Collaboration to Evaluate Processes for Scalable AAV Platform

The Centre for Process Innovation, international contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) Cobra Biologics and GE Healthcare Life Sciences have established a three-way partnership, with aims to increase the robustness and reduce costs for the manufacturing of adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors, a delivery vehicle used for emerging gene therapy treatments. The partnership, funded by a £570K Innovate UK grant, will focus on the use of GE Healthcare’s Puridify fibre-based chromatography technology platform to achieve high purification productivity of protein biopharmaceuticals. CPI and Cobra Biologics will help demonstrate the application of the purification platform to gene therapy, leading to the development of a multistep fibre-based chromatography purification process for AAV. These viral vectors will be produced in-house by Cobra Biologics and CPI using a system developed via an ongoing Innovate UK grant. The developed fibre-based technology will then be transferred to CPI, where entire process flowsheets incorporating the technology will be run to demonstrate suitability for AAV manufacture.

Honorary Industry Professor Daniel Smith, Chief Scientific Officer at Cobra Biologics, said: “The scalable chromatographic purification of recombinant AAV-based viral vectors for use in gene therapy applications remains an area of intense global development, essential to support the rapidly increasing market opportunity for these innovative medicines. As such, Cobra Biologics is pleased to be collaborating with both GE Healthcare Life Sciences and CPI as part of this Innovate UK funded project. The application and implementation of the fibre-based chromatography for the purification of AAV vectors could provide a step change in the technology available, allowing for the scalable, cost effective production of this emerging class of innovative medicines.”