Career summary

 

Wilfried Bakker is a principal consultant in vaccine development and bioprocess development, with more than three decades of experience spanning upstream bioreactor engineering, viral vaccine production, and clinical-stage product development. His work began with foundational studies on air-lift and cascade bioreactors and cell culture hydrodynamics, and evolved into leading roles in developing industrial processes for viral vaccines, notably next‑generation inactivated polio vaccines based on attenuated Sabin strains. He has contributed extensively to process scale‑up, cell line selection, modeling of Vero cell and poliovirus production, and to cost‑effective, animal‑component‑free and adjuvanted IPV processes that support global polio‑eradication and biosafety goals. Across 40+ peer‑reviewed publications, his output bridges engineering, virology and global health, and increasingly includes broader viral vaccine platforms (e.g. rotavirus, adenoviral vectors) and, more recently, applications in cardiovascular gene therapy, HIV vaccine antigen production, and platform technologies for difficult‑to‑express proteins.

 

 

 

Experience and track record

 

Our experience is grounded in a long series of successful R&D and industrial projects on inactivated polio vaccines based on attenuated Sabin strains, including next‑generation manufacturing processes and clinical evaluation in adults and infants. This is complemented by work on rotavirus vaccine manufacturing, novel adenoviral vectors for gene therapy and vaccines, and enabling platforms for difficult‑to‑express proteins such as HIV Env glycoproteins. We have extensive expertise in developing animal‑component‑free production processes, robust kinetic and scale‑down models, and analytical tools that accelerate process development and improve regulatory readiness.

 

 

 

 

Typical clients and projects

 

Our clients include:

 

 

• Emerging biotech and start‑ups developing novel viral vaccines, vectors or complex biologics.

 

 

• Established vaccine manufacturers seeking to modernize or regionalize vaccine production.

 

 

• Public health institutes and not‑for‑profit organizations involved in polio‑eradication, vaccine development and pandemic preparedness.

 

 

Typical projects range from process- and analytical development, conceptual design of new manufacturing facilities and process upgrades, through development of scale‑down models and data strategies, to expert input on clinical development plans and regulatory interactions for viral vaccines.