A streamlined, automated workflow to screen and triage large numbers of baculoviruses for protein expression

The baculovirus expression system is a powerful and widely used method to generate large quantities of recombinant protein. However, challenges exist in workflows utilizing either liquid baculovirus stocks or the Titerless Infected-Cells Preservation and Scale-Up (TIPS) method, including the time and effort to generate baculoviruses, screen for protein expression and store large numbers of baculovirus stocks. To mitigate these challenges, we have developed a streamlined, hybrid workflow which utilizes high titer liquid virus stocks for rapid plate-based protein expression screening, followed by a TIPS-based scale-up for larger protein production efforts. Additionally, we have automated each step in this screening workflow using a custom robotic system. With these process improvements, we have significantly reduced the time, effort and resources required to manage large baculovirus generation and expression screening campaigns.