Development of a CHO-Based Upstream Process for Rapid Production of Coronavirus Antigen Variants

This project aims to improve future pandemic preparedness by creating a CHO-based platform capable of moving viral gene sequence to the production of recombinant antigen at benchtop scale quantities in 14 – 16 weeks, a 50% timeline reduction.
Categories
Active Immunization Countermeasures

Industry Need

  • Expression of viral antigen proteins for vaccine production in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells takes time. Decreasing this production time is vital to improve pandemic preparedness. 

Approach

Millipore Sigma aims to create a platform capable of expressing viral antigen proteins for vaccine production in CHO cells at small scale in 14–16 weeks. This will be achieved by developing versatile workflows, gene expression vectors that can be adapted for novel antigen proteins, and templated small scale bioreactor processes to improve viral antigen product yields. 


 The goals of this project are to: 

  • Develop an expression vector toolbox to enable the selection of an expression vector to produce viral antigens at higher yields 
  • Reduce the time required for cell line development, increasing project capacity per employee 
  • Significantly reduce the amount of screening for cells that contain the correct viral protein during cell line development 
  • Enhance and accelerate the transition from small scale to production scale for difficult to express proteins 


Impacts

The project's successful completion will enable faster delivery of valuable reagents to scientists and, specifically, vaccines (e.g., coronavirus) and biologic medicines to patients by reducing the overall timeline for protein production by more than 50%.

Value Statement/Outcomes

Implementing MilliporeSigma’s CHOZN® targeted integration platform streamlines cell line development, cutting timelines by 50% and reducing costs through minimized screening and efficient workflows. Optimized vectors and bioreactor processes ensure high-yield, consistent antigen production for reliable vaccine development. This approach accelerates candidate scale-up, enhancing pandemic preparedness and operational efficiency.

Outputs/Deliverables

The project team developed an expression vector toolbox which enables selection of an expression vector to produce viral antigens at higher yields

The platform reduced the time required for cell line development to increase project capacity per employee, significantly reduced the amount of screening for cells that contain the correct viral protein during cell line development, and enhanced and accelerated transition from small scale to production scale for future vaccine responses.

Posters

Fok, C., Presenter, ARP -16 Development of a CHO-based upstream process for rapid production of coronavirus antigen variants, NIIMBL National Meeting, Washington, D.C., July 28, 2022.

Presentations

Fok, W., Presenter, Development of a CHO-based upstream process for rapid production of coronavirus antigen variants, 2022 NIIMBL National Meeting, Washington D.C., 7/28/2022.

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Project Lead

EMD Millipore Corporation

EMD Millipore Corporation