Upcoming Webinar by Dr. Udo Reichl Explores Advances in Viral Vaccines and Antivirals
On Tuesday, September 17, Dr. Udo Reichl, Director at the Max Planck Institute in Magdeburg, will be hosting a pivotal virtual webinar titled "Viral Vaccines and Viruses as Antivirals: Process Intensification, Monitoring and Virus Harvesting."
The webinar will delve into the ongoing challenges and advancements in the field of viral vaccine production and antiviral therapy. As viruses remain a significant threat to global health, continuous innovation is essential for effective prevention and treatment. View the full abstract for Dr. Reichl’s talk below:
Viruses continue to be a major threat to human health and significant efforts have been made over the last century to prevent and treat viral diseases. As threats from known viruses that rapidly change in the face of selective pressure, climate change, and worldwide travel will continue to have dramatic consequences for human and animal health, food supply, and economies, vaccination as the most effective countermeasure is in high demand. The manufacturing of vaccines relies heavily on cell culture-based virus and viral vector production. Furthermore, cell cultures play a key role in the fight against cancer (oncolytic viruses) and in therapeutic measures (gene therapy). Equally, new approaches such as the use of virus particles in antiviral therapy are being considered.
Challenges regarding limitations in production technologies and process yields and ever increasing demands for viruses can only be met by process intensification and establishment of high-yield platform technologies. This starts with the selection of host cell lines and media development, includes high cell density cultures involving cell retention and perfusion mode cultivation, and ends with the use of on-line monitoring tools for process control. In addition, cGMP requirements need to be taken into account for efficient transfer from R&D to pharmaceutical industry.
To illustrate manufacturing options, the presentation will cover examples for high-yield production of viruses considered for conventional vaccines (influenza, Yellow Fewer, Zika virus, MVA) in suspension cell cultures. In addition, an overview on host cell selection, process optimization and continuous harvesting of virus particles considered for oncolytic therapy is given for a recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus and Newcastle disease virus (rVSV-NDV)). Finally, cell culture-based production of influenza A virus-derived defective interfering particles (DIPs) for use as a new class of antivirals and development of next generation mucosal live vaccines will be addressed.
This webinar is a valuable opportunity for those interested in the latest developments in viral science, from vaccine manufacturing to emerging antiviral therapies. Dr. Reichl's expertise promises to provide an in-depth understanding of the current state and future directions of these critical areas in biomedical research.