Cell-based systems for producing influenza vaccines
AssigneeFluGen, Inc.
InventorsPamuk Bilsel, Yoshihiro Kawaoka, Gabriele Neumann
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a cell-based method for producing influenza virus vaccines by enriching the population of surface-bound α2,6-sialic acid receptors on a cell surface, such as on a Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cell surface. The host cell therefore presents numerous binding sites to which an influenza virus can bind via its hemagglutinin spike protein and infect the host cell. In contrast to wild-type CHO cells, the surface of the mutated CHO cells of the present invention contains an enriched population of α2,6-sialic acid receptors which makes the inventive CHO cells highly susceptible to viral infection, and therefore safe, effective, and highly efficient cells for rapidly producing influenza vaccines.
Claims16
A cell culture-based method for producing influenza virus vaccine, comprising (A) infecting a Chinese Hamster Ovary cell (CHO) with a human influenza virus that binds to cell surface 2,6-linked sialic acids, and (B) isolating human influenza viruses produced from the CHO cell, and (C) formulating the isolated human influenza viruses into an influenza virus vaccine, wherein the CHO cell expresses a ST6GAL1 gene and comprises cell-surface bound 2,6-linked sialic acids, and wherein the susceptibility of the CHO cell to human influenza virus infection is greater than a CHO cell that does not express the ST6GAL 1 gene.
A cell culture-based method for producing influenza virus for making a human influenza vaccine, comprising infecting a CHO cell that expresses ST6GAL 1 with a human influenza virus that binds to cell surface 2,6-linked sialic acids, wherein the susceptibility of the CHO cell to human influenza virus infection is greater than a CHO cell that does not express the ST6GAL 1 gene, and wherein the CHO cell produces infectious human influenza viruses.
A cell culture-based method for producing influenza virus for making a human influenza vaccine, comprising (A) infecting a Chinese Hamster Ovary cell (CHO) with a human influenza virus that binds to cell surface 2,6-linked sialic acids, wherein the CHO cell (i) expresses a 2,6-sialyltransferase gene (ST6GAL 1), and (ii) has an increased cell surface expression of 2,6-linked sialic acids, compared to a wild-type CHO cell;
- and (B) isolating human influenza viruses produced from the CHO cell, wherein the CHO cell yields a pfu/ml titer of human influenza virus that is at least 2 times higher than the pfu/ml titer yield of a CHO cell which does not express the ST6GAL 1 gene.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.