Key Considerations For Scaling Up Lentiviral Production

By Katherine Moynihan, PhD, Vice President of Business Development and Marketing, Genezen

The use of lentiviruses as a tool for cell and gene therapies (C&GT), including CAR-T therapies, is on the rise. Lentiviral vectors (LVs) offer the ability to carry large transgenes that can be stably integrated into the host genome of the target cell. With increasing popularity, lentiviral production projects are growing in scale and often require support from specialist contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs).

Moving from small-scale to large-scale production comes with an array of challenges. As larger volumes may impact downstream methods, problems can arise if the optimum lentivirus production protocol for cell proliferation is not determined. Fill-finish methods also need to be thought about carefully, as vector loss can occur due to container adsorption when using glass vials. To ensure the successful scale-up of lentiviral production projects, drug developers should therefore seek the support of CDMOs with experience and expertise in solving the challenges surrounding their development and manufacturing.

In this article, Katherine Moynihan, PhD, Vice President of Business Development and Marketing at Genezen, discusses the many challenges that can arise during lentiviral production scale-up. She advises that by using the right equipment and working with a knowledgeable team, scaling these projects can be achieved at an accelerated pace while reducing risk.