Production of poxviruses with adherent or non adherent avian cell lines
The present invention relates to a method for replicating poxviruses such as vaccinia virus comprising the steps of inoculating avian embryonic stem cells with viral particles and culturing said cells in a basal medium until cells lysis occurs and newly produced viral particles are released in said medium.
1. Avian embryonic derived stem cells which proliferate in suspension in a medium free of serum (serum-free medium) which have been inoculated with viral particles of vaccinia virus and which replicate said viral particles of vaccinia virus.
2. The avian embryonic derived stem cells of claim 1 , wherein said avian embryonic derived stem cells are chicken or duck embryonic derived stem cells.
3. The avian embryonic derived stem cells of claim 1 , wherein said vaccinia virus is the native Modified Vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) or a recombinant thereof.
4. The avian embryonic derived stem cells of claim 1 , wherein said avian embryonic derived stem cells have at least one of the following characteristics:
a high nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio,
an endogenous alkaline phosphatase activity,
an endogenous telomerase activity,
a reactivity with specific antibodies selected from the group of antibodies SSEA-1 (TEC01), SSEA-3, and EMA-1.
5. The avian embryonic derived stem cells of claim 1 , wherein said avian embryonic derived stem cells have the following characteristics:
a high nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio, and
an endogenous alkaline phosphatase activity, and
an endogenous telomerase activity, and
a reactivity with specific antibodies selected from the group of antibodies SSEA-1 (TEC01), SSEA-3, and EMA-1.