Vaccine Production

Vaccine production begins by cultivating pathogens, such as viruses or bacteria, to generate antigens.

For viral vaccines, particularly whole virus vaccines, host cells, such as mammalian cells, are grown in bioreactors and infected with the virus.

The virus replicates inside host cells, which are then lysed to release the viral particles.

The virus-containing mixture is clarified to remove cell debris and then purified.

Once purified, the virus may be maintained in an attenuated form or inactivated by killing with heat, chemicals like formaldehyde, or radiation, depending on the vaccine type.

For bacterial vaccines, bacteria are cultured in nutrient-rich media under controlled conditions.

The cells are then harvested and separated by centrifugation.

For whole-cell bacterial vaccines, cells are collected and inactivated by heat or chemicals.

For toxoid vaccines, secreted toxins in the supernatant are harvested and inactivated.

The resulting antigens are then formulated with adjuvants and stabilizers to produce the final vaccine.