Baculovirus production comparing STR and wave bioreactors

• Grant number: 18/08526-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Effective date (Start): July 14, 2018
• Effective date (End): January 13, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Aldo Tonso
• Grantee: Karina Klafke
• Supervisor: James M. Slavicek
• Host Institution: Escola Politécnica (EP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Research place: Northeastern Center for Forest Health Research, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 17/06371-1 - Development of production process of baculovirus biopesticide by Sf9 insect cells in bioreactor, BP.MS

Abstract

Corn crop has extremely economic importance for representing a major part of human and animal diet, being a high value commodity product. Hence, the difficulties in plantation could cause a great prejudice, pests, for example, could account for 30% in reduction of production. The application of chemical solutions brings not only a relevant expend but also an important environmental and human health impact. Along with increasing demands in agriculture yield, biopesticides emerge as a pertinent option. Brazil is an example of one of the most successful cases of biopesticides field use in the Biological Control Program of the Soybean Caterpillar (EMBRAPA, 2002). This was achieved by the production in vivo of a baculovirus, a target specific virus, which is a natural controller of Arthropoda phylum. Although effective, it is a rather labor-intensive method that results in a high-cost, low-competitive product. In contrast, in vitro production using cell culture in bioreactor brings the possibility of greater process control, with higher quality and high volume in a smaller space. Previous works of our research group suggested the possibility of gas sparging causing a shear stress in Sf9 insect cell line, compromising SfMNPV baculovirus infection. With this in mind, we aim to test bubble free approaches, such as wave bioreactor, in order to confirm this hypothesis comparing with the usual sparged STR bioreactor. Analysis will be made to stablish kinetic growth, cell viability and polyhedron production. (AU)