Development of a Cost-Effective Automated Vaccine Manufacturing System Combining Vero Cell Lines High-Density Bioreactor and High-Performance Membrane Purification Platform in a Self-Contained Miniaturized Facility

José Castillo of Univercells in Belgium will create a compact low-cost and automated vaccine manufacturing platform by integrating three new technologies to produce more affordable vaccines at around 0.15USD per dose. Vaccine doses are generally 1-10USD most of which is due to inefficient production and high manufacturing costs including the need for major infrastructure. This relatively high cost prohibits their widespread use particularly in developing countries with limited funds. Starting with an inactivated poliovirus vaccine they will design and develop a compact high cell density bioreactor that concentrates vaccine production and high affinity capture membranes to streamline purification. They will house the technologies in a compact series of isolators that can be accommodated in a smaller laboratory space and perform pilot testing at a manufacturer's site to evaluate productivity and analyze purity and concentration of the vaccine.