Rethinking nuclease strategy to improve yield, product quality, and manufacturing economics in viral vector production

Viral vector manufacturing is at an inflection point. As demand accelerates, manufacturing cost and scalability are increasingly limiting patient access to life-saving therapies. Despite extensive optimization of upstream productivity and downstream unit operations, nuclease strategy remains an under-exploited lever with impact on yield, cost per dose, and product quality profile.

This white paper analyzes how optimized nuclease selection transforms viral vector manufacturing economics. Using experimentally validated data and cost modeling across AAV and lentiviral workflows, it shows how SAN HQ and M-SAN HQ enable superior chromatin clearance under process-relevant salt conditions, doubling recovery, improving downstream robustness, reducing nuclease costs by over 70%, and lowering cost of goods per dose by approximately 40%.