Vero-cell rabies vaccine produced using serum-free medium

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Vaccinology
• Virology

Background:

• Rabies remains a significant global public health concern, necessitating the development of effective and accessible vaccines.
• Traditional vaccine production methods can be costly and complex, limiting availability in resource-limited settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize a new rabies vaccine using Vero cells in a serum-free bioreactor system.
• To evaluate the immunogenicity, stability, purity, and cost-effectiveness of the novel vaccine.

Main Methods:

• Vero cells were cultured on microcarriers in a serum-free medium and infected with the PV/VERO-Paris rabies virus strain.
• Viral suspensions underwent concentration via tangential filtration and purification by chromatography, followed by inactivation with beta-propiolactone.
• Immunogenicity was assessed in mice, comparing the new vaccine to commercial rabies vaccines (Verorab and HDCV).

Main Results:

• The new rabies vaccine induced mean neutralizing antibody titers of 10.3-34.6 IU/ml in mice, outperforming commercial vaccines (6.54-9.36 IU/ml).
• The vaccine exhibited excellent stability, maintaining efficacy for 14 months at 2-8°C, 30 days at 37°C, and 8 hours at 45°C.
• Serum-free production resulted in high purity, with residual cellular DNA <22.8 pg per dose, and contributed to reduced production costs.

Conclusions:

• The developed rabies vaccine demonstrates potent immunogenicity, high purity, and favorable stability, making it a viable candidate for widespread use.
• The serum-free manufacturing process enhances downstream processing efficiency and reduces overall production costs.
• This innovative rabies vaccine technology holds significant potential for improving rabies control in public health initiatives worldwide.