Sf9 Insect Cells vs. HEK293 Mammalian Cells in rAAV Production

In the rAAV production industry, HEK293 cells, which originate from the human embryonic kidney, are the most widely used cell line. However, at Avirmax, we use the less common Sf9 insect cell line in our transfection process. The Sf9 cell line is a much safer and equally effective alternative to the traditional HEK293 method, making Avirmax's rAAV production one of the top choices in the biotech industry today.

One of the main issues in the field of gene therapy and vector manufacturing is immunogenicity. Viruses are naturally excellent vectors, but many viruses can cause dangerous diseases or provoke immune responses. Thus, adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) have become the viruses of choice for use as vectors because they are nonpathogenic and are unable to reproduce without the help of other viruses such as adenoviruses or baculoviruses. However, the inability of AAVs to reproduce on their own raises another problem in the manufacturing sector.

To mass produce AAVs for use as vectors, AAV DNA must be introduced into a cell line together with another virus to allow it to reproduce. Thus, while AAV is nonpathogenic on its own, the viruses that it depends on are pathogenic and can potentially infect the cell line. In the HEK293 mammalian cell line, viruses like adenoviruses or HSVs are used to enable AAV reproduction. These viruses are pathogenic and are capable of infecting mammalian cells, meaning they have the potential to infect human subjects. Introducing human pathogenic viruses into the AAV production process is a major safety concern.

Here's where the Sf9 insect cell line comes in. In AAV production using Sf9 cells, baculoviruses are transfected into the cell line in order to enable AAV reproduction. Baculoviruses are pathogenic, but only infect insects, not mammals. Therefore, even though pathogenic viruses are still being introduced in the manufacturing process, they have no potential to later spread to humans. Thus, using the Sf9 insect cell line completely removes the threat of potential infection, making the resulting AAVs much safer for human use.

Avirmax is proud to be at the forefront of Sf9 cell line use in the rAAV manufacturing industry. Sf9 insect cells are gaining in popularity and rapidly becoming the primary cell line for vector production. In addition to being safer than HEK293 cells, Sf9 cells and HEK293 yield similar vector production levels of approximately 10^5 GC/cell and 10^15 GC/L, so there is no significant difference in production efficiency between the two cell lines. At Avirmax, we offer our clients quality rAAV production using the newer and much safer Sf9 cell line method, making Avirmax one of the top choices for safe and effective rAAV production in the biotech industry today.