Removing Cost Barriers To Scalable AAV Manufacturing With TESSA®

By Vaughan R. Leydon, Siobhan Clerkin, Yi-Hsin Fan, Michal Fleszar, Qian Liu, Heather D. Malicki, Louise Montgomery, Matthew A. Peckett, Weiheng Su, Francesca Vitelli

Scaling adeno‑associated viral vector manufacturing remains one of the most persistent challenges in gene therapy, particularly for indications requiring high doses or large patient populations. Traditional transient transfection methods rely on costly plasmids, complex workflows, and limited batch productivity, creating barriers to economic scalability and long‑term supply.

New production strategies are redefining how AAV vectors can be manufactured at scale. By rethinking how helper functions, packaging components, and vector genomes are delivered to production cells, these approaches reduce dependence on expensive critical reagents while significantly improving yield and consistency. Higher productivity per batch, combined with reusable upstream inputs, allows manufacturing costs to be amortized across many more runs.

Cost‑per‑dose modeling across multiple serotypes highlights the potential impact, with substantial reductions driven by both increased output and simplified production economics. Together, these advances offer a practical path toward scalable, commercially viable AAV supply—supporting broader clinical programs, larger indications, and improved patient access to AAV‑based therapies.