Comparative viral inactivation kinetics of electron beam and gamma irradiation and functional characterization of electron beam inactivated viruses
- 1National Center for Electron Beam Research, Texas A&M University
- 2Department of Food Science and Technology, Texas A&M University
Abstract
Introduction: Electron beam (eBeam) technology is increasingly being adopted in biomedical research and industry as an alternative to cobalt-60-based gamma irradiation. However, a comprehensive understanding of how eBeam energy and dose influence viral inactivation and the preservation of viral surface antigens remains limited. This study compared the inactivation kinetics of human rotavirus (RV), human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and influenza A virus (IAV) following exposure to high-energy electron beam (HEEB; 10 MeV), medium-energy electron beam (MEEB; 4.5 MeV), and gamma irradiation under conditions that were standardized to the greatest extent possible. Additionally, antigenic characterization was performed for HEEB and MEEB inactivated viruses.
Methods: Human rotavirus, human respiratory syncytial virus, and influenza A virus were irradiated using HEEB, MEEB and gamma irradiation using incremental doses under standardized experimental conditions. Viral inactivation kinetics (D ₁₀ ) were determined using TCID ₅₀ assays while preservation of viral antigenicity and virus–host receptor interactions were evaluated by hemagglutination and ELISA assays. Heat and formalin inactivation were used as experimental controls.
Results: All three modalities effectively inactivated the tested viruses with comparable overall inactivation efficiency. The D ₁₀ values of RV (1.23–1.29 kGy) and RSV (1.03–1.73 kGy) did not differ significantly ( p = 0.01) among the irradiation modalities. The IAV exhibited greater radioresistance, with D ₁₀ value ranging between 1.62–2.27 kGy. Complete inactivation by both high- and medium-energy eBeam was confirmed by three serial passages. Importantly, eBeam-treated viruses retained viral antigenicity (VP4, F-protein, and HA) at levels comparable to untreated controls, whereas heat and formalin treatments reduced antigenicity by 5.09- to 256-fold and 1.26- to 2-fold, respectively. Furthermore, eBeam-inactivated viruses exhibited 1.54- to 23.11-fold greater virus-host receptor recognition than heat and formalin inactivated preparations.
Discussion: Both high-energy and medium-energy electron beam modalities achieved viral inactivation efficiencies comparable to gamma irradiation under standardized conditions, supporting their potential as non-radioisotopic alternatives for viral inactivation. Importantly, eBeam treatment preserved viral antigenicity and functional virus–host receptor interactions more effectively than conventional heat and formalin inactivation methods. These findings highlight the potential of eBeam technology as a platform for producing inactivated viral preparations for vaccine development and other biopharmaceutical applications.
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BibTeX
@article{ali2026comparative,
title = {{Comparative viral inactivation kinetics of electron beam and gamma irradiation and functional characterization of electron beam inactivated viruses}},
author = {Muzaffar Ali and Chandni Praveen and Suresh D. Pillai},
journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2026.1963124},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1963124/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Comparative viral inactivation kinetics of electron beam and gamma irradiation and functional characterization of electron beam inactivated viruses
AU - Muzaffar Ali
AU - Chandni Praveen
AU - Suresh D. Pillai
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/20
JO - Frontiers in Microbiology
DO - 10.3389/fmicb.2026.1963124
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1963124/full
AB - Introduction: Electron beam (eBeam) technology is increasingly being adopted in biomedical research and industry as an alternative to cobalt-60-based gamma irradiation. However, a comprehensive understanding of how eBeam energy and dose influence viral inactivation and the preservation of viral surface antigens remains limited. This study compared the inactivation kinetics of human rotavirus (RV), human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and influenza A virus (IAV) following exposure to high-energy electron beam (HEEB; 10 MeV), medium-energy electron beam (MEEB; 4.5 MeV), and gamma irradiation under conditions that were standardized to the greatest extent possible. Additionally, antigenic characterization was performed for HEEB and MEEB inactivated viruses. Methods: Human rotavirus, human respiratory syncytial virus, and influenza A virus were irradiated using HEEB, MEEB and gamma irradiation using incremental doses under standardized experimental conditions. Viral inactivation kinetics (D ₁₀ ) were determined using TCID ₅₀ assays while preservation of viral antigenicity and virus–host receptor interactions were evaluated by hemagglutination and ELISA assays. Heat and formalin inactivation were used as experimental controls. Results: All three modalities effectively inactivated the tested viruses with comparable overall inactivation efficiency. The D ₁₀ values of RV (1.23–1.29 kGy) and RSV (1.03–1.73 kGy) did not differ significantly ( p = 0.01) among the irradiation modalities. The IAV exhibited greater radioresistance, with D ₁₀ value ranging between 1.62–2.27 kGy. Complete inactivation by both high- and medium-energy eBeam was confirmed by three serial passages. Importantly, eBeam-treated viruses retained viral antigenicity (VP4, F-protein, and HA) at levels comparable to untreated controls, whereas heat and formalin treatments reduced antigenicity by 5.09- to 256-fold and 1.26- to 2-fold, respectively. Furthermore, eBeam-inactivated viruses exhibited 1.54- to 23.11-fold greater virus-host receptor recognition than heat and formalin inactivated preparations. Discussion: Both high-energy and medium-energy electron beam modalities achieved viral inactivation efficiencies comparable to gamma irradiation under standardized conditions, supporting their potential as non-radioisotopic alternatives for viral inactivation. Importantly, eBeam treatment preserved viral antigenicity and functional virus–host receptor interactions more effectively than conventional heat and formalin inactivation methods. These findings highlight the potential of eBeam technology as a platform for producing inactivated viral preparations for vaccine development and other biopharmaceutical applications.
SN - 1664-302X
ER -