Enabling animal-origin-free Vero cell workflows for viral vaccines
Vero cells are the predominant continuous mammalian cell line for viral vaccines and virus-based therapies, but the research workflows behind those therapies still rely on serum-supplemented media and porcine trypsin. Those animal-derived components introduce adventitious agent risk and immunogenic proteins, and most animal-origin-free alternatives are fixed proprietary blends that cannot be adjusted to the cell line, the virus or the process stage.
This study evaluates GMP-grade TrypsiNNex® and Recombinant Insulin as defined, animal-origin-free reagents across an adherent Vero cell workflow for HSV-1 production, from cell dissociation through viral propagation.
Recombinantly expressed raw materials reduce adventitious agent risk, minimize batch-to-batch variability and simplify the path to GMP manufacturing. We brought both reagents into Vero cells for the first time, extending prior single-product demonstrations in other cell lines, and addressed three questions: whether TrypsiNNex® can match animal-derived porcine trypsin in dissociating adherent Vero cells, whether Recombinant Insulin supplementation supports Vero cell expansion in animal-origin-free medium, and what effect Recombinant Insulin has on HSV-1 production yield and intracellular signaling.
Key takeaways
Together, TrypsiNNex® and Recombinant Insulin support animal-origin-free conditions across the Vero cell workflow, from dissociation through viral propagation:
- Animal-origin-free dissociation with TrypsiNNex® matches porcine trypsin in Vero workflows and simplifies upstream qualification.
- Tunable Recombinant Insulin supplementation sustains Vero cell growth across a wide dose range, giving flexibility in serum-free media development without dose-sensitive risk.
- Recombinant Insulin sustains the AKT signaling that HSV-1 exploits during productive replication, with an observed mean titer increase consistent with this mechanism.
- Together the two reagents span dissociation through viral propagation, lowering contamination risk and easing regulatory qualification across the full workflow.
Download the application note
Learn how defined, recombinant reagents can support animal-origin-free Vero cell handling, expansion and viral propagation, and simplify the path from research to GMP manufacturing. Download the full application note by completing the form below.
