Scalable production and purification of engineered ARRDC1-mediated microvesicles in a HEK293 suspension cell system

Abstract Engineering of human ARRDC1-mediated microvesicles (ARMMs) as non-viral vehicles for delivery of gene therapies bears the potential to enable novel therapeutic paradigms. We evaluated two scalable strategies to generate ARMMs loaded with protein cargo, by transient transfection or stable ce...

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Main Authors: Kristin Luther, Ali Navaei, Leah Gens, Carson Semple, Pearl Moharil, Ilaria Passalacqua, Komal Vyas, Qiyu Wang, Shu-Lin Liu, Lucy Sun, Senthil Ramaswamy, Davide Zocco, Joseph F. Nabhan
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Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-03-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87674-5
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author Kristin Luther
Ali Navaei
Leah Gens
Carson Semple
Pearl Moharil
Ilaria Passalacqua
Komal Vyas
Qiyu Wang
Shu-Lin Liu
Lucy Sun
Senthil Ramaswamy
Davide Zocco
Joseph F. Nabhan
author_facet Kristin Luther
Ali Navaei
Leah Gens
Carson Semple
Pearl Moharil
Ilaria Passalacqua
Komal Vyas
Qiyu Wang
Shu-Lin Liu
Lucy Sun
Senthil Ramaswamy
Davide Zocco
Joseph F. Nabhan
author_sort Kristin Luther
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Engineering of human ARRDC1-mediated microvesicles (ARMMs) as non-viral vehicles for delivery of gene therapies bears the potential to enable novel therapeutic paradigms. We evaluated two scalable strategies to generate ARMMs loaded with protein cargo, by transient transfection or stable cell line-based production. The upstream ARMMs production processes utilized a suspension-adapted HEK293-derived line, termed 5B8. 5B8 cells yielded robust production of ARMMs after transient transfection with the ARMMs loading construct or using a stable cell line containing a transgene that encodes the ARMMs loading cassette, in shake flasks or a stirred tank bioreactor, respectively. ARMMs were purified by ultracentrifugation (small scale) or a combination of TFF and AEX (scalable production). Both purification methods produced comparable ARMMs, in terms of size and payload incorporation. Single particle analysis showed approximately 50% were payload-containing ARMMs. Additionally, an in vivo study was conducted in mice to investigate the half-life and biodistribution of ARMMs administered intravenously. ARMMs showed rapid biodistribution predominantly to the spleen and liver and, to a lesser extent, kidneys, and lungs. The half-life of ARMMs in plasma was 6 ± 0.4 min. Altogether, this work advances knowledge on scale-up of engineered cell-derived vesicles for future in vivo delivery of therapeutic molecules.
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spelling doaj-art-ea5a622874f9481cae55c39c8b84d0db2025-08-20T02:59:35ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-03-0115111710.1038/s41598-025-87674-5Scalable production and purification of engineered ARRDC1-mediated microvesicles in a HEK293 suspension cell systemKristin Luther0Ali Navaei1Leah Gens2Carson Semple3Pearl Moharil4Ilaria Passalacqua5Komal Vyas6Qiyu Wang7Shu-Lin Liu8Lucy Sun9Senthil Ramaswamy10Davide Zocco11Joseph F. Nabhan12Vesigen TherapeuticsLonza Cell & Gene Technologies, Lonza Walkersville Inc.Vesigen TherapeuticsVesigen TherapeuticsVesigen TherapeuticsLonza SienaVesigen TherapeuticsVesigen TherapeuticsVesigen TherapeuticsVesigen TherapeuticsLonza Cell & Gene Technologies, Lonza Walkersville Inc.Lonza SienaVesigen TherapeuticsAbstract Engineering of human ARRDC1-mediated microvesicles (ARMMs) as non-viral vehicles for delivery of gene therapies bears the potential to enable novel therapeutic paradigms. We evaluated two scalable strategies to generate ARMMs loaded with protein cargo, by transient transfection or stable cell line-based production. The upstream ARMMs production processes utilized a suspension-adapted HEK293-derived line, termed 5B8. 5B8 cells yielded robust production of ARMMs after transient transfection with the ARMMs loading construct or using a stable cell line containing a transgene that encodes the ARMMs loading cassette, in shake flasks or a stirred tank bioreactor, respectively. ARMMs were purified by ultracentrifugation (small scale) or a combination of TFF and AEX (scalable production). Both purification methods produced comparable ARMMs, in terms of size and payload incorporation. Single particle analysis showed approximately 50% were payload-containing ARMMs. Additionally, an in vivo study was conducted in mice to investigate the half-life and biodistribution of ARMMs administered intravenously. ARMMs showed rapid biodistribution predominantly to the spleen and liver and, to a lesser extent, kidneys, and lungs. The half-life of ARMMs in plasma was 6 ± 0.4 min. Altogether, this work advances knowledge on scale-up of engineered cell-derived vesicles for future in vivo delivery of therapeutic molecules.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87674-5Extracellular vesiclesARRDC1-mediated microvesiclesARMMs5B8Transient transfectionStable producer cell line
spellingShingle Kristin Luther
Ali Navaei
Leah Gens
Carson Semple
Pearl Moharil
Ilaria Passalacqua
Komal Vyas
Qiyu Wang
Shu-Lin Liu
Lucy Sun
Senthil Ramaswamy
Davide Zocco
Joseph F. Nabhan
Scalable production and purification of engineered ARRDC1-mediated microvesicles in a HEK293 suspension cell system
Scientific Reports
Extracellular vesicles
ARRDC1-mediated microvesicles
ARMMs
5B8
Transient transfection
Stable producer cell line
title Scalable production and purification of engineered ARRDC1-mediated microvesicles in a HEK293 suspension cell system
title_full Scalable production and purification of engineered ARRDC1-mediated microvesicles in a HEK293 suspension cell system
title_fullStr Scalable production and purification of engineered ARRDC1-mediated microvesicles in a HEK293 suspension cell system
title_full_unstemmed Scalable production and purification of engineered ARRDC1-mediated microvesicles in a HEK293 suspension cell system
title_short Scalable production and purification of engineered ARRDC1-mediated microvesicles in a HEK293 suspension cell system
title_sort scalable production and purification of engineered arrdc1 mediated microvesicles in a hek293 suspension cell system
topic Extracellular vesicles
ARRDC1-mediated microvesicles
ARMMs
5B8
Transient transfection
Stable producer cell line
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87674-5
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