In the fight against emerging infectious diseases like COVID-19, vaccine research and development is crucial. But no matter how much you have one, it is useless if it cannot be produced on a large scale. And even more so if the enemy suddenly appears and expands at breakneck speed. A solution could come from the hand of the Spanish company Algenex, which has developed a technological platform whose bioreactors – devices used in laboratories to carry out chemical reactions with biological elements – come from nature.
Algenex experts work with the chrysalis or pupae – an intermediate development stage between the larvae and the adult – of the cabbage caterpillar or false logging worm (Trichoplusia ni ). It is a type of voracious moth that feeds on the leaves of crops such as cabbage, tomatoes, peppers and cotton. This is explained by José Escribano, scientific director of this Madrid-based company. “We use living organisms that have millions of cells inside them in perfect condition; you don’t have to do anything with the chrysalis to make them productive. In order for your cells to make the protein we need, we reprogram them with a genetically engineered virus. For each product that we want to obtain, we need a different modified virus ”. These proteins are those that would promote the desired immune response and protect us against the disease in question.
The microorganism used belongs to the baculovirus family, also used with other vaccines, such as human papilloma and some that prevent influenza. “They are very safe because they infect insects, but not mammals, including humans,” says Escribano. And he adds: “When we obtain the genetically manipulated virus, we produce an infection that spreads through the cells of the chrysalis. Thus, within these, the product we want to obtain is generated in large quantities; the last step is to purify and formulate it ”.
Automated process
The main advantage of this technology, unique in the world, is that it enables the entire process to be automated. “As insects are handled by robots, there is the possibility of scaling production to the desired level,” says Escribano. And it is that Trichoplusia moths are not very prolific. “Starting with a couple, we are capable of obtaining 250 million chrysalis”, Escribano specifies. And he adds: “If each chrysalis generates about ten doses, about 2.5 billion of them would be achieved.” By having these natural bioreactors, the company avoids having to build and implement supports to increase production. This technique is currently used to try to develop an immunization against COVID-19, but Algenex already has successful experiences with other vaccines. As Escribano explains, they have managed to produce the antigen against the flu in two months, a record time. This speed is crucial in vaccines that have to be renewed annually – in the case of the aforementioned flu – but also in exceptional circumstances, such as the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
By Nieves Sebastián
