An initiative to manufacture and characterize baculovirus reference material.

This letter to the editor brings to the attention of researchers an initiative to develop a baculovirus reference material repository. To be successful this initiative needs the support of a broad panel of researchers working with baculovirus vectors for recombinant protein production and gene delivery for either therapy or vaccination. First there is a need to reach a consensus on the nature of the reference material, the production protocols and the baculovirus characterization methods. It will also be important to define repository and distribution procedures so that the reference material is available to any researcher for calibrating experimental data and to compare experiments performed in the various laboratories. As more and more baculovirus-based products are licensed or in the final stages of development, the development of a repository of baculovirus reference material is timely. This letter describes the requirements for the reference material and for the project as a whole to be successful and calls for a partnership that would involve academic, industrial laboratories and governmental organizations to support this international initiative.