Germ-free eggs from Ireland’s Ovagen Group could cut raw material needs for yellow fever vaccine production by more than 90%, according to new data from a U.K. study.
Researchers at the Pirbright Institute found that Ovagen’s embryonated chicken eggs yielded an average 7,606 doses of yellow fever 17D vaccine per egg, compared with 422 doses from industry-standard specified pathogen-free eggs and as few as six doses from another supplier.
Ovagen estimates that filling the current global shortfall of 60 million yellow fever doses would require approximately 7,900 of its germ-free eggs, rather than more than 140,000 SPF eggs. Fewer eggs mean fewer antibiotics and other inputs, lowering costs and reducing antimicrobial resistance risks, the company said.
“What we have developed isn’t incremental, it’s a complete rethink of the vaccine manufacturing process. Our germ-free egg platform eliminates bacterial contamination and reduces the need for antibiotics in vaccine production, while delivering significantly higher viral yield. This is high-impact science with high-value commercial outcomes,” CEO Catherine Caulfield said.
The study also recorded a five-fold reduction in interferon-beta response, a change that can boost viral replication and further increase output.
Ovagen has raised more than €21 million from private investors, venture capital and European grants. The company holds global patents on its germ-free egg technology and has completed pilot trials with vaccine makers.
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