BBSRC STFC Facility Access Funding for OET

Baculovirus expression vectors (BEVS) have become one of the most versatile and successful systems to produce recombinant protein subunit vaccines, for illnesses including influenza, Covid-19 and other animal diseases.

An issue with producing a minority of recombinant baculoviruses in insect cells at scale is low yields and instability, which is thought to be linked to the structural integrity of the budded virus in the plasma membrane.  Whilst affecting only a minority of recombinant baculoviruses, these are often expressing important targets including membrane glycoproteins for vaccine development.

OET, in partnership with Oxford Brookes University, will examine the structural integrity of the budded virus with £85k awarded through the BBSRC STFC facility access fund towards accessing structural-characterisation facilities at ISIS neutron and muon source.

As a result, more of their projects will be scaled up leading to potentially more vaccines and other products going to market.