7. Conclusion

Today, it is estimated that an average of 30-40% of the recombinant proteins used in biopharmaceutical research and development are produced in insect cells. This high proportion does not reflect the under-representation of insect systems in the production of therapeutic proteins that have received marketing authorizations. However, this under-representation can be explained by totally objective biological and technical limitations. These relate more specifically to the glycosylation of proteins produced in insect cells, and to the production processes used.

There are a number of avenues open to overcome these limitations, and they are already being significantly reduced. Improvements to baculovirus or plasmid vectors, and to the glycosylation process in insect cells, are just one example. Optimization of culture media formulation and production processes, as well...