Chromatographic Separation Of Full And Empty AAV8 Capsids

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors of various serotypes are widely considered to have high potential in gene therapy applications. However, the current challenge in AAV vector manufacturing lies in the co-production of partially formed particles lacking a recombinant viral genome.

The presence of empty capsids not only increases the total administered AAV dose for efficient transduction but is also believed to trigger unwanted immunological reactions against the virus. Therefore, it is imperative to address this issue by removing empty capsids during the manufacturing process and analyzing the content of empty and full AAV particles. This is a critical requirement for any AAV production process.

Here, we demonstrate a rapid method for effectively separating empty and full AAV8 particles. This separation is achieved through linear gradient elution on CIMmultus® QA monoliths, ensuring an 80% recovery rate.