Viral vector purification with thermoresponsive-anionic mixed polymer brush modified beads-packed column

Viral vectors have attracted attention as a potential new therapeutic modality for gene therapy. In this study, we developed a temperature-modulated viral vector purification column using a mixed polymer brush composed of thermoresponsive and anionic polymers as packing material ligands. The mixed polymer brushes were modified on silica beads using a combination of reversible addition − fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS) and subsequent atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm). The temperature-modulated zeta potential change in the prepared mixed polymer brush was attributed to the PNIPAAm shrinking and exposing of PAMPS. The prepared mixed polymer brush modified beads were used as packing materials, and the elution behavior of the adeno associated virus type 2 (AAV2) vector was observed. The AAV2 vector was adsorbed on the mixed polymer brush by electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions at 40 °C. By reducing the temperature to 5 °C, adsorbed AAV2 vector on the mixed polymer brush was desorbed and eluted from the column due to lowering the electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions between the AAV2 vector and mixed polymer brush. The AAV2 vector was separated from bovine serum proteins as a contaminant using the column. The ability to infect cells was maintained by the recovered AAV2 vectors from the column. Thus, the developed column would be beneficial for the simple purification of viral vectors.