gene therapies. Biotechnol Adv 2024; 76:108433. [PMID: 39168354 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2024.108433] [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: 03/13/2024] [Revised: 07/04/2024] [Accepted: 08/17/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024]
Abstract
Current processes for the production of recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) are inadequate to meet the surging demand for rAAV-based gene therapies. This article reviews recent advances that hold the potential to address current limitations in rAAV manufacturing. A multidisciplinary perspective on technological progress in rAAV production is presented, underscoring the necessity to move beyond incremental refinements and adopt a holistic strategy to address existing challenges. Since several recent reviews have thoroughly covered advancements in upstream technology, this article provides only a concise overview of these developments before moving to pivotal areas of rAAV manufacturing not well covered in other reviews, including analytical technologies for rapid and high-throughput measurement of rAAV quality attributes, mathematical modeling for platform and process optimization, and downstream approaches to maximize efficiency and rAAV yield. Novel technologies that have the potential to address the current gaps in rAAV manufacturing are highlighted. Implementation challenges and future research directions are critically discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Destro
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Weida Wu
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Prasanna Srinivasan
- Center for Biomedical Innovation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - John Joseph
- Center for Biomedical Innovation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Vivekananda Bal
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Caleb Neufeld
- Center for Biomedical Innovation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jacqueline M Wolfrum
- Center for Biomedical Innovation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Scott R Manalis
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Anthony J Sinskey
- Center for Biomedical Innovation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Stacy L Springs
- Center for Biomedical Innovation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Paul W Barone
- Center for Biomedical Innovation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Richard D Braatz
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA; Center for Biomedical Innovation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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3
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Catalán-Tatjer D, Tzimou K, Nielsen LK, Lavado-García J. Unravelling the essential elements for recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) production in animal cell-based platforms. Biotechnol Adv 2024; 73:108370. [PMID: 38692443 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2024.108370] [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: 01/16/2024] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
Recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAVs) stand at the forefront of gene therapy applications, holding immense significance for their safe and efficient gene delivery capabilities. The constantly increasing and unmet demand for rAAVs underscores the need for a more comprehensive understanding of AAV biology and its impact on rAAV production. In this literature review, we delved into AAV biology and rAAV manufacturing bioprocesses, unravelling the functions and essentiality of proteins involved in rAAV production. We discuss the interconnections between these proteins and how they affect the choice of rAAV production platform. By addressing existing inconsistencies, literature gaps and limitations, this review aims to define a minimal set of genes that are essential for rAAV production, providing the potential to advance rAAV biomanufacturing, with a focus on minimizing the genetic load within rAAV-producing cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Catalán-Tatjer
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
| | - Konstantina Tzimou
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
| | - Lars K Nielsen
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark; Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, University of Queensland, Australia
| | - Jesús Lavado-García
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark.
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4
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Marwidi Y, Nguyen HOB, Santos D, Wangzor T, Bhardwaj S, Ernie G, Prawdzik G, Lew G, Shivak D, Trias M, Padilla J, Tran H, Meyer K, Surosky R, Ward AM. A robust and flexible baculovirus-insect cell system for AAV vector production with improved yield, capsid ratios and potency. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2024; 32:101228. [PMID: 38524756 PMCID: PMC10959708 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2024.101228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Manufacturing of adeno-associated viruses (AAV) for gene and cell therapy applications has increased significantly and spurred development of improved mammalian and insect cell-based production systems. We developed a baculovirus-based insect cell production system-the SGMO Helper-with a novel gene architecture and greater flexibility to modulate the expression level and content of individual Rep and Cap proteins. In addition, we incorporated modifications to the AAV6 capsid sequence that improves yield, capsid integrity, and potency. Production of recombinant AAV 6 (rAAV6) using the SGMO Helper had improved yields compared to the Bac-RepCap helper from the Kotin lab. SGMO Helper-derived rAAV6 is resistant to a previously described proteolytic cleavage unique to baculovirus-insect cell production systems and has improved capsid ratios and potency, in vitro and in vivo, compared with rAAV6 produced using Bac-RepCap. Next-generation sequencing sequence analysis demonstrated that the SGMO Helper is stable over six serial passages and rAAV6 capsids contain comparable amounts of non-vector genome DNA as rAAV6 produced using Bac-RepCap. AAV production using the SGMO Helper is scalable using bioreactors and has improved yield, capsid ratio, and in vitro potency. Our studies demonstrate that the SGMO Helper is an improved platform for AAV manufacturing to enable delivery of cutting-edge gene and cell therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoko Marwidi
- Sangamo Therapeutics, 501 Canal Boulevard, Richmond, CA 94804, USA
| | | | - David Santos
- Sangamo Therapeutics, 501 Canal Boulevard, Richmond, CA 94804, USA
| | - Tenzin Wangzor
- Sangamo Therapeutics, 501 Canal Boulevard, Richmond, CA 94804, USA
| | - Sumita Bhardwaj
- Sangamo Therapeutics, 501 Canal Boulevard, Richmond, CA 94804, USA
| | - Gabriel Ernie
- Sangamo Therapeutics, 501 Canal Boulevard, Richmond, CA 94804, USA
| | - Gregg Prawdzik
- Sangamo Therapeutics, 501 Canal Boulevard, Richmond, CA 94804, USA
| | - Garrett Lew
- Sangamo Therapeutics, 501 Canal Boulevard, Richmond, CA 94804, USA
| | - David Shivak
- Sangamo Therapeutics, 501 Canal Boulevard, Richmond, CA 94804, USA
| | - Michael Trias
- Sangamo Therapeutics, 501 Canal Boulevard, Richmond, CA 94804, USA
| | - Jada Padilla
- Sangamo Therapeutics, 501 Canal Boulevard, Richmond, CA 94804, USA
| | - Hung Tran
- Sangamo Therapeutics, 501 Canal Boulevard, Richmond, CA 94804, USA
| | - Kathleen Meyer
- Sangamo Therapeutics, 501 Canal Boulevard, Richmond, CA 94804, USA
| | - Richard Surosky
- Sangamo Therapeutics, 501 Canal Boulevard, Richmond, CA 94804, USA
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5
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Merten OW. Development of Stable Packaging and Producer Cell Lines for the Production of AAV Vectors. Microorganisms 2024; 12:384. [PMID: 38399788 PMCID: PMC10892526 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12020384] [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: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Today, recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors represent the vector systems which are mostly used for in vivo gene therapy for the treatment of rare and less-rare diseases. Although most of the past developments have been performed by using a transfection-based method and more than half of the authorized rAAV-based treatments are based on transfection process, the tendency is towards the use of stable inducible packaging and producer cell lines because their use is much more straightforward and leads in parallel to reduction in the overall manufacturing costs. This article presents the development of HeLa cell-based packaging/producer cell lines up to their use for large-scale rAAV vector production, the more recent development of HEK293-based packaging and producer cell lines, as well as of packaging cell lines based on the use of Sf9 cells. The production features are presented in brief (where available), including vector titer, specific productivity, and full-to-empty particle ratio.
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6
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Liu S, Li J, Peraramelli S, Luo N, Chen A, Dai M, Liu F, Yu Y, Leib RD, Li Y, Lin K, Huynh D, Li S, Ou L. Systematic comparison of rAAV vectors manufactured using large-scale suspension cultures of Sf9 and HEK293 cells. Mol Ther 2024; 32:74-83. [PMID: 37990495 PMCID: PMC10787191 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2023.11.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors could be manufactured by plasmid transfection into human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells or baculovirus infection of Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) insect cells. However, systematic comparisons between these systems using large-scale, high-quality AAV vectors are lacking. rAAV from Sf9 cells (Sf9-rAAV) at 2-50 L and HEK293 cells (HEK-rAAV) at 2-200 L scales were characterized. HEK-rAAV had ∼40-fold lower yields but ∼10-fold more host cell DNA measured by droplet digital PCR and next-generation sequencing, respectively. The electron microscope observed a lower full/empty capsid ratio in HEK-rAAV (70.8%) than Sf9-rAAV (93.2%), while dynamic light scattering and high-performance liquid chromatography analysis showed that HEK-rAAV had more aggregation. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry identified different post-translational modification profiles between Sf9-rAAV and HEK-rAAV. Furthermore, Sf9-rAAV had a higher tissue culture infectious dose/viral genome than HEK-rAAV, indicating better infectivity. Additionally, Sf9-rAAV achieved higher in vitro transgene expression, as measured by ELISA. Finally, after intravitreal dosing into a mouse laser choroidal neovascularization model, Sf9-rAAV and HEK-rAAV achieved similar efficacy. Overall, this study detected notable differences in the physiochemical characteristics of HEK-rAAV and Sf9-rAAV. However, the in vitro and in vivo biological functions of the rAAV from these systems were highly comparable. Sf9-rAAV may be preferred over HEK293-rAAV for advantages in yields, full/empty ratio, scalability, and cost.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jinzhong Li
- Avirmax Biopharma Inc., Hayward, CA 94545, USA
| | | | | | - Alan Chen
- Avirmax Biopharma Inc., Hayward, CA 94545, USA
| | - Minghua Dai
- Avirmax Biopharma Inc., Hayward, CA 94545, USA
| | - Fang Liu
- Stanford University Mass Spectrometry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Yanbao Yu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Ryan D Leib
- Stanford University Mass Spectrometry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Ying Li
- Avirmax Biopharma Inc., Hayward, CA 94545, USA
| | - Kevin Lin
- Avirmax Biopharma Inc., Hayward, CA 94545, USA
| | | | - Shuyi Li
- Avirmax Biopharma Inc., Hayward, CA 94545, USA
| | - Li Ou
- Avirmax Biopharma Inc., Hayward, CA 94545, USA
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7
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Lu M, Lee Z, Lin YC, Irfanullah I, Cai W, Hu WS. Enhancing the production of recombinant adeno-associated virus in synthetic cell lines through systematic characterization. Biotechnol Bioeng 2024; 121:341-354. [PMID: 37749931 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) is among the most commonly used in vivo gene delivery vehicles and has seen a number of successes in clinical application. Current manufacturing processes of rAAV employ multiple plasmid transfection or rely on virus infection and face challenges in scale-up. A synthetic biology approach was taken to generate stable cell lines with integrated genetic modules, which produced rAAV upon induction albeit at a low productivity. To identify potential factors that restrained the productivity, we systematically characterized virus production kinetics through targeted quantitative proteomics and various physical assays of viral components. We demonstrated that reducing the excessive expression of gene of interest by its conditional expression greatly increased the productivity of these synthetic cell lines. Further enhancement was gained by optimizing induction profiles and alleviating proteasomal degradation of viral capsid protein by the addition of proteasome inhibitors. Altogether, these enhancements brought the productivity close to traditional multiple plasmid transfection. The rAAV produced had comparable full particle contents as those produced by conventional transient plasmid transfection. The present work exemplified the versatility of our synthetic biology-based viral vector production platform and its potential for plasmid- and virus-free rAAV manufacturing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Lu
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Zion Lee
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Yu-Chieh Lin
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Ibrahim Irfanullah
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Wen Cai
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Wei-Shou Hu
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
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8
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Joshi PRH, Venereo-Sanchez A. Recombinant AAV Production. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2829:203-214. [PMID: 38951336 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3961-0_14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/03/2024]
Abstract
The insect cell-baculovirus expression vector (IC-BEV) platform has enabled small research-scale and large commercial-scale production of recombinant proteins and therapeutic biologics including recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV)-based gene delivery vectors. The wide use of this platform is comparable with other mammalian cell line-based platforms due to its simplicity, high-yield, comparable quality attributes, and robust bioprocessing features. In this chapter, we describe a rAAV production protocol employing one of the recent modifications of the One-Bac platform that consists of a stable transformed Sf9 cell line carrying AAV Rep2/Cap5 genes that are induced upon infection with a single recombinant baculovirus expression vector harboring the transgene of interest (rAAV genome). The overall protocol consists of essential steps including rBEV working stock preparation, rAAV production, and centrifugation-based clarification of cell culture lysate. The same protocol can also be applied for rAAV vector production using traditional Three-Bac, Two-Bac, and Mono-Bac platforms without requiring significant changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pranav R H Joshi
- Department of Bioengineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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9
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Destro F, Joseph J, Srinivasan P, Kanter JM, Neufeld C, Wolfrum JM, Barone PW, Springs SL, Sinskey AJ, Cecchini S, Kotin RM, Braatz RD. Mechanistic modeling explains the production dynamics of recombinant adeno-associated virus with the baculovirus expression vector system. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2023; 30:122-146. [PMID: 37746245 PMCID: PMC10512016 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2023.05.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Current manufacturing processes for recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAVs) have less-than-desired yields and produce significant amounts of empty capsids. The increasing demand and the high cost of goods for rAAV-based gene therapies motivate development of more efficient manufacturing processes. Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first rAAV-based gene therapy product manufactured in the baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS), a technology that demonstrated production of high titers of full capsids. This work presents a first mechanistic model describing the key extracellular and intracellular phenomena occurring during baculovirus infection and rAAV maturation in the BEVS. The model predictions are successfully validated for in-house and literature experimental measurements of the vector genome and of structural and non-structural proteins collected during rAAV manufacturing in the BEVS with the TwoBac and ThreeBac constructs. A model-based analysis of the process is carried out to identify the bottlenecks that limit full capsid formation. Vector genome amplification is found to be the limiting step for rAAV production in Sf9 cells using either the TwoBac or ThreeBac system. In turn, vector genome amplification is hindered by limiting Rep78 levels. Transgene and non-essential baculovirus protein expression in the insect cell during rAAV manufacturing also negatively influences the rAAV production yields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Destro
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - John Joseph
- Center for Biomedical Innovation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Prasanna Srinivasan
- Center for Biomedical Innovation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Joshua M. Kanter
- Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Caleb Neufeld
- Center for Biomedical Innovation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Jacqueline M. Wolfrum
- Center for Biomedical Innovation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Paul W. Barone
- Center for Biomedical Innovation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Stacy L. Springs
- Center for Biomedical Innovation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Anthony J. Sinskey
- Center for Biomedical Innovation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Sylvain Cecchini
- Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
| | - Robert M. Kotin
- Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655, USA
- Carbon Biosciences, Waltham, MA 02451, USA
| | - Richard D. Braatz
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Center for Biomedical Innovation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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Virgolini N, Silvano M, Hagan R, Correia R, Alves PM, Clarke C, Roldão A, Isidro IA. Impact of dual-baculovirus infection on the Sf9 insect cell transcriptome during rAAV production using single-cell RNA-seq. Biotechnol Bioeng 2023; 120:2588-2600. [PMID: 36919374 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
The insect cell-baculovirus expression vector system (IC-BEVS) has shown to be a powerful platform to produce complex biopharmaceutical products, such as recombinant proteins and virus-like particles. More recently, IC-BEVS has also been used as an alternative to produce recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV). However, little is known about the variability of insect cell populations and the potential effect of heterogeneity (e.g., stochastic infection process and differences in infection kinetics) on product titer and/or quality. In this study, transcriptomics analysis of Sf9 insect cells during the production of rAAV of serotype 2 (rAAV2) using a low multiplicity of infection, dual-baculovirus system was performed via single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq). Before infection, the principal source of variability in Sf9 insect cells was associated with the cell cycle. Over the course of infection, an increase in transcriptional heterogeneity was detected, which was linked to the expression of baculovirus genes as well as to differences in rAAV transgenes (rep, cap and gfp) expression. Noteworthy, at 24 h post-infection, only 29.4% of cells enclosed all three necessary rAAV transgenes to produce packed rAAV2 particles, indicating limitations of the dual-baculovirus system. In addition, the trajectory analysis herein performed highlighted that biological processes such as protein folding, metabolic processes, translation, and stress response have been significantly altered upon infection. Overall, this work reports the first application of scRNA-seq to the IC-BEVS and highlights significant variations in individual cells within the population, providing insight into the rational cell and process engineering toward improved rAAV2 production in IC-BEVS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaus Virgolini
- IBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras, Portugal
- ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Marco Silvano
- IBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras, Portugal
- ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Ryan Hagan
- National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training, Dublin, Ireland
- School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, University College Dublin, Dublin, Belfield, Ireland
| | - Ricardo Correia
- IBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras, Portugal
- ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Paula M Alves
- IBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras, Portugal
- ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Colin Clarke
- National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training, Dublin, Ireland
- School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, University College Dublin, Dublin, Belfield, Ireland
| | - António Roldão
- IBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras, Portugal
- ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Inês A Isidro
- IBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras, Portugal
- ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
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11
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Virgolini N, Hagan R, Correia R, Silvano M, Fernandes S, Alves PM, Clarke C, Roldão A, Isidro IA. Transcriptome analysis of Sf9 insect cells during production of recombinant Adeno-associated virus. Biotechnol J 2023; 18:e2200466. [PMID: 36401834 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202200466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The insect cell-baculovirus expression vector system (IC-BEVS) has emerged as an alternative time- and cost-efficient production platform for recombinant Adeno-associated virus (AAV) for gene therapy. However, a better understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms of IC-BEVS is fundamental to further optimize this expression system toward increased product titer and quality. Here, gene expression of Sf9 insect cells producing recombinant AAV through a dual baculovirus expression system, with low multiplicity of infection (MOI), was profiled by RNA-seq. An 8-fold increase in reads mapping to either baculovirus or AAV transgene sequences was observed between 24 and 48 h post-infection (hpi), confirming a take-over of the host cell transcriptome by the baculovirus. A total of 336 and 4784 genes were identified as differentially expressed at 24 hpi (vs non-infected cells) and at 48 hpi (vs. infected cells at 24 hpi), respectively, including dronc, birc5/iap5, and prp1. Functional annotation found biological processes such as cell cycle, cell growth, protein folding, and cellular amino acid metabolic processes enriched along infection. This work uncovers transcriptional changes in Sf9 in response to baculovirus infection, which provide new insights into cell and/or metabolic engineering targets that can be leveraged for rational bioprocess engineering of IC-BEVS for AAV production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaus Virgolini
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras, Portugal.,ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Ryan Hagan
- National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training, Dublin, Ireland.,School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Ricardo Correia
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras, Portugal.,ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Marco Silvano
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras, Portugal.,ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Sofia Fernandes
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras, Portugal.,ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Paula M Alves
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras, Portugal.,ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Colin Clarke
- National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training, Dublin, Ireland.,School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - António Roldão
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras, Portugal.,ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Inês A Isidro
- iBET, Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica, Oeiras, Portugal.,ITQB NOVA, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
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