1
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Schön A, Kwon YD, Bender MF, Freire E. Extrapolating differential scanning calorimetry data for monoclonal antibodies to low temperatures. Anal Biochem 2024; 691:115533. [PMID: 38642818 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2024.115533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/22/2024]
Abstract
For irreversible denaturation transitions such as those exhibited by monoclonal antibodies, differential scanning calorimetry provides the denaturation temperature, Tm, the rate of denaturation at Tm, and the activation energy at Tm. These three quantities are essential but not sufficient for an accurate extrapolation of the rate of denaturation to temperatures of 25 °C and below. We have observed that the activation energy is not constant but temperature dependent due to the existence of an activation heat capacity, Cp,a. It is shown in this paper that a model that incorporates Cp,a is able to account for previous observations like, for example, that increasing the Tm does not always improve the stability at low temperatures; that some antibodies exhibit lower stabilities at 5 °C than at 25 °C; or that low temperature stabilities do not follow the rank order derived from Tm values. Most importantly, the activation heat capacity model is able to reproduce time dependent stabilities measured by size exclusion chromatography at low temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arne Schön
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Young Do Kwon
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Michael F Bender
- Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Ernesto Freire
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA.
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2
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Carrillo RJ, Semple A. DSC Derived (Ea & ΔG) Energetics and Aggregation Predictions for mAbs. J Pharm Sci 2024:S0022-3549(24)00182-5. [PMID: 38761862 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2024.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2024] [Revised: 05/11/2024] [Accepted: 05/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024]
Abstract
The Arrhenius energy of activation of unfolding Ea unfolding and Gibbs free energy of unfolding ΔG unfolding have been calculated utilizing DSC differential scanning calorimetry for 4 mAbs (1 biosimilar) in 3 formulations. DSC derived ΔTm melting temperature changes for each mAb domain (CH2, Fab, CH3) at calorimetric scan rates at 60 °C, 90 °C, 150 °C and 200 °C / hr. were utilized to calculate the kinetic Eaunfolding. The DSC derived Ea trend with observed aggregate formation and can be used to predict%HMW formation post 9-month storage at 5 °C and 40 °C for all formulations analyzed. Additionally, thermodynamic ΔG unfolding energies were also derived (Tm, ΔCp and ΔH measurements) for each mAb at every scan rate to observe scan rate dependence of ΔG and for extrapolation to 0 °C/hr. (to report ΔG at true equilibrium conditions). Both derived thermodynamic ΔG and kinetic Ea energies were combined to build full energetic landscapes for mAb unfolding and aggregation. Statistical multivariate analysis of kinetic (Ea CH2, Ea Fab, Ea CH3) energies, thermodynamic (ΔG5 °C and ΔG40 °C) energies and in-silico modeled surface properties was also performed. Analysis revealed key significant parameters contributing to aggregation. These parameters were utilized to build predictive aggregation models for 25 mg/mL mAb formulations stored 9-months at 5 °C and 40 °C.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralf J Carrillo
- Merck & Co., Inc., Pharmaceutical Sciences, Research Pharmacy, SSP Sterile Specialty Products, Kenilworth N.J., USA.
| | - Andy Semple
- Merck & Co., Inc., Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biologics AR&D, Kenilworth N.J., USA
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3
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Rembert KB, Gokarn YR, Saluja A. Designing Robust Monoclonal Antibody Drug Products: Pitfalls of Simplistic Approaches for Stability Prediction. J Pharm Sci 2024:S0022-3549(24)00104-7. [PMID: 38556000 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2024.03.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 03/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
Thermal stability attributes including unfolding onset (Tonset) and mid-point (Tm) are often utilized for efficient development of monoclonal antibody (mAb) products during lead selection and formulation screening workflows. An assumption of direct correlation between thermal and kinetic physical stability underpins this basic approach. While literature reports have substantiated this general approach under specific conditions, clear exceptions have been highlighted alongside. Herein, a set of mAbs formulated under diverse solution conditions to generate a broad array of thermal and kinetic stability profiles were systematically analyzed. Sequence modifications in the Fc region were purposefully engineered to generate a set of low-melting mAbs. A diverse set of excipients were subsequently utilized and shown to modulate the Tm over a wide range. While a general correlation between high Tm and low aggregation rate was observed under accelerated conditions, the predictive utility of Tm under relevant product storage conditions was inadequate at best. Critically, Tm data did not correlate with long-term aggregation rates under refrigerated or room temperature conditions. Even under accelerated conditions, Tm appeared to be a poor predictor of aggregation once it exceeded the solution storage temperature (40°C) by ∼15°C, similar to conditions routinely encountered in the development of canonical mAbs (Tm > 60°C). Pitfalls of simplistic correlative approaches are discussed in the context of practical biologics product development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelvin B Rembert
- Biologics Drug Product Development & Manufacturing, Global CMC, Sanofi, One Mountain Road, Framingham, MA 01701, USA
| | - Yatin R Gokarn
- Biologics Drug Product Development & Manufacturing, Global CMC, Sanofi, One Mountain Road, Framingham, MA 01701, USA
| | - Atul Saluja
- Biologics Drug Product Development & Manufacturing, Global CMC, Sanofi, One Mountain Road, Framingham, MA 01701, USA.
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4
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Khanal O, Kumar V, Jin M. Adeno-associated viral capsid stability on anion exchange chromatography column and its impact on empty and full capsid separation. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2023; 31:101112. [PMID: 37868210 PMCID: PMC10585339 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2023.101112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
Recombinant adeno-associated viral vector (rAAV) mediated gene therapy is gaining traction in treating genetic disorders. Current rAAV production systems yield a mixture of capsids largely devoid of the transgene (empty capsid) compared with the desired therapeutic product (full capsid). Anion exchange chromatography (AEX) is an attractive method for separating empty and full AAV capsids because of its scalability. Resin types and buffer composition are key considerations for AEX and must support capsid stability to be suitable for downstream processing. We examined the impact of binding durations (0-8 h) using various binding ionic strengths (15-75 mM), pH (7.5-9.0), resin chemistry (POROS XQ, POROS HQ, POROS I, and BIA QA monolith), and proprietary Q resins with different ligand densities for effects on capsid stability. Empty capsids were altered upon extended binding, leading to retention time shifts and loss of resolution between empty and full capsids. Viral capsid protein analysis reveals that full capsids have more viral capsid protein 3 (VP3) proteins than empty capsids. Analytical hydrophilic liquid chromatography showed that empty capsid retention time shift is accompanied by changes to the empty capsid's native VP3 protein. Among the potential stabilizing additives considered, magnesium chloride was the most effective at reducing negative impacts caused by extended binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ohnmar Khanal
- Technology Development, Spark Therapeutics, Inc., Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Vijesh Kumar
- Technology Development, Spark Therapeutics, Inc., Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Mi Jin
- Technology Development, Spark Therapeutics, Inc., Philadelphia, PA, USA
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5
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Hanaee-Ahvaz H, Cserjan-Puschmann M, Mayer F, Tauer C, Albrecht B, Furtmüller PG, Wiltschi B, Hahn R, Striedner G. Antibody fragments functionalized with non-canonical amino acids preserving structure and functionality - A door opener for new biological and therapeutic applications. Heliyon 2023; 9:e22463. [PMID: 38046162 PMCID: PMC10686840 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Functionalization of proteins by incorporating reactive non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) has been widely applied for numerous biological and therapeutic applications. The requirement not to lose the intrinsic properties of these proteins is often underestimated and not considered. Main purpose of this study was to answer the question whether functionalization via residue-specific incorporation of the ncAA N6-[(2-Azidoethoxy) carbonyl]-l-lysine (Azk) influences the properties of the anti-tumor-necrosis-factor-α-Fab (FTN2). Therefore, FTN2Azk variants with different Azk incorporation sites were designed and amber codon suppression was used for production. The functionalized FTN2Azk variants were efficiently produced in fed-batch like μ-bioreactor cultivations in the periplasm of E. coli displaying correct structure and antigen binding affinities comparable to those of wild-type FTN2. Our FTN2Azk variants with reactive handles for diverse conjugates enable tracking of recombinant protein in the production cell, pharmacological studies and translation into new pharmaceutical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hana Hanaee-Ahvaz
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Production of Next-Level Biopharmaceuticals in E. coli, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Monika Cserjan-Puschmann
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Production of Next-Level Biopharmaceuticals in E. coli, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Florian Mayer
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Production of Next-Level Biopharmaceuticals in E. coli, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Christopher Tauer
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Production of Next-Level Biopharmaceuticals in E. coli, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Bernd Albrecht
- Biopharma Austria, Process Science, Boehringer Ingelheim Regional Center Vienna GmbH & Co KG, Dr.-Boehringer-Gasse 5-11, A-1121, Vienna, Austria
| | - Paul G. Furtmüller
- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Department of Chemistry, Institute of Biochemistry, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Birgit Wiltschi
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Production of Next-Level Biopharmaceuticals in E. coli, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rainer Hahn
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Production of Next-Level Biopharmaceuticals in E. coli, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gerald Striedner
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Production of Next-Level Biopharmaceuticals in E. coli, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria
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6
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Rodrigues MA, Duarte A, Geraldes V, Kingsbury JS, Sanket P, Filipe V, Nakach M, Authelin JR. Native and Non-Native aggregation pathways of antibodies anticipated by cold-accelerated studies. Eur J Pharm Biopharm 2023; 192:174-184. [PMID: 37832611 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpb.2023.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
Assessment of cold stability is essential for manufacture and commercialization of biotherapeutics. Storage stability is often estimated by measuring accelerated rates at elevated temperature and using mathematical models (as the Arrhenius equation). Although, this strategy often leads to an underestimation of protein aggregation during storage. In this work, we measured the aggregation rates of two antibodies in a broad temperature range (from 60 °C to -25 °C), using an isochoric cooling method to prevent freezing of the formulations below 0 °C. Both antibodies evidenced increasing aggregation rates when approaching extreme temperatures, because of hot and cold denaturation. This behavior was modelled using Arrhenius and Gibbs-Helmholtz equations, which enabled to deconvolute the contribution of unfolding from the protein association kinetics. This approach made possible to model the aggregation rates at refrigeration temperature (5 °C) in a relatively short timeframe (1-2 weeks) and using standard characterization techniques (SEC-HPLC and DLS).
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel A Rodrigues
- SmartFreeZ, Ed. Inovação II, Incubadora Taguspark, Porto Salvo, Portugal; CQE, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - Andreia Duarte
- SmartFreeZ, Ed. Inovação II, Incubadora Taguspark, Porto Salvo, Portugal
| | - Vitor Geraldes
- SmartFreeZ, Ed. Inovação II, Incubadora Taguspark, Porto Salvo, Portugal; CQE, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | | | - Patke Sanket
- Biologics Drug Product Development, Sanofi, Framingham, MA, USA; Current address: Commercial Drug Product Manufacturing Science and Technology, Moderna, Norwood, MA, USA
| | - Vasco Filipe
- Biologics Drug Product Development, Sanofi, Vitry-sur-Seine, France
| | - Mostafa Nakach
- Biologics Drug Product Development, Sanofi, Vitry-sur-Seine, France
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7
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Wood C, Razinkov VI, Qi W, Roberts CJ, Vermant J, Furst EM. Antibodies Adsorbed to the Air-Water Interface Form Soft Glasses. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2023; 39:7775-7782. [PMID: 37222141 PMCID: PMC10249626 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c00616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
When monoclonal antibodies are exposed to an air-water interface, they form aggregates, which negatively impacts their performance. Until now, the detection and characterization of interfacial aggregation have been difficult. Here, we exploit the mechanical response imparted by interfacial adsorption by measuring the interfacial shear rheology of a model antibody, anti-streptavidin immunoglobulin-1 (AS-IgG1), at the air-water interface. Strong viscoelastic layers of AS-IgG1 form when the protein is adsorbed from the bulk solution. Creep experiments correlate the compliance of the interfacial protein layer with the subphase solution pH and bulk concentration. These, along with oscillatory strain amplitude and frequency sweeps, show that the viscoelastic behavior of the adsorbed layers is that of a soft glass with interfacial shear moduli on the order of 10-3 Pa m. Shifting the creep compliance curves under different applied stresses forms master curves consistent with stress-time superposition of soft interfacial glasses. The interfacial rheology results are discussed in the context of the interface-mediated aggregation of AS-IgG1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin
V. Wood
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Allan P. Colburn Laboratory, 150 Academy Street, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Vladimir I. Razinkov
- Drug
Product Development, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, California 91320, United States
| | - Wei Qi
- Drug
Product Development, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, California 91320, United States
| | - Christopher J. Roberts
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Allan P. Colburn Laboratory, 150 Academy Street, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Jan Vermant
- Department
of Materials, ETH Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 5, Zürich 8093, Switzerland
| | - Eric M. Furst
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Allan P. Colburn Laboratory, 150 Academy Street, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
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8
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Kulakova A, Augustijn D, El Bialy I, Gentiluomo L, Greco ML, Hervø-Hansen S, Indrakumar S, Mahapatra S, Martinez Morales M, Pohl C, Polimeni M, Roche A, Svilenov HL, Tosstorff A, Zalar M, Curtis R, Derrick JP, Frieß W, Golovanov AP, Lund M, Nørgaard A, Khan TA, Peters GHJ, Pluen A, Roessner D, Streicher WW, van der Walle CF, Warwicker J, Uddin S, Winter G, Bukrinski JT, Rinnan Å, Harris P. Chemometrics in Protein Formulation: Stability Governed by Repulsion and Protein Unfolding. Mol Pharm 2023. [PMID: 37146162 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.3c00013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Therapeutic proteins can be challenging to develop due to their complexity and the requirement of an acceptable formulation to ensure patient safety and efficacy. To date, there is no universal formulation development strategy that can identify optimal formulation conditions for all types of proteins in a fast and reliable manner. In this work, high-throughput characterization, employing a toolbox of five techniques, was performed on 14 structurally different proteins formulated in 6 different buffer conditions and in the presence of 4 different excipients. Multivariate data analysis and chemometrics were used to analyze the data in an unbiased way. First, observed changes in stability were primarily determined by the individual protein. Second, pH and ionic strength are the two most important factors determining the physical stability of proteins, where there exists a significant statistical interaction between protein and pH/ionic strength. Additionally, we developed prediction methods by partial least-squares regression. Colloidal stability indicators are important for prediction of real-time stability, while conformational stability indicators are important for prediction of stability under accelerated stress conditions at 40 °C. In order to predict real-time storage stability, protein-protein repulsion and the initial monomer fraction are the most important properties to monitor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina Kulakova
- Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet 207, Kongens, Lyngby 2800, Denmark
| | - Dillen Augustijn
- Department of Food Science, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 26, Frederiksberg 1958, Denmark
| | - Inas El Bialy
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet Muenchen, Butenandtstrasse 5, Munich 81377, Germany
| | - Lorenzo Gentiluomo
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet Muenchen, Butenandtstrasse 5, Munich 81377, Germany
- Wyatt Technology Europe GmbH, Hochstrasse 18, Dernbach 56307, Germany
| | - Maria Laura Greco
- Dosage Form Design and Development, AstraZeneca, Sir Aaron Klug Building, Granta Park, Cambridge CB21 6GH, U.K
| | - Stefan Hervø-Hansen
- Division of Theoretical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, P.O. Box 124, Lund 22100, Sweden
| | - Sowmya Indrakumar
- Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet 207, Kongens, Lyngby 2800, Denmark
| | | | - Marcello Martinez Morales
- Dosage Form Design and Development, AstraZeneca, Sir Aaron Klug Building, Granta Park, Cambridge CB21 6GH, U.K
| | - Christin Pohl
- Novozymes A/S, Krogshoejvej 36, Bagsvaerd 2880, Denmark
| | - Marco Polimeni
- Division of Theoretical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, P.O. Box 124, Lund 22100, Sweden
| | - Aisling Roche
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester M1 7DN, U.K
| | - Hristo L Svilenov
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet Muenchen, Butenandtstrasse 5, Munich 81377, Germany
| | - Andreas Tosstorff
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet Muenchen, Butenandtstrasse 5, Munich 81377, Germany
| | - Matja Zalar
- Department of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, and Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K
| | - Robin Curtis
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, Manchester M1 7DN, U.K
| | - Jeremy P Derrick
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, U.K
| | - Wolfgang Frieß
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet Muenchen, Butenandtstrasse 5, Munich 81377, Germany
| | - Alexander P Golovanov
- Department of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, and Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K
| | - Mikael Lund
- Division of Theoretical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, P.O. Box 124, Lund 22100, Sweden
| | | | - Tarik A Khan
- Pharmaceutical Development & Supplies, Pharma Technical Development Biologics Europe, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Grenzacherstrasse 124, Basel 4070, Switzerland
| | - Günther H J Peters
- Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet 207, Kongens, Lyngby 2800, Denmark
| | - Alain Pluen
- Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, U.K
| | - Dierk Roessner
- Wyatt Technology Europe GmbH, Hochstrasse 18, Dernbach 56307, Germany
| | | | - Christopher F van der Walle
- Dosage Form Design and Development, AstraZeneca, Sir Aaron Klug Building, Granta Park, Cambridge CB21 6GH, U.K
| | - Jim Warwicker
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, U.K
| | - Shahid Uddin
- Dosage Form Design and Development, AstraZeneca, Sir Aaron Klug Building, Granta Park, Cambridge CB21 6GH, U.K
| | - Gerhard Winter
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet Muenchen, Butenandtstrasse 5, Munich 81377, Germany
| | | | - Åsmund Rinnan
- Department of Food Science, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 26, Frederiksberg 1958, Denmark
| | - Pernille Harris
- Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet 207, Kongens, Lyngby 2800, Denmark
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9
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Rembert KB, Zhang J, Lee YJ. Effects of Salts and Surface Charge on the Biophysical Stability of a Low pI Monoclonal Antibody. J Pharm Sci 2023; 112:947-953. [PMID: 36395898 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2022.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The impact of five representative Hofmeister salts (NaCl, KCl, MgCl2, Na2SO4, and NaSCN) on the thermal stability and aggregation kinetics of a slightly acidic monoclonal antibody (mAb) were investigated under different pH conditions. The thermal stability of the mAb was assessed by measuring the lowest unfolding transition temperature, Tm, with differential scanning fluorimetry. MgCl2 and NaSCN significantly decreased Tm at all three charged states of the mAb, but to the greatest extent when the mAb surface charge was net positive. Non-native aggregation kinetics was monitored by measuring Rayleigh light scattering. When the mAb surface charge was net positive or net neutral, the nucleation rate increased non-monotonically with MgCl2 and NaSCN but decreased monotonically with NaCl, KCl, and Na2SO4. By contrast, when the mAb surface was negatively charged, there were only minor changes in the nucleation rate with all salts tested. Furthermore, there was less structural perturbation and slower aggregation rates when the mAb was net negatively charged than when it was net neutrally or positively charged. The observed salt effects on thermal unfolding are consistent with ion-specific mechanisms dominated by short-range amide backbone binding. On the other hand, the salt effects on nucleation rates appear to be influenced by both amide backbone binding and long-range electrostatic binding of ions to charged amino acid side chains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelvin B Rembert
- Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, United States
| | - Jifeng Zhang
- Department of Drug Delivery and Device Development, Medimmune-AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, United States.
| | - Young Jong Lee
- Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, United States.
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10
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Shalaev E, Ohtake S, Moussa EM, Searles J, Nail S, Roberts CJ. Accelerated Storage for Shelf-Life Prediction of Lyophiles: Temperature Dependence of Degradation of Amorphous Small Molecular Weight Drugs and Proteins. J Pharm Sci 2023; 112:1509-1522. [PMID: 36796635 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2023.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
Prediction of lyophilized product shelf-life using accelerated stability data requires understanding the temperature dependence of the degradation rate. Despite the abundance of published studies on stability of freeze-dried formulations and other amorphous materials, there are no definitive conclusions on the type of pattern one can expect for the temperature dependence of degradation. This lack of consensus represents a significant gap which may impact development and regulatory acceptance of freeze-dried pharmaceuticals and biopharmaceuticals. Review of the literature demonstrates that the temperature dependence of degradation rate constants in lyophiles can be represented by the Arrhenius equation in most cases. In some instances there is a break in the Arrhenius plot around the glass transition temperature or a related characteristic temperature. The majority of the activation energies (Ea), which are reported for various degradation pathways in lyophiles, falls in the range of 8 to 25 kcal/mol. The degradation Ea values for lyophiles are compared with the Ea for relaxation processes and diffusion in glasses, as wells as solution chemical reactions. Collectively, analysis of the literature demonstrates that the Arrhenius equation represents a reasonable empirical tool for analysis, presentation, and extrapolation of stability data for lyophiles, provided that specific conditions are met.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Satoshi Ohtake
- Pfizer BioTherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chesterfield, Missouri 63017 USA
| | - Ehab M Moussa
- Biologics Drug Product Development, AbbVie, North Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Jim Searles
- Pfizer BioTherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chesterfield, Missouri 63017 USA
| | | | - Christopher J Roberts
- University of Delaware, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Newark DE 19713 USA
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11
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Conner CG, McAndrew J, Menegatti S, Velev OD. An accelerated antibody aggregation test based on time sequenced dynamic light scattering. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2022.129833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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12
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Bunc M, Hadži S, Graf C, Bončina M, Lah J. Aggregation Time Machine: A Platform for the Prediction and Optimization of Long-Term Antibody Stability Using Short-Term Kinetic Analysis. J Med Chem 2022; 65:2623-2632. [PMID: 35090111 PMCID: PMC8842250 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c02010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Monoclonal antibodies
are the fastest growing class of therapeutics.
However, aggregation limits their shelf life and can lead to adverse
immune responses. Assessment and optimization of the long-term antibody
stability are therefore key challenges in the biologic drug development.
Here, we present a platform based on the analysis of temperature-dependent
aggregation data that can dramatically shorten the assessment of the
long-term aggregation stability and thus accelerate the optimization
of antibody formulations. For a set of antibodies used in the therapeutic
areas from oncology to rheumatology and osteoporosis, we obtain an
accurate prediction of aggregate fractions for up to three years using
the data obtained on a much shorter time scale. Significantly, the
strategy combining kinetic and thermodynamic analysis not only contributes
to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of antibody
aggregation but has already proven to be very effective in the development
and production of biological therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marko Bunc
- Technical Research and Development, Global Drug Development, Novartis, Lek d.d., 1234 Mengeš, Slovenia.,Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - San Hadži
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Christian Graf
- Technical Research and Development, Global Drug Development, Novartis, Hexal AG, 82041 Oberhaching, Germany
| | - Matjaž Bončina
- Technical Research and Development, Global Drug Development, Novartis, Lek d.d., 1234 Mengeš, Slovenia
| | - Jurij Lah
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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13
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Lai PK, Gallegos A, Mody N, Sathish HA, Trout BL. Machine learning prediction of antibody aggregation and viscosity for high concentration formulation development of protein therapeutics. MAbs 2022; 14:2026208. [PMID: 35075980 PMCID: PMC8794240 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2022.2026208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Machine learning has been recently used to predict therapeutic antibody aggregation rates and viscosity at high concentrations (150 mg/ml). These works focused on commercially available antibodies, which may have been optimized for stability. In this study, we measured accelerated aggregation rates at 45°C and viscosity at 150 mg/ml for 20 preclinical and clinical-stage antibodies. Features obtained from molecular dynamics simulations of the full-length antibody and sequences were used for machine learning model construction. We found a k-nearest neighbors regression model with two features, spatial positive charge map on the CDRH2 and solvent-accessible surface area of hydrophobic residues on the variable fragment, gives the best performance for predicting antibody aggregation rates (r = 0.89). For the viscosity classification model, the model with the highest accuracy is a logistic regression model with two features, spatial negative charge map on the heavy chain variable region and spatial negative charge map on the light chain variable region. The accuracy and the area under precision recall curve of the classification model from validation tests are 0.86 and 0.70, respectively. In addition, we combined data from another 27 commercial mAbs to develop a viscosity predictive model. The best model is a logistic regression model with two features, number of hydrophobic residues on the light chain variable region and net charges on the light chain variable region. The accuracy and the area under precision recall curve of the classification model are 0.85 and 0.6, respectively. The aggregation rates and viscosity models can be used to predict antibody stability to facilitate pharmaceutical development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pin-Kuang Lai
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey, USA
| | - Austin Gallegos
- Dosage Form Design and Development, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
| | - Neil Mody
- Dosage Form Design and Development, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
| | - Hasige A Sathish
- Dosage Form Design and Development, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
| | - Bernhardt L Trout
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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14
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Physicochemical factors of bioprocessing impact the stability of therapeutic proteins. Biotechnol Adv 2022; 55:107909. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2022.107909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 01/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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15
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Wood VE, Groves K, Wong LM, Kong L, Bird C, Wadhwa M, Quaglia M, Matejtschuk P, Dalby PA. Protein Engineering and HDX Identify Structural Regions of G-CSF Critical to Its Stability and Aggregation. Mol Pharm 2021; 19:616-629. [PMID: 34965730 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.1c00754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The protein engineering and formulation of therapeutic proteins for prolonged shelf-life remain a major challenge in the biopharmaceutical industry. Understanding the influence of mutations and formulations on the protein structure and dynamics could lead to more predictive approaches to their improvement. Previous intrinsic fluorescence analysis of the chemically denatured granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) suggested that loop AB could subtly reorganize to form an aggregation-prone intermediate state. Hydrogen deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) has also revealed that excipient binding increased the thermal unfolding transition midpoint (Tm) by stabilizing loop AB. Here, we have combined protein engineering with biophysical analyses and HDX-MS to reveal that increased exchange in a core region of the G-CSF comprising loop AB (ABI, a small helix, ABII) and loop CD packed onto helix B and the beginning of loop BC leads to a decrease in Tm and higher aggregation rates. Furthermore, some mutations can increase the population of the aggregation-prone conformation within the native ensemble, as measured by the greater local exchange within this core region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria E Wood
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, U.K
| | - Kate Groves
- National Measurement Laboratory at LGC Ltd, Queens Road, Teddington TW11 0LY, U.K
| | - Lok Man Wong
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, U.K
| | - Luyan Kong
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, U.K
| | - Christopher Bird
- National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC), Blanche Lane, South Mimms, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 3QG, U.K
| | - Meenu Wadhwa
- National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC), Blanche Lane, South Mimms, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 3QG, U.K
| | - Milena Quaglia
- National Measurement Laboratory at LGC Ltd, Queens Road, Teddington TW11 0LY, U.K
| | - Paul Matejtschuk
- National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC), Blanche Lane, South Mimms, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 3QG, U.K
| | - Paul A Dalby
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, U.K
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16
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Pringle V, Merritt K, Vaclaw C, Whitaker N, Volkin DB, Ogunyankin MO, Pace S, Dhar P. Evaluating the combined impact of temperature and application of interfacial dilatational stresses on surface-mediated protein particle formation in monoclonal antibody formulations. J Pharm Sci 2021; 111:680-689. [PMID: 34742729 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2021.10.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 10/31/2021] [Accepted: 10/31/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Formation of submicron and subvisible protein particles (0.1-100 μm) present a major obstacle during processing and storage of therapeutic proteins. While protein aggregation resulting in particle formation is well-understood in bulk solution, the mechanisms of aggregation due to interfacial stresses is less understood. Particularly, in this study, we focus on understanding the combined effect of temperature and application of interfacial dilatational stresses, on interface-induced protein particle formation, using two industrially relevant monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). The surface activity of Molecule C (MC) and Molecule B (MB) were measured at room temperature (RT) and 4°C in the absence and presence of interfacial dilatation stress using a Langmuir trough. These results were correlated with Micro-flow imaging (MFI) to characterize formation of subvisible protein particles at the interface and in the bulk solution. Our results show that the surface activity for both proteins is temperature dependent. However, the extent of the impact of temperature on the mechanical properties of the monomolecular protein films when subjected to dilatational stresses is protein dependent. Protein particle analysis provided evidence that protein particles formed in bulk solution originate at the interface and are dependent on both application of thermal stresses and interfacial dilatational stresses. In the absence of any interfacial stresses, more and larger protein particles were formed at the interface at RT than at 4°C. When mAb formulations are subjected to interfacial dilatational stresses, protein particle formation in bulk solution was found to be temperature dependent. Together our results validate that mAb solutions maintained at 4°C can lower the surface activity of proteins and reduce their tendency to form interface-induced protein particles both in the absence and presence of interfacial dilatational stresses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerie Pringle
- Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, The University of Kansas, 1530 W 15(th) Street, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA
| | - Kimberly Merritt
- Bioengineering Program, School of Engineering, The University of Kansas, 1530 W 15(th) Street, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA
| | - Coleman Vaclaw
- Bioengineering Program, School of Engineering, The University of Kansas, 1530 W 15(th) Street, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA
| | - Neal Whitaker
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Vaccine Analytics and Formulation Center, University of Kansas, 2030 Becker Drive, Lawrence, Kansas 66047, USA
| | - David B Volkin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Vaccine Analytics and Formulation Center, University of Kansas, 2030 Becker Drive, Lawrence, Kansas 66047, USA
| | - Maria Olu Ogunyankin
- Department of Drug Product Development, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Inc., One Squibb Drive, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901, USA
| | - Samantha Pace
- Department of Drug Product Development, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Inc., One Squibb Drive, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 08901, USA
| | - Prajnaparamita Dhar
- Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, The University of Kansas, 1530 W 15(th) Street, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA; Bioengineering Program, School of Engineering, The University of Kansas, 1530 W 15(th) Street, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA.
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17
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Gomes DC, Teixeira SCM, Leão JB, Razinkov VI, Qi W, Rodrigues MA, Roberts CJ. In Situ Monitoring of Protein Unfolding/Structural States under Cold High-Pressure Stress. Mol Pharm 2021; 18:4415-4427. [PMID: 34699230 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.1c00604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Biopharmaceutical formulations may be compromised by freezing, which has been attributed to protein conformational changes at a low temperature, and adsorption to ice-liquid interfaces. However, direct measurements of unfolding/conformational changes in sub-0 °C environments are limited because at ambient pressure, freezing of water can occur, which limits the applicability of otherwise commonly used analytical techniques without specifically tailored instrumentation. In this report, small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and intrinsic fluorescence (FL) were used to provide in situ analysis of protein tertiary structure/folding at temperatures as low as -15 °C utilizing a high-pressure (HP) environment (up to 3 kbar) that prevents water from freezing. The results show that the α-chymotrypsinogen A (aCgn) structure is reasonably maintained under acidic pH (and corresponding pD) for all conditions of pressure and temperature tested. On the other hand, reversible structural changes and formation of oligomeric species were detected near -10 °C via HP-SANS for ovalbumin under neutral pD conditions. This was found to be related to the proximity of the temperature of cold denaturation of ovalbumin (TCD ∼ -17 °C; calculated via isothermal chemical denaturation and Gibbs-Helmholtz extrapolation) rather than a pressure effect. Significant structural changes were also observed for a monoclonal antibody, anti-streptavidin IgG1 (AS-IgG1), under acidic conditions near -5 °C and a pressure of ∼2 kbar. The conformational perturbation detected for AS-IgG1 is proposed to be consistent with the formation of unfolding intermediates such as molten globule states. Overall, the in situ approaches described here offer a means to characterize the conformational stability of biopharmaceuticals and proteins more generally under cold-temperature stress by the assessment of structural alteration, self-association, and reversibility of each process. This offers an alternative to current ex situ methods that are based on higher temperatures and subsequent extrapolation of the data and interpretations to the cold-temperature regime.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana C Gomes
- Centro de Química Estrutural, Departamento de Engenharia Química, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal.,Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, 590 Avenue 1743, Newark, Delaware 19713, United States
| | - Susana C M Teixeira
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, 590 Avenue 1743, Newark, Delaware 19713, United States.,NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Juscelino B Leão
- NIST Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Vladimir I Razinkov
- Drug Product Development, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, California 91320, United States
| | - Wei Qi
- Drug Product Development, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, California 91320, United States
| | - Miguel A Rodrigues
- Centro de Química Estrutural, Departamento de Engenharia Química, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Christopher J Roberts
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, 590 Avenue 1743, Newark, Delaware 19713, United States
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18
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Long-term stability predictions of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies in solution using Arrhenius-based kinetics. Sci Rep 2021; 11:20534. [PMID: 34654882 PMCID: PMC8519954 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-99875-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Long-term stability of monoclonal antibodies to be used as biologics is a key aspect in their development. Therefore, its possible early prediction from accelerated stability studies is of major interest, despite currently being regarded as not sufficiently robust. In this work, using a combination of accelerated stability studies (up to 6 months) and first order degradation kinetic model, we are able to predict the long-term stability (up to 3 years) of multiple monoclonal antibody formulations. More specifically, we can robustly predict the long-term stability behaviour of a protein at the intended storage condition (5 °C), based on up to six months of data obtained for multiple quality attributes from different temperatures, usually from intended (5 °C), accelerated (25 °C) and stress conditions (40 °C). We have performed stability studies and evaluated the stability data of several mAbs including IgG1, IgG2, and fusion proteins, and validated our model by overlaying the 95% prediction interval and experimental stability data from up to 36 months. We demonstrated improved robustness, speed and accuracy of kinetic long-term stability prediction as compared to classical linear extrapolation used today, which justifies long-term stability prediction and shelf-life extrapolation for some biologics such as monoclonal antibodies. This work aims to contribute towards further development and refinement of the regulatory landscape that could steer toward allowing extrapolation for biologics during the developmental phase, clinical phase, and also in marketing authorisation applications, as already established today for small molecules.
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19
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Berner C, Menzen T, Winter G, Svilenov HL. Combining Unfolding Reversibility Studies and Molecular Dynamics Simulations to Select Aggregation-Resistant Antibodies. Mol Pharm 2021; 18:2242-2253. [PMID: 33928776 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.1c00017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The efficient development of new therapeutic antibodies relies on developability assessment with biophysical and computational methods to find molecules with drug-like properties such as resistance to aggregation. Despite the many novel approaches to select well-behaved proteins, antibody aggregation during storage is still challenging to predict. For this reason, there is a high demand for methods that can identify aggregation-resistant antibodies. Here, we show that three straightforward techniques can select the aggregation-resistant antibodies from a dataset with 13 molecules. The ReFOLD assay provided information about the ability of the antibodies to refold to monomers after unfolding with chemical denaturants. Modulated scanning fluorimetry (MSF) yielded the temperatures that start causing irreversible unfolding of the proteins. Aggregation was the main reason for poor unfolding reversibility in both ReFOLD and MSF experiments. We therefore performed temperature ramps in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to obtain partially unfolded antibody domains in silico and used CamSol to assess their aggregation potential. We compared the information from ReFOLD, MSF, and MD to size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) data that shows whether the antibodies aggregated during storage at 4, 25, and 40 °C. Contrary to the aggregation-prone molecules, the antibodies that were resistant to aggregation during storage at 40 °C shared three common features: (i) higher tendency to refold to monomers after unfolding with chemical denaturants, (ii) higher onset temperature of nonreversible unfolding, and (iii) unfolding of regions containing aggregation-prone sequences at higher temperatures in MD simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolin Berner
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstr. 5, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Tim Menzen
- Coriolis Pharma Research GmbH, Fraunhoferstr. 18 b, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Gerhard Winter
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstr. 5, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Hristo L Svilenov
- Department of Pharmacy, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstr. 5, 81377 Munich, Germany
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20
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Wood CV, Razinkov VI, Qi W, Furst EM, Roberts CJ. A Rapid, Small-Volume Approach to Evaluate Protein Aggregation at Air-Water Interfaces. J Pharm Sci 2020; 110:1083-1092. [PMID: 33271135 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2020.11.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Revised: 11/14/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Non-native protein aggregation is a common concern for biopharmaceuticals. A given protein may aggregate through a variety of mechanisms that depend on solution and physico-chemical stress conditions. A thorough evaluation of aggregation behavior for a protein under all conditions of interest is necessary to ensure drug safety and efficacy. This work introduces a rapid, small-volume approach to evaluate protein aggregation propensity upon exposure to air-water interfaces (AWI). A microtensiometer apparatus is used to aerate a small volume of a protein solution with microbubbles for short periods of time (≤10 s). Sub-visible particles that form are captured and analyzed using backgrounded membrane imaging. This allows one to capture all particles in the solution while being sample sparing. The surface-mediated aggregation of two model monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and a globular protein (aCgn) was tested as a function of pH and temperature. Temperature had a negligible effect under the rapid interface turnover time scales with this technique. Electrostatic protein-protein interactions, mediated by pH changes, were more influential for particle formation via AWI. Nonionic surfactants substantially reduced particle formation for all MAb solutions, but not aCgn. The results are contrasted with expectations when exposing samples to much larger air-water interfacial stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin V Wood
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | | | - Wei Qi
- Drug Product Development, Amgen, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320, USA
| | - Eric M Furst
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Christopher J Roberts
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA.
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21
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Manrrique JD, Powell ZK, Brock RM, Franklin CE, Coker AO. Room Temperature Intrinsic Emission Ratio of BSA Correlates With Percent Aggregates During Long-Term Storage. J Pharm Sci 2020; 110:1120-1129. [PMID: 33127426 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2020.10.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Revised: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Successful formulation development hinges on the ability to screen and identify excipients that stabilize drug products during long-term storage. Biophysical and accelerated stability studies are used to screen for excipients that stabilize protein drug products. However, these studies are not always predictive of aggregation during long-term storage. In this study, we used multivariate experimentation to compare the effectiveness of intrinsic fluorescence and size exclusion chromatography accelerated stability parameters to predict excipients that stabilized bovine serum albumin (BSA) against aggregation on long-term storage at 4 °C. Emission intensity ratio (IR330/350) data was more sensitive than emission maxima (λmax) or intensity measurements in identifying significant factors and interactions. We observed the expected inverse correlation between the mid-points of fluorescence thermal transitions (Tms) and insoluble aggregates at 4 and 40 °C. However, there were positive correlations between Tms and % aggregates at 4 °C, indicating that if Tm was used as a predictive tool, it would select formulations that promoted soluble aggregates on long-term storage. Ambient temperature IR330/350 measurements identified excipients that reduced BSA soluble aggregates on long-term storage. The results show ambient temperature emission ratio measurements can be useful for protein formulation development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel D Manrrique
- University of the Incarnate Word Feik School of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Zakiya K Powell
- University of the Incarnate Word Feik School of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Ryan M Brock
- University of the Incarnate Word Feik School of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Cynthia E Franklin
- University of the Incarnate Word Feik School of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Adeola O Coker
- University of the Incarnate Word Feik School of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, San Antonio, TX, USA.
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22
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Oyama H, Koga H, Tadokoro T, Maenaka K, Shiota A, Yokoyama M, Noda M, Torisu T, Uchiyama S. Relation of Colloidal and Conformational Stabilities to Aggregate Formation in a Monoclonal Antibody. J Pharm Sci 2020; 109:308-315. [DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2019.10.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2019] [Revised: 10/18/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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23
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Wälchli R, Vermeire PJ, Massant J, Arosio P. Accelerated Aggregation Studies of Monoclonal Antibodies: Considerations for Storage Stability. J Pharm Sci 2019; 109:595-602. [PMID: 31676272 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2019.10.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2019] [Revised: 10/06/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Aggregation of mAbs is a crucial concern with respect to their safety and efficacy. Among the various properties of protein aggregates, it is emerging that their size can potentially impact their immunogenicity. Therefore, stability studies of antibody formulations should not only evaluate the rate of monomer loss but also determine the size distribution of the protein aggregates, which in turn depends on the aggregation mechanism. Here, we study the aggregation behavior of different formulations of 2 monoclonal immunoglobulins (IgGs) in the temperature range from 5°C to 50°C over 52 weeks of storage. We show that the aggregation kinetics of both antibodies follow non-Arrhenius behavior and that the aggregation mechanisms change between 40°C and 5°C, leading to different types of aggregates. Specifically, for a given monomer conversion, dimer formation dominates at low temperatures, while larger aggregates are formed at higher temperatures. We further show that the stability ranking of different molecules as well as of different formulations is drastically different at 40°C and 5°C while it correlates better between 30°C and 5°C. Our findings have implications for the level of information provided by accelerated aggregation studies with respect to protein stability under storage conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruben Wälchli
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 1-5/10, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Pieter-Jan Vermeire
- UCB Pharma, BioTech Sciences, Formulation Development, Chemin du Foriest, 1420 Braine-l'Alleud, Belgium
| | - Jan Massant
- UCB Pharma, BioTech Sciences, Formulation Development, Chemin du Foriest, 1420 Braine-l'Alleud, Belgium
| | - Paolo Arosio
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, ETH Zurich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 1-5/10, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
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24
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Banks DD, Cordia JF, Spasojevic V, Sun J, Franc S, Cho Y. Isotonic concentrations of excipients control the dimerization rate of a therapeutic immunoglobulin G1 antibody during refrigerated storage based on their rank order of native-state interaction. Protein Sci 2019; 27:2073-2083. [PMID: 30267438 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2018] [Revised: 09/06/2018] [Accepted: 09/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Inert co-solutes, or excipients, are often included in protein biologic formulations to adjust the tonicity of liquid dosage forms intended for subcutaneous delivery. Despite the low concentration of their use, many of these excipients alter protein-protein interactions such as dimerization and aggregation rates of high concentration monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapeutics to varying extents during long-term refrigerated clinical storage, challenging the formulation scientist to make informed excipient selections at the earliest stages of development when protein supply and time are often limited. The objectives of this study were to better understand how isotonic concentrations of excipients influence the dimerization rates of a model mAb stored at refrigerated and room temperatures and explore protein sparing biophysical methods capable of predicting this dependence. Despite their prevalence of use in the biopharmaceutical industry, methods for assessing conformational stability such differential scanning calorimetry and isothermal equilibrium unfolding showed little predictive power and we highlight some of the assumptions and technical challenges of their use with mAbs. Conversely, measures of colloidal stability of the native-state such as preferential interaction coefficients measured by vapor pressure osmometry and solubility assessed by polyethylene-glycol induced precipitation correlated reasonably well with the mAb dimerization data and are most consistent with the excipients tested minimizing dimerization by interacting favorably with the residues comprising the protein-protein association interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas D Banks
- Department of Biologics Drug Product Development, Celgene Corp, 10300 Campus Point Drive Suite 100, San Diego, California, 92121
| | - Jon F Cordia
- Department of Biologics Drug Product Development, Celgene Corp, 10300 Campus Point Drive Suite 100, San Diego, California, 92121
| | - Vladimir Spasojevic
- Department of Biologics Drug Product Development, Celgene Corp, 10300 Campus Point Drive Suite 100, San Diego, California, 92121
| | - Jeonghoon Sun
- Department of Biotherapeutics, Celgene Corp, 10300 Campus Point Drive Suite 100, San Diego, California, 92121
| | - Sarah Franc
- Department of Biologics Drug Product Development, Celgene Corp, 10300 Campus Point Drive Suite 100, San Diego, California, 92121
| | - Younhee Cho
- Department of Biologics Drug Product Development, Celgene Corp, 10300 Campus Point Drive Suite 100, San Diego, California, 92121
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25
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Zhang J, Mao X, Xu W. Fibril Nucleation Kinetics of a Pharmaceutical Peptide: The Role of Conformation Stability, Formulation Factors, and Temperature Effect. Mol Pharm 2018; 15:5591-5601. [PMID: 30350639 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.8b00769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Peptide aggregation, such as the formation of fibrils, could pose a significant challenge for the stability of parenteral peptide drugs. To ensure a robust peptide formulation, a thorough understanding of aggregation kinetics and the development of appropriate accelerated testing conditions are necessary. The present research investigated factors that impact the fibrillation kinetics of a helical 29mer pharmaceutical peptide (peptide A) and attempts to correlate results of accelerated kinetic studies with real time kinetics. Conformational flexibility of the peptide and its potential impact on aggregation kinetics were thoroughly evaluated. Three orthogonal approaches to evaluate aggregation kinetics were assessed, thioflavin T fluorescence, turbidity, and soluble peptide concentration. The results from the methods demonstrated that peptide A showed nucleated polymerization kinetics. The lag time of the fibrillation process depends heavily on pH, ionic strength, temperature, agitation, and substrate interface. The temperature-dependent fibril nucleation kinetics follow Arrhenius behavior, despite a helical fold in the peptide structure. This finding suggests a potential opportunity to leverage accelerated testing conditions to project the long-term performance at storage temperatures. The present study provides both fundamental understanding and practical approaches to mitigate the aggregation risk for pharmaceutical peptides with a strong tendency to form fibrils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingtao Zhang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MRL , Merck & Co., Inc. , West Point , Pennsylvania 19486 , United States
| | - Xinpei Mao
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MRL , Merck & Co., Inc. , West Point , Pennsylvania 19486 , United States
| | - Wei Xu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, MRL , Merck & Co., Inc. , West Point , Pennsylvania 19486 , United States
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Hasan T, Kumari K, Devi SC, Handa J, Rehman T, Ansari NA, Singh LR. Osmolytes in vaccine production, flocculation and storage: a critical review. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2018; 15:514-525. [PMID: 30273503 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2018.1526585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Small molecule osmolytes, responsible for protecting stresses have long been known to rescue proteins and enzymes from loss of function. In addition to protecting macromolecules integrity, many osmolytes also act as potential antioxidant and also help to prevent protein aggregation, amyloid formation or misfolding, and therefore are considered promising molecules for neurodegenerative and many other genetic diseases. Osmolytes are also known to be involved in the regulation of several key immunological processes. In the present review we discuss in detail the effect of these compounds on important aspects of vaccines i.e., increasing the efficiency, production and purification steps. The present review therefore will help researchers to make a better strategy in vaccine production to formulation by incorporating specific and appropriate osmolytes in the processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tauheed Hasan
- a Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Center for Biomedical Research , University of Delhi , Delhi , India
| | - Kritika Kumari
- a Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Center for Biomedical Research , University of Delhi , Delhi , India
| | | | - Jaya Handa
- a Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Center for Biomedical Research , University of Delhi , Delhi , India
| | - Tabish Rehman
- a Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Center for Biomedical Research , University of Delhi , Delhi , India
| | - Nasim Akhtar Ansari
- a Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Center for Biomedical Research , University of Delhi , Delhi , India
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27
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Wang W, Roberts CJ. Protein aggregation – Mechanisms, detection, and control. Int J Pharm 2018; 550:251-268. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2018.08.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Revised: 08/18/2018] [Accepted: 08/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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28
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Novel salts of dipicolinic acid as viscosity modifiers for high concentration antibody solutions. Int J Pharm 2018; 548:682-688. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2018.07.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Revised: 07/11/2018] [Accepted: 07/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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29
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Gomes D, Kalman RK, Pagels RK, Rodrigues MA, Roberts CJ. Parallel chromatography and in situ scattering to interrogate competing protein aggregation pathways. Protein Sci 2018; 27:1325-1333. [PMID: 29717515 PMCID: PMC6032348 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2018] [Revised: 04/26/2018] [Accepted: 04/27/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Protein aggregation can follow different pathways, and these can result in different net aggregation rates and kinetic profiles. α-chymotypsinogen A (aCgn) was used as a model system to quantitatively and qualitatively assess an approach that combines ex situ size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) with in situ laser scattering (LS) to monitor aggregation vs. time. Aggregation was monitored for a series of temperatures and initial dimer (ID) levels for starting conditions that were primarily (> 97%) monomer, and under initial-rate conditions (limited to low monomer conversion-less than 20% monomer mass loss), as these conditions are of most to interest to many pharmaceutical and biotechnology applications. SEC results show that modest decreases of ID levels can greatly reduce monomer loss rates, but do not affect the effective activation energy for aggregation. The normalized aggregation rates determined from LS were typically ∼ 1 order of magnitude higher than the corresponding rates from SEC. Furthermore, LS signals vs. time became variable and highly nonlinear with decreasing ID level, temperature, and/or total protein concentration. Temperature-cycling LS experiments showed this corresponded to conditions where dimer/oligomer "seeding" was suppressed, and high levels of reversible oligomers ("prenuclei") were formed prior to "nucleation" and growth of stable aggregates. In those conditions, aggregation rates inferred from LS and SEC are greatly different, as the techniques monitor different stages of the aggregation process. Overall, the results illustrate an approach for interrogating non-native protein aggregation pathways, and potential pitfalls if one relies on a single method to monitor aggregation-this holds more generally than the particular methods here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Gomes
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringUniversity of DelawareNewarkDelaware
- Centro de Química Estrutural, Department of Chemical EngineeringInstituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de LisboaLisboaPortugal
| | - Rebecca K. Kalman
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringUniversity of DelawareNewarkDelaware
| | - Rebecca K. Pagels
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringUniversity of DelawareNewarkDelaware
| | - Miguel A. Rodrigues
- Centro de Química Estrutural, Department of Chemical EngineeringInstituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de LisboaLisboaPortugal
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30
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Schaefer JV, Sedlák E, Kast F, Nemergut M, Plückthun A. Modification of the kinetic stability of immunoglobulin G by solvent additives. MAbs 2018. [PMID: 29537925 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2018.1450126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Biophysical properties of antibody-based biopharmaceuticals are a critical part of their release criteria. In this context, finding the appropriate formulation is equally important as optimizing their intrinsic biophysical properties through protein engineering, and both are mutually dependent. Most previous studies have empirically tested the impact of additives on measures of colloidal stability, while mechanistic aspects have usually been limited to only the thermodynamic stability of the protein. Here we emphasize the kinetic impact of additives on the irreversible denaturation steps of immunoglobulins G (IgG) and their antigen-binding fragments (Fabs), as these are the key committed steps preceding aggregation, and thus especially informative in elucidating the molecular parameters of activity loss. We examined the effects of ten additives on the conformational kinetic stability by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), using a recently developed three-step model containing both reversible and irreversible steps. The data highlight and help to rationalize different effects of the additives on the properties of full-length IgG, analyzed by onset and aggregation temperatures as well as by kinetic parameters derived from our model. Our results further help to explain the observation that stabilizing mutations in the antigen-binding fragment (Fab) significantly affect the kinetic parameters of its thermal denaturation, but not the aggregation properties of the full-length IgGs. We show that the proper analysis of DSC scans for full-length IgGs and their corresponding Fabs not only helps in ranking their stability in different formats and formulations, but provides important mechanistic insights for improving the conformational kinetic stability of IgGs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas V Schaefer
- a Department of Biochemistry , University of Zurich , Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich , Switzerland
| | - Erik Sedlák
- a Department of Biochemistry , University of Zurich , Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich , Switzerland.,b Center for Interdisciplinary Biosciences, P.J. Šafárik University , Jesenná 5, Košice , Slovakia
| | - Florian Kast
- a Department of Biochemistry , University of Zurich , Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich , Switzerland
| | - Michal Nemergut
- c Department of Biophysics , P.J. Šafárik University , Jesenná 5, Košice , Slovakia
| | - Andreas Plückthun
- a Department of Biochemistry , University of Zurich , Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich , Switzerland
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31
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Wanner R, Breitsprecher D, Duhr S, Baaske P, Winter G. Thermo-Optical Protein Characterization for Straightforward Preformulation Development. J Pharm Sci 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2017.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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32
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Nemergut M, Žoldák G, Schaefer JV, Kast F, Miškovský P, Plückthun A, Sedlák E. Analysis of IgG kinetic stability by differential scanning calorimetry, probe fluorescence and light scattering. Protein Sci 2017; 26:2229-2239. [PMID: 28833802 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2017] [Revised: 08/17/2017] [Accepted: 08/17/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies of the immunoglobulin G (IgG) type have become mainstream therapeutics for the treatment of many life-threatening diseases. For their successful application in the clinic and a favorable cost-benefit ratio, the design and formulation of these therapeutic molecules must guarantee long-term stability for an extended period of time. Accelerated stability studies, e.g., by employing thermal denaturation, have the great potential for enabling high-throughput screening campaigns to find optimal molecular variants and formulations in a short time. Surprisingly, no validated quantitative analysis of these accelerated studies has been performed yet, which clearly limits their application for predicting IgG stability. Therefore, we have established a quantitative approach for the assessment of the kinetic stability over a broad range of temperatures. To this end, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) experiments were performed with a model IgG, testing chaotropic formulations and an extended temperature range, and they were subsequently analyzed by our recently developed three-step sequential model of IgG denaturation, consisting of one reversible and two irreversible steps. A critical comparison of the predictions from this model with data obtained by an orthogonal fluorescence probe method, based on 8-anilinonaphthalene-1-sulfonate binding to partially unfolded states, resulted in very good agreement. In summary, our study highlights the validity of this easy-to-perform analysis for reliably assessing the kinetic stability of IgGs, which can support accelerated formulation development of monoclonal antibodies by ranking different formulations as well as by improving colloidal stability models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Nemergut
- Department of Biophysics, P.J. Šafárik University, Jesenna 5, Košice, 041 54, Slovakia
| | - Gabriel Žoldák
- Department of Biophysics, Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biophysics, Technical University of Munich, James-Franck-Str. 1, Garching, D-85748, Germany
| | - Jonas V Schaefer
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, CH-8057, Switzerland
| | - Florian Kast
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, CH-8057, Switzerland
| | - Pavol Miškovský
- Department of Biophysics, P.J. Šafárik University, Jesenna 5, Košice, 041 54, Slovakia.,Centre for Interdisciplinary Biosciences, P.J. Šafárik University, Jesenna 5, Košice, 041 54, Slovakia
| | - Andreas Plückthun
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, CH-8057, Switzerland
| | - Erik Sedlák
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Biosciences, P.J. Šafárik University, Jesenna 5, Košice, 041 54, Slovakia.,Department of Biochemistry, P.J. Šafárik University, Moyzesova 11, Košice, 040 01, Slovakia
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Baumann P, Schermeyer MT, Burghardt H, Dürr C, Gärtner J, Hubbuch J. Prediction and characterization of the stability enhancing effect of the Cherry-Tag™ in highly concentrated protein solutions by complex rheological measurements and MD simulations. Int J Pharm 2017; 531:360-371. [PMID: 28811118 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2017.08.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2017] [Revised: 07/31/2017] [Accepted: 08/08/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Solution stability attributes are one of the key parameters within the production and launching phase of new biopharmaceuticals. Instabilities of active biological compounds can reduce the yield of biopharmaceutical productions, and may induce undesired reactions in patients, such as immunogenic rejections. Protein solution stability thus needs to be engineered and monitored throughout production and storage. In contrast to the gold standard of long-term storage experiments applied in industry, novel experimental and in silico molecular dynamics tools for predicting protein solution stability can be applied within several minutes or hours. Here, a rheological approach in combination with molecular dynamics simulations are presented, for determining and predicting long-term phase behavior of highly concentrated protein solutions. A diversity of liquid phase conditions, including salt type, ionic strength, pH and protein concentration are tested in a Glutathione-S-Transferase (GST) case study, in combination with the enzyme with and without solubility-enhancing Cherry-Tag™. The rheological characterization of GST and Cherry-GST solutions enabled a fast and efficient prediction of protein instabilities without the need of long-term protein phase diagrams. Finally, the strong solubility enhancing properties of the Cherry-Tag™ were revealed by investigating protein surface properties in MD simulations. The tag highly altered the overall surface charge and hydrophobicity of GST, making it less accessible to alteration by the chemical surrounding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pascal Baumann
- Biomolecular Separation Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany.
| | - Marie-Therese Schermeyer
- Biomolecular Separation Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany.
| | - Hannah Burghardt
- Biomolecular Separation Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Cathrin Dürr
- Biomolecular Separation Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Jonas Gärtner
- Biomolecular Separation Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Jürgen Hubbuch
- Biomolecular Separation Engineering, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany.
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34
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Ghosh R, Calero-Rubio C, Saluja A, Roberts CJ. Relating Protein-Protein Interactions and Aggregation Rates From Low to High Concentrations. J Pharm Sci 2016; 105:1086-96. [PMID: 26928400 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2016.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2015] [Revised: 12/22/2015] [Accepted: 01/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
At low protein concentrations (c2), non-native protein aggregation rates are known to be sensitive to changes in conformational stability and "weak" or "colloidal" protein-protein interactions. Protein-protein interactions are also known to be strong functions of c2. In the present work, protein-protein interactions and rates of aggregation were quantified systematically for a monoclonal antibody (MAb) across a broad range of c2 at pH 5.1 and 6.5, with or without 5 wt/wt % sucrose or 100 mM NaCl present. Aggregation rates were determined from initial-rate analysis with size-exclusion chromatography, and interactions were quantified with static and dynamic laser light scattering. A number of hypotheses were tested regarding whether changes in protein-protein interactions can be predictive of changes in aggregation rates versus c2. Hypotheses were based on (i) changes in thermodynamic activity; (ii) statistical mechanical fluctuation theory; and (iii) surface-contact probabilities. Arguments based on (i) and (ii) were qualitatively inconsistent with experimental rates and scattering. Hypothesis (iii) was reasonably successful and resulted in a semiquantitative correlation between rates and protein-protein interactions across almost 2 orders of magnitude in c2. However, (iii) requires one to assume that the concentration-dependent protein-protein Kirkwood-Buff integral is a reasonable surrogate for contact probabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ranendu Ghosh
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716
| | - Cesar Calero-Rubio
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716
| | - Atul Saluja
- Department of Drug Product Science and Technology, Bristol-Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901
| | - Christopher J Roberts
- Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716.
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35
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O'Brien C, Blanco M, Costanzo J, Enterline M, Fernandez E, Robinson A, Roberts C. Modulating non-native aggregation and electrostatic protein-protein interactions with computationally designed single-point mutations. Protein Eng Des Sel 2016; 29:231-243. [PMID: 27160179 PMCID: PMC4867096 DOI: 10.1093/protein/gzw010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2015] [Revised: 02/29/2016] [Accepted: 03/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-native protein aggregation is a ubiquitous challenge in the production, storage and administration of protein-based biotherapeutics. This study focuses on altering electrostatic protein-protein interactions as a strategy to modulate aggregation propensity in terms of temperature-dependent aggregation rates, using single-charge variants of human γ-D crystallin. Molecular models were combined to predict amino acid substitutions that would modulate protein-protein interactions with minimal effects on conformational stability. Experimental protein-protein interactions were quantified by the Kirkwood-Buff integrals (G22) from laser scattering, and G22 showed semi-quantitative agreement with model predictions. Experimental initial-rates for aggregation showed that increased (decreased) repulsive interactions led to significantly increased (decreased) aggregation resistance, even based solely on single-point mutations. However, in the case of a particular amino acid (E17), the aggregation mechanism was altered by substitution with R or K, and this greatly mitigated improvements in aggregation resistance. The results illustrate that predictions based on native protein-protein interactions can provide a useful design target for engineering aggregation resistance; however, this approach needs to be balanced with consideration of how mutations can impact aggregation mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- C.J. O'Brien
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - M.A. Blanco
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - J.A. Costanzo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
| | - M. Enterline
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - E.J. Fernandez
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA
| | - A.S. Robinson
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA
| | - C.J. Roberts
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
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36
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Thiagarajan G, Semple A, James JK, Cheung JK, Shameem M. A comparison of biophysical characterization techniques in predicting monoclonal antibody stability. MAbs 2016; 8:1088-97. [PMID: 27210456 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2016.1189048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
With the rapid growth of biopharmaceutical product development, knowledge of therapeutic protein stability has become increasingly important. We evaluated assays that measure solution-mediated interactions and key molecular characteristics of 9 formulated monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapeutics, to predict their stability behavior. Colloidal interactions, self-association propensity and conformational stability were measured using effective surface charge via zeta potential, diffusion interaction parameter (kD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), respectively. The molecular features of all 9 mAbs were compared to their stability at accelerated (25°C and 40°C) and long-term storage conditions (2-8°C) as measured by size exclusion chromatography. At accelerated storage conditions, the majority of the mAbs in this study degraded via fragmentation rather than aggregation. Our results show that colloidal stability, self-association propensity and conformational characteristics (exposed tryptophan) provide reasonable prediction of accelerated stability, with limited predictive value at 2-8°C stability. While no correlations to stability behavior were observed with onset-of-melting temperatures or domain unfolding temperatures, by DSC, melting of the Fab domain with the CH2 domain suggests lower stability at stressed conditions. The relevance of identifying appropriate biophysical assays based on the primary degradation pathways is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geetha Thiagarajan
- a Sterile Product and Analytical Development Group , Biologics & Vaccines, Merck & Co., Inc. , Kenilworth , NJ , USA
| | - Andrew Semple
- a Sterile Product and Analytical Development Group , Biologics & Vaccines, Merck & Co., Inc. , Kenilworth , NJ , USA
| | - Jose K James
- b Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School , Rutgers University , Piscataway , NJ, USA
| | - Jason K Cheung
- a Sterile Product and Analytical Development Group , Biologics & Vaccines, Merck & Co., Inc. , Kenilworth , NJ , USA
| | - Mohammed Shameem
- a Sterile Product and Analytical Development Group , Biologics & Vaccines, Merck & Co., Inc. , Kenilworth , NJ , USA
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37
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Frka-Petesic B, Zanchi D, Martin N, Carayon S, Huille S, Tribet C. Aggregation of Antibody Drug Conjugates at Room Temperature: SAXS and Light Scattering Evidence for Colloidal Instability of a Specific Subpopulation. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2016; 32:4848-4861. [PMID: 27129612 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.6b00653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Coupling a hydrophobic drug onto monoclonal antibodies via lysine residues is a common route to prepare antibody-drug conjugates (ADC), a promising class of biotherapeutics. But a few chemical modifications on protein surface often increase aggregation propensity, without a clear understanding of the aggregation mechanisms at stake (loss of colloidal stability, self-assemblies, denaturation, etc.), and the statistical nature of conjugation introduces polydispersity in the ADC population, which raises questions on whether the whole ADC population becomes unstable. To characterize the average interactions between ADC, we monitored small-angle X-ray scattering in solutions of monoclonal IgG1 human antibody drug conjugate, with average degree of conjugation of 0, 2, or 3 drug molecules per protein. To characterize stability, we studied the kinetics of aggregation at room temperature. The intrinsic Fuchs stability ratio of the ADC was estimated from the variation over time of scattered light intensity and hydrodynamic radius, in buffers of varying pH, and at diverse sucrose (0% or 10%) and NaCl (0 or 100 mM) concentrations. We show that stable ADC stock solutions became unstable upon pH shift, well below the pH of maximum average attraction between IgGs. Data indicate that aggregation can be ascribed to a fraction of ADC population usually representing less than 30 mol % of the sample. In contrast to the case of (monodisperse) monoclonal antibodies, our results suggest that a poor correlation between stability and average interaction parameters should be expected as a corollary of dispersity of ADC conjugation. In practice, the most unstable fraction of the ADC population can be removed by filtration, which affects remarkably the apparent stability of the samples. Finally, the lack of correlation between the kinetic stability and variations of the average inter-ADC interactions is tentatively attributed to the uneven nature of charge distributions and the presence of patches on the drug-modified antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Frka-Petesic
- Département de Chimie, Sorbonne Universités - UPMC Univ Paris 06, CNRS UMR 8640 PASTEUR, Ecole Normale Supérieure-PSL Research University , 24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris, France
| | - D Zanchi
- Département de Chimie, Sorbonne Universités - UPMC Univ Paris 06, CNRS UMR 8640 PASTEUR, Ecole Normale Supérieure-PSL Research University , 24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris, France
- Université Paris Diderot-Paris 7, 5 rue Thomas Mann, 75013 Paris, France
| | - N Martin
- Département de Chimie, Sorbonne Universités - UPMC Univ Paris 06, CNRS UMR 8640 PASTEUR, Ecole Normale Supérieure-PSL Research University , 24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris, France
| | - S Carayon
- SANOFI R&D, Analytics & Formulation Department, Global Biologics , 13 quai Jules Guesde - BP 14, 94403 Vitry-sur-Seine, France
| | - S Huille
- SANOFI R&D, Analytics & Formulation Department, Global Biologics , 13 quai Jules Guesde - BP 14, 94403 Vitry-sur-Seine, France
| | - C Tribet
- Département de Chimie, Sorbonne Universités - UPMC Univ Paris 06, CNRS UMR 8640 PASTEUR, Ecole Normale Supérieure-PSL Research University , 24 rue Lhomond, 75005 Paris, France
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38
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Sahin Z, Demir YK, Kayser V. Global kinetic analysis of seeded BSA aggregation. Eur J Pharm Sci 2016; 86:115-24. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2016.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2015] [Revised: 03/08/2016] [Accepted: 03/08/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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39
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Seeliger D, Schulz P, Litzenburger T, Spitz J, Hoerer S, Blech M, Enenkel B, Studts JM, Garidel P, Karow AR. Boosting antibody developability through rational sequence optimization. MAbs 2016; 7:505-15. [PMID: 25759214 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2015.1017695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The application of monoclonal antibodies as commercial therapeutics poses substantial demands on stability and properties of an antibody. Therapeutic molecules that exhibit favorable properties increase the success rate in development. However, it is not yet fully understood how the protein sequences of an antibody translates into favorable in vitro molecule properties. In this work, computational design strategies based on heuristic sequence analysis were used to systematically modify an antibody that exhibited a tendency to precipitation in vitro. The resulting series of closely related antibodies showed improved stability as assessed by biophysical methods and long-term stability experiments. As a notable observation, expression levels also improved in comparison with the wild-type candidate. The methods employed to optimize the protein sequences, as well as the biophysical data used to determine the effect on stability under conditions commonly used in the formulation of therapeutic proteins, are described. Together, the experimental and computational data led to consistent conclusions regarding the effect of the introduced mutations. Our approach exemplifies how computational methods can be used to guide antibody optimization for increased stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Seeliger
- a Division Research Germany; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG ; Biberach/Riss , Germany
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40
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Barnett GV, Razinkov VI, Kerwin BA, Hillsley A, Roberts CJ. Acetate- and Citrate-Specific Ion Effects on Unfolding and Temperature-Dependent Aggregation Rates of Anti-Streptavidin IgG1. J Pharm Sci 2016; 105:1066-73. [DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2015.12.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2015] [Revised: 12/15/2015] [Accepted: 12/15/2015] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
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41
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Chakroun N, Hilton D, Ahmad SS, Platt GW, Dalby PA. Mapping the Aggregation Kinetics of a Therapeutic Antibody Fragment. Mol Pharm 2016; 13:307-19. [PMID: 26692229 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.5b00387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The analytical characterization of biopharmaceuticals is a fundamental step in the early stages of development and prediction of their behavior in bioprocesses. Protein aggregation in particular is a common issue as it affects all stages of product development. In the present work, we investigate the stability and the aggregation kinetics of A33Fab, a therapeutically relevant humanized antibody fragment at a wide range of pH, ionic strength, and temperature. We show that the propensity of A33Fab to aggregate under thermally accelerated conditions is pH and ionic-strength dependent with a stronger destabilizing effect of ionic strength at low pH. In the absence of added salts, A33Fab molecules appear to be protected from aggregation due to electrostatic colloidal repulsion at low pH. Analysis by transmission electron microscopy identified significantly different aggregate species formed at low and high pH. The correlations between apparent midpoints of thermal transitions (Tm,app values), or unfolded mole fractions, and aggregation rates are reported here to be significant only at the elevated incubation temperature of 65 °C, where aggregation from the unfolded state predominates. At all other conditions, particularly at 4-45 °C, aggregation of A33 Fab was predominantly from a native-like state, and the kinetics obeyed Arrhenius behavior. Despite this, the rank order of aggregation rates observed at 45 °C, 23 and 4 °C still did not correlate well to each other, indicating that forced degradation at elevated temperatures was not a good screen for predicting behavior at low temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nesrine Chakroun
- EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Emergent Macromolecular Therapies, Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London , London WC1H 0AH, U.K.,Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London , London WC1H 0AH, U.K
| | - David Hilton
- EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Emergent Macromolecular Therapies, Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London , London WC1H 0AH, U.K.,Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London , London WC1H 0AH, U.K
| | - Shahina S Ahmad
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London , London WC1H 0AH, U.K
| | - Geoffrey W Platt
- Unchained Laboratories, Unit 706, Avenue E West, Thorp Arch Estate, Wetherby LS23 7EG, U.K
| | - Paul A Dalby
- EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Emergent Macromolecular Therapies, Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London , London WC1H 0AH, U.K.,Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London , London WC1H 0AH, U.K
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42
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Temel DB, Landsman P, Brader ML. Orthogonal Methods for Characterizing the Unfolding of Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies. Methods Enzymol 2016; 567:359-89. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2015.08.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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43
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Perevozchikova T, Nanda H, Nesta DP, Roberts CJ. Protein Adsorption, Desorption, and Aggregation Mediated by Solid-Liquid Interfaces. J Pharm Sci 2015; 104:1946-1959. [DOI: 10.1002/jps.24429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2014] [Revised: 02/19/2015] [Accepted: 02/26/2015] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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44
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Barnett GV, Razinkov VI, Kerwin BA, Laue TM, Woodka AH, Butler PD, Perevozchikova T, Roberts CJ. Specific-Ion Effects on the Aggregation Mechanisms and Protein–Protein Interactions for Anti-streptavidin Immunoglobulin Gamma-1. J Phys Chem B 2015; 119:5793-804. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.5b01881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Gregory V. Barnett
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | | | - Bruce A. Kerwin
- Drug
Product Development, Amgen Inc., Seattle, Washington 98119, United States
| | - Thomas M. Laue
- Department
of Molecular, Cellular, and Medical Biosciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 03824, United States
| | - Andrea H. Woodka
- National Institutes of Standards and Technology Center for Neutron Research, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Paul D. Butler
- National Institutes of Standards and Technology Center for Neutron Research, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Tatiana Perevozchikova
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
| | - Christopher J. Roberts
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
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45
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Brader ML, Estey T, Bai S, Alston RW, Lucas KK, Lantz S, Landsman P, Maloney KM. Examination of Thermal Unfolding and Aggregation Profiles of a Series of Developable Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies. Mol Pharm 2015; 12:1005-17. [DOI: 10.1021/mp400666b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Mark L. Brader
- Protein Pharmaceutical Development, Biogen Idec, 14 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Tia Estey
- Protein Pharmaceutical Development, Biogen Idec, 14 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Shujun Bai
- Protein Pharmaceutical Development, Biogen Idec, 14 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Roy W. Alston
- Protein Pharmaceutical Development, Biogen Idec, 14 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Karin K. Lucas
- Protein Pharmaceutical Development, Biogen Idec, 14 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Steven Lantz
- Protein Pharmaceutical Development, Biogen Idec, 14 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Pavel Landsman
- Protein Pharmaceutical Development, Biogen Idec, 14 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Kevin M. Maloney
- Protein Pharmaceutical Development, Biogen Idec, 14 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
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46
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Nuhu MM, Curtis R. Arginine dipeptides affect insulin aggregation in a pH- and ionic strength-dependent manner. Biotechnol J 2015; 10:404-16. [PMID: 25611817 DOI: 10.1002/biot.201400190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2014] [Revised: 12/17/2014] [Accepted: 01/20/2015] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Solutions containing arginine or mixtures of arginine and other amino acids are commonly used for protein liquid formulations to overcome problems such as high viscosities, aggregation, and phase separation. The aim of this work is to examine whether the stabilizing properties of arginine can be improved by incorporating the amino acid into a dipeptide. A series of arginine-containing dipeptides have been tested for their ability to suppress insulin aggregation over a range of pH and ionic strength. The aggregation is monitored at room temperature using a combination of turbidimetry and light scattering for solutions at pH 5.5 or 3.7, whereas thermal-induced aggregation is measured at pH 7.5. In addition, intrinsic fluorescence has been used to quantify additive binding to insulin. The dipeptide diArg is the most effective additive in solutions at pH 5.5 and 3.7, whereas the dipeptide Arg-Phe almost completely eliminates thermally-induced aggregation of insulin at pH 7.5 up to temperature of 90°C. Insulin has been chosen as a model system because the molecular forces controlling its aggregation are well known. From this understanding, we are able to provide a molecular basis for how the various dipeptides affect insulin aggregation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariam M Nuhu
- School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
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47
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Uchiyama S. Liquid formulation for antibody drugs. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-PROTEINS AND PROTEOMICS 2014; 1844:2041-2052. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbapap.2014.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2014] [Revised: 07/16/2014] [Accepted: 07/25/2014] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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48
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Bis RL, Mallela KMG. Antimicrobial preservatives induce aggregation of interferon alpha-2a: the order in which preservatives induce protein aggregation is independent of the protein. Int J Pharm 2014; 472:356-61. [PMID: 24974985 PMCID: PMC4268133 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2014.06.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2014] [Revised: 06/11/2014] [Accepted: 06/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Antimicrobial preservatives (APs) are included in liquid multi-dose protein formulations to combat the growth of microbes and bacteria. These compounds have been shown to cause protein aggregation, which leads to serious immunogenic and toxic side-effects in patients. Our earlier work on a model protein cytochrome c (Cyt c) demonstrated that APs cause protein aggregation in a specific manner. The aim of this study is to validate the conclusions obtained from our model protein studies on a pharmaceutical protein. Interferon α-2a (IFNA2) is available as a therapeutic treatment for numerous immune-compromised disorders including leukemia and hepatitis C, and APs have been used in its multi-dose formulation. Similar to Cyt c, APs induced IFNA2 aggregation, demonstrated by the loss of soluble monomer and increase in solution turbidity. The extent of IFNA2 aggregation increased with the increase in AP concentration. IFNA2 aggregation also depended on the nature of AP, and followed the order m-cresol>phenol>benzyl alcohol>phenoxyethanol. This specific order exactly matched with that observed for the model protein Cyt c. These and previously published results on antibodies and other recombinant proteins suggest that the general mechanism by which APs induce protein aggregation may be independent of the protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regina L Bis
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 12850 E Montview Blvd, C238, Aurora, CO 80045, United States
| | - Krishna M G Mallela
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 12850 E Montview Blvd, C238, Aurora, CO 80045, United States.
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49
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Bis RL, Singh SM, Cabello-Villegas J, Mallela KMG. Role of benzyl alcohol in the unfolding and aggregation of interferon α-2a. J Pharm Sci 2014; 104:407-15. [PMID: 25100180 DOI: 10.1002/jps.24105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2014] [Revised: 06/18/2014] [Accepted: 07/08/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Benzyl alcohol (BA) is the most widely used antimicrobial preservative in multidose protein formulations, and has been shown to cause protein aggregation. Our previous work on a model protein cytochrome c demonstrated that this phenomenon occurs via partial unfolding. Here, we examine the validity of these results by investigating the effect of BA on a pharmaceutically relevant protein, interferon α-2a (IFNA2). IFNA2 therapeutic formulations available on the pharmaceutical market contain BA as a preservative. Isothermal aggregation kinetics and temperature scanning demonstrated that BA induced IFNA2 aggregation in a concentration-dependent manner. With increasing concentration of BA, the apparent aggregation temperature of IFNA2 linearly decreased. Denaturant melts measured using protein intrinsic fluorescence and that of the 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonic acid dye indicated that IFNA2 stability decreased with increasing BA concentration, populating a partially unfolded intermediate. Changes in nuclear magnetic resonance chemical shifts and hydrogen exchange rates identified the structural nature of this intermediate, which correlated with an aggregation "hot-spot" predicted by computational methods. These results indicate that BA induces IFNA2 aggregation by partial unfolding rather than global unfolding of the entire protein, and is consistent with our earlier conclusions from model protein studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regina L Bis
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences & Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, 80045
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50
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Rauk AP, Guo K, Hu Y, Cahya S, Weiss WF. Arrhenius time-scaled least squares: a simple, robust approach to accelerated stability data analysis for bioproducts. J Pharm Sci 2014; 103:2278-86. [PMID: 24974956 DOI: 10.1002/jps.24063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2014] [Revised: 06/03/2014] [Accepted: 06/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Defining a suitable product presentation with an acceptable stability profile over its intended shelf-life is one of the principal challenges in bioproduct development. Accelerated stability studies are routinely used as a tool to better understand long-term stability. Data analysis often employs an overall mass action kinetics description for the degradation and the Arrhenius relationship to capture the temperature dependence of the observed rate constant. To improve predictive accuracy and precision, the current work proposes a least-squares estimation approach with a single nonlinear covariate and uses a polynomial to describe the change in a product attribute with respect to time. The approach, which will be referred to as Arrhenius time-scaled (ATS) least squares, enables accurate, precise predictions to be achieved for degradation profiles commonly encountered during bioproduct development. A Monte Carlo study is conducted to compare the proposed approach with the common method of least-squares estimation on the logarithmic form of the Arrhenius equation and nonlinear estimation of a first-order model. The ATS least squares method accommodates a range of degradation profiles, provides a simple and intuitive approach for data presentation, and can be implemented with ease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam P Rauk
- inVentiv Health Clinical, Princeton, NJ, 08540
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