Flu Vaccine 2009 Produced, Distributed, Injected

Flu H1N1 Cell Tissue Cultures Used for Pandemic Swine Flu Vaccine

Jun 12, 2009
Donald Reinhardt

Flu Vaccine Vial with Viruses - CDC PHIL photo 5400

Flu H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine has been prepared and purified from flu viruses grown in MCDK cells in large fermenters. The vaccine provides effective immune protection.

Flu vaccine technology has taken a dramatic, new and very good turn. Chicken eggs are no longer the mainstay for production of flu vaccines, and that is good news as will be seen below. Soon millions of doses of highly-protective vaccine should be available throughout the world. Vaccination costs will run into the billions world-wide and that large expense for producing safe and effective vaccines can save lives and prevent illness.

Flu Vaccines from Cell and Tissue Culture Vaccines Compared with Egg-Based Vaccines

Flu vaccine production times and allergy considerations are compared below:

Egg-based vaccines take 6–9 months to get into full production, may produce egg allergies or exacerbate allergies in people who have them.
Cell culture-derived vaccines are up and running into full production within weeks and massive large amounts can be produced without fear of egg allergy problems.

Flu Vaccine Cell and Tissue Culture-Derived Types, What They Are, How They Work

Flu vaccine procedures used by Novartis are outlined below:

MDCK cells (derived in 1958 from a healthy dog's kidney) are removed from a deep freezer at -196 degrees centigrade and thawed. These cells are optimal for flu virus production.
Cells are added to 10-L stainless steel incubators in clean rooms to maintain “sterile” conditions. The cells proliferate into large, suspended tissue masses while incubated in liquid-based nutrient medium at controlled pH and temperature that is monitored constantly by computerized technology. After adequate growth, transfers are made to 100-L and 1,000-L tanks. Three weeks later the cells are ready for viral inoculations and the proliferation and production of viruses.
Cells are piped to a 2,500 L fermenter with fresh nutrients and flu viruses are added. The viruses attach to the cells, enter, replicate, kill the cells and seek any remaining viable kidney cells. A few days later, the viruses abound in the culture fluid.
Column chromatography is used for the separation of culture cells from viruses,
Ultrafiltration is used to concentrate the viruses to 100X (now 25 liters of the original 2,500 L).
Viruses are inactivated chemically and only the surface H and N antigens are used.

Flu Vaccine Cell and Tissue Culture Production Final Steps

Flu vaccines always contains three of the predominant circulating viruses in the world population. Thus, three different vaccine batches must be combined to produce a single vaccine. Novartis reports that every 3 X 2,500 L batch generates 450,000 flu vaccine units for immunization. At the mixing and filling stage the process has taken a total of 16 weeks, 4 months to complete.

There is another caveat to all this. The influenza viruses are notorious for shifts and drifts in their genetics.

If a new strain should be produced by gene mutations or recombination, then any current vaccine could be only partially or minimally protective. This is just another reason why life is never simple or straightforward. Stay alert and be informed.

Read more about flu vaccines, flu therapy, and epidemiology and pandemics.

See also the CDC and Novartis flu web sites for vaccine information.

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