Achieving Infectious Titre with Multi-Laser Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA)
Understanding the Challenges of Viral Vector Analysis
The viral vector market has grown significantly with the development of advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs), including gene therapies. As researchers progress through clinical development and move towards commercial manufacturing, they need reliable analytical methods to characterise viral preparations and assess product quality.
However, viral particles present several analytical challenges. Their size, concentration and physical properties can vary, making it difficult to obtain a complete picture of a sample using a single measurement. Researchers must also understand how the number of particles relates to their ability to infect target cells, as particle concentration alone does not establish biological activity.
Why Infectious Titre Matters
Infectious titre measures the concentration of infectious viral particles within a preparation. This information helps researchers evaluate viral vector production, compare batches and assess the effectiveness of upstream processing.
Accurately characterising viral preparations requires techniques that provide meaningful particle data while helping researchers manage development time and costs. By measuring particle size and concentration, scientists can gain valuable insight into the composition of their samples and investigate how these measurements relate to infectious titre.
Using Multi-Laser Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis
Nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) offers a way to characterise particles in suspension by tracking their Brownian motion and analysing their light-scattering behaviour. The ViewSizer 3000 uses a multi-laser optical system to improve the analysis of heterogeneous particle populations, helping researchers measure particle size and concentration across a broad range.
In viral vector research, these measurements can support the characterisation of viral preparations and help researchers explore relationships between total particle concentration and infectivity data obtained through appropriate biological assays.
Improve Viral Vector Characterisation
This application note explores the challenges of analysing viral preparations during upstream processing and examines multi-laser NTA as a time- and cost-efficient approach to particle characterisation. It discusses how particle size and concentration measurements can contribute to investigations into infectious titre.
Discover how the ViewSizer 3000 can support viral vector research by providing detailed particle data to help researchers assess preparations, compare samples and make informed decisions during process development. NTA complements infectivity assays rather than replacing them, helping researchers build a more comprehensive understanding of viral vector quality.
