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Updated: Mar 9, 2026
High-throughput Screening for Broad-spectrum Chemical Inhibitors of RNA Viruses
Published on: May 5, 2014
Screening different host cell lines for the dynamic production of measles virus
Tanja A Grein1, Felix Schwebel1, Marco Kress1
1Inst. of Bioprocess Engineering and Pharmaceutical Technology, Faculty of Live Science Engineering, University of Applied Sciences Mittelhessen, Wiesenstrasse 14, Giessen, 35390, Germany.
Abstract:
Measles virus (MV) has a natural affinity for cancer cells and oncolytic MV preparations have therefore been investigated in several clinical trials as a potential treatment for cancer. The main bottleneck in the administration of oncolytic MV to cancer patients is the production process, because very large doses of virus particles are required for each treatment. Here, we investigated the productivity of different host cells and found that a high infection efficiency did not necessarily result in high virus yields because virus release is also dependent on the host cell. As well as producing large numbers of active MV particles, host cells must perform well in dynamic cultivation systems. In screening experiments, the highest productivity was achieved by Vero and BJAB cells, but only the Vero cells maintained their high virus productivity when transferred to a stirred tank reactor. We used dielectric spectroscopy as an online monitoring system to control the infection and harvest times, which are known to be critical process parameters. The precise control of these parameters allowed us to achieve higher virus titers with Vero cells in a stirred tank reactor than in a static cultivation system based on T-flasks, with maximum titers of up to 1011 TCID50 ml-1 . © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:989-997, 2017.
Insights
Optimizing measles virus (MV) production for cancer therapy requires efficient host cells. Vero cells in stirred tank reactors, monitored by dielectric spectroscopy, yielded high oncolytic MV titers.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Virology
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Oncolytic measles virus (MV) shows promise for cancer treatment due to its natural affinity for cancer cells.
- Large-scale production of MV is a bottleneck for clinical application, requiring high virus yields.
- Host cell choice and cultivation methods significantly impact virus production.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate host cell productivity for oncolytic MV production.
- To optimize virus yield by evaluating different cell lines and cultivation systems.
- To implement online monitoring for critical process control during MV production.
Main Methods:
- Screening of different host cells (Vero, BJAB) for MV productivity.
- Comparison of static (T-flask) and dynamic (stirred tank reactor) cultivation systems.
- Utilizing dielectric spectroscopy for online monitoring of infection and harvest times.
Main Results:
- Vero and BJAB cells showed high initial productivity, but only Vero cells maintained high yields in stirred tank reactors.
- Dielectric spectroscopy enabled precise control over infection and harvest.
- Vero cells in stirred tank reactors achieved higher titers (up to 1011 TCID50 ml-1) compared to static systems.
Conclusions:
- Vero cells are highly productive for oncolytic MV in dynamic cultivation systems.
- Online monitoring with dielectric spectroscopy is crucial for optimizing MV production.
- This optimized process can significantly increase the yield of oncolytic MV for cancer therapy.
