Viral vaccines and their manufacturing cell substrates: New trends and designs in modern vaccinology

• Published in: Biotechnology journal Vol. 10; no. 9; pp. 1329 - 1344
• Main Authors: Rodrigues, Ana F., Soares, Hugo R., Guerreiro, Miguel R., Alves, Paula M., Coroadinha, Ana S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim WILEY-VCH Verlag 01-09-2015; WILEY‐VCH Verlag
• Subjects: Cell lines; Cell substrates; Chimeric vaccines; Humans; Review; Reviews; Vaccination - methods; Vaccination - trends; Viral Vaccines; Virus Diseases - prevention & control; Virus-like particles; Chimeric vaccines; Viral vaccines; Virus-like particles; Cell lines; Cell substrates
• ISSN: 1860-6768; 1860-7314
• DOI: 10.1002/biot.201400387

Vaccination is one of the most effective interventions in global health. The worldwide vaccination programs significantly reduced the number of deaths caused by infectious agents. A successful example was the eradication of smallpox in 1979 after two centuries of vaccination campaigns. Since the first variolation administrations until today, the knowledge on immunology has increased substantially. This knowledge combined with the introduction of cell culture and DNA recombinant technologies revolutionized vaccine design. This review will focus on vaccines against human viral pathogens, recent developments on vaccine design and cell substrates used for their manufacture. While the production of attenuated and inactivated vaccines requires the use of the respective permissible cell substrates, the production of recombinant antigens, virus‐like particles, vectored vaccines and chimeric vaccines requires the use – and often the development – of specific cell lines. Indeed, the development of novel modern viral vaccine designs combined with, the stringent safety requirements for manufacture, and the better understanding on animal cell metabolism and physiology are increasing the awareness on the importance of cell line development and engineering areas. A new era of modern vaccinology is arriving, offering an extensive toolbox to materialize novel and creative ideas in vaccine design and its manufacture.
In the past, animal cell culture and DNA recombinant technologies were decisive for vaccine progress, allowing the development of inactivated, attenuated and subunit protein based vaccines. Today, synthetic biology further expands vaccine design originating a myriad of different vaccines as chimeric ones, still under development but holding great expectations. This review focuses on vaccines against human viral pathogens, recent developments on vaccine design and cell substrates used for their manufacture. A new era of modern vaccinology is arriving, offering an extensive toolbox to materialize novel and creative ideas in vaccine design and its manufacture.