End-To-End, Fully Automated Manufacturing of Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cell Therapy Via CCR5 -Targeted Integration

Gene therapies utilizing hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) have curative potential across hematologic diseases, but manual manufacturing workflows are costly and difficult to scale, limiting patient access. Here, we demonstrated automation of an HSPC gene knock-in protocol on a high-throughput manufacturing platform designed for clinical-scale production. The platform executed all steps, from post-thaw HSPC inoculation through Cas9 electroporation, AAV6 transduction, and harvest, producing gene-edited HSPCs (geHSPCs) carrying an anti-HIV antibody transgene at the CCR5 locus with high purity, preserved differentiation potential, and editing efficiencies comparable to small-scale processing. Following transplantation into mice, geHSPCs engrafted and reconstituted multiple hematopoietic lineages, demonstrating that repopulation capacity was preserved. This work shows that clinical-scale doses of geHSPCs meeting release criteria can be produced on an automated, high-throughput platform, while preserving key product attributes and in vivo function, providing a path toward scalable and cost-effective manufacturing that could broaden access to HSPC gene therapies.

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Publication Details

Journal
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
Published
2026-10-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.10.28.758978
Primary Topic
Virus-based gene therapy research
Type
preprint

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preprint

End-To-End, Fully Automated Manufacturing of Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cell Therapy Via CCR5 -Targeted Integration

Anna Sahakyan, Matthew Hebden Porteus, Dmitry Malkov, Nowah Kokou Apeadoufia Afangbedji et al.
3 links
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
Virus-based gene therapy research
preprint

End-To-End, Fully Automated Manufacturing of Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cell Therapy Via CCR5 -Targeted Integration

Anna Sahakyan, Matthew Hebden Porteus, Dmitry Malkov, Nowah Kokou Apeadoufia Afangbedji, Arpit Batish, Freja K. Ekman, Fabrizia Urbinati, Jessica Fioravanti, Sofia E. Luna, Jack M.P. Castelli, Karthik Shastry, Kayla Ruggiero, Zhou Li, Victor Rocha, Julie Fang
preprint en

Abstract

Gene therapies utilizing hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) have curative potential across hematologic diseases, but manual manufacturing workflows are costly and difficult to scale, limiting patient access. Here, we demonstrated automation of an HSPC gene knock-in protocol on a high-throughput manufacturing platform designed for clinical-scale production. The platform executed all steps, from post-thaw HSPC inoculation through Cas9 electroporation, AAV6 transduction, and harvest, producing gene-edited HSPCs (geHSPCs) carrying an anti-HIV antibody transgene at the CCR5 locus with high purity, preserved differentiation potential, and editing efficiencies comparable to small-scale processing. Following transplantation into mice, geHSPCs engrafted and reconstituted multiple hematopoietic lineages, demonstrating that repopulation capacity was preserved. This work shows that clinical-scale doses of geHSPCs meeting release criteria can be produced on an automated, high-throughput platform, while preserving key product attributes and in vivo function, providing a path toward scalable and cost-effective manufacturing that could broaden access to HSPC gene therapies.

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
Stanford University (US)
American Society of Hematology, Stanford University, Hertz Foundation, Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans, National Institutes of Health, School of Medicine, Stanford University, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Good health and well-being
Virus-based gene therapy research
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