Non-Invasive Optical Sensor Based Approaches for Monitoring Virus Culture to Minimize BSL3 Laboratory Entry

Viswanath Ragupathy; Mohan Kumar Hayuri Giri Setty; Yordan Kostov; Xudong Ge; Shaunak Uplekar; Indira Hewlett; Govind Rao

doi:10.3390/s150714864

Non-Invasive Optical Sensor Based Approaches for Monitoring Virus Culture to Minimize BSL3 Laboratory Entry

Sensors (Basel). 2015 Jun 24;15(7):14864-70. doi: 10.3390/s150714864.

Authors

Viswanath Ragupathy¹, Mohan Kumar Hayuri Giri Setty², Yordan Kostov³, Xudong Ge⁴, Shaunak Uplekar⁵, Indira Hewlett⁶, Govind Rao⁷

Affiliations

¹ LMV/DETTD/OBRR/CBER/FDA, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA. viswanath.ragupathy@fda.hhs.gov.
² LMV/DETTD/OBRR/CBER/FDA, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA. Mohan.Haleyurgirisetty@fda.hhs.gov.
³ Center for Advanced Sensor Technology and Department of Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, MD 21250, USA. kostov@umbc.edu.
⁴ Center for Advanced Sensor Technology and Department of Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, MD 21250, USA. xge1@umbc.edu.
⁵ Center for Advanced Sensor Technology and Department of Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, MD 21250, USA. shaunak1@umbc.edu.
⁶ LMV/DETTD/OBRR/CBER/FDA, Silver Spring, MD 20993, USA. Indira.Hewlett@fda.hhs.gov.
⁷ Center for Advanced Sensor Technology and Department of Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, MD 21250, USA. grao@umbc.edu.

Abstract

High titers of infectious viruses for vaccine and diagnostic reference panel development are made by infecting susceptible mammalian cells. Laboratory procedures are strictly performed in a Bio-Safety Level-3 (BSL3) laboratory and each entry and exit involves the use of disposable Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE) to observe cell culture conditions. Routine PPE use involves significant recurring costs. Alternative non-invasive optical sensor based approaches to remotely monitor cell culture may provide a promising and cost effective approach to monitor infectious virus cultures resulting in lower disruption and costs. We report here the monitoring of high titer cultures of Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 (HIV-1) and Herpes Simplex Virus-2 (HSV-2) remotely with the use of optical oxygen sensors aseptically placed inside the cell culture vessel. The replacement of culture media for cell and virus propagation and virus load monitoring was effectively performed using this fluorescent sensor and resulted in half the number of visits to the BSL3 lab (five versus ten).

Keywords: BSL3 use; monitoring; optical sensor; virus cell culture.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Biomedical Research / methods
HIV-1
Herpesvirus 2, Human
Oxygen / analysis*
Spectrometry, Fluorescence / methods*
Virus Cultivation / methods*

Substances

Oxygen