A perfusion culture system for virus vaccine manufacture in diploid cell cultures.

Development of a new perfusion culture system for the production of attenuated poliomyelitis virus in cultures of diploid cells is described. The growth characteristics of the diploid cells (MRC-5) were found to be normal in the perfused system. Procedures for the routine production of cell cultures at twice the cell density of stationary bottle cultures were established. The yield of virus (Lsc 2ab) per cell and per unit of surface growth area were observed to be significantly higher in the perfused system than in parallel stationary bottle culture controls--by factors of three- and five-fold, respectively. The field was confirmed to be within the experimental range when small production-scale vessels were used. Subject to satisfactory results in the testing of the virus product, this system could be highly economic in large-scale vaccine manufacture.