BacMam technology and its application to drug discovery

Abstract

The recombinant baculovirus/insect cell system was firmly established as a leading method for recombinant protein production when a new potential use for these viruses was revealed in 1995. It was reported that engineered recombinant baculoviruses could deliver functional expression cassettes to mammalian cell types; a system which has come to be known as BacMam gene delivery. In the field of high-throughput screening the failure of many common transient gene delivery methods in reproducibility and cell survival has caused investigators to routinely apply stable cell lines in support of cell-based assays. The ease of use, versatility, safety and economics of the BacMam system makes transient gene delivery a viable option in the high-throughput screening setting and in most instances circumvents many of the limitations of stable cell lines. Although a few pharmaceutical companies have embraced the technology, its use is poised to become more widespread with increased familiarity and the emergence of enabling products based on the BacMam system.

Keywords::

• baculovirus
• biochemical assays
• cell-based assays
• cell engineering
• high-throughput

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Lorena Kallal and George Hanson for photomicrographs of BacMam transduced cells. The authors also thank George Hanson and Robert Oakley for helpful input on HCS and for critical review of the manuscript. The authors also gratefully acknowledge the input of our colleagues across GSK R&D who have helped establish BacMam technology as a key platform for drug discovery.

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