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Abstract

Bioengineering

Isolation of Adeno-Associated Viral Vectors Through a Single-Step and Semi-Automated Heparin Affinity Chromatography Protocol

Published: April 5th, 2024

DOI:

10.3791/66550

1CNC-UC - Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 2CIBB - Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra, 3IIIUC - Institute for Interdisciplinary Research, University of Coimbra, 4ViraVector - Viral Vectors for Gene Transfer Core Facility, University of Coimbra, 5FFUC - Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, 6MICC-CNC - Microscopy Imaging Center of Coimbra - CNC, University of Coimbra

* These authors contributed equally

Abstract

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) has become an increasingly valuable vector for in vivo gene delivery and is currently undergoing human clinical trials. However, the commonly used methods to purify AAVs make use of cesium chloride or iodixanol density gradient ultracentrifugation. Despite their advantages, these methods are time-consuming, have limited scalability, and often result in vectors with low purity. To overcome these constraints, researchers are turning their attention to chromatography techniques. Here, we present an optimized heparin-based affinity chromatography protocol that serves as a universal capture step for the purification of AAVs.

This method relies on the intrinsic affinity of AAV serotype 2 (AAV2) for heparan sulfate proteoglycans. Specifically, the protocol entails the co-transfection of plasmids encoding the desired AAV capsid proteins with those of AAV2, yielding mosaic AAV vectors that combine the properties of both parental serotypes. Briefly, after the lysis of producer cells, a mixture containing AAV particles is directly purified following an optimized single-step heparin affinity chromatography protocol using a standard fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) system. Purified AAV particles are subsequently concentrated and subjected to comprehensive characterization in terms of purity and biological activity. This protocol offers a simplified and scalable approach that can be performed without the need for ultracentrifugation and gradients, yielding clean and high viral titers.

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Keywords Adeno associated Viral Vectors

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