Virus Production Using VERO Cells In Flasks Without Serum In Chemically Defined Cell Culture Media

By Atherly Pennybaker, Media Formulation and Product Applications Specialist, InVitria

VERO cells are one of the most common continuous cell lines used in laboratory and industrial settings. VERO cells are traditionally grown in 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) and exhibit commercially acceptable doubling times and viability. However, current guidance by regulatory bodies in addition to GMP-compliant manufacturing of cell-based, advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) states that alternatives to FBS should be utilized due to poor reproducibility and safety concerns associated with FBS use . Popular serum free media (SFM), such as VP-SFM, contain high levels of hydrolysates that can cause batch-to-batch variability. OptiVERO was designed to eliminate these concerns and is a chemically defined and blood-free (serum free) media. Here, we compare VERO cell growth and virus production in OptiVERO vs FBS containing media in 2D cell culture flasks.