Sabin-IPV (or sIPV, inactivated
polio vaccine based on attenuated Sabin strains) is anticipated to replace the oral
polio vaccine for the endgame in
polio eradication. Optimization of sIPV production will lead to a better economically feasible
vaccine. To assist process optimization, we studied Sabin type 1 poliovirus (PV)
infection kinetics on Vero cells in controlled
bioreactor vessels. The aim of our study was to develop a descriptive mathematical model able to capture the dynamics of adherent Vero cell growth and PV
infection kinetics in animal component free medium. The model predicts the cell density, metabolites profiles, and viral yields in time. We found that the multiplicity of
infection (MOI) and the time of
infection (TOI) within the investigated range did not affect maximal PV yields, but they did affect the process time. The latter may be reduced by selecting a low TOI and a high MOI. Additionally, we present a correlation between viral titers and D-
antigen, a measure for immunogenicity, of Sabin type 1 PV. The developed model is adequate for further studies of the cell metabolism and
infection kinetics and may be used to identify control strategies to increase viral productivity. Increased viral yields reduce costs of
polio vaccines with large implications on public health.