Innovative Analytical Ultracentrifugation Techniques For The Characterization Of AAV Vectors

By Brianna Barrett, Ph.D., Associate Director, Technical Sales, Forge Biologics, and Julianne Bartz, Scientist II, Forge Biologics

The therapeutic use of adeno-associated virus (AAV) accounts for the largest share of the global gene therapy industry due to its safety profile and proven efficacy in treating genetic diseases. Over the past 30 years, scientists, clinicians, and biotech industry professionals have worked with contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) to harness the natural abilities of AAV to deliver genetic information to specified cell types. The collaboration between AAV gene therapy developers and CDMOs has resulted in scalable manufacturing solutions to transition “a gene and a dream” into a biological therapeutic poised for successful patient outcomes and a greater number of commercialized treatments.

In this article, learn more about the generation, characterization, and the removal of empty AAV capsids as well as the downstream purification strategies for full capsid enrichment. We also dive into the process and AAV product characterization by analytical ultracentrifugation.