Lonza launches medium for gene therapy applications AAV production

Swiss-based Lonza has launched the TheraPEAK SfAAV Medium, the first chemically defined, non-animal origin medium designed specifically for the production of Adeno Associated Virus (AAV) in Spodoptera Fuigiperda (Sf9) insect cells for gene therapy applications.

Amber Jones, Product Manager, Lonza, explained that biotechnology companies are under increasing pressure to fast track the development of safe gene therapies to treat a range of life-threatening conditions. To achieve this, Jones noted they need to create and implement reliable and consistent GMP-scalable processes, ensuring that product quality and patient safety always remain at the forefront. “The new TheraPEAK™ SfAAV™ Medium has been designed to allow for increased AAV production in Sf9 insect cells, reduced downstream purification and easier regulatory approval, streamlining process scale-up for the commercialization of gene therapies.”

The new high-performance medium accelerates cell growth, increases productivity, and reduces process variability and costs, expediting time-to-market for safe, scalable, life-saving gene therapies. The unique benefits of the TheraPEAK™ SfAAV™ Medium, which marks the latest addition to Lonza’s TheraPEAK™ Family of cell culture media and reagents for cell and gene therapy applications, are summarized in an informative poster that can be downloaded for free from the Lonza website.

Gene therapy holds great promise for the treatment of rare disorders and diseases, and viral vectors are commonly used to facilitate the delivery of the gene of interest into patient cells. AAV has been established as a viral vector of choice, due to not replicating in patients, thus posing a lower health risk. Owing to their ability to be grown at high densities, the Sf9 insect cells are ideal for use as hosts for the production of large AAV quantities. To date, however, translational scientists and researchers have been challenged with the lack of a medium dedicated to AAV production in Sf9 insect cells.

Lonza’s TheraPEAK™ SfAAV™ Medium has been explicitly designed to address this need, providing a cost and time efficient solution for the production of AAV in Sf9 insect cells. Allowing for rapid cell growth, the TheraPEAK™ SfAAV™ Medium reduces processing time significantly, enabling cell infection one day earlier than similar media available on the market, and boosting laboratory performance. Due to its chemically defined nature, the new hydrolysate free medium produces AAV that requires less purification, further decreasing the overall processing time and minimizing labor requirements. Furthermore, the TheraPEAK™ SfAAV™ Medium supports consistent cell growth throughout all phases of the culturing process, considerably reducing process variability.

As a chemically defined, non-animal origin product, the TheraPEAK™ SfAAV™ Medium is safer to use than media containing animal or human components, thereby facilitating regulatory compliance. Additionally, the medium is supplied with a U.S. Food and Drug Administration drug master file, alleviating the relevant preparation and submission burden.