Tuesday, July 28, 2009 - 1:30 PM
S78

Reworking an Old Process: Virus Amplification using Chick Embryo Cells in Suspension Culture

Patrick Farrell, Hong Sun, Marie-Christine Locas, Cynthia Elias, and Tony D'Amore. Process Development,, Sanofi Pasteur, 1755 Steeles Avenue West, Toronto, ON M2R 3T4, Canada

Primary cultures of chick embryo fibroblasts (CEFs) have been used for decades as a substrate for viral vaccine amplification. The manufacturing capacity of processes employing CEFs is severely limited due to the fact that CEFs require a surface for cell attachment prior to virus infection; roller bottles or cell factories are typically used and scale-up is dependant on surface area. While the vaccine industry struggles to find continuous cell-line alternatives to egg-based manufacturing substrates, progress is being made towards improving their scalability. Sanofi pasteur is one company that has successfully developed a process for the amplification of viruses using chick embryo cells in microcarrier-free suspension culture, dramatically improving the manufacturing capacity.