A cell line derived from the larval moth Spodoptera frugiperda, called Sf9, is used for vaccine development. While the line has been thought to be free of viral contamination, researchers at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) report in the June issue of the Journal of Virology that they’ve found a previously unidentified virus lurking in Sf9 cells.
While rhabdoviruses are common in plants, Sf-rhabdovirus is the first known to infect the insect group Lepidoptera. The analysis “indicated that the virus was most likely replicating in the cells, and its persistence indicated that it was constitutively produced from the Sf9 cell line,” the researchers wrote. The cell lines came from American Type Culture Collection and Invitrogen.
Given that little is known about this newly identified virus, the researchers wrote, “it is prudent to demonstrate the absence of Sf-rhabdovirus in cells used for the manufacture of biological products by sensitive testing at different stages of manufacturing or incorporation of viral clearance steps in the production scheme that can be validated using relevant model viruses.”
Posted by Tim Sandle
While rhabdoviruses are common in plants, Sf-rhabdovirus is the first known to infect the insect group Lepidoptera. The analysis “indicated that the virus was most likely replicating in the cells, and its persistence indicated that it was constitutively produced from the Sf9 cell line,” the researchers wrote. The cell lines came from American Type Culture Collection and Invitrogen.
Given that little is known about this newly identified virus, the researchers wrote, “it is prudent to demonstrate the absence of Sf-rhabdovirus in cells used for the manufacture of biological products by sensitive testing at different stages of manufacturing or incorporation of viral clearance steps in the production scheme that can be validated using relevant model viruses.”
Posted by Tim Sandle
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