Scalable Lentiviral Vector Production Using Stable HEK293SF Producer Cell Lines.

Lentiviral vectors (LV) represent a key tool for gene and cell therapy applications. The production of these vectors in sufficient quantities for clinical applications remains a hurdle, prompting the field toward developing suspension processes that are conducive to large-scale production. This study describes a LV production strategy using a stable inducible producer cell line.

Generation of monoclonal pan-hemagglutinin antibodies for the quantification of multiple strains of influenza.

Vaccination is the most effective course of action to prevent influenza. About 150 million doses of influenza vaccines were distributed for the 2015-2016 season in the USA alone according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccine dosage is calculated based on the concentration of hemagglutinin (HA), the main surface glycoprotein expressed by influenza which varies from strain to strain.

Accelerated mass production of influenza virus seed stocks in HEK-293 suspension cell cultures by reverse genetics.

Despite major advances in developing capacities and alternative technologies to egg-based production of influenza vaccines, responsiveness to an influenza pandemic threat is limited by the time it takes to generate a Candidate Vaccine Virus (CVV) as reported by the 2015 WHO Informal Consultation report titled "Influenza Vaccine Response during the Start of a Pandemic". In previous work, we have shown that HEK-293 cell culture in suspension and serum free medium is an efficient production platform for cell culture manufacturing of influenza candidate vaccines. This report, took advantage of, recombinant DNA technology using Reverse Genetics of influenza strains, and advances in the large-scale transfection of suspension cultured HEK-293 cells.

Critical review of current and emerging quantification methods for the development of influenza vaccine candidates.

Significant improvements in production and purification have been achieved since the first approved influenza vaccines were administered 75 years ago. Global surveillance and fast response have limited the impact of the last pandemic in 2009. In case of another pandemic, vaccines can be generated within three weeks with certain platforms.

Particle quantification of influenza viruses by high performance liquid chromatography.

The influenza virus continuously undergoes antigenic evolution requiring manufacturing, validation and release of new seasonal vaccine lots to match new circulating strains. Although current production processes are well established for manufacturing seasonal inactivated influenza vaccines, significant limitations have been underlined in the case of pandemic outbreaks. The World Health Organization called for a global pandemic influenza vaccine action plan including the development of new technologies.

Inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3 enhances the differentiation and reduces the proliferation of adult human olfactory epithelium neural precursors.

The olfactory epithelium (OE) contains neural precursor cells which can be easily harvested from a minimally invasive nasal biopsy, making them a valuable cell source to study human neural cell lineages in health and disease. Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) has been implicated in the etiology and treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders and also in the regulation of murine neural precursor cell fate in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we examined the impact of decreased GSK-3 activity on the fate of adult human OE neural precursors in vitro.

Selective enhancement of the uptake and bioactivity of a TAT-conjugated peptide inhibitor of glycogen synthase kinase-3.

The use of cell-penetrating peptides as transduction vectors is a promising approach to deliver peptides and proteins into cells. However, the uptake and bioavailability of trans-activating transcriptor (TAT)-conjugated molecules vary depending on the cell type and the cargo. This study aimed to determine whether a low-voltage electrical pulse can enhance the TAT-mediated delivery of peptide cargoes in different cell types.

Measurement of cell-penetrating peptide-mediated transduction of adult hematopoietic stem cells.

The ability of cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) to cross cell membranes and transport cargo into cells makes them an attractive tool for the molecular engineering of stem cells. Even though the exact mechanism of transduction remains unclear, their potential has been demonstrated for diverse applications, including hematopoietic stem cell expansion and the generation of islets cells from embryonic stem cells. Several parameters can affect the intracellular delivery of CPP-based constructs.

Flow cytometric screening of cell-penetrating peptides for their uptake into embryonic and adult stem cells.

There is an increasing appreciation of the potential of cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) as vectors to deliver peptides, proteins, and DNA into cells. However, the absolute and relative efficacy of various CPPs for applications targeting stem cells and primary cells is unclear. In this study, we have developed a two-step loading method and a flow cytometric assay to systematically compare the cellular uptake of five CPPs into embryonic stem cells, neurospheres (NSs), primary bone marrow hematopoietic progenitor (Sca-1(+)Lin(-)) cells, and hematopoietic cell lines (TF-1, K562, and FDCP Mix).

Corrosion behaviour of a beta-titanium alloy.

The beta-titanium alloy, a particular type of titanium, has been investigated as a biomaterial because of its good mechanical performances and its high corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. This work focuses on the corrosion performance of a beta-titanium alloy of composition Ti-11Mo-2V-4Nb-3Al in Hank's physiological solution. Potentiodynamic tests were performed from -0.

In vitro cytotoxicity evaluation of a 50.8% NiTi single crystal.

To our knowledge, the biocompatibility of nickel-titanium (NiTi) single crystals has not been reported. Yet certain orientations of single crystals present several advantages over the polycrystalline form in terms of maximal strain, fatigue resistance, and temperature range of superelasticity. Therefore we tested the in vitro biocompatibility of 50.