Join us for the inaugural Lightning Lecture in the UCL What’s On series, featuring Associate Professor Darren Nesbeth (UCL Biochemical Engineering). In this session, he will explore how engineering adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) can transform the biomanufacturing of gene therapies and next-generation biologics.
Adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) are small, non-pathogenic viruses whose native form is replication-defective; they carry a single-stranded DNA genome and can infect dividing and non-dividing cells without integrating into the host genome strongly. That makes them powerful “delivery vectors” in gene therapy: scientists insert a therapeutic gene cassette between their inverted terminal repeats (ITRs), package them into capsids, and use them like nano-vehicles to deliver corrective DNA into patient cells.
However, making clinical-grade AAVs at scale is far from trivial. Because producer cells generate many empty or partially filled capsids (i.e. viral shells without the full therapeutic genome), one key challenge is to enrich for full particles and remove impurities. Upstream, the choice of cell line, plasmid design (helper and vector plasmids), genome size constraints, and capsid tropism engineering all influence yield and performance. Downstream, purification and analytics must meet strict “critical quality attributes” (potency, purity, genome integrity, capsid ratio, etc.), all while being scalable and cost-effective.
In his talk, Prof. Nesbeth will dive into synthetic biology strategies and bioengineering design to push AAV manufacturing toward greater efficiency, robustness, and innovation. That might include rational capsid modification, vector engineering to optimize packaging or tropism, process intensification, and new downstream purification approaches.
A few words about our speaker:
- Darren Nesbeth is Associate Professor of Engineering Biology in the Department of Biochemical Engineering at UCL.
- His research spans synthetic biology, cell engineering, bioprocessing, and gene delivery technologies.
- He holds a BSc in Molecular Biology (UCL) and a PhD in Molecular Cell Biology from Imperial College.
- Over the years, he has applied engineering-biology techniques to overcome bottlenecks in high molecular weight genome processing, and to integrate synthetic biology into bioprocess innovation.
Whether you’re broadly curious about synthetic biology, gene therapy, bioprocess engineering, or the future of biologics manufacturing, this talk will give you a front-row seat to the intersection of cutting-edge biology and process engineering.
When & Where Recap:
📍 IOE Bedford Way, Room 826
🗓️ Monday 6th October 17:30-18:30
We look forward to seeing you there — questions, curiosity, and caffeine all welcome.