December 21, 2006

US university tests cell-cultured bird flu vaccine

A bird flu vaccine cultured in laboratory-grown cells and not chicken eggs like traditional vaccines is in the process of being tested at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, US.

The new method allows for the production of large number of vaccines without being restricted by the supply of specialised chicken eggs used for the manufacture of traditional flu vaccines.

The particular vaccine is made from a virus grown in a line of kidney cells originally taken from African green monkeys, but which are now self-propagating. The fact that any number of kidney cells needed can be cultured would help in making as many vaccines as needed, pointed out Dr James Campbell, the lead investigator on the study.

The process was somewhat quicker than growing the vaccine in eggs and there was no limit to the amount of cells, the number of cells one could infect, he added.