Process intensification for production of rVSV

To prevent diseases such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Ebola virus disease vaccines are the most effective tool. For this, the promising viral vector recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) is applied as production platform. Using suspension HEK293 cells, rVSV-based vectors are currently only produced in batch mode. However, the establishment of perfusion cultivations at high cell concentration would clearly reduce the footprint in plants and increase flexibility in virus vector manufacturing. Thus, we seek to intensify the production of rVSV-based vectors by first obtaining higher concentrations of suspension HEK293 cells in perfusion mode and second applying monitoring and control strategies to achieve maximum infectious virus yields at reduced medium consumption. For this, one bioreactor run in batch mode and two production runs in perfusion mode are planned. The first perfusion cultivation will comprise the use of a cell retention unit coupled to a hollow fiber membrane. For the second perfusion culture, a membrane allowing for continuous virus harvesting and storage of infectious virions will be incorporated.

Faculty Supervisor:

Amine Kamen

Student:

Partner:

Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Biotechnology; Global Health; Pharmaceuticals

University:

McGill University

Program: