Lonza launches insect medium enabling increased AAV production
Lonza’s new asset, TheraPEAK SfAAV Medium, is the first chemically defined non-animal origin medium specifically designed for the production of adeno associated virus (AAV) in spodoptera fuigiperda (Sf9) insect cells.
When used in bioprocessing, the technology has the potential to offer several benefits including faster cell growth, increased productivity and reduced variability, leading to less purification required, the company stated.
Moreover, the system has the potential to reduce processing time by enabling cell infection one day earlier than similar media available on the market.
According to Lonza, the development of the medium aims to answer an increasing need for AAVs, which are ”established as the viral vector of choice” to support the booming gene therapy development field.
Due to the ability of Sf9 insect cells to be grown at ‘high densities’, the insect system is ‘ideal’ for the production of large AAV quantities, the company added.
For this purpose, developers “need to create and implement reliable and consistent good manufacturing process (GMP)-scalable processes,” with Lonza noting that the insect cells are safer to handle compared to animal or human cells thereby facilitating regulatory compliance.
