Redbiotec and GE Healthcare collaborate on CMV vaccine

Biopharma company Redbiotec and multinational GE Healthcare Life Sciences are collaborating on a process which could lead to the development and production of new vaccines against cytomegalovirus (CMV). CMV is a common viral infection which causes a mild flu-like illness in healthy people, but can be dangerous when it is able to infect those with a weakened immune system.

Redbiotec uses its rePAX co-expression technology for the efficient generation of multi-component virus-like particles (VLPs) and other protein assemblies. As explained by Redbiotec CEO Christian Schaub, the technology “allows us to successfully replicate viral structures or even whole viruses”.

“Importantly, these natural, virus-like particles (reVLPs) are functional but non-replicating, rendering them non-hazardous and allowing us to apply them to vaccine development,” he said. “The vaccine will then stimulate an immune response without causing infectious disease.”

Using GE Healthcare’s single-use Wave Bioreactor and ReadyToProcess cross-flow filtration system, the team developed a novel process for the production, clarification and concentration of CMV-like particles. Writing in the journal Engineering in Life Sciences, the researchers stated that the system is “a suitable solution for scalable processing of CMV reVLPs, instrumental for a cost-effective manufacturing process of a future vaccine product”.

“Kept in a fully contained circuit throughout the process, this pre-sterilised system enabled an endotoxin-free environment by preventing microorganism contamination; moreover, by enabling a fully aseptic process, sterile filtration may possibly be omitted, which can be challenging because of the large size of the CMV reVLPs,” the authors said.

Schaub stated, “Collaborations such as this project with GE Healthcare enable us to develop CMV-like particles and soluble CMV protein complexes at an industrial scale for the preclinical and clinical trials of vaccines.” The companies plan to continue their partnership, with GE Healthcare Life Sciences to provide its next-generation Wave Bioreactor, the ReadyToProcess Wave 25, to advance the production process in future.