Rapid processes for purification of capsular polysaccharides from Neisseria meningitidis serogroups A and C

The glycoconjugate vaccines against Neisseria meningitidis are highly effective, however most of these vaccines are expensive and still out of reach in the developing world as well as the technical know-how and the set-up required for the consistent production of pure polysaccharide is limited. Our laboratory has developed rapid, efficient and scalable processes for the downstream purification of N. meningitidis serogroup A (MenA) and serogroup C (MenC) capsular polysaccharides (PS). The MenC-PS was purified with a novel 2-step procedure including de-O-acetylation and hydrophobic interaction chromatography whereas, MenA-PS was purified using a rapid method as compared to the prior art. The purified PSs were analyzed by various analytical tests including nuclear magnetic resonance, molecular weight, composition and purity analyses to meet desired specifications. Our results provide a proof of principle for the purification of MenA-PS and MenC-PS with reduced timelines.