A flow-through chromatography purification process for Vero cell-derived influenza virus (H7N9)

Immunization is the most effective way to respond to an influenza epidemic. To produce Vero cell-derived influenza vaccines, a more efficient, stable and economical purification process is required. In this study, we purified the H7N9 influenza virus grown in Vero cells that were cultured in a serum-free medium by using a combination of anion exchange chromatography (AEC) and ligand-activated core chromatography (LCC), which avoids the virus capture step. After purification, 99.95 % host cell DNA (hcDNA) (final concentration: 28.69 pg/dose) and 98.87 % host cell protein (HCP) (final concentration: 28.28 ng/dose) were removed. The albumin content was 11.36 ng/dose. All these remnants met the current Chinese Pharmacopoeia and WHO requirements. The final virus recovery rate was 58.74 %, with the concentration of hemagglutinin recorded at 132.12 μg/mL. The flow-through chromatography purification process represents an alternative to the existing processes for cell-derived influenza viruses and might be suitable for the purification of other viruses as well.