5 research outputs found
The global impact of the coronavirus pandemic
No full textThe coronavirus pandemic has engulfed the nations of the world for the first five months of 2020 and altered the pace, fabric and nature of our lives. In this overview accompanying the Special Issue of Cytokine & Growth Factor Reviews, we examine some of the many social and scientific issues impacted by SARS-CoV2 - personal lives, economy, scientific communication, the environment. International members of Istituto Pasteur in Rome and INITIATE, the Marie Curie Training Network reflect on the lasting global impact of the coronavirus pandemic.Medical Microbiolog
Cloning and characterization of interferon gamma-expressing oncolytic Semliki Forest virus
No full text100 days of solitude: the spring of COVID-19 through the eyes of 15 young virologists of the INITIATE program
No full textMedical Microbiolog
A scalable adenovirus production process, from cell culture to purified bulk
No full textAdenovirus (AdV) vectors are commonly used in cancer gene therapy trials, evaluated in gene therapy and used as vaccines for various diseases. AdV vectors are well studied and are suitable as vaccine vectors due to their ability to infect different cell types, remain episomal and produce stable high titer material. Manufacturing of safe and efficacious clinical-grade virus relies on a scalable and cost-effective production process. In this study, we have combined experimental work and process economy calculations, from AdV production in cell culture to purified bulk product up to 10L scale. An efficient and scalable process for AdV production was developed by evaluation of each process step. The most studied vector is serotype 5, making this a suitable system for process development of AdV vectors. Human AdV5 expressing the green fluorescent protein (GFP) was used for process development. First, suspension HEK 293 cells adapted to serum-free cell culture medium were optimized for AdV production and evaluated in different single use bioreactor systems. Tween 20 was used for cell lysis as a replacement for the traditionally used Triton X-100 (now on the Authorization list (Annex XIV) of REACH, the regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and restriction of Chemicals). A residual Tween 20 assay with low detection limit was set-up. Filters and conditions for clarification, concentration and buffer exchange by tangential flow filtration were optimized. Anion exchange based capture step alternatives were compared, including different chromatography resins and membrane formats. Finally, core bead technology was evaluated as an alternative to size exclusion chromatography for the polishing step before the final formulation. Analytical methods for virus titer are challenging and depend on purity and quality of the sample. For total virus titer, qPCR and HPLC methods were used. Furthermore, a method based on surface plasmon resonance (Biacore) was developed for analysis of adenovirus titer. For infectious virus titer, we have used a cell based assay with automatic image analysis. Based on analytical data different downstream process alternatives were compared regarding load capacity, recovery and purity and we propose a robust and scalable process with a favorable process economy.
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Estado cognitivo de adultos mayores latinoamericanos y del caribe durante el confinamiento por la pandemia del Covid-19
No full textEl SARS-CoV-2 (Coronavirus o síndrome respiratorio agudo severo) fue declarado por la OMS como una pandemia en el mundo. Los países latinoamericanos desarrollaron estrategias de aislamiento social para mitigar el contagio y expansión de este virus. Sin embargo, se ha observado que estas medidas esta teniendo repercusiones directas en la salud mental, sobre todo de población vulnerable, como los adultos mayores; afectando en estos la cognición, el estado emocional y conductual. Estos cambios podrían llevar a un incremento de patologías neurodegenerativas provocando un incremento de las demandas de atención sanitaria, mayores costes para el estado y para la familia. Es por ello que un consorcio de Universidades, Centros de Investigación y Clínicas en Latinoamérica y el Caribe nos propusimos analizar el estado cognitivo de los Adultos Mayores en Latinoamérica en el contexto actual de la pandemia, utilizando metodología de telesalud a través de un medio telefónico. Esperamos encontrar un aumento de los indicadores de deterioro cognitivo asociado a factores sociodemográficos y clínicos. Finalmente, esta información creemos permitirá desarrollar estrategias de mitigación e intervención temprana para reducir el riesgo de desarrollar patología demencial.Florez Niño, YulianaGelves Ospino, MelissaPorto Torres, MariaMendevil Diaz, AndreaRicaurte Manotas, MariaObando Camacho, SebastianEscorcia Lora, Juli
