Virus-like particle production at low multiplicities of infection with the baculovirus insect cell system

Process intensification of the baculovirus expression vector system using a perfusion process with a low multiplicity of infection at high cell concentrations

The emergence of new viruses and the spread of existing pathogens necessitate efficient vaccine production methods. The baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS) is an efficient and scalable system for subunit and virus-like particle vaccine production and gene therapy vectors. However, current production processes are often limited to low cell concentrations (1-4 × 106 cells/mL) in fed-batch mode. To improve the volumetric productivity of the BEVS, a medium exchange strategy was investigated. Screening experiments were performed to test baculovirus (expressing green fluorescent protein; GFP) infection and productivity of insect cell cultures infected at high cell concentration (1-2 × 107 cells/mL), showing that infection at high cell concentrations was possible with medium exchange. Next, duplicate perfusion runs with baculovirus infection were performed using a cell concentration upon infection (CCI) of 1.2 × 107 cells/mL and a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 0.01, reaching a maximum viable cell concentration of 2.8 × 107 cells/mL and a maximum GFP production of 263 mg/L. The volumetric productivity of these perfusion runs was 4.8 times higher than for reference batch processes with a CCI of 3 × 106 cells/mL and an MOI of 1. These results demonstrate that process intensification can be achieved for the BEVS by implementing perfusion, resulting in a higher volumetric productivity.

Platforms, advances, and technical challenges in virus-like particles-based vaccines

Viral infectious diseases threaten human health and global stability. Several vaccine platforms, such as DNA, mRNA, recombinant viral vectors, and virus-like particle-based vaccines have been developed to counter these viral infectious diseases. Virus-like particles (VLP) are considered real, present, licensed and successful vaccines against prevalent and emergent diseases due to their non-infectious nature, structural similarity with viruses, and high immunogenicity. However, only a few VLP-based vaccines have been commercialized, and the others are either in the clinical or preclinical phases. Notably, despite success in the preclinical phase, many vaccines are still struggling with small-scale fundamental research owing to technical difficulties. Successful production of VLP-based vaccines on a commercial scale requires a suitable platform and culture mode for large-scale production, optimization of transduction-related parameters, upstream and downstream processing, and monitoring of product quality at each step. In this review article, we focus on the advantages and disadvantages of various VLP-producing platforms, recent advances and technical challenges in VLP production, and the current status of VLP-based vaccine candidates at commercial, preclinical, and clinical levels.

Real-time online monitoring of insect cell proliferation and baculovirus infection using digital differential holographic microscopy and machine learning

Real-time, detailed online information on cell cultures is essential for understanding modern biopharmaceutical production processes. The determination of key parameters, such as cell density and viability, is usually based on the offline sampling of bioreactors. Gathering offline samples is invasive, has a low time resolution, and risks altering or contaminating the production process. In contrast, measuring process parameters online provides more safety for the process, has a high time resolution, and thus can aid in timely process control actions. We used online double differential digital holographic microscopy (D3HM) and machine learning to perform non-invasive online cell concentration and viability monitoring of insect cell cultures in bioreactors. The performance of D3HM and the machine learning model was tested for a selected variety of baculovirus constructs, products, and multiplicities of infection (MOI). The results show that with online holographic microscopy insect cell proliferation and baculovirus infection can be monitored effectively in real time with high resolution for a broad range of process parameters and baculovirus constructs. The high-resolution data generated by D3HM showed the exact moment of peak cell densities and temporary events caused by feeding. Furthermore, D3HM allowed us to obtain information on the state of the cell culture at the individual cell level. Combining this detailed, real-time information about cell cultures with methodical machine learning models can increase process understanding, aid in decision-making, and allow for timely process control actions during bioreactor production of recombinant proteins.

Cell-line screening and process development for a fusogenic oncolytic virus in small-scale suspension cultures

Abstract

Oncolytic viruses (OVs) represent a novel class of immunotherapeutics under development for the treatment of cancers. OVs that express a cognate or transgenic fusion protein is particularly promising as their enhanced intratumoral spread via syncytia formation can be a potent mechanism for tumor lysis and induction of antitumor immune responses. Rapid and efficient fusion of infected cells results in cell death before high titers are reached. Although this is an attractive safety feature, it also presents unique challenges for large-scale clinical-grade manufacture of OVs. Here we evaluate the use of four different suspension cell lines for the production of a novel fusogenic hybrid of vesicular stomatitis virus and Newcastle disease virus (rVSV-NDV). The candidate cell lines were screened for growth, metabolism, and virus productivity. Permissivity was evaluated based on extracellular infectious virus titers and cell-specific virus yields (CSVYs). For additional process optimizations, virus adaptation and multiplicity of infection (MOI) screenings were performed and confirmed in a 1 L bioreactor. BHK-21 and HEK293SF cells infected at concentrations of 2 × 10⁶ cells/mL were identified as promising candidates for rVSV-NDV production, leading to infectious titers of 3.0 × 10⁸ TCID₅₀/mL and 7.5 × 10⁷ TCID₅₀/mL, and CSVYs of 153 and 9, respectively. Compared to the AGE1.CR.pIX reference produced in adherent cultures, oncolytic potency was not affected by production in suspension cultures and possibly even increased in cultures of HEK293SF and AGE1.CR.pIX. Our study describes promising suspension cell-based processes for efficient large-scale manufacturing of rVSV-NDV.

Key points

• Cell contact-dependent oncolytic virus (OV) replicates in suspension cells.

• Oncolytic potency is not encompassed during suspension cultivation.

• Media composition, cell line, and MOI are critical process parameters for OV production.

• The designed process is scalable and shows great promise for manufacturing clinical-grade material.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00253-022-12027-5.

Culture media selection and feeding strategy for high titer production of a lentiviral vector by stable producer clones cultivated at high cell density

The growing interest in the use of lentiviral vectors (LVs) for various applications has created a strong demand for large quantities of vectors. To meet the increased demand, we developed a high cell density culture process for production of LV using stable producer clones generated from HEK293 cells, and improved volumetric LV productivity by up to fivefold, reaching a high titer of 8.2 × 10⁷ TU/mL. However, culture media selection and feeding strategy development were not straightforward. The stable producer clone either did not grow or grow to lower cell density in majority of six commercial HEK293 media selected from four manufacturers, although its parental cell line, HEK293 cell, grows robustly in these media. In addition, the LV productivity was only improved up to 53% by increasing cell density from 1 × 10⁶ and 3.8 × 10⁶ cells/mL at induction in batch cultures using two identified top performance media, even these two media supported the clone growth to 5.7 × 10⁶ and 8.1 × 10⁶ cells/mL, respectively. A combination of media and feed from different companies was required to provide diverse nutrients and generate synergetic effect, which supported the clone growing to a higher cell density of 11 × 10⁶ cells/mL and also increasing LV productivity by up to fivefold. This study illustrates that culture media selection and feeding strategy development for a new clone or cell line can be a complex process, due to variable nutritional requirements of a new clone. A combination of diversified culture media and feed provides a broader nutrients and could be used as one fast approach to dramatically improve process performance.

High cell density perfusion process for high yield of influenza A virus production using MDCK suspension cells

Similar to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, influenza A virus poses a constant threat to the global community. For the treatment of flu disease, both antivirals and vaccines are available with vaccines the most effective and safest approach. In order to overcome limitations in egg-based vaccine manufacturing, cell culture-based processes have been established. While this production method avoids egg-associated risks in face of pandemics, process intensification using animal suspension cells in high cell density perfusion cultures should allow to further increase manufacturing capacities worldwide. In this work, we demonstrate the development of a perfusion process using Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) suspension cells for influenza A (H1N1) virus production from scale-down shake flask cultivations to laboratory scale stirred tank bioreactors. Shake flask cultivations using semi-perfusion mode enabled high-yield virus harvests (4.25 log₁₀(HAU/100 μL)) from MDCK cells grown up to 41 × 10⁶ cells/mL. Scale-up to bioreactors with an alternating tangential flow (ATF) perfusion system required optimization of pH control and implementation of a temperature shift during the infection phase. Use of a capacitance probe for on-line perfusion control allowed to minimize medium consumption. This contributed to a better process control and a more economical performance while maintaining a maximum virus titer of 4.37 log₁₀(HAU/100 μL) and an infectious virus titer of 1.83 × 10¹⁰ virions/mL. Overall, this study clearly demonstrates recent advances in cell culture-based perfusion processes for next-generation high-yield influenza vaccine manufacturing for pandemic preparedness. KEY POINTS: • First MDCK suspension cell-based perfusion process for IAV produciton was established. • "Cell density effect" was overcome and process was intensified by reduction of medium use and automated process control. • The process achieved cell density over 40 × 10⁶ cells/mL and virus yield over 4.37 log₁₀(HAU/100 μL).

Relocation of the attTn7 Transgene Insertion Site in Bacmid DNA Enhances Baculovirus Genome Stability and Recombinant Protein Expression in Insect Cells

Baculovirus expression vectors are successfully used for the commercial production of complex (glyco)proteins in eukaryotic cells. The genome engineering of single-copy baculovirus infectious clones (bacmids) in E. coli has been valuable in the study of baculovirus biology, but bacmids are not yet widely applied as expression vectors. An important limitation of first-generation bacmids for large-scale protein production is the rapid loss of gene of interest (GOI) expression. The instability is caused by the mini-F replicon in the bacmid backbone, which is non-essential for baculovirus replication in insect cells, and carries the adjacent GOI in between attTn7 transposition sites. In this paper, we test the hypothesis that relocation of the attTn7 transgene insertion site away from the mini-F replicon prevents deletion of the GOI, thereby resulting in higher and prolonged recombinant protein expression levels. We applied lambda red genome engineering combined with SacB counterselection to generate a series of bacmids with relocated attTn7 sites and tested their performance by comparing the relative expression levels of different GOIs. We conclude that GOI expression from the odv-e56 (pif-5) locus results in higher overall expression levels and is more stable over serial passages compared to the original bacmid. Finally, we evaluated this improved next-generation bacmid during a bioreactor scale-up of Sf9 insect cells in suspension to produce enveloped chikungunya virus-like particles as a model vaccine.

Highly efficient production of an influenza H9N2 vaccine using MDCK suspension cells

The use of H9N2 subtype avian influenza vaccines is an effective approach for the control of the virus spread among the poultry, and for the upgrading of vaccine manufacturing, cell culture-based production platform could overcome the limitations of conventional egg-based platform and alternate it. The development of serum-free suspension cell culture could allow even higher virus productivity, where a suspension cell line with good performance and proper culture strategies are required. In this work, an adherent Mardin–Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cell line was adapted to suspension growth to cell concentration up to 12 × 106 cells/mL in a serum-free medium in batch cultures. Subsequently, the H9N2 influenza virus propagation in this MDCK cell line was evaluated with the optimization of infection conditions in terms of MOI and cell concentration for infection. Furthermore, various feed strategies were tested in the infection phase for improved virus titer and a maximum hemagglutinin titer of 13 log2 (HAU/50 μL) was obtained using the 1:2 medium dilution strategy. The evaluation of MDCK cell growth and H9N2 virus production in bioreactors with optimized operating conditions showed comparable cell performance and virus yield compared to shake flasks, with a high cell-specific virus yield above 13,000 virions/cell. With the purified H9N2 virus harvested from the bioreactors, the MDCK cell-derived vaccine was able to induce high titers of neutralizing antibodies in chickens. Overall, the results demonstrate the promising application of the highly efficient MDCK cell-based production platform for the avian influenza vaccine manufacturing.

Bioreactor-Based Antigen Production Process Using the Baculovirus Expression Vector System

Several vaccines are already produced using the baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS). This chapter describes methods for generating recombinant baculoviral DNA (also called bacmid) for cultivating Spodoptera frugiperda Sf-9 cells and producing a baculovirus stock from the recombinant bacmid and for producing a protein-based vaccine with the BEVS in a stirred tank reactor.

A scalable insect cell-based production process of the human recombinant BMX for in-vitro covalent ligand high-throughput screening

Bone Marrow Tyrosine kinase in the chromosome X (BMX) is a TEC family kinase associated with numerous pathological pathways in cancer cells. Covalent inhibition of BMX activity holds promise as a therapeutic approach against cancer. To screen for potent and selective covalent BMX inhibitors, large quantities of highly pure BMX are normally required which is challenging with the currently available production and purification processes. Here, we developed a scalable production process for the human recombinant BMX (hrBMX) using the insect cell-baculovirus expression vector system. Comparable expression levels were obtained in small-scale shake flasks (13 mL) and in stirred-tank bioreactors (STB, 5 L). A two-step chromatographic-based process was implemented, reducing purification times by 75% when compared to traditional processes, while maintaining hrBMX stability. The final production yield was 24 mg of purified hrBMX per litter of cell culture, with a purity of > 99%. Product quality was assessed and confirmed through a series of biochemical and biophysical assays, including circular dichroism and dynamic light scattering. Overall, the platform herein developed was capable of generating 100 mg purified hrBMX from 5 L STB in just 34 days, thus having the potential to assist in-vitro covalent ligand high-throughput screening for BMX activity inhibition.

Integrating nanoparticle quantification and statistical design of experiments for efficient HIV-1 virus-like particle production in High Five cells

The nature of enveloped virus-like particles (VLPs) has triggered high interest in their application to different research fields, including vaccine development. The baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS) has been used as an efficient platform for obtaining large amounts of these complex nanoparticles. To date, most of the studies dealing with VLP production by recombinant baculovirus infection utilize indirect detection or quantification techniques that hinder the appropriate characterization of the process and product. Here, we propose the application of cutting-edge quantification methodologies in combination with advanced statistical designs to exploit the full potential of the High Five/BEVS as a platform to produce HIV-1 Gag VLPs. The synergies between CCI, MOI, and TOH were studied using a response surface methodology approach on four different response functions: baculovirus infection, VLP production, VLP assembly, and VLP productivity. TOH and MOI proved to be the major influencing factors in contrast with previous reported data. Interestingly, a remarkable competition between Gag VLP production and non-assembled Gag was detected. Also, the use of nanoparticle tracking analysis and flow virometry revealed the existence of remarkable quantities of extracellular vesicles. The different responses of the study were combined to determine two global optimum conditions, one aiming to maximize the VLP titer (quantity) and the second aiming to find a compromise between VLP yield and the ratio of assembled VLPs (quality). This study provides a valuable approach to optimize VLP production and demonstrates that the High Five/BEVS can support mass production of Gag VLPs and potentially other complex nanoparticles.

Application of advanced quantification techniques in nanoparticle-based vaccine development with the Sf9 cell baculovirus expression system

Nanoparticles generated by recombinant technologies are receiving increased interest in several applications, particularly the use of virus like particles (VLPs) for the generation of safer vaccines. The characterization and quantification of these nanoparticles with complex structures is very relevant for a better comprehension of the production systems and should circumvent the limitations of the most conventional quantification techniques often used. Here, we applied confocal microscopy, flow virometry and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) to assess the production process of Gag virus-like particles (VLPs) in the Sf9 cell/baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS). These novel techniques were implemented in an optimization workflow based on Design of Experiments (DoE) and desirability functions to determine the best production conditions. A higher level of sensitivity was observed for NTA and confocal microscopy but flow virometry proved to be more accurate. Interestingly, extracellular vesicles were detected as an important source of contamination of this system. The synergistic interplay of viable cell concentration at infection (CCI), multiplicity of infection (MOI) and time of harvest (TOH) was assessed on five objective responses: VLP assembly, baculovirus infection, VLP production, cell viability and VLP productivity. Two global optimal conditions were defined, one targeting the maximal yield of VLPs and the other providing a balance between production and assembled VLPs. In both cases, a low MOI proved to be the best condition to achieve the highest VLP production and productivity yields. Cryo-EM analysis of nanoparticles produced in these conditions showed the typical size and morphology of HIV-1 VLPs. This study presents an integrative approach based on the combination of DoE and direct nanoparticle quantification techniques to comprehensively optimize the production of VLPs and other viral-based biotherapeutics.

Cell Density Effects in Different Cell Culture Media and Their Impact on the Propagation of Foot-And-Mouth Disease Virus

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is endemic in many parts of the world. Vaccination is an important control measure, limits viral spread, and can help to eradicate the disease. However, vaccination programs are cost-intensive because of the short shelf life of vaccines and the need for frequent re-vaccination. Animal-component-free (ACF) or chemically defined media (CDM) at high cell densities are a promising approach for the production of inexpensive high-quality vaccines, but the occurrence of cell density effects has been reported for various virus-cell systems in vaccine production. For FMDV, the use of CDM or ACF media for vaccine production has not been studied and no information about cell density effects is available. This work describes the propagation of FMDV in ACF or in CDM. Cells were grown at increasing cell densities and either 100% media exchange or addition of 30% fresh media was performed before infection with FMDV. Increasing cell densities reduced the viral titer and increased yield variability in all media except BHK300G. This effect can be mitigated by performing a 100% media exchange before infection or when using the controlled environment of a bioreactor. The media composition and also a fragile relationship between virus and cell metabolism seem to be causal for that phenomenon.

High titer MVA and influenza A virus production using a hybrid fed-batch/perfusion strategy with an ATF system

A cultivation strategy to increase the productivity of Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA) virus in high-cell density processes is presented. Based on an approach developed in shake flask cultures, this strategy was established in benchtop bioreactors, comprising the growth of suspension AGE1.CR.pIX cells to high cell densities in a chemically defined medium before infection with the MVA-CR19 virus strain. First, a perfusion regime was established to optimize the cell growth phase. Second, a fed-batch regime was chosen for the initial infection phase to facilitate virus uptake and cell-to-cell spreading. Afterwards, a switch to perfusion enabled the continuous supply of nutrients for the late stages of virus propagation. With maximum infectious titers of 1.0 × 10¹⁰ IU/mL, this hybrid fed-batch/perfusion strategy increased product titers by almost one order of magnitude compared to conventional batch cultivations. Finally, this strategy was also applied to the production of influenza A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) virus considered for manufacturing of inactivated vaccines. Using the same culture system, a total number of 3.8 × 10¹⁰ virions/mL was achieved. Overall, comparable or even higher cell-specific virus yields and volumetric productivities were obtained using the same cultivation systems as for the conventional batch cultivations. In addition, most viral particles were found in the culture supernatant, which can simplify further downstream operations, in particular for MVA viruses. Considering the current availability of well-described perfusion/cell retention technologies, the present strategy may contribute to the development of new approaches for viral vaccine production.

Variable selection and parameter estimation of viral amplification in vero cell cultures dedicated to the production of a dengue vaccine

In this study, a dynamic model of a Vero cell culture-based dengue vaccine production process is developed. The approach consists in describing the process dynamics as functions of the whole living (uninfected and infected) biomass whereas previous works are based on population balance approaches. Based on the assumption that infected biomass evolves faster than other variable, the model can be simplified using a slow-fast approximation. The structural identifiability of the model is analysed using differential algebra as implemented in the software DAISY. The model parameters are inferred from experimental datasets collected from an actual vaccine production process and the model predictive capability is confirmed both in direct and cross-validation. The model prediction shows the impact of the metabolism on virus yield and confirms observations reported in previous studies. Multi-modality and sensitivity analysis complement the parameter estimation, and allow to obtain confidence intervals on both parameters and state estimates. Finally, the model is used to compute the maximum infectious virus yield that can be obtained for different combinations of multiplicity of infection (MOI) and time of infection (TOI). © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 35: e2687, 2019.

High-cell-density cultivations to increase MVA virus production

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Strategies for the production of MVA virus at high-cell-densities are presented.

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High-cell-density cultures can be downscaled from bioreactor to shake flasks.

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Optimal MVA virus production requires a combination of fed-batch and semi-perfusion.

Increasing the yield and the productivity in cell culture-based vaccine manufacturing using high-cell-density (HCD) cultivations faces a number of challenges. For example, medium consumption should be low to obtain a very high concentration of viable host cells in an economical way but must be balanced against the requirement that accumulation of toxic metabolites and limitation of nutrients have to be avoided. HCD cultivations should also be optimized to avoid unwanted induction of apoptosis or autophagy during the early phase of virus infection. To realize the full potential of HCD cultivations, a rational analysis of the cultivation conditions of the appropriate host cell line together with the optimal infection conditions for the chosen viral vaccine strain needs to be performed for each particular manufacturing process.

We here illustrate our strategy for production of the modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) virus isolate MVA-CR19 in the avian suspension cell line AGE1.CR.pIX at HCD. As a first step we demonstrate that the adjustment of the perfusion rate strictly based on the measured cell concentration and the glucose consumption rate of cells enables optimal growth in a 0.8 L bioreactor equipped with an ATF2 system. Concentrations up to 57 × 10⁶ cells/mL (before infection) were obtained with a viability exceeding 95%, and a maximum specific cell growth rate of 0.019 h⁻¹ (doubling time = 36.5 h). However, not only the cell-specific MVA-CR19 virus yield but also the volumetric productivity was reduced compared to infections at conventional-cell-density (CCD).

To facilitate optimization of the virus propagation phase at HCD, a larger set of feeding strategies was analyzed in small-scale cultivations using shake flasks. Densities up to 63 × 10⁶ cells/mL were obtained at the end of the cell growth phase applying a discontinuous perfusion mode (semi-perfusion) with the same cell-specific perfusion rate as in the bioreactor (0.060 nL/(cell d)). At this cell concentration, a medium exchange at time of infection was required to obtain expected virus yields during the first 24 h after infection. Applying an additional fed-batch feeding strategy during the whole virus replication phase resulted in a faster virus titer increase during the first 36 h after infection. In contrast, a semi-continuous virus harvest scheme improved virus accumulation and recovery at a rather later stage of infection. Overall, a combination of both fed-batch and medium exchange strategies resulted in similar cell-specific virus yields as those obtained for CCD processes but 10-fold higher MVA-CR19 titers, and four times higher volumetric productivity.

Production of virus-like particles for vaccines

Virus-like particles (VLPs) are nanostructures that resemble the structures of viruses. They are composed of one or more structural proteins that can be arranged in several layers and can also contain a lipid outer envelope. VLPs trigger a high humoral and cellular immune response due to their repetitive structures. A key factor regarding VLP safety is the lack of viral genomic material, which enhances safety during both manufacture and administration. Contemporary VLP production may take advantage of several systems, including bacterial, yeast, insect and mammalian cells. The choice of production platform depends on several factors, including cost and the need for post-translational modifications (PTMs), which can be essential in generating an optimal immune response. Some VLP-based vaccines designed to prevent several infectious diseases are already approved and on the market, with many others at the clinical trial or research stage. Interest in this technology has recently increased due to its advantages over classical vaccines. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art of VLP production systems and the newest generation of VLP-based vaccines now available.

Inoculation of cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3) on common carp brain cells-influence of process parameters on virus yield

Research of cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3) is focused on the infection mechanism and disease development in animals using genetic and immunological approaches to improve treatments and diagnostics. In contrast, only few tried to investigate the CyHV-3 replication behaviour in available cell cultures. Whereas, obtaining high virus yields by in vitro replication enables achieving of the mentioned above goals easier and more reliable. The following work presents an attempt to illuminate the KHV replication in common carp brain (CCB) cell cultures from the engineering point of view. The isolate KHV-TP30 was used testing the influence on process parameters, such as multiplicity of infection (MOI), time of infection (TOI) and time of harvest (TOH). Virus concentrations and infectivity at different time points of infection were examined using hydrolyzed probe qPCR (Gilad et al. 2004) and 50% tissue culture infectivity dose (TCID₅₀). The data obtained show that while the amount of the virus DNA remains constant after reaching its maximum, the infectivity of the virus decreases. Thus, especially, TOH can be crucial for generating a high-quality virus stock. Applying optimized parameters improved the infectivity of the harvested virus and reached a robust titre as high as 1.9 × 10⁸ TCID₅₀/mL. To our knowledge, so far, there is no information in the peer-reviewed literature showing comparably high virus titres. Such virus yields not only facilitate conduction of further studies, including stability tests of the virus stock under various supplementation or disinfection trails, but also provide enough virus material to perform more detailed examinations of the infection mechanism.

Combining stable insect cell lines with baculovirus-mediated expression for multi-HA influenza VLP production

Safer and broadly protective vaccines are needed to cope with the continuous evolution of circulating influenza virus strains and promising approaches based on the expression of multiple hemagglutinins (HA) in a virus-like particle (VLP) have been proposed. However, expression of multiple genes in the same vector can lead to its instability due to tandem repetition of similar sequences. By combining stable with transient expression systems we can rationally distribute the number of genes to be expressed per platform and thus mitigate this risk. In this work, we developed a modular system comprising stable and baculovirus-mediated expression in insect cells for production of multi-HA influenza enveloped VLPs. First, a stable insect High Five cell population expressing two different HA proteins from subtype H3 was established. Infection of this cell population with a baculovirus vector encoding three other HA proteins from H3 subtype proved to be as competitive as traditional co-infection approaches in producing a pentavalent H3 VLP. Aiming at increasing HA expression, the stable insect cell population was infected at increasingly higher cell concentrations (CCI). However, cultures infected at CCI of 3×10⁶cells/mL showed lower HA titers per cell in comparison to standard CCI of 2×10⁶cells/mL, a phenomenon named "cell density effect". To lessen the negative impact of this phenomenon, a tailor-made refeed strategy was designed based on the exhaustion of key nutrients during cell growth. Noteworthy, cultures supplemented and infected at a CCI of 4×10⁶cells/mL showed comparable HA titers per cell to those of CCI of 2×10⁶cells/mL, thus leading to an increase of up to 4-fold in HA titers per mL. Scalability of the modular strategy herein proposed was successfully demonstrated in 2L stirred tank bioreactors with comparable HA protein levels observed between bioreactor and shake flasks cultures. Overall, this work demonstrates the suitability of combining stable with baculovirus-mediated expression in insect cells as an efficient platform for production of multi-HA influenza VLPs, surpassing the drawbacks of traditional co-infection strategies and/or the use of larger, unstable vectors.

Viruses and Virus-Like Particles in Biotechnology: Fundamentals and Applications

Although viruses are simple biological systems, they are capable of evolving highly efficient techniques for infecting cells, expressing their genomes, and generating new copies of themselves. It is possible to genetically manipulate most of the different classes of known viruses in order to produce recombinant viruses that express foreign proteins. Recombinant viruses have been used in gene therapy to deliver selected genes into higher organisms, in vaccinology and immunotherapy, and as important research tools to study the structure and function of these proteins.

Virus-like particles (VLPs) are multiprotein structures that mimic the organization and conformation of authentic native viruses but lack the viral genome. They have been applied not only as prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines but also as vehicles in drug and gene delivery and, more recently, as tools in nanobiotechnology.

In this chapter, basic and advanced features of viruses and VLPs are presented and their major applications are discussed. The different production platforms based on animal cell technology are explained, and their main challenges and future perspectives are explored. The implications of large-scale production of viruses and VLPs are discussed in the context of process control, monitoring, and optimization. The main upstream and downstream technical challenges are identified and discussed accordingly.

Bioreactors for high cell density and continuous multi-stage cultivations: options for process intensification in cell culture-based viral vaccine production

With an increasing demand for efficacious, safe, and affordable vaccines for human and animal use, process intensification in cell culture-based viral vaccine production demands advanced process strategies to overcome the limitations of conventional batch cultivations. However, the use of fed-batch, perfusion, or continuous modes to drive processes at high cell density (HCD) and overextended operating times has so far been little explored in large-scale viral vaccine manufacturing. Also, possible reductions in cell-specific virus yields for HCD cultivations have been reported frequently. Taking into account that vaccine production is one of the most heavily regulated industries in the pharmaceutical sector with tough margins to meet, it is understandable that process intensification is being considered by both academia and industry as a next step toward more efficient viral vaccine production processes only recently. Compared to conventional batch processes, fed-batch and perfusion strategies could result in ten to a hundred times higher product yields. Both cultivation strategies can be implemented to achieve cell concentrations exceeding 10(7) cells/mL or even 10(8) cells/mL, while keeping low levels of metabolites that potentially inhibit cell growth and virus replication. The trend towards HCD processes is supported by development of GMP-compliant cultivation platforms, i.e., acoustic settlers, hollow fiber bioreactors, and hollow fiber-based perfusion systems including tangential flow filtration (TFF) or alternating tangential flow (ATF) technologies. In this review, these process modes are discussed in detail and compared with conventional batch processes based on productivity indicators such as space-time yield, cell concentration, and product titers. In addition, options for the production of viral vaccines in continuous multi-stage bioreactors such as two- and three-stage systems are addressed. While such systems have shown similar virus titers compared to batch cultivations, keeping high yields for extended production times is still a challenge. Overall, we demonstrate that process intensification of cell culture-based viral vaccine production can be realized by the consequent application of fed-batch, perfusion, and continuous systems with a significant increase in productivity. The potential for even further improvements is high, considering recent developments in establishment of new (designer) cell lines, better characterization of host cell metabolism, advances in media design, and the use of mathematical models as a tool for process optimization and control.

Production of Virus-Like Particles for Vaccination

The ability to make a large variety of virus-like particles (VLPs) has been successfully achieved in the baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS)/insect cell system. The production and scale-up of these particles, which are mostly sought as vaccine candidates, are currently being addressed. Furthermore, these VLPs are being investigated as delivery agents for use as therapeutics. The use of host insect cells allows mass production of VLPs in a proven scalable system.

Identification of three PPV1 VP2 protein-specific B cell linear epitopes using monoclonal antibodies against baculovirus-expressed recombinant VP2 protein

Porcine parvovirus type 1 (PPV1) is a major causative agent of embryonic and fetal death in swine. The PPV1 VP2 protein is closely associated with viral immunogenicity for eliciting neutralizing antibodies, but its antigenic structures have been largely unknown. We generated three monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against baculovirus-expressed recombinant PPV1 VP2 protein. A PEPSCAN analysis identified the minimal B cell linear epitopes of PPV1 VP2 based on these MAbs. Three core epitopes, (228)QQITDA(233), (284)RSLGLPPK(291), and (344)FEYSNGGPFLTPI(356), were defined and mapped onto three-dimensional models of the PPV1 virion and VP2 monomer. The epitope (228)QQITDA(233) is exposed on the virion surface, and the other two are located inside the protein. An alignment of the PPV1 VP2 amino acid sequences showed that (284)RSLGLPPK(291) and (344)FEYSNGGPFLTPI(356) are absolutely conserved, whereas (228)QQITDA(233) has a single substitution at residue 233 in some (S → A or T). We developed a VP2 epitope-based indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA) to test for anti-PPV1 antibodies. In a comparative analysis with an immunoperoxidase monolayer assay using 135 guinea pig sera, the VP2-epitope-based iELISA had a concordance rate of 85.19 %, sensitivity of 83.33 %, and specificity of 85.47 %. MAb 8H6 was used to monitor VP2 during the PPV1 replication cycle in vitro with an indirect immunofluorescence assay, which indicated that newly encapsulated virions are released from the nucleus at 24 h postinfection and the PPV1 replication cycle takes less than 24 h. This study provides valuable information clarifying the antigenic structure of PPV1 VP2 and lays the foundations for PPV1 serodiagnosis and antigen detection.

Mathematical model of adherent Vero cell growth and poliovirus production in animal component free medium

Sabin-IPV (or sIPV, inactivated polio vaccine based on attenuated Sabin strains) is anticipated to replace the oral polio vaccine for the endgame in polio eradication. Optimization of sIPV production will lead to a better economically feasible vaccine. To assist process optimization, we studied Sabin type 1 poliovirus (PV) infection kinetics on Vero cells in controlled bioreactor vessels. The aim of our study was to develop a descriptive mathematical model able to capture the dynamics of adherent Vero cell growth and PV infection kinetics in animal component free medium. The model predicts the cell density, metabolites profiles, and viral yields in time. We found that the multiplicity of infection (MOI) and the time of infection (TOI) within the investigated range did not affect maximal PV yields, but they did affect the process time. The latter may be reduced by selecting a low TOI and a high MOI. Additionally, we present a correlation between viral titers and D-antigen, a measure for immunogenicity, of Sabin type 1 PV. The developed model is adequate for further studies of the cell metabolism and infection kinetics and may be used to identify control strategies to increase viral productivity. Increased viral yields reduce costs of polio vaccines with large implications on public health.

Generation of recombinant porcine parvovirus virus-like particles in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and development of virus-specific monoclonal antibodies

Porcine parvovirus (PPV) is a widespread infectious virus that causes serious reproductive diseases of swine and death of piglets. The gene coding for the major capsid protein VP2 of PPV was amplified using viral nucleic acid extract from swine serum and inserted into yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae expression plasmid. Recombinant PPV VP2 protein was efficiently expressed in yeast and purified using density gradient centrifugation. Electron microscopy analysis of purified PPV VP2 protein revealed the self-assembly of virus-like particles (VLPs). Nine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against the recombinant PPV VP2 protein were generated. The specificity of the newly generated MAbs was proven by immunofluorescence analysis of PPV-infected cells. Indirect IgG ELISA based on the recombinant VLPs for detection of PPV-specific antibodies in swine sera was developed and evaluated. The sensitivity and specificity of the new assay were found to be 93.4% and 97.4%, respectively. In conclusion, yeast S. cerevisiae represents a promising expression system for generating recombinant PPV VP2 protein VLPs of diagnostic relevance.

Productivity, apoptosis, and infection dynamics of influenza A/PR/8 strains and A/PR/8-based reassortants

In cell culture-based influenza vaccine production significant efforts are directed towards virus seed optimization for maximum yields. Typically, high growth reassortants (HGR) containing backbones of six gene segments of e.g. influenza A/PR/8, are generated from wild type strains. Often, however, HA and TCID₅₀ titres obtained do not meet expectations and further optimization measures are required. Flow cytometry is an invaluable tool to improve our understanding of mechanism related to progress of infection, virus-induced apoptosis, and cell-specific productivity. In this study, we performed infections with two influenza A/PR/8 variants (from NIBSC and RKI) and two A/PR/8-based HGRs (Wisconsin-like and Uruguay-like) to investigate virus replication, apoptosis and virus titres at different multiplicities of infection (MOI 0.0001, 0.1, 3). Flow cytometric analyses showed similar dynamics in the time course of infected and apoptotic cell populations for all four tested strains at MOI 0.0001. Interestingly, higher MOI resulted in an earlier increase of the populations of infected and apoptotic cells and showed strain-specific differences. Infections with A/PR/8 NIBSC resulted in an earlier increase in both cell populations compared to A/PR/8 RKI. The Uruguay-like reassortant showed the earliest increase in the concentration of infected cells and a late induction of apoptosis at all tested MOIs. In contrast, the Wisconsin-like reassortant showed strong apoptosis induction at high MOIs resulting in reduced titres compared to lower MOI. Maximum HA titres were unaffected by changes in the MOI for the two A/PR/8 and the Uruguay-like reassortant. Maximum TCID₅₀ titres, however, decreased with increasing MOI for all strains. Overall, infections at very low MOI (0.0001) resulted not only in similar dynamics concerning progress of infection and induction of apoptosis but also in maximum virus yields. Highest HA titres were obtained for virus seed strains combining a fast progress in infection with a late onset of apoptosis. Therefore, both factors should be considered for the establishment of robust influenza vaccine production processes.

Latest developments in the large-scale production of adeno-associated virus vectors in insect cells toward the treatment of neuromuscular diseases

Adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors are gene vectors of choice for the development of gene therapy treatments for many rare diseases affecting various tissues including retina, central nervous system, liver, and muscle. The AAV based gene therapy approach became conceivable only after the development of easily scalable production systems including the Sf9 cell/baculovirus expression system. Since the establishment of the production of AAV in the Sf9/baculovirus system by the group of Rob Kotin, this new production system has largely been developed for optimizing the large scale production of different serotypes of AAV for preclinical and clinical purposes. Today this manufacturing system allows for the production of purified vector genome (vg) quantities of up to 2 × 10(15) for AAV1 using a 50L reactor and the scale up to larger reactor volumes is paralleled by a corresponding increase in the vector yield. This review presents the principles and achievements of the Sf9/baculovirus system for the production of AAV in comparison to other expression systems based on mammalian cells. In addition, new developments and improvements, which have not yet been implemented at a large scale, and perspectives for further optimization of this production system will be discussed. All of these achievements as well as further process intensifications are urgently needed for the production of clinical doses for the treatment of neuromuscular diseases for which estimated doses of up to 10(14)vg/kg body mass are required.

Adaptation of the Se301 insect cell line to suspension culture. Effect of turbulence on growth and on production of nucleopolyhedrovius (SeMNPV)

As chemical pesticides are being banned as control agents for agricultural pests, the use of the highly specific, safe to non-target organisms baculoviruses has been proposed. These viruses can be produced either in vivo or in vitro. In vitro production requires appropriated host insect cell lines with the ability for growing as freely-suspended cells. In this work, the Spodoptera exigua Se301 cell line was used to produce the commercially available S. exigua nucleopolyhedrovirus (SeMNPV) in suspension. Se301 cells showed to be very sensitive to the hydrodynamic shear rates developed in bioreactors. A process of progressive adaptation to freely-suspended cultures using protective additives against shear stress and disaggregant was proposed. The best combinations were polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) or polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) with the disaggregant dextran sulfate (DS). Both static and freely-suspended Se301 cell cultures were successfully infected with the SeMNPV baculovirus. Production of occluded baculovirus (OB) increased with the multiplicity of infection (MOI > 0.1).

Virus-like particles in vaccine development

Virus-like particles (VLPs) are multiprotein structures that mimic the organization and conformation of authentic native viruses but lack the viral genome, potentially yielding safer and cheaper vaccine candidates. A handful of prophylactic VLP-based vaccines is currently commercialized worldwide: GlaxoSmithKline's Engerix (hepatitis B virus) and Cervarix (human papillomavirus), and Merck and Co., Inc.'s Recombivax HB (hepatitis B virus) and Gardasil (human papillomavirus) are some examples. Other VLP-based vaccine candidates are in clinical trials or undergoing preclinical evaluation, such as, influenza virus, parvovirus, Norwalk and various chimeric VLPs. Many others are still restricted to small-scale fundamental research, despite their success in preclinical tests. This article focuses on the essential role of VLP technology in new-generation vaccines against prevalent and emergent diseases. The implications of large-scale VLP production are discussed in the context of process control, monitorization and optimization. The main up- and down-stream technical challenges are identified and discussed accordingly. Successful VLP-based vaccine blockbusters are briefly presented concomitantly with the latest results from clinical trials and the recent developments in chimeric VLP-based technology for either therapeutic or prophylactic vaccination.

Viruses and Virus-Like Particles in Biotechnology

Although viruses are simple biological systems, they are capable of evolving highly efficient techniques for infecting cells, expressing their genomes, and generating new copies of themselves. It is possible to genetically manipulate most of the different classes of known viruses in order to produce recombinant viruses that express foreign proteins. Recombinant viruses have been used in gene therapy to deliver selected genes into higher organisms, in vaccinology and immunotherapy, and as important research tools to study the structure and function of these proteins.

Virus-like particles (VLPs) are multiprotein structures that mimic the organization and conformation of authentic native viruses but lack the viral genome. They have been applied not only as prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines but also as vehicles in drug and gene delivery and, more recently, as tools in nanobiotechnology.

In this article, basic and advanced features of viruses and VLPs are presented and their major applications are discussed. The different production platforms based on animal cell technology are explained, and their main challenges and future perspectives are explored. The implications of large-scale production of viruses and VLPs are discussed in the context of process control, monitorization, and optimization. The main upstream and downstream technical challenges are identified and discussed accordingly.

Production and purification of VP2 protein of porcine parvovirus expressed in an insect-baculovirus cell system

The porcine parvovirus (PPV) VP2 protein was expressed in an insect-baculovirus cell system and was purified using Ni-NTA affinity column chromatography. The recombinant 6-His-tagged VP2 protein with molecular mass (Mr) of about 64 kDa was detected by anti-his antibody and anti-PPV serum. Electron microscopy showed that the purified VP2 protein assembled into spherical particles with diameters ranging from 20 to 22 nm. The expressed VP2 was antigenically similar to the native capsid protein according to HA and a Western blotting assay performed with polyclonal antibodies collected from an outbreak of PPV in one farm. This study provides a foundation for the application of VP2 protein in the clinical diagnosis of PPV or in the vaccination against PPV in the future.

Cell density effect in the baculovirus-insect cells system: a quantitative analysis of energetic metabolism

The cell density effect (i.e., the drop in the specific productivity in the baculovirus-insect cells expression system when cells are infected at high cell densities) has been extensively described in the literature. In this article, a model for the central metabolism of serum-free suspension cultures of Spodoptera frugiperda Sf9 cells is proposed and used to investigate the metabolic basis for this phenomenon. The main metabolic pathways (glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway, tricarboxylic acids cycle, glutaminolysis, and amino acids metabolism), cellular growth and energetics were considered. The analysis of the stoichiometric model allowed further understanding of the interplay of the consumption of carbon and nitrogen sources in insect cells. Moreover, metabolic flux analysis revealed that Sf9 cells undergo a progressive inhibition of central metabolism when grown to high cell densities, for which the incorporation of amino acids carbon backbones into the TCA cycle (mainly glutamine) and the down-regulation of glycolysis are partially responsible. Following infection by baculovirus and cellular division arrest, central energy metabolism depended on the infection strategy chosen (cell concentration at the moment of infection and multiplicity of infection), inhibition being observed at high cell densities. Interestingly, the energetic status of the culture correlated with the decrease in cellular production of baculovirus, meaning that there is room for process optimization through the application of metabolic engineering techniques.

Production of yellow fever virus in microcarrier-based Vero cell cultures

In this work, the propagation of the 17DD yellow fever virus in Vero cells grown on Cytodex-1 microcarriers was evaluated. After verifying that upon infection the virus adsorption step could be performed under continuous agitation, experiments were carried out in spinners and sparged lab-scale stirred-tank bioreactor to evaluate the use of a commercial serum-free medium (VP-SFM) and to investigate the effects of multiplicity of infection (MOI) and time of infection (TOI) on virus production. Virus titers as high as 8.4 x 10(8)pfu/mL were obtained upon infection with MOI of 0.02 and TOI of 3 days, using the serum-free medium in the sparged bioreactor.

Humoral immune response against human bocavirus VP2 virus-like particles

Human bocavirus (HBoV) was recently detected in samples from children and infants with infections of the respiratory tract. Here we analyze the prevalence of IgG and IgM antibodies against HBoV virus-like VP2 particles in healthy adult blood donors and children using a newly established standardized enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Virus-specific IgG antibodies were frequently detected in infants with active viremia and respiratory illness (10/24, 42%) and in young children without detectable HBoV genomes in their blood (27/52, 52%). In sera obtained from healthy adults, ubiquitous VP2-specific antibodies were found in 280/299 (94%) cases. HBoV-specific IgM antibodies were detected in 10/24 (42%) of sera samples obtained from HBoV DNA-positive children, and in 6/24 (25%) the sera displayed equivocal responses. In contrast, VP2-specific IgM was not detectable in samples obtained from 52 children without detectable amounts of HBoV genomes in their blood. Only 2/299 sera samples from healthy adult blood donors were found to be IgM-positive (1%), and equivocal IgM responses were observed in 9/299 (3%) individuals. In conclusion, a high IgG seroprevalence of HBoV in the adult population was observed, whereas the presence of virus-specific IgM was associated with viremia. These data show that ELISA test systems for the detection of HBoV-specific antibodies are a valuable tool for serological diagnosis of this new emerging pathogen.

CD4+ T helper cell responses against human bocavirus viral protein 2 viruslike particles in healthy adults

Background. Human bocavirus (HBoV) was recently described as a new member of the Parvoviridae family, and its possible association with respiratory illness in infants has been discussed. To date, HBoV genomes have been detected worldwide in respiratory tract samples obtained from children with pulmonary diseases, whereas only limited data on virus-specific immunity are available, mainly because of the lack of recombinant viral antigens.

Methods. HBoV viruslike particles (VLPs) were produced in insect cells and characterized by electron microscopy and cesium chloride gradient centrifugation. HBoV viral protein 2 (VP2)-specific antibodies and CD4⁺ T helper cell responses were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunsorbent assay and enzyme-linked immunospot assay.

Results. VP2 capsid proteins of HBoV were produced in insect cells infected with a recombinant baculovirus, and the formation of icosahedral VLPs (diameter, 21–25 nm; sedimentation density, 1.33 g/cm³) was demonstrated. A significant increase in secretion of VP2-specific interferon-γ was detected in cultures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from 69 healthy adults found to be positive for HBoV-specific immunoglobulin G antibodies, compared with control stimulations. In parallel, T cell responses against identically expressed parvovirus B19 VP2 VLPs were frequently observed in the individuals studied, without there being obvious cross-reactions between HBoV and parvovirus B19.

Conclusions. Data suggest the presence of HBoV-specific immune responses in adults and strongly support a high prevalence of HBoV among humans.

Enhanced protein expression in the baculovirus/insect cell system using engineered SUMO fusions

Recombinant protein expression in insect cells varies greatly from protein to protein. A fusion tag that is not only a tool for detection and purification, but also enhances expression and/or solubility would greatly facilitate both structure/function studies and therapeutic protein production. We have shown that fusion of SUMO (small ubiquitin-related modifier) to several test proteins leads to enhanced expression levels in Escherichia coli. In eukaryotic expression systems, however, the SUMO tag could be cleaved by endogenous desumoylase. In order to adapt SUMO-fusion technology to these systems, we have developed an alternative SUMO-derived tag, designated SUMOstar, which is not processed by native SUMO proteases. In the present study, we tested the SUMOstar tag in a baculovirus/insect cell system with several proteins, i.e. mouse UBP43, human tryptase beta II, USP4, USP15, and GFP. Our results demonstrate that fusion to SUMOstar enhanced protein expression levels at least 4-fold compared to either the native or His(6)-tagged proteins. We isolated active SUMOstar tagged UBP43, USP4, USP15, and GFP. Tryptase was active following cleavage with a SUMOstar specific protease. The SUMOstar system will make significant impact in difficult-to-express proteins and especially to those proteins that require the native N-terminal residue for function.

Scalable culture systems using different cell lines for the production of Peste des Petits ruminants vaccine

Peste des Petits ruminants (PPR) is considered as one of the major constraints to the productivity of small ruminants in Africa and Asian countries. Currently PPR control is done by vaccination with an attenuated PPR strain (Nigeria 75/1) produced in monolayers of Vero cells grown in roller bottles or static flasks. This work focuses on the production of a PPR vaccine strain using stirred conditions as an advanced option for process scale-up. Non-porous microcarriers (Cytodex-1) were used to support Vero cell growth in suspension cultures. The use of Ex-Cell medium could improve cell specific productivities obtained with standard serum containing medium, independently of the type of system used, i.e. static as well as suspension stirred cultures. As an alternative, several cell lines adapted to grow as single cells in suspension (CHO-K1, BHK-21A and 293) and another anchorage-dependent (MRC-5) were evaluated in their capacity to produce a PPR vaccine. BHK-21A and 293 cells grown as single-cell suspension in serum free medium were both suited to produce PPR vaccine with productivities similar to Vero cells, namely 10(6)TCID(50)/mL. However, for the 293 cells, these results were only obtained 2-3 days later. CHO-K1 and MRC-5 cells have shown not to be suitable to adequately produce this virus. These results provide further insights into the feasibility of applying microcarrier cell culture technology to produce PPR vaccine in Vero cells as well as in the alternative use of single-cell suspension cultures of BHK-21A, significantly simplifying the existing production process.

Modeling rotavirus-like particles production in a baculovirus expression vector system: Infection kinetics, baculovirus DNA replication, mRNA synthesis and protein production

Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe diarrhoea in children worldwide, responsible for more than half a million deaths in children per year. Rotavirus-like particles (Rota VLPs) are excellent vaccine candidates against rotavirus infection, since they are non-infectious, highly immunogenic, amenable to large-scale production and safer to produce than those based on attenuated viruses. This work focuses on the analysis and modeling of the major events taking place inside Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf-9) cells infected by recombinant baculovirus that may be critical for the expression of rotavirus viral proteins (VPs). For model validation, experiments were performed adopting either a co-infection strategy, using three monocistronic recombinant baculovirus each one coding for viral proteins VP(2), VP(6) and VP(7), or single-infection strategies using a multigene baculovirus coding for the three proteins of interest. A characteristic viral DNA (vDNA) replication rate of 0.19+/-0.01 h(-1) was obtained irrespective of the monocistronic or multigene vector employed, and synthesis of progeny virus was found to be negligible in comparison to intracellular vDNA concentrations. The timeframe for vDNA, mRNA and VP synthesis tends to decrease with increasing multiplicity of infection (MOI) due to the metabolic burden effect. The protein synthesis rates could be ranked according to the gene size in the multigene experiments but not in the co-infection experiments. The model exhibits acceptable prediction power of the dynamics of intracellular vDNA replication, mRNA synthesis and VP production for the three proteins involved. This model is intended to be the basis for future Rota VLPs process optimisation and also a means to evaluating different baculovirus constructs for Rota VLPs production.