Recent Advancements and Challenges in Recombinant Expression for Commercial Production of Virus-Like Ps (VLPs)

Abstract

Virus-like ps (VLPs) are mimics of native viruses that are generated from the self-assembly of viral structural proteins. The ps lack genetic material and are therefore non-infectious and safe for biomedical applications. VLPs are being considered as vaccine candidates for a number of viral infections. The threat of current and future global outbreaks of viral infections has created a strong impetus to develop platform technologies for vaccine development. The WHO has approved a number of VLP-based vaccines, e.g., Engerix® and Recombivax® against Hepatitis B virus, Cervarix® and Gardasil® against cervical cancer caused by human papillomavirus, Hecolin® for people at high risk of HEV infection, and many more are currently at different stages of clinical trials. While there is increasing interest in VLPs from the biopharma industry, the high cost and poor yield that are typically associated with VLP-based vaccines continue to be a deterrent for their commercial production. Large-scale production of VLPs requires stable and highly expressive cell lines and optimal and efficient manufacturing and purification processes, with robust monitoring and control systems in place. This review aims to highlight the role of the expression host and strategy toward successful adoption of VLPs as a therapeutic platform.