Use of Insect Cell Culture for Production of Proteins and Viral Pesticides

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The insect cell-baculovirus system has received rapid and wide acceptance as a laboratory or small- scale system for production of proteins from recombinant DNA, and an "AIDS vaccine" produced by insect cell systems is in clinical trials. This system offers advantages of safety, high productivity, generally reliable production of active proteins, and a high degree of post-translational processing. Since the post-translational processing machinery of insect cells is not identical to that of mammalian cells, there may be some limitation on the types of proteins that are best produced in insect cell systems. However, products from insect cells typically elicit a strong immunogenic response, and this system appears particularly well-suited for use in vaccine production and possibly for antibodies. In addition, the virus itself may be genetically-engineered to improve its properties as a safe, specific, and effective insecticide against major crop pests and forest insect pests. One of the Principal Investigators (PIs) has conducted the first tests in this country of a field released genetically- engineered virus. The overall objective of this project is the development of a basis for predictable large-scale production of proteins and insecticides using insect cell lines. For either production of proteins or viral pesticides, more efficient production systems will be required. Because these products may be required in large volumes, and are likely to be cost-sensitive (e.g., animal vaccines and bioinsecticides), the success of the system will be strongly dependent on improved and novel engineering design.