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Venkataraman S, Hefferon K, Makhzoum A, Abouhaidar M. Combating Human Viral Diseases: Will Plant-Based Vaccines Be the Answer? Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9070761. [PMID: 34358177 PMCID: PMC8310141 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9070761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Molecular pharming or the technology of application of plants and plant cell culture to manufacture high-value recombinant proteins has progressed a long way over the last three decades. Whether generated in transgenic plants by stable expression or in plant virus-based transient expression systems, biopharmaceuticals have been produced to combat several human viral diseases that have impacted the world in pandemic proportions. Plants have been variously employed in expressing a host of viral antigens as well as monoclonal antibodies. Many of these biopharmaceuticals have shown great promise in animal models and several of them have performed successfully in clinical trials. The current review elaborates the strategies and successes achieved in generating plant-derived vaccines to target several virus-induced health concerns including highly communicable infectious viral diseases. Importantly, plant-made biopharmaceuticals against hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), the cancer-causing virus human papillomavirus (HPV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), influenza virus, zika virus, and the emerging respiratory virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been discussed. The use of plant virus-derived nanoparticles (VNPs) and virus-like particles (VLPs) in generating plant-based vaccines are extensively addressed. The review closes with a critical look at the caveats of plant-based molecular pharming and future prospects towards further advancements in this technology. The use of biopharmed viral vaccines in human medicine and as part of emergency response vaccines and therapeutics in humans looks promising for the near future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Srividhya Venkataraman
- Virology Laboratory, Department of Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, Canada; (K.H.); (M.A.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Kathleen Hefferon
- Virology Laboratory, Department of Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, Canada; (K.H.); (M.A.)
| | - Abdullah Makhzoum
- Department of Biological Sciences & Biotechnology, Botswana International University of Science & Technology, Palapye, Botswana;
| | - Mounir Abouhaidar
- Virology Laboratory, Department of Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, Canada; (K.H.); (M.A.)
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McNulty MJ, Kelada K, Paul D, Nandi S, McDonald KA. Introducing uncertainty quantification to techno-economic models of manufacturing field-grown plant-made products. FOOD AND BIOPRODUCTS PROCESSING 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fbp.2021.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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53
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Design and expression of a bispecific antibody against dengue and chikungunya virus in plants. Methods Enzymol 2021; 660:223-238. [PMID: 34742391 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2021.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Recombinant proteins have a broad range of applications from basic research to pharmaceutical development. Of utmost importance in the production of recombinant proteins is the selection of the best recombinant protein production system, such that high-quality and functional recombinant proteins are produced. Plants can produce a large quantity of recombinant proteins rapidly and economically. Glycoengineering has created "humanized" plant lines that can produce glycoproteins with specific human glycans with a high level of homogeneity on demand. Here, a detailed protocol was provided to produce a large, multisubunit, and complex bispecific antibody that targets two distinct viruses. The successful production of this multiple-subunit protein demonstrated that plants are the optimal system for the production of recombinant proteins of various sizes and complexity, which can be employed for various applications including diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines to combat current and future pandemics.
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Drapal M, Enfissi EMA, Fraser PD. Metabolic effects of agro-infiltration on N. benthamiana accessions. Transgenic Res 2021; 30:303-315. [PMID: 33909228 PMCID: PMC8080481 DOI: 10.1007/s11248-021-00256-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Over the recent years, Nicotiana benthamiana has gained great importance as a chassis for the production of high value, low volume pharmaceuticals and/or active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The process involving infiltration of the N. benthamiana leaves with Agrobacterium spp, harbouring vectors with the gene of interest, facilitates transient expression. To date, little information is available on the effect of the agro-infiltration process on the metabolome of N. benthamiana, which is necessary to improve the process for large-scale, renewable manufacturing of high value compounds and medical products. Hence, the objective of the present study was to assess metabolic adaptation of N. benthamiana as a response to the presence of Agrobacterium. The present study elucidated changes of the steady-state metabolism in the agroinfiltrated leaf area, the area around the infection and the rest of the plant. Furthermore, the study discusses the phenotypic advantages of the N. benthamiana lab strain, optimised for agro-infiltration, compared to three other wild accessions. Results showed that the lab strain has a different metabolic composition and showed less alterations of the phenylpropanoid pathway and cell wall remodelling in the agroinfiltrated leaf areas, for example chlorogenic acid, cadaverine and C18:0-2-glycerol ester. In conclusion, both of these alterations present potential candidates to improve the phenotype of the N. benthamiana lab strain for a more efficient transient expression process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margit Drapal
- Biochemistry, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, UK
| | | | - Paul D Fraser
- Biochemistry, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, UK.
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Chin-Fatt A, Saberianfar R, Menassa R. A Rationally Designed Bovine IgA Fc Scaffold Enhances in planta Accumulation of a V HH-Fc Fusion Without Compromising Binding to Enterohemorrhagic E. coli. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:651262. [PMID: 33936135 PMCID: PMC8079772 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.651262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
We previously isolated a single domain antibody (VHH) that binds Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) with the end-goal being the enteromucosal passive immunization of cattle herds. To improve the yield of a chimeric fusion of the VHH with an IgA Fc, we employed two rational design strategies, supercharging and introducing de novo disulfide bonds, on the bovine IgA Fc component of the chimera. After mutagenizing the Fc, we screened for accumulation levels after transient transformation in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. We identified and characterized five supercharging and one disulfide mutant, termed '(5 + 1)Fc', that improve accumulation in comparison to the native Fc. Combining all these mutations is associated with a 32-fold increase of accumulation for the Fc alone, from 23.9 mg/kg fresh weight (FW) to 599.5 mg/kg FW, as well as a twenty-fold increase when fused to a VHH that binds EHEC, from 12.5 mg/kg FW tissue to 236.2 mg/kg FW. Co-expression of native or mutated VHH-Fc with bovine joining chain (JC) and bovine secretory component (SC) followed by co-immunoprecipitation suggests that the stabilizing mutations do not interfere with the capacity of VHH-Fc to assemble with JC and FC into a secretory IgA. Both the native and the mutated VHH-Fc similarly neutralized the ability of four of the seven most prevalent EHEC strains (O157:H7, O26:H11, O111:Hnm, O145:Hnm, O45:H2, O121:H19 and O103:H2), to adhere to HEp-2 cells as visualized by immunofluorescence microscopy and quantified by fluorometry. These results collectively suggest that supercharging and disulfide bond tethering on a Fc chain can effectively improve accumulation of a VHH-Fc fusion without impacting VHH functionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Chin-Fatt
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, London Research and Development Centre, London, ON, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Reza Saberianfar
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, London Research and Development Centre, London, ON, Canada
| | - Rima Menassa
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, London Research and Development Centre, London, ON, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
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Kelada KD, Tusé D, Gleba Y, McDonald KA, Nandi S. Process Simulation and Techno-Economic Analysis of Large-Scale Bioproduction of Sweet Protein Thaumatin II. Foods 2021; 10:838. [PMID: 33921374 PMCID: PMC8069865 DOI: 10.3390/foods10040838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
There are currently worldwide efforts to reduce sugar intake due to the various adverse health effects linked with the overconsumption of sugars. Artificial sweeteners have been used as an alternative to nutritive sugars in numerous applications; however, their long-term effects on human health remain controversial. This led to a shift in consumer preference towards non-caloric sweeteners from natural sources. Thaumatins are a class of intensely sweet proteins found in arils of the fruits of the West-African plant Thaumatococcus daniellii. Thaumatins' current production method through aqueous extraction from this plant and uncertainty of the harvest from tropical rainforests limits its supply while the demand is increasing. Despite successful recombinant expression of the protein in several organisms, no large-scale bioproduction facilities exist. We present preliminary process design, process simulation, and economic analysis for a large-scale (50 metric tons/year) production of a thaumatin II variant using several different molecular farming platforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirolos D. Kelada
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; (K.D.K.); (K.A.M.)
| | - Daniel Tusé
- DT/Consulting Group, Sacramento, CA 95818, USA;
| | - Yuri Gleba
- Nomad Bioscience GmbH, 06120 Halle, Germany;
| | - Karen A. McDonald
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; (K.D.K.); (K.A.M.)
- Global HealthShare® Initiative, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Somen Nandi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; (K.D.K.); (K.A.M.)
- Global HealthShare® Initiative, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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Rattanapisit K, Kitisripanya T, Konyanee A, Sae-Foo W, Burapapiruin A, Putalun W, Sakamoto S, Phoolcharoen W, Yusakul G. Plant-made antibody against miroestrol: a new platform for expression of full-length immunoglobulin G against small-molecule targets in immunoassays. PLANT CELL REPORTS 2021; 40:723-733. [PMID: 33582859 DOI: 10.1007/s00299-021-02670-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
KEY MESSAGE Plant expression platform is the new source of immunoglobulin G (IgG) toward small low-molecular-weight targets. The plant-made monoclonal antibody-based immunoassay exhibits comparable analytical performance with hybridoma antibody. Immunoassays for small molecules are efficiently applied for monitoring of serum therapeutic drug concentration, food toxins, environmental contamination, etc. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) is usually produced using hybridoma cells, which requires complicated procedures and expensive equipment. Plants can act as alternative and economic hosts for IgG production. However, the production of free hapten (low-molecular-weight target)-recognizing IgG from plants has not been successfully developed yet. The current study aimed at creating a plant platform as an affordable source of IgG for use in immunoassays and diagnostic tools. The functional IgG was expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves infiltrated with Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain GV3101 with recombinant geminiviral vectors (pBY3R) occupying chimeric anti-miroestrol IgG genes. The appropriate assembly between heavy and light chains was achieved, and the yield of expression was 0.57 µg/g fresh N. benthamiana leaves. The binding characteristics of the IgG to miroestrol and binding specificity to related compounds, such as isomiroestrol and deoxymiroestrol, were similar to those of hybridoma-produced IgG (monoclonal antibody, mAb). The plant-based mAbs exhibited high sensitivity for miroestrol (IC50, 23.2 ± 2.1 ng/mL), precision (relative standard deviation ≤ 5.01%), and accuracy (97.8-103% recovery), as determined using quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The validated enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was applicable to determine miroestrol in plant samples. Overall, the plant-produced functional IgG conserved the binding activity and specificity of the parent IgG derived from mammalian cells. Therefore, the plant expression system may be an efficient and affordable platform for the production of antibodies against low-molecular-weight targets in immunoassays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaewta Rattanapisit
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | - Atthaphon Konyanee
- School of Medicine, Walailak University, Thaiburi, Thasala, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand
| | - Worapol Sae-Foo
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
| | - Apisit Burapapiruin
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Waraporn Putalun
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
| | - Seiichi Sakamoto
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Waranyoo Phoolcharoen
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Gorawit Yusakul
- School of Pharmacy, Walailak University, Thaiburi, Thasala, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand.
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58
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Kelley B, Renshaw T, Kamarck M. Process and operations strategies to enable global access to antibody therapies. Biotechnol Prog 2021; 37:e3139. [PMID: 33686779 DOI: 10.1002/btpr.3139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Revised: 02/21/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Few monoclonal antibodies are currently approved for treating infectious diseases, but multiple products are in development against a broad range of infectious diseases, including Ebola, influenza, hepatitis B, HIV, dengue, and COVID-19. The maturity of mAb technologies now allow us to identify and advance neutralizing mAb products to the clinic at "pandemic pace", as the pipeline of mAbs targeting SARS-CoV-2 has demonstrated. Ensuring global access to these products for passive immunization, however, will require both low manufacturing cost and multi-ton production capacity-particularly for those infectious diseases where the geographic burden falls mostly in low- and middle-income countries or those with pandemic potential. Analysis of process economics and manufacturing technologies for antibody and other parenteral protein therapeutics demonstrates the importance of economies of scale to reducing the cost of goods for drug substance manufacturing. There are major benefits to convergence on a standardized platform process for antibody production that is portable to most existing very large-scale facilities, carries low risk for complications during process transfer and scale-up, and has a predictable timeline and probability of technical and regulatory success. In the case of an infectious disease with pandemic potential which could be treated with an antibody, such as COVID-19 or influenza, these advantages are paramount.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Kelley
- Vir Biotechnology, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Todd Renshaw
- Vir Biotechnology, San Francisco, California, USA
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59
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Buyel JF, Stöger E, Bortesi L. Targeted genome editing of plants and plant cells for biomanufacturing. Transgenic Res 2021; 30:401-426. [PMID: 33646510 PMCID: PMC8316201 DOI: 10.1007/s11248-021-00236-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Plants have provided humans with useful products since antiquity, but in the last 30 years they have also been developed as production platforms for small molecules and recombinant proteins. This initially niche area has blossomed with the growth of the global bioeconomy, and now includes chemical building blocks, polymers and renewable energy. All these applications can be described as “plant molecular farming” (PMF). Despite its potential to increase the sustainability of biologics manufacturing, PMF has yet to be embraced broadly by industry. This reflects a combination of regulatory uncertainty, limited information on process cost structures, and the absence of trained staff and suitable manufacturing capacity. However, the limited adaptation of plants and plant cells to the requirements of industry-scale manufacturing is an equally important hurdle. For example, the targeted genetic manipulation of yeast has been common practice since the 1980s, whereas reliable site-directed mutagenesis in most plants has only become available with the advent of CRISPR/Cas9 and similar genome editing technologies since around 2010. Here we summarize the applications of new genetic engineering technologies to improve plants as biomanufacturing platforms. We start by identifying current bottlenecks in manufacturing, then illustrate the progress that has already been made and discuss the potential for improvement at the molecular, cellular and organism levels. We discuss the effects of metabolic optimization, adaptation of the endomembrane system, modified glycosylation profiles, programmable growth and senescence, protease inactivation, and the expression of enzymes that promote biodegradation. We outline strategies to achieve these modifications by targeted gene modification, considering case-by-case examples of individual improvements and the combined modifications needed to generate a new general-purpose “chassis” for PMF.
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Affiliation(s)
- J F Buyel
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Forckenbeckstrasse 6, 52074, Aachen, Germany. .,Institute for Molecular Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
| | - E Stöger
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - L Bortesi
- Aachen-Maastricht Institute for Biobased Materials (AMIBM), Maastricht University, Brightlands Chemelot Campus, Urmonderbaan 22, 6167 RD, Geleen, The Netherlands
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60
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Knödler M, Buyel JF. Plant-made immunotoxin building blocks: A roadmap for producing therapeutic antibody-toxin fusions. Biotechnol Adv 2021; 47:107683. [PMID: 33373687 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2020.107683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Molecular farming in plants is an emerging platform for the production of pharmaceutical proteins, and host species such as tobacco are now becoming competitive with commercially established production hosts based on bacteria and mammalian cell lines. The range of recombinant therapeutic proteins produced in plants includes replacement enzymes, vaccines and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). But plants can also be used to manufacture toxins, such as the mistletoe lectin viscumin, providing an opportunity to express active antibody-toxin fusion proteins, so-called recombinant immunotoxins (RITs). Mammalian production systems are currently used to produce antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), which require the separate expression and purification of each component followed by a complex and hazardous coupling procedure. In contrast, RITs made in plants are expressed in a single step and could therefore reduce production and purification costs. The costs can be reduced further if subcellular compartments that accumulate large quantities of the stable protein are identified and optimal plant growth conditions are selected. In this review, we first provide an overview of the current state of RIT production in plants before discussing the three key components of RITs in detail. The specificity-defining domain (often an antibody) binds cancer cells, including solid tumors and hematological malignancies. The toxin provides the means to kill target cells. Toxins from different species with different modes of action can be used for this purpose. Finally, the linker spaces the two other components to ensure they adopt a stable, functional conformation, and may also promote toxin release inside the cell. Given the diversity of these components, we extract broad principles that can be used as recommendations for the development of effective RITs. Future research should focus on such proteins to exploit the advantages of plants as efficient production platforms for targeted anti-cancer therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Knödler
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Forckenbeckstrasse 6, Aachen 52074, Germany; Institute for Molecular Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, Aachen 52074, Germany.
| | - J F Buyel
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Forckenbeckstrasse 6, Aachen 52074, Germany; Institute for Molecular Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Worringerweg 1, Aachen 52074, Germany.
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Hepatitis B core-based virus-like particles: A platform for vaccine development in plants. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021; 29:e00605. [PMID: 33732633 PMCID: PMC7937989 DOI: 10.1016/j.btre.2021.e00605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Virus-like particles (VLPs) are a class of structures formed by the self-assembly of viral capsid protein subunits and contain no infective viral genetic material. The Hepatitis B core (HBc) antigen is capable of assembling into VLPs that can elicit strong immune responses and has been licensed as a commercial vaccine against Hepatitis B. The HBc VLPs have also been employed as a platform for the presentation of foreign epitopes to the immune system and have been used to develop vaccines against, for example, influenza A and Foot-and-mouth disease. Plant expression systems are rapid, scalable and safe, and are capable of providing correct post-translational modifications and reducing upstream production costs. The production of HBc-based virus-like particles in plants would thus greatly increase the efficiency of vaccine production. This review investigates the application of plant-based HBc VLP as a platform for vaccine production.
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62
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McNulty MJ, Silberstein DZ, Kuhn BT, Padgett HS, Nandi S, McDonald KA, Cross CE. Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and recombinant protein sources with focus on plant sources: Updates, challenges and perspectives. Free Radic Biol Med 2021; 163:10-30. [PMID: 33279618 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2020.11.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (A1ATD) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by low plasma levels of A1AT, a serine protease inhibitor representing the most abundant circulating antiprotease normally present at plasma levels of 1-2 g/L. The dominant clinical manifestations include predispositions to early onset emphysema due to protease/antiprotease imbalance in distal lung parenchyma and liver disease largely due to unsecreted polymerized accumulations of misfolded mutant A1AT within the endoplasmic reticulum of hepatocytes. Since 1987, the only FDA licensed specific therapy for the emphysema component has been infusions of A1AT purified from pooled human plasma at the 2020 cost of up to US $200,000/year with the risk of intermittent shortages. In the past three decades various, potentially less expensive, recombinant forms of human A1AT have reached early stages of development, one of which is just reaching the stage of human clinical trials. The focus of this review is to update strategies for the treatment of the pulmonary component of A1ATD with some focus on perspectives for therapeutic production and regulatory approval of a recombinant product from plants. We review other competitive technologies for treating the lung disease manifestations of A1ATD, highlight strategies for the generation of data potentially helpful for securing FDA Investigational New Drug (IND) approval and present challenges in the selection of clinical trial strategies required for FDA licensing of a New Drug Approval (NDA) for this disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J McNulty
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - David Z Silberstein
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Brooks T Kuhn
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA; University of California, Davis, Alpha-1 Deficiency Clinic, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | | | - Somen Nandi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA, USA; Global HealthShare Initiative®, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Karen A McDonald
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA, USA; Global HealthShare Initiative®, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Carroll E Cross
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA; University of California, Davis, Alpha-1 Deficiency Clinic, Sacramento, CA, USA; Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
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63
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He J, Lai H, Esqueda A, Chen Q. Plant-Produced Antigen Displaying Virus-Like Particles Evokes Potent Antibody Responses against West Nile Virus in Mice. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:60. [PMID: 33477363 PMCID: PMC7830312 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9010060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 01/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
In this study, we developed a hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg)-based virus-like particle (VLP) that displays the West Nile virus (WNV) Envelope protein domain III (wDIII) as a vaccine candidate for WNV. The HBcAg-wDIII fusion protein was quickly produced in Nicotiana benthamiana plants and reached a high expression level of approximately 1.2 mg of fusion protein per gram of leaf fresh weight within six days post gene infiltration. Electron microscopy and gradient centrifugation analysis indicated that the introduction of wDIII did not interfere with VLP formation and HBcAg-wDIII successfully assembled into VLPs. HBcAg-wDIII VLPs can be easily purified in large quantities from Nicotiana benthamiana leaves to >95% homogeneity. Further analysis revealed that the wDIII was displayed properly and demonstrated specific binding to an anti-wDIII monoclonal antibody that recognizes a conformational epitope of wDIII. Notably, HBcAg-wDIII VLPs were shown to be highly immunogenic and elicited potent humoral responses in mice with antigen-specific IgG titers equivalent to that of protective wDIII antigens in previous studies. Thus, our wDIII-based VLP vaccine offers an attractive option for developing effective, safe, and low-cost vaccines against WNV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junyun He
- The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; (J.H.); (H.L.); (A.E.)
| | - Huafang Lai
- The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; (J.H.); (H.L.); (A.E.)
| | - Adrian Esqueda
- The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; (J.H.); (H.L.); (A.E.)
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Qiang Chen
- The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; (J.H.); (H.L.); (A.E.)
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
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64
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Alvisi N, van Noort K, Dwiani S, Geschiere N, Sukarta O, Varossieau K, Nguyen DL, Strasser R, Hokke CH, Schots A, Wilbers RHP. β-Hexosaminidases Along the Secretory Pathway of Nicotiana benthamiana Have Distinct Specificities Toward Engineered Helminth N-Glycans on Recombinant Glycoproteins. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:638454. [PMID: 33815445 PMCID: PMC8010188 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.638454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Secretions of parasitic worms (helminths) contain a wide collection of immunomodulatory glycoproteins with the potential to treat inflammatory disorders, like autoimmune diseases. Yet, the identification of single molecules that can be developed into novel biopharmaceuticals is hampered by the limited availability of native parasite-derived proteins. Recently, pioneering work has shown that helminth glycoproteins can be produced transiently in Nicotiana benthamiana plants while simultaneously mimicking their native helminth N-glycan composition by co-expression of desired glycosyltransferases. However, efficient "helminthization" of N-glycans in plants by glyco-engineering seems to be hampered by the undesired truncation of complex N-glycans by β-N-acetyl-hexosaminidases, in particular when aiming for the synthesis of N-glycans with antennary GalNAcβ1-4GlcNAc (LacdiNAc or LDN). In this study, we cloned novel β-hexosaminidase open reading frames from N. benthamiana and characterized the biochemical activity of these enzymes. We identified HEXO2 and HEXO3 as enzymes responsible for the cleavage of antennary GalNAc residues of N-glycans on the model helminth glycoprotein kappa-5. Furthermore, we reveal that each member of the HEXO family has a distinct specificity for N-glycan substrates, where HEXO2 has strict β-galactosaminidase activity, whereas HEXO3 cleaves both GlcNAc and GalNAc. The identification of HEXO2 and HEXO3 as major targets for LDN cleavage will enable a targeted genome editing approach to reduce undesired processing of these N-glycans. Effective knockout of these enzymes could allow the production of therapeutically relevant glycoproteins with tailor-made helminth N-glycans in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolò Alvisi
- Laboratory of Nematology, Plant Sciences Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Kim van Noort
- Laboratory of Nematology, Plant Sciences Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Sarlita Dwiani
- Laboratory of Nematology, Plant Sciences Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Nathan Geschiere
- Laboratory of Nematology, Plant Sciences Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Octavina Sukarta
- Laboratory of Nematology, Plant Sciences Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Koen Varossieau
- Laboratory of Nematology, Plant Sciences Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Dieu-Linh Nguyen
- Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Richard Strasser
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Cornelis H. Hokke
- Department of Parasitology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Arjen Schots
- Laboratory of Nematology, Plant Sciences Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Ruud H. P. Wilbers
- Laboratory of Nematology, Plant Sciences Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
- *Correspondence: Ruud H. P. Wilbers,
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Margolin E, Allen JD, Verbeek M, van Diepen M, Ximba P, Chapman R, Meyers A, Williamson AL, Crispin M, Rybicki E. Site-Specific Glycosylation of Recombinant Viral Glycoproteins Produced in Nicotiana benthamiana. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:709344. [PMID: 34367227 PMCID: PMC8341435 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.709344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
There is an urgent need to establish large scale biopharmaceutical manufacturing capacity in Africa where the infrastructure for biologics production is severely limited. Molecular farming, whereby pharmaceuticals are produced in plants, offers a cheaper alternative to mainstream expression platforms, and is amenable to rapid large-scale production. However, there are several differences along the plant protein secretory pathway compared to mammalian systems, which constrain the production of complex pharmaceuticals. Viral envelope glycoproteins are important targets for immunization, yet in some cases they accumulate poorly in plants and may not be properly processed. Whilst the co-expression of human chaperones and furin proteases has shown promise, it is presently unclear how plant-specific differences in glycosylation impact the production of these proteins. In many cases it may be necessary to reproduce features of their native glycosylation to produce immunologically relevant vaccines, given that glycosylation is central to the folding and immunogenicity of these antigens. Building on previous work, we transiently expressed model glycoproteins from HIV and Marburg virus in Nicotiana benthamiana and mammalian cells. The proteins were purified and their site-specific glycosylation was determined by mass-spectrometry. Both glycoproteins yielded increased amounts of protein aggregates when produced in plants compared to the equivalent mammalian cell-derived proteins. The glycosylation profiles of the plant-produced glycoproteins were distinct from the mammalian cell produced proteins: they displayed lower levels of glycan occupancy, reduced complex glycans and large amounts of paucimannosidic structures. The elucidation of the site-specific glycosylation of viral glycoproteins produced in N. benthamiana is an important step toward producing heterologous viral glycoproteins in plants with authentic human-like glycosylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Margolin
- Division of Medical Virology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Africa, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Biopharming Research Unit, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- *Correspondence: Emmanuel Margolin,
| | - Joel D. Allen
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew Verbeek
- Biopharming Research Unit, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Michiel van Diepen
- Division of Medical Virology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Phindile Ximba
- Division of Medical Virology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Rosamund Chapman
- Division of Medical Virology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Ann Meyers
- Biopharming Research Unit, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Anna-Lise Williamson
- Division of Medical Virology, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Africa, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Max Crispin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
- Max Crispin,
| | - Edward Rybicki
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Biopharming Research Unit, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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66
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Teh AYH, Cavacini L, Hu Y, Kumru OS, Xiong J, Bolick DT, Joshi SB, Grünwald-Gruber C, Altmann F, Klempner M, Guerrant RL, Volkin DB, Wang Y, Ma JKC. Investigation of a monoclonal antibody against enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, expressed as secretory IgA1 and IgA2 in plants. Gut Microbes 2021; 13:1-14. [PMID: 33439092 PMCID: PMC7833773 DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2020.1859813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Revised: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Passive immunization with antibodies is a promising approach against enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli diarrhea, a prevalent disease in LMICs. The objective of this study was to investigate expression of a monoclonal anti-ETEC CfaE secretory IgA antibody in N. benthamiana plants, with a view to facilitating access to ETEC passive immunotherapy. SIgA1 and SIgA2 forms of mAb 68-81 were produced by co-expressing the light and engineered heavy chains with J chain and secretory component in N. benthamiana. Antibody expression and assembly were compared with CHO-derived antibodies by SDS-PAGE, western blotting, size-exclusion chromatography and LC-MS peptide mapping. N-linked glycosylation was assessed by rapid fluorescence/mass spectrometry and LC-ESI-MS. Susceptibility to gastric digestion was assessed in an in vitro model. Antibody function was compared for antigen binding, a Caco-2 cell-based ETEC adhesion assay, an ETEC hemagglutination inhibition assay and a murine in vivo challenge study. SIgA1 assembly appeared superior to SIgA2 in plants. Both sub-classes exhibited resistance to degradation by simulated gastric fluid, comparable to CHO-produced 68-61 SIgA1. The plant expressed SIgAs had more homogeneous N-glycosylation than CHO-derived SIgAs, but no alteration of in vitro functional activity was observed, including antibodies expressed in a plant line engineered for mammalian-like N glycosylation. The plant-derived SIgA2 mAb demonstrated protection against diarrhea in a murine infection model. Although antibody yield and purification need to be optimized, anti-ETEC SIgA antibodies produced in a low-cost plant platform are functionally equivalent to CHO antibodies, and provide promise for passive immunotherapy in LMICs.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antibodies, Bacterial/genetics
- Antibodies, Bacterial/immunology
- Antibodies, Bacterial/metabolism
- Antibodies, Bacterial/therapeutic use
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/genetics
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/metabolism
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use
- Antibody Affinity
- Bacterial Adhesion/drug effects
- Caco-2 Cells
- Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli/immunology
- Escherichia coli Infections/microbiology
- Escherichia coli Infections/therapy
- Gastric Acid/metabolism
- Glycosylation
- Humans
- Immunoglobulin A, Secretory/genetics
- Immunoglobulin A, Secretory/immunology
- Immunoglobulin A, Secretory/metabolism
- Immunoglobulin A, Secretory/therapeutic use
- Immunotherapy
- Mice
- Plants, Genetically Modified
- Nicotiana/genetics
- Nicotiana/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Y-H Teh
- Molecular Immunology Unit, Institute for Infection and Immunity, St. George’s University of London, London, UK
| | - Lisa Cavacini
- MassBiologics of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yue Hu
- Vaccine Analytics and Formulation Center, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Ozan S. Kumru
- Vaccine Analytics and Formulation Center, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Jian Xiong
- Vaccine Analytics and Formulation Center, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - David T. Bolick
- Division of Infectious Disease and International Health, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Sangeeta B. Joshi
- Vaccine Analytics and Formulation Center, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Clemens Grünwald-Gruber
- Department for Chemistry, Division of Biochemistry, Universität Für Bodenkultur Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Friedrich Altmann
- Department for Chemistry, Division of Biochemistry, Universität Für Bodenkultur Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - Mark Klempner
- MassBiologics of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Richard L. Guerrant
- Division of Infectious Disease and International Health, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - David B. Volkin
- Vaccine Analytics and Formulation Center, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Yang Wang
- MassBiologics of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Julian K-C. Ma
- Molecular Immunology Unit, Institute for Infection and Immunity, St. George’s University of London, London, UK
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Mamedov T, Gurbuzaslan I, Yuksel D, Ilgin M, Mammadova G, Ozkul A, Hasanova G. Soluble Human Angiotensin- Converting Enzyme 2 as a Potential Therapeutic Tool for COVID-19 is Produced at High Levels In Nicotiana benthamiana Plant With Potent Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Activity. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:742875. [PMID: 34938305 PMCID: PMC8685454 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.742875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has rapidly spread to more than 222 countries and has put global public health at high risk. The world urgently needs a safe, cost-effective SARS-CoV-2 vaccine as well as therapeutic and antiviral drugs to combat COVID-19. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), as a key receptor for SARS-CoV-2 infections, has been proposed as a potential therapeutic tool in patients with COVID-19. In this study, we report a high-level production (about ∼0.75 g/kg leaf biomass) of human soluble (truncated) ACE2 in the Nicotiana benthamiana plant. After the Ni-NTA single-step, the purification yields of recombinant plant produced ACE2 protein in glycosylated and deglycosylated forms calculated as ∼0.4 and 0.5 g/kg leaf biomass, respectively. The plant produced recombinant human soluble ACE2s successfully bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Importantly, both deglycosylated and glycosylated forms of ACE2 are stable at increased temperatures for extended periods of time and demonstrated strong anti-SARS-CoV-2 activities in vitro. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of glycosylated ACE2 (gACE2) and deglycosylated ACE2 (dACE2) were ∼1.0 and 8.48 μg/ml, respectively, for the pre-entry infection, when incubated with 100TCID50 of SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, plant produced soluble ACE2s are promising cost-effective and safe candidates as a potential therapeutic tool in the treatment of patients with COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tarlan Mamedov
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, Baku, Azerbaijan
- *Correspondence: Tarlan Mamedov,
| | - Irem Gurbuzaslan
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey
| | - Damla Yuksel
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey
| | - Merve Ilgin
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey
| | - Gunay Mammadova
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey
| | - Aykut Ozkul
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey
- Biotechnology Institute, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Gulnara Hasanova
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey
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68
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Production of Recombinant Monoclonal Antibodies in the Egg White of Gene-Targeted Transgenic Chickens. Genes (Basel) 2020; 12:genes12010038. [PMID: 33396657 PMCID: PMC7823952 DOI: 10.3390/genes12010038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Increased commercial demand for monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) has resulted in the urgent need to establish efficient production systems. We previously developed a transgenic chicken bioreactor system that effectively produced human cytokines in egg whites using genome-edited transgenic chickens. Here, we describe the application of this system to mAb production. The genes encoding the heavy and light chains of humanized anti-HER2 mAb, linked by a 2A peptide sequence, were integrated into the chicken ovalbumin gene locus using a CRISPR/Cas9 protocol. The knock-in hens produced a fully assembled humanized mAb in their eggs. The mAb expression level in the egg white was 1.4–1.9 mg/mL, as determined by ELISA. Furthermore, the antigen binding affinity of the anti-HER2 mAb obtained was estimated to be equal to that of the therapeutic anti-HER2 mAb (trastuzumab). In addition, antigen-specific binding by the egg white mAb was demonstrated by immunofluorescence against HER2-positive and -negative cells. These results indicate that the chicken bioreactor system can efficiently produce mAbs with antigen binding capacity and can serve as an alternative production system for commercial mAbs.
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69
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LeBlanc Z, Waterhouse P, Bally J. Plant-Based Vaccines: The Way Ahead? Viruses 2020; 13:E5. [PMID: 33375155 PMCID: PMC7822169 DOI: 10.3390/v13010005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe virus outbreaks are occurring more often and spreading faster and further than ever. Preparedness plans based on lessons learned from past epidemics can guide behavioral and pharmacological interventions to contain and treat emergent diseases. Although conventional biologics production systems can meet the pharmaceutical needs of a community at homeostasis, the COVID-19 pandemic has created an abrupt rise in demand for vaccines and therapeutics that highlight the gaps in this supply chain's ability to quickly develop and produce biologics in emergency situations given a short lead time. Considering the projected requirements for COVID-19 vaccines and the necessity for expedited large scale manufacture the capabilities of current biologics production systems should be surveyed to determine their applicability to pandemic preparedness. Plant-based biologics production systems have progressed to a state of commercial viability in the past 30 years with the capacity for production of complex, glycosylated, "mammalian compatible" molecules in a system with comparatively low production costs, high scalability, and production flexibility. Continued research drives the expansion of plant virus-based tools for harnessing the full production capacity from the plant biomass in transient systems. Here, we present an overview of vaccine production systems with a focus on plant-based production systems and their potential role as "first responders" in emergency pandemic situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zacharie LeBlanc
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia;
| | - Peter Waterhouse
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia;
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia
| | - Julia Bally
- Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia;
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70
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Lico C, Santi L, Baschieri S, Noris E, Marusic C, Donini M, Pedrazzini E, Maga G, Franconi R, Di Bonito P, Avesani L. Plant Molecular Farming as a Strategy Against COVID-19 - The Italian Perspective. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:609910. [PMID: 33381140 PMCID: PMC7768017 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.609910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has killed more than 37,000 people in Italy and has caused widespread socioeconomic disruption. Urgent measures are needed to contain and control the virus, particularly diagnostic kits for detection and surveillance, therapeutics to reduce mortality among the severely affected, and vaccines to protect the remaining population. Here we discuss the potential role of plant molecular farming in the rapid and scalable supply of protein antigens as reagents and vaccine candidates, antibodies for virus detection and passive immunotherapy, other therapeutic proteins, and virus-like particles as novel vaccine platforms. We calculate the amount of infrastructure and production capacity needed to deal with predictable subsequent waves of COVID-19 in Italy by pooling expertise in plant molecular farming, epidemiology and the Italian health system. We calculate the investment required in molecular farming infrastructure that would enable us to capitalize on this technology, and provide a roadmap for the development of diagnostic reagents and biopharmaceuticals using molecular farming in plants to complement production methods based on the cultivation of microbes and mammalian cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Lico
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, Biotechnologies and Agroindustry Division, Department of Sustainability, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Rome, Italy
| | - Luca Santi
- Department of Agriculture and Forest Science, Tuscia University, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Selene Baschieri
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, Biotechnologies and Agroindustry Division, Department of Sustainability, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Rome, Italy
| | - Emanuela Noris
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, National Research Council IPSP-CNR, Turin, Italy
| | - Carla Marusic
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, Biotechnologies and Agroindustry Division, Department of Sustainability, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Rome, Italy
| | - Marcello Donini
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, Biotechnologies and Agroindustry Division, Department of Sustainability, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Rome, Italy
| | - Emanuela Pedrazzini
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, National Research Council IBBA-CNR, Turin, Italy
| | - Giovanni Maga
- Institute of Molecular Genetics IGM-CNR “Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza,”Pavia, Italy
| | - Rosella Franconi
- Laboratory of Biomedical Technologies, Health Technologies Division, Department of Sustainability, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Di Bonito
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Viral Hepatitis, Oncoviruses and Retroviruses (EVOR) Unit, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Linda Avesani
- Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
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71
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Huebbers JW, Buyel JF. On the verge of the market - Plant factories for the automated and standardized production of biopharmaceuticals. Biotechnol Adv 2020; 46:107681. [PMID: 33326816 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2020.107681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Revised: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The market for biopharmaceuticals is dominated by recombinant proteins and is driven mainly by the development of vaccines and antibodies. Manufacturing predominantly relies on fermentation-based production platforms, which have limited scalability and suffer from high upstream process costs. As an alternative, the production of recombinant proteins in whole plants (plant molecular farming) provides a scalable and cost efficient upstream process because each plant functions as a self-contained bioreactor, avoiding costs associated with single-use devices and cleaning-in-place. Despite many proof-of-concept studies and the approval of a few products as medical devices, the only approved pharmaceutical proteins manufactured in whole plants have been authorized under emergency protocols. The absence of approvals under standard clinical development pathways in part reflects the lack of standardized process equipment and unit operations, leading to industry inertia based on familiarity with fermenter systems. Here we discuss the upstream production steps of plant molecular farming by transient expression in intact plants, including seeding, plant cultivation, infiltration with Agrobacterium tumefaciens, post-infiltration incubation, and harvesting. We focus on cultivation techniques because they strongly affect the subsequent steps and overall process design. We compare the benefits and drawbacks of open field, greenhouse and vertical farm strategies in terms of upfront investment costs, batch reproducibility, and decoupling from environmental impacts. We consider process automation, monitoring and adaptive process design in the context of Industry 4.0, which can boost process efficiency and batch-to-batch uniformity to improve regulatory compliance. Finally, we discuss the costs-benefit aspects of the different cultivation systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- J W Huebbers
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Forckenbeckstrasse 6, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
| | - J F Buyel
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Forckenbeckstrasse 6, 52074 Aachen, Germany; Institute for Molecular Biotechnology, Worringerweg 1, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
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72
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Shaughnessy J, Tran Y, Zheng B, DeOliveira RB, Gulati S, Song WC, Maclean JM, Wycoff KL, Ram S. Development of Complement Factor H-Based Immunotherapeutic Molecules in Tobacco Plants Against Multidrug-Resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Front Immunol 2020; 11:583305. [PMID: 33193396 PMCID: PMC7649208 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.583305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Novel therapeutics against the global threat of multidrug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae are urgently needed. Gonococci possess several mechanisms to evade killing by human complement, including binding of factor H (FH), a key inhibitor of the alternative pathway. FH comprises 20 short consensus repeat (SCR) domains organized in a head-to-tail manner as a single chain. N. gonorrhoeae binds two regions in FH; domains 6 and 7 and domains 18 through 20. We designed a novel anti-infective immunotherapeutic molecule that fuses domains 18-20 of FH containing a D-to-G mutation in domain 19 at position 1119 (called FH*) with human IgG1 Fc. FH*/Fc retained binding to gonococci but did not lyse human erythrocytes. Expression of FH*/Fc in tobacco plants was undertaken as an alternative, economical production platform. FH*/Fc was expressed in high yields in tobacco plants (300-600 mg/kg biomass). The activities of plant- and CHO-cell produced FH*/Fc against gonococci were similar in vitro and in the mouse vaginal colonization model of gonorrhea. The addition of flexible linkers [e.g., (GGGGS)2 or (GGGGS)3] between FH* and Fc improved the bactericidal efficacy of FH*/Fc 2.7-fold. The linkers also improved PMN-mediated opsonophagocytosis about 11-fold. FH*/Fc with linker also effectively reduced the duration and burden of colonization of two gonococcal strains tested in mice. FH*/Fc lost efficacy: i) in C6-/- mice (no terminal complement) and ii) when Fc was mutated to abrogate complement activation, suggesting that an intact complement was necessary for FH*/Fc function in vivo. In summary, plant-produced FH*/Fc represent promising prophylactic or adjunctive immunotherapeutics against multidrug-resistant gonococci.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jutamas Shaughnessy
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States
| | - Y Tran
- Planet Biotechnology, Inc., Hayward, CA, United States
| | - Bo Zheng
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States
| | - Rosane B. DeOliveira
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States
| | - Sunita Gulati
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States
| | - Wen-Chao Song
- Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | | | | | - Sanjay Ram
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, United States
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73
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Margolin E, Oh YJ, Verbeek M, Naude J, Ponndorf D, Meshcheriakova YA, Peyret H, van Diepen MT, Chapman R, Meyers AE, Lomonossoff GP, Matoba N, Williamson A, Rybicki EP. Co-expression of human calreticulin significantly improves the production of HIV gp140 and other viral glycoproteins in plants. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2020; 18:2109-2117. [PMID: 32096288 PMCID: PMC7540014 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.13369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2019] [Revised: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Plant molecular farming (PMF) is rapidly gaining traction as a viable alternative to the currently accepted paradigm of producing biologics. While the platform is potentially cheaper and more scalable than conventional manufacturing systems, expression yields and appropriate post-translational modifications along the plant secretory pathway remain a challenge for certain proteins. Viral fusion glycoproteins in particular are often expressed at low yields in plants and, in some cases, may not be appropriately processed. Recently, however, transiently or stably engineering the host plant has shown promise as a strategy for producing heterologous proteins with more complex maturation requirements. In this study we investigated the co-expression of a suite of human chaperones to improve the production of a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 soluble gp140 vaccine candidate in Nicotiana benthamiana plants. The co-expression of calreticulin (CRT) resulted in a dramatic increase in Env expression and ameliorated the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response - as evidenced by lower transcript abundance of representative stress-responsive genes. The co-expression of CRT similarly improved accumulation of glycoproteins from Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV), suggesting that the endogenous chaperone machinery may impose a bottleneck for their production. We subsequently successfully combined the co-expression of human CRT with the transient expression of human furin, to enable the production of an appropriately cleaved HIV gp140 antigen. These transient plant host engineering strategies are a promising approach for the production of high yields of appropriately processed and cleaved viral glycoproteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Margolin
- Division of Medical VirologyDepartment of PathologyFaculty of Health SciencesUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Infectious Disease Research in AfricaUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
- Faculty of Health SciencesInstitute of Infectious Disease and Molecular MedicineUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
- Biopharming Research UnitDepartment of Molecular and Cell BiologyUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
| | - Youngjun J. Oh
- Department of Pharmacology and ToxicologyUniversity of Louisville School of MedicineLouisvilleKYUSA
| | - Matthew Verbeek
- Biopharming Research UnitDepartment of Molecular and Cell BiologyUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
| | - Jason Naude
- Biopharming Research UnitDepartment of Molecular and Cell BiologyUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
| | - Daniel Ponndorf
- Department of Biological ChemistryJohn Innes CentreNorwichUK
| | | | - Hadrien Peyret
- Department of Biological ChemistryJohn Innes CentreNorwichUK
| | - Michiel T. van Diepen
- Division of Medical VirologyDepartment of PathologyFaculty of Health SciencesUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
- Faculty of Health SciencesInstitute of Infectious Disease and Molecular MedicineUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
| | - Ros Chapman
- Division of Medical VirologyDepartment of PathologyFaculty of Health SciencesUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
- Faculty of Health SciencesInstitute of Infectious Disease and Molecular MedicineUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
| | - Ann E. Meyers
- Biopharming Research UnitDepartment of Molecular and Cell BiologyUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
| | | | - Nobuyuki Matoba
- Department of Pharmacology and ToxicologyUniversity of Louisville School of MedicineLouisvilleKYUSA
| | - Anna‐Lise Williamson
- Division of Medical VirologyDepartment of PathologyFaculty of Health SciencesUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Infectious Disease Research in AfricaUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
- Faculty of Health SciencesInstitute of Infectious Disease and Molecular MedicineUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
| | - Edward P. Rybicki
- Faculty of Health SciencesInstitute of Infectious Disease and Molecular MedicineUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
- Biopharming Research UnitDepartment of Molecular and Cell BiologyUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
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74
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Shin MD, Shukla S, Chung YH, Beiss V, Chan SK, Ortega-Rivera OA, Wirth DM, Chen A, Sack M, Pokorski JK, Steinmetz NF. COVID-19 vaccine development and a potential nanomaterial path forward. NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY 2020; 15:646-655. [PMID: 32669664 DOI: 10.1038/s41565-020-0737-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 399] [Impact Index Per Article: 99.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has infected millions of people with no clear signs of abatement owing to the high prevalence, long incubation period and lack of established treatments or vaccines. Vaccines are the most promising solution to mitigate new viral strains. The genome sequence and protein structure of the 2019-novel coronavirus (nCoV or SARS-CoV-2) were made available in record time, allowing the development of inactivated or attenuated viral vaccines along with subunit vaccines for prophylaxis and treatment. Nanotechnology benefits modern vaccine design since nanomaterials are ideal for antigen delivery, as adjuvants, and as mimics of viral structures. In fact, the first vaccine candidate launched into clinical trials is an mRNA vaccine delivered via lipid nanoparticles. To eradicate pandemics, present and future, a successful vaccine platform must enable rapid discovery, scalable manufacturing and global distribution. Here, we review current approaches to COVID-19 vaccine development and highlight the role of nanotechnology and advanced manufacturing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew D Shin
- Department of NanoEngineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Sourabh Shukla
- Department of NanoEngineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Young Hun Chung
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Veronique Beiss
- Department of NanoEngineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Soo Khim Chan
- Department of NanoEngineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Oscar A Ortega-Rivera
- Department of NanoEngineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - David M Wirth
- Department of NanoEngineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Angela Chen
- Department of NanoEngineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | - Jonathan K Pokorski
- Department of NanoEngineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Center for Nano-ImmunoEngineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Institute for Materials Discovery and Design, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Nicole F Steinmetz
- Department of NanoEngineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Center for Nano-ImmunoEngineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Institute for Materials Discovery and Design, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Department of Radiology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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75
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Corbin JM, McNulty MJ, Macharoen K, McDonald KA, Nandi S. Technoeconomic analysis of semicontinuous bioreactor production of biopharmaceuticals in transgenic rice cell suspension cultures. Biotechnol Bioeng 2020; 117:3053-3065. [PMID: 32592492 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Revised: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Biopharmaceutical protein production using transgenic plant cell bioreactor processes offers advantages over microbial and mammalian cell culture platforms in its ability to produce complex biologics with simple chemically defined media and reduced biosafety concerns. A disadvantage of plant cells from a traditional batch bioprocessing perspective is their slow growth rate which has motivated us to develop semicontinuous and/or perfusion processes. Although the economic benefits of plant cell culture bioprocesses are often mentioned in the literature, to our knowledge no rigorous technoeconomic models or analyses have been published. Here we present technoeconomic models in SuperPro Designer® for the large-scale production of recombinant butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), a prophylactic/therapeutic bioscavenger against organophosphate nerve agent poisoning, in inducible transgenic rice cell suspension cultures. The base facility designed to produce 25 kg BChE per year utilizing two-stage semicontinuous bioreactor operation manufactures a single 400 mg dose of BChE for $263. Semicontinuous operation scenarios result in 4-11% reduction over traditional two-stage batch operation scenarios. In addition to providing a simulation tool that will be useful to the plant-made pharmaceutical community, the model also provides a computational framework that can be used for other semicontinuous or batch bioreactor-based processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmine M Corbin
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Davis, California
| | - Matthew J McNulty
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Davis, California
| | | | - Karen A McDonald
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Davis, California.,Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Global HealthShare Initiative, University of California, Davis, California
| | - Somen Nandi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Davis, California.,Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Global HealthShare Initiative, University of California, Davis, California
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76
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McDonald KA, Holtz RB. From Farm to Finger Prick-A Perspective on How Plants Can Help in the Fight Against COVID-19. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 8:782. [PMID: 32714921 PMCID: PMC7351482 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.00782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, farmers across the country are plowing under their fields and laying off workers. Plant biomass has been shown by the DARPA “Blue Angel” project in 2010 to be an efficient way to rapidly make vaccines and diagnostics. This technology could pivot some areas of agriculture toward biomedical products to aid in the COVID-19 pandemic response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen A McDonald
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States.,Food and Pharmaceutical Synthesis Division Lead, Center for the Utilization of Biological Engineering in Space, Berkeley, CA, United States.,Global HealthShare® Initiative, Davis, CA, United States
| | - R Barry Holtz
- Holtz Biopharma Consulting, Austin, TX, United States.,Scientific Advisory Committee, Center for the Utilization of Biological Engineering in Space, Berkeley, CA, United States
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77
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Park Y, Lee S, Kang H, Park M, Min K, Kim NH, Gu S, Kim JK, An DJ, Choe S, Sohn EJ. A classical swine fever virus E2 fusion protein produced in plants elicits a neutralizing humoral immune response in mice and pigs. Biotechnol Lett 2020; 42:1247-1261. [PMID: 32323080 PMCID: PMC7223222 DOI: 10.1007/s10529-020-02892-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Classical swine fever (CSF) is one of the most important viral diseases of swine worldwide. Although live or attenuated virus vaccines have been used to control CSFV, it is difficult to distinguish vaccinated pigs from infected pigs; this leads to restrictions on import and export. Subunit vaccines based on the CSFV E2 glycoprotein have been developed using baculovirus or insect cell systems, but some weaknesses remain. Here, we describe production of an E2 recombinant protein using a Nicotiana benthamiana plant expression system. To do this, we took advantage of the ability of the swine Fc domain to increase solubility and stability of the fusion protein and to strengthen immune responses in target animals. N. benthamiana expressed high amounts of pFc2-fused E2 proteins, which were isolated and purified by affinity chromatography to yield a high pure recombinant protein in a cost-effective manner. Native-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and size exclusion chromatography confirmed that the pmE2:pFc2 fusion exists as a multimer rather than as a dimer. Injection of recombinant pmE2 protein into mice or piglets generated anti-pmE2 antibodies with efficient neutralizing activity against CSFV. These results suggest that a purified recombinant E2 protein produced in N. benthamiana generates high titers of neutralizing antibodies in vivo; as such, the protein could be developed as a subunit vaccine against CSFV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Youngmin Park
- BioApplications Inc., Pohang Techno Park Complex, 394 Jigok-ro Nam-gu, Pohang, Korea
| | - Sangmin Lee
- BioApplications Inc., Pohang Techno Park Complex, 394 Jigok-ro Nam-gu, Pohang, Korea
| | - Hyangju Kang
- BioApplications Inc., Pohang Techno Park Complex, 394 Jigok-ro Nam-gu, Pohang, Korea
| | - Minhee Park
- BioApplications Inc., Pohang Techno Park Complex, 394 Jigok-ro Nam-gu, Pohang, Korea
| | - Kyungmin Min
- BioApplications Inc., Pohang Techno Park Complex, 394 Jigok-ro Nam-gu, Pohang, Korea
| | - Nam Hyung Kim
- BioApplications Inc., Pohang Techno Park Complex, 394 Jigok-ro Nam-gu, Pohang, Korea
| | - Sungmin Gu
- BioApplications Inc., Pohang Techno Park Complex, 394 Jigok-ro Nam-gu, Pohang, Korea
| | - Jong Kook Kim
- BioApplications Inc., Pohang Techno Park Complex, 394 Jigok-ro Nam-gu, Pohang, Korea
| | - Dong-Jun An
- Virus Disease Division, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Gimcheon, 39660, Gyeongbuk, Korea
| | - SeEun Choe
- Virus Disease Division, Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Gimcheon, 39660, Gyeongbuk, Korea
| | - Eun-Ju Sohn
- BioApplications Inc., Pohang Techno Park Complex, 394 Jigok-ro Nam-gu, Pohang, Korea.
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78
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Nausch H, Dorn M, Frolov A, Hoedtke S, Wolf P, Broer I. Direct Delivery of Health Promoting β-Asp-Arg Dipeptides via Stable Co-expression of Cyanophycin and the Cyanophycinase CphE241 in Tobacco Plants. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:842. [PMID: 32636862 PMCID: PMC7318851 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Feed supplementation with β-arginine-aspartate dipeptides (β-Asp-Arg DP) shows growth promoting effects in feeding trials with fish and might also be beneficial for pig and poultry farming. Currently, these DPs are generated from purified cyanophycin (CGP), with the help of the CGP-degrading enzyme cyanophycinase (CGPase). As alternative to an in vitro production, the DPs might be directly produced in feed crops. We already demonstrated that CGP can be produced in plastids of tobacco and potato, yielding up to 9.4% of the dry weight (DW). We also transiently co-expressed CGPases in the cytosol without degrading CGP in intact cells, while degradation occurs in the homogenized plant tissue. However, transient co-expression is not feasible for field-grown CGP plants, which is necessary for bulk production. In the present study, we proved that stable co-expression of the CGPase CphE241 in CGP-producing tobacco is sufficient to degrade 2.0% CGP/DW nearly completely within 3 h after homogenization of the leaves. In intact senescing leaves, CGP is partially released to the cytosol and degraded into DPs which limits the overall accumulation of CGP but not the level of the stable DPs. Even after 48 h, 54 μmol β-Asp-Arg DP/g DW could be detected in the extract, which correspond to 1.5% DP/DW and represents 84% of the expected amount. Thus, we developed a system for the production of β-Asp-Arg DP in field-grown plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henrik Nausch
- Department of Agrobiotechnology and Risk Assessment for Bio- und Gene Technology, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Mandy Dorn
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Andrej Frolov
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Halle (Saale), Germany
- Department of Biochemistry, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia
| | - Sandra Hoedtke
- Department of Nutrition Physiology and Animal Nutrition, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Petra Wolf
- Department of Nutrition Physiology and Animal Nutrition, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Inge Broer
- Department of Agrobiotechnology and Risk Assessment for Bio- und Gene Technology, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
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79
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Singh AA, Pooe O, Kwezi L, Lotter-Stark T, Stoychev SH, Alexandra K, Gerber I, Bhiman JN, Vorster J, Pauly M, Zeitlin L, Whaley K, Mach L, Steinkellner H, Morris L, Tsekoa TL, Chikwamba R. Plant-based production of highly potent anti-HIV antibodies with engineered posttranslational modifications. Sci Rep 2020; 10:6201. [PMID: 32277089 PMCID: PMC7148297 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-63052-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Broadly neutralising antibodies (bNAbs) against human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), such as CAP256-VRC26 are being developed for HIV prevention and treatment. These Abs carry a unique but crucial post-translational modification (PTM), namely O-sulfated tyrosine in the heavy chain complementarity determining region (CDR) H3 loop. Several studies have demonstrated that plants are suitable hosts for the generation of highly active anti-HIV-1 antibodies with the potential to engineer PTMs. Here we report the expression and characterisation of CAP256-VRC26 bNAbs with posttranslational modifications (PTM). Two variants, CAP256-VRC26 (08 and 09) were expressed in glycoengineered Nicotiana benthamiana plants. By in planta co-expression of tyrosyl protein sulfotransferase 1, we installed O-sulfated tyrosine in CDR H3 of both bNAbs. These exhibited similar structural folding to the mammalian cell produced bNAbs, but non-sulfated versions showed loss of neutralisation breadth and potency. In contrast, tyrosine sulfated versions displayed equivalent neutralising activity to mammalian produced antibodies retaining exceptional potency against some subtype C viruses. Together, the data demonstrate the enormous potential of plant-based systems for multiple posttranslational engineering and production of fully active bNAbs for application in passive immunisation or as an alternative for current HIV/AIDS antiretroviral therapy regimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Advaita Acarya Singh
- Future Production: Chemicals, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Ofentse Pooe
- Discipline of Biochemistry, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Lusisizwe Kwezi
- Future Production: Chemicals, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Therese Lotter-Stark
- Department of Production Animal Studies, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Stoyan H Stoychev
- Future Production: Chemicals, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Kabamba Alexandra
- Future Production: Chemicals, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Isak Gerber
- Future Production: Chemicals, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Jinal N Bhiman
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Juan Vorster
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Michael Pauly
- Mapp Biopharmaceutical, San Diego, California, United States
| | - Larry Zeitlin
- Mapp Biopharmaceutical, San Diego, California, United States
| | - Kevin Whaley
- Mapp Biopharmaceutical, San Diego, California, United States
| | - Lukas Mach
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Herta Steinkellner
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Lynn Morris
- Centre for HIV and STIs, National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Tsepo Lebiletsa Tsekoa
- Future Production: Chemicals, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa.
| | - Rachel Chikwamba
- Future Production: Chemicals, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa
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80
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Jugler C, Joensuu J, Chen Q. Hydrophobin-Protein A Fusion Protein Produced in Plants Efficiently Purified an Anti-West Nile Virus Monoclonal Antibody from Plant Extracts via Aqueous Two-Phase Separation. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E2140. [PMID: 32244994 PMCID: PMC7139538 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21062140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Revised: 03/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) has provided vast opportunities to treat a wide range of diseases from cancer to viral infections. While plant-based production of mAbs has effectively lowered the upstream cost of mAb production compared to mammalian cell cultures, further optimization of downstream processing, especially in extending the longevity of Protein A resin by an effective bulk separation step, will further reduce the overall prohibitive cost of mAb production. In this study, we explored the feasibility of using aqueous two-phase separation (ATPS) in capturing and separating plant-made mAbs from host proteins. Our results demonstrated that an anti-West Nile virus mAb (E16) was efficiently separated from most plant host proteins by a single ATPS step, comprising the mixing of plant extracts containing Hydrophobin-Protein A fusion protein (HPA) and E16 and the subsequent incubation with an inexpensive detergent. This simple ATPS step yielded a highly enriched E16 mAb preparation with a recovery rate comparable to that of Protein A chromatography. The ATPS-enriched E16 retained its structural integrity and was fully functional in binding its target antigen. Notably, HPA-based ATPS was also effective in enriching E16 from plant host proteins when both HPA and E16 were produced in the same leaves, supporting the potential of further streamlining the downstream purification process. Thus, ATPS based on plant-produced HPA in unpurified extract is a cost-effective yet efficient initial capture step for purifying plant-made mAbs, which may significantly impact the approach of mAb purification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Collin Jugler
- The Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Mail Zone 5401, 1001 S. McAllister Avenue, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Jussi Joensuu
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, Espoo, Finland
| | - Qiang Chen
- The Biodesign Institute and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Mail Zone 5401, 1001 S. McAllister Avenue, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
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81
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Tremouillaux-Guiller J, Moustafa K, Hefferon K, Gaobotse G, Makhzoum A. Plant-made HIV vaccines and potential candidates. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2020; 61:209-216. [PMID: 32058899 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2020.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Revised: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Millions of people around the world suffer from heavy social and health burdens related to HIV/AIDS and its associated opportunistic infections. To reduce these burdens, preventive and therapeutic vaccines are required. Effective HIV vaccines have been under investigation for several decades using different animal models. Potential plant-made HIV vaccine candidates have also gained attention in the past few years. In addition to this, broadly neutralizing antibodies produced in plants which can target conserved viral epitopes and neutralize mutating HIV strains have been identified. Numerous epitopes of envelope glycoproteins and capsid proteins of HIV-1 are a part of HIV therapy. Here, we discuss some recent findings aiming to produce anti-HIV-1 recombinant proteins in engineered plants for AIDS prophylactics and therapeutic treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Goabaone Gaobotse
- Department of Biological Sciences & Biotechnology, Botswana International University of Science & Technology, Botswana
| | - Abdullah Makhzoum
- Department of Biological Sciences & Biotechnology, Botswana International University of Science & Technology, Botswana.
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82
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Temporini C, Colombo R, Calleri E, Tengattini S, Rinaldi F, Massolini G. Chromatographic tools for plant-derived recombinant antibodies purification and characterization. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2020; 179:112920. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2019.112920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Revised: 10/04/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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83
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Diamos AG, Hunter JGL, Pardhe MD, Rosenthal SH, Sun H, Foster BC, DiPalma MP, Chen Q, Mason HS. High Level Production of Monoclonal Antibodies Using an Optimized Plant Expression System. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 7:472. [PMID: 32010680 PMCID: PMC6978629 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2019.00472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Biopharmaceuticals are a large and fast-growing sector of the total pharmaceutical market with antibody-based therapeutics accounting for over 100 billion USD in sales yearly. Mammalian cells are traditionally used for monoclonal antibody production, however plant-based expression systems have significant advantages. In this work, we showcase recent advances made in plant transient expression systems using optimized geminiviral vectors that can efficiently produce heteromultimeric proteins. Two, three, or four fluorescent proteins were coexpressed simultaneously, reaching high yields of 3–5 g/kg leaf fresh weight or ~50% total soluble protein. As a proof-of-concept for this system, various antibodies were produced using the optimized vectors with special focus given to the creation and production of a chimeric broadly neutralizing anti-flavivirus antibody. The variable regions of this murine antibody, 2A10G6, were codon optimized and fused to a human IgG1. Analysis of the chimeric antibody showed that it was efficiently expressed in plants at 1.5 g of antibody/kilogram of leaf tissue, can be purified to near homogeneity by a simple one-step purification process, retains its ability to recognize the Zika virus envelope protein, and potently neutralizes Zika virus. Two other monoclonal antibodies were produced at similar levels (1.2–1.4 g/kg). This technology will be a versatile tool for the production of a wide spectrum of pharmaceutical multi-protein complexes in a fast, powerful, and cost-effective way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew G Diamos
- Center for Immunotherapy, Vaccines and Virotherapy, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States.,School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Joseph G L Hunter
- Center for Immunotherapy, Vaccines and Virotherapy, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States.,School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Mary D Pardhe
- Center for Immunotherapy, Vaccines and Virotherapy, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States.,School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Sun H Rosenthal
- Center for Immunotherapy, Vaccines and Virotherapy, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States.,School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Haiyan Sun
- Center for Immunotherapy, Vaccines and Virotherapy, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States.,School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Bonnie C Foster
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Michelle P DiPalma
- Center for Immunotherapy, Vaccines and Virotherapy, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States.,School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Qiang Chen
- Center for Immunotherapy, Vaccines and Virotherapy, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States.,School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
| | - Hugh S Mason
- Center for Immunotherapy, Vaccines and Virotherapy, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States.,School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States
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84
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Molecular farming - The slope of enlightenment. Biotechnol Adv 2020; 40:107519. [PMID: 31954848 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2020.107519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Revised: 11/20/2019] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Molecular farming can be defined as the use of plants to produce recombinant protein products. The technology is now >30 years old. The early promise of molecular farming was based on three perceived advantages: the low costs of growing plants, the immense scalability of agricultural production, and the inherent safety of plants as hosts for the production of pharmaceuticals. This resulted in a glut of research publications in which diverse proteins were expressed in equally diverse plant-based systems, and numerous companies were founded hoping to commercialize the new technology. There was a moderate degree of success for companies producing non-pharmaceutical proteins, but in the pharmaceutical sector the anticipation raised by promising early research was soon met by the cold hard reality of industrial pragmatism. Plants did not have a track record of success in pharmaceutical protein manufacturing, lacked a regulatory framework, and did not perform as well as established industry platforms. Negative attitudes towards genetically modified plants added to the mix. By the early 2000s, major industry players started to lose interest and pharmaceutical molecular farming fell from a peak of expectation into a trough of disillusionment, just as predicted by the Gartner hype cycle. But many of the pioneers of molecular farming have refocused their activities and have worked to address the limitations that hampered the first generation of technologies. The field has now consolidated around a smaller number of better-characterized platforms and has started to develop standardized methods and best practices, mirroring the evolution of more mature industry sectors. Likewise, attention has turned from proof-of-principle studies to realistic techno-economic modeling to capture significant niche markets, replicating the success of the industrial molecular farming sector. Here we argue that these recent developments signify that pharmaceutical molecular farming is now climbing the slope of enlightenment and will soon emerge as a mature technology.
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85
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Tusé D, Nandi S, McDonald KA, Buyel JF. The Emergency Response Capacity of Plant-Based Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing-What It Is and What It Could Be. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:594019. [PMID: 33193552 PMCID: PMC7606873 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.594019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Several epidemic and pandemic diseases have emerged over the last 20 years with increasing reach and severity. The current COVID-19 pandemic has affected most of the world's population, causing millions of infections, hundreds of thousands of deaths, and economic disruption on a vast scale. The increasing number of casualties underlines an urgent need for the rapid delivery of therapeutics, prophylactics such as vaccines, and diagnostic reagents. Here, we review the potential of molecular farming in plants from a manufacturing perspective, focusing on the speed, capacity, safety, and potential costs of transient expression systems. We highlight current limitations in terms of the regulatory framework, as well as future opportunities to establish plant molecular farming as a global, de-centralized emergency response platform for the rapid production of biopharmaceuticals. The implications of public health emergencies on process design and costs, regulatory approval, and production speed and scale compared to conventional manufacturing platforms based on mammalian cell culture are discussed as a forward-looking strategy for future pandemic responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Tusé
- DT/Consulting Group and GROW Biomedicine, LLC, Sacramento, CA, United States
| | - Somen Nandi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
- Global HealthShare Initiative, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Karen A. McDonald
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
- Global HealthShare Initiative, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Johannes Felix Buyel
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Aachen, Germany
- Institute for Molecular Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
- *Correspondence: Johannes Felix Buyel, ; orcid.org/0000-0003-2361-143X
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86
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Shanmugaraj B, Rattanapisit K, Manopwisedjaroen S, Thitithanyanont A, Phoolcharoen W. Monoclonal Antibodies B38 and H4 Produced in Nicotiana benthamiana Neutralize SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:589995. [PMID: 33329653 PMCID: PMC7728718 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.589995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak caused by novel zoonotic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was initially reported in Wuhan city, Hubei Province of China, in late December 2019. The rapid global spread of the virus calls for the urgent development of vaccines or therapeutics for human applications to combat the coronavirus infection. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been utilized as effective therapeutics for treating various infectious diseases. In the present study, we evaluated the feasibility of plant expression system for the rapid production of recently identified therapeutically suitable human anti-SARS-CoV-2 mAbs B38 and H4. Transient co-expression of heavy-chain and light-chain sequences of both the antibodies by using plant expression geminiviral vector resulted in rapid accumulation of assembled mAbs in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves within 4 days post-infiltration. Furthermore, both the mAbs were purified from the plant crude extracts with single-step protein A affinity column chromatography. The expression level of mAb B38 and H4 was estimated to be 4 and 35 μg/g leaf fresh weight, respectively. Both plant-produced mAbs demonstrated specific binding to receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 and exhibited efficient virus neutralization activity in vitro. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of functional anti-SARS-CoV-2 mAbs produced in plants, which demonstrates the ability of using a plant expression system as a suitable platform for the production of effective, safe, and affordable SARS-CoV-2 mAbs to fight against the spread of this highly infectious pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Balamurugan Shanmugaraj
- Research Unit for Plant-produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Kaewta Rattanapisit
- Research Unit for Plant-produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | | | | | - Waranyoo Phoolcharoen
- Research Unit for Plant-produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- *Correspondence: Waranyoo Phoolcharoen,
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87
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Markel K, Belcher MS, Shih PM. Defining and engineering bioenergy plant feedstock ideotypes. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2019; 62:196-201. [PMID: 31841969 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2019.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2019] [Revised: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Ideotypes are theoretical archetypes of crops which serve as a practical framework for plant breeders to critically evaluate what traits they should be targeting for specific applications. With advances in plant biotechnology and a growing urgency to adopt more sustainable practices across our economy, new uses for crops as bioenergy feedstocks may pivot our definition of an ideal crop that is engineered for biomass and bioenergy production, in contrast to food production. Although there is a plethora of specific applications to which plant engineering efforts can contribute, here we highlight recent advances in two broad areas of research: increasing available plant biomass and engineering production of higher value co-products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kasey Markel
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Michael S Belcher
- Feedstocks Division, Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, United States; Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Patrick M Shih
- Department of Plant Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States; Feedstocks Division, Joint BioEnergy Institute, Emeryville, CA, United States; Genome Center, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States; Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States.
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88
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Rattanapisit K, Chao Z, Siriwattananon K, Huang Z, Phoolcharoen W. Plant-Produced Anti-Enterovirus 71 (EV71) Monoclonal Antibody Efficiently Protects Mice Against EV71 Infection. PLANTS 2019; 8:plants8120560. [PMID: 31805650 PMCID: PMC6963219 DOI: 10.3390/plants8120560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Revised: 11/16/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is the main causative agent of severe hand-foot-mouth disease. EV71 affects countries mainly in the Asia-Pacific region, which makes it unattractive for pharmaceutical companies to develop drugs or vaccine to combat EV71 infection. However, development of these drugs and vaccines is vital to protect younger generations. This study aims to develop a specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) to EV71 using a plant platform, which is a cost-effective and scalable production technology. A previous report showed that D5, a murine anti-EV71 mAb, binds to VP1 protein of EV71, potently neutralizes EV71 in vitro, and effectively protects mice against EV71 infection. Herein, plant-produced chimeric D5 (cD5) mAb, variable regions of murine D5 antibody linked with constant regions of human IgG1, was transiently expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana using geminiviral vectors. The antibody was expressed at high levels within six days of infiltration. Plant-produced cD5 retained its in vitro high-affinity binding and neutralizing activity against EV71. Furthermore, a single dose (10 µg/g body weight) of plant-produced cD5 mAb offered 100% protection against infection in mice after a lethal EV71 challenge. Therefore, our results showed that plant-produced anti-EV71 mAb is an effective, safe, and affordable therapeutic option against EV71 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaewta Rattanapisit
- Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Zhang Chao
- Vaccine Research Center, CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology & Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China;
| | - Konlavat Siriwattananon
- Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Zhong Huang
- Vaccine Research Center, CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology & Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China;
- Correspondence: (Z.H.); (W.P.); Tel.: +21-5492-3067 (Z.H.); +66-2218-8359 (W.P.)
| | - Waranyoo Phoolcharoen
- Research Unit for Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals and Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
- Correspondence: (Z.H.); (W.P.); Tel.: +21-5492-3067 (Z.H.); +66-2218-8359 (W.P.)
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89
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Tsekoa TL, Singh AA, Buthelezi SG. Molecular farming for therapies and vaccines in Africa. Curr Opin Biotechnol 2019; 61:89-95. [PMID: 31786432 DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2019.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Revised: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Local manufacturing of protein-based vaccines and therapies in Africa is limited and contributes to a trade deficit, security of supply concerns and poor access to biopharmaceuticals by the poor. Plant molecular farming is a potential technology solution that has received growing adoption by African scientists attracted by the potential for the competitive cost of goods, safety and efficacy. Plant-made pharmaceutical technologies for veterinary and human vaccination and treatment of non-communicable and infectious diseases are available at different stages of development in Africa. There is also growth in the translation of these technologies to commercial operations. Africa is poised to benefit from the real-world impact of molecular farming in the next few years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsepo L Tsekoa
- NextGen Health and Future Production: Chemistry Clusters, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa.
| | - Advaita Acarya Singh
- NextGen Health and Future Production: Chemistry Clusters, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Sindisiwe G Buthelezi
- NextGen Health and Future Production: Chemistry Clusters, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa
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90
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Rattanapisit K, Phakham T, Buranapraditkun S, Siriwattananon K, Boonkrai C, Pisitkun T, Hirankarn N, Strasser R, Abe Y, Phoolcharoen W. Structural and In Vitro Functional Analyses of Novel Plant-Produced Anti-Human PD1 Antibody. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15205. [PMID: 31645587 PMCID: PMC6811542 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51656-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy has emerged as a promising and effective treatment for cancer. The frequently used immunotherapy agents are immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as antibodies specific to PD1, PD-L1, or CTLA-4. However, these drugs are highly expensive, and most people in the world cannot access the treatment. The development of recombinant protein production platforms that are cost-effective, scalable, and safe is needed. Plant platforms are attractive because of their low production cost, speed, scalability, lack of human and animal pathogens, and post-translational modifications that enable them to produce effective monoclonal antibodies. In this study, an anti-PD1 IgG4 monoclonal antibody (mAb) was transiently produced in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. The plant-produced anti-PD1 mAb was compared to the commercial nivolumab produced in CHO cells. Our results showed that both antibodies have similar protein structures, and the N-glycans on the plant-produced antibody lacks plant-specific structures. The PD1 binding affinity of the plant-produced and commercial nivolumab, determined by two different techniques, that is, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR), are also comparable. Plant-produced nivolumab binds to human PD1 protein with high affinity and specificity, blocks the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction, and enhances T cell function, comparable to commercial nivolumab. These results confirmed that plant-produced anti-PD1 antibody has the potential to be effective agent for cancer immunotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaewta Rattanapisit
- Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, 254 Phyathai Road, Patumwan, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
- Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany Department, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, 254 Phyathai Road, Patumwan, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Tanapati Phakham
- Interdisciplinary Program of Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Systems Biology, Research affairs, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Supranee Buranapraditkun
- Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Vaccine Research and Development (Chula Vaccine Research Center-Chula VRC), Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Konlavat Siriwattananon
- Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, 254 Phyathai Road, Patumwan, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Chatikorn Boonkrai
- Interdisciplinary Program of Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- Center of Excellence in Systems Biology, Research affairs, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Trairak Pisitkun
- Center of Excellence in Systems Biology, Research affairs, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Nattiya Hirankarn
- Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Richard Strasser
- Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria
| | - Yoshito Abe
- Laboratory of Protein Structure, Function and Design, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-Ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan
| | - Waranyoo Phoolcharoen
- Plant-Produced Pharmaceuticals Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, 254 Phyathai Road, Patumwan, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
- Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany Department, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, 254 Phyathai Road, Patumwan, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
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91
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McNulty MJ, Gleba Y, Tusé D, Hahn-Löbmann S, Giritch A, Nandi S, McDonald KA. Techno-economic analysis of a plant-based platform for manufacturing antimicrobial proteins for food safety. Biotechnol Prog 2019; 36:e2896. [PMID: 31443134 PMCID: PMC7027456 DOI: 10.1002/btpr.2896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Revised: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Continuous reports of foodborne illnesses worldwide and the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria mandate novel interventions to assure the safety of our food. Treatment of a variety of foods with bacteriophage-derived lysins and bacteriocin-class antimicrobial proteins has been shown to protect against high-risk pathogens at multiple intervention points along the food supply chain. The most significant barrier to the adoption of antimicrobial proteins as a food safety intervention by the food industry is the high production cost using current fermentation-based approaches. Recently, plants have been shown to produce antimicrobial proteins with accumulation as high as 3 g/kg fresh weight and with demonstrated activity against major foodborne pathogens. To investigate potential economic advantages and scalability of this novel platform, we evaluated a highly efficient transgenic plant-based production process. A detailed process simulation model was developed to help identify economic "hot spots" for research and development focus including process operating parameters, unit operations, consumables, and/or raw materials that have the most significant impact on production costs. Our analyses indicate that the unit production cost of antimicrobial proteins in plants at commercial scale for three scenarios is $3.00-6.88/g, which can support a competitive selling price to traditional food safety treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J McNulty
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Davis, California
| | | | | | | | | | - Somen Nandi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Davis, California.,Global HealthShare® Initiative, University of California, Davis, California
| | - Karen A McDonald
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Davis, California.,Global HealthShare® Initiative, University of California, Davis, California
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92
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Gengenbach BB, Keil LL, Opdensteinen P, Müschen CR, Melmer G, Lentzen H, Bührmann J, Buyel JF. Comparison of microbial and transient expression (tobacco plants and plant-cell packs) for the production and purification of the anticancer mistletoe lectin viscumin. Biotechnol Bioeng 2019; 116:2236-2249. [PMID: 31140580 PMCID: PMC6772165 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2019] [Revised: 05/14/2019] [Accepted: 05/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Cancer is the leading cause of death in industrialized countries. Cancer therapy often involves monoclonal antibodies or small-molecule drugs, but carbohydrate-binding lectins such as mistletoe (Viscum album) viscumin offer a potential alternative treatment strategy. Viscumin is toxic in mammalian cells, ruling them out as an efficient production system, and it forms inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli such that purification requires complex and lengthy refolding steps. We therefore investigated the transient expression of viscumin in intact Nicotiana benthamiana plants and Nicotiana tabacum Bright Yellow 2 plant-cell packs (PCPs), comparing a full-length viscumin gene construct to separate constructs for the A and B chains. As determined by capillary electrophoresis the maximum yield of purified heterodimeric viscumin in N. benthamiana was ~7 mg/kg fresh biomass with the full-length construct. The yield was about 50% higher in PCPs but reduced 10-fold when coexpressing A and B chains as individual polypeptides. Using a single-step lactosyl-Sepharose affinity resin, we purified viscumin to ~54%. The absence of refolding steps resulted in estimated cost savings of more than 80% when transient expression in tobacco was compared with E. coli. Furthermore, the plant-derived product was ~3-fold more toxic than the bacterially produced counterpart. We conclude that plants offer a suitable alternative for the production of complex biopharmaceutical proteins that are toxic to mammalian cells and that form inclusion bodies in bacteria.
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MESH Headings
- Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/biosynthesis
- Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/isolation & purification
- Escherichia coli/genetics
- Escherichia coli/metabolism
- Gene Expression
- Plant Cells/metabolism
- Plant Proteins/biosynthesis
- Plant Proteins/genetics
- Plant Proteins/isolation & purification
- Plants, Genetically Modified/genetics
- Plants, Genetically Modified/metabolism
- Recombinant Proteins/biosynthesis
- Recombinant Proteins/genetics
- Recombinant Proteins/isolation & purification
- Ribosome Inactivating Proteins, Type 2/biosynthesis
- Ribosome Inactivating Proteins, Type 2/genetics
- Ribosome Inactivating Proteins, Type 2/isolation & purification
- Nicotiana/genetics
- Nicotiana/metabolism
- Toxins, Biological/biosynthesis
- Toxins, Biological/genetics
- Toxins, Biological/isolation & purification
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin B. Gengenbach
- Integrated Production PlatformsFraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IMEAachenGermany
- Institute for Molecular BiotechnologyRWTH Aachen UniversityAachenGermany
| | - Linda L. Keil
- Institute for Molecular BiotechnologyRWTH Aachen UniversityAachenGermany
| | - Patrick Opdensteinen
- Integrated Production PlatformsFraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IMEAachenGermany
- Institute for Molecular BiotechnologyRWTH Aachen UniversityAachenGermany
| | - Catherine R. Müschen
- Integrated Production PlatformsFraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IMEAachenGermany
- Institute for Molecular BiotechnologyRWTH Aachen UniversityAachenGermany
| | | | | | | | - Johannes F. Buyel
- Integrated Production PlatformsFraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IMEAachenGermany
- Institute for Molecular BiotechnologyRWTH Aachen UniversityAachenGermany
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93
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A simplified techno‐economic model for the molecular pharming of antibodies. Biotechnol Bioeng 2019; 116:2526-2539. [DOI: 10.1002/bit.27093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2019] [Revised: 06/04/2019] [Accepted: 06/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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94
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Lucero MS, Richetta M, Chimeno Zoth S, Jaton J, Pinto S, Canet Z, Berinstein A, Gómez E. Plant-based vaccine candidate against Infectious bursal disease: An alternative to inactivated vaccines for breeder hens. Vaccine 2019; 37:5203-5210. [PMID: 31351795 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.07.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Revised: 07/16/2019] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Infectious bursal disease (IBD) is an acute, highly contagious immunosuppressive disease that affects young birds causing important economic losses in the poultry industry worldwide. Strict hygiene management together with effective vaccination programs are the most important strategies to prevent Infectious bursal disease virus entry in poultry production facilities. Hyperimmunisation of dams with inactivated vaccines just before the laying period provides passive immunity to the progeny that protects them during the critical first few weeks after hatching before vaccination with live attenuated virus takes place. In the present study, a safe and economic plant-based vaccine candidate against IBD intended for breeder hens was evaluated. We demonstrated that the recombinant immunogen is effective as booster for previously primed hens since it increases specific antibodies against VP2 that are transmitted to the offspring with titres and decay rate similar to those achieved by inactivated vaccine. Moreover, these maternally derived antibodies have virus neutralising activity and are able to confer protection against challenge in progeny, as evidenced by absence of bursal damage and low viral titres in this organ. Taking into account the disadvantages of inactivated vaccines as well as the benefits of plants as expression systems, such as time and cost efficiency, lower risk of contamination from animal pathogens and nearly unlimited scalability, a plant-based subunit IBD vaccine represents a viable alternative in the veterinary field.
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Affiliation(s)
- María S Lucero
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO), Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), De los Reseros y Nicolás Repetto s/n, Hurlingham 1686, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Matías Richetta
- Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas (CICVyA), Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (CNIA), INTA, De los Reseros y Nicolás Repetto s/n, Hurlingham 1686, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Silvina Chimeno Zoth
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO), Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), De los Reseros y Nicolás Repetto s/n, Hurlingham 1686, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Juan Jaton
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO), Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), De los Reseros y Nicolás Repetto s/n, Hurlingham 1686, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Silvina Pinto
- Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Cátedra de Patología, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. Chorroarín 280, C1427CWN CABA, Argentina
| | - Zulma Canet
- Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Pergamino INTA, Pergamino CC 31 B2700WAA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Analía Berinstein
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO), Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), De los Reseros y Nicolás Repetto s/n, Hurlingham 1686, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
| | - Evangelina Gómez
- Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Biología Molecular (IABIMO), Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), De los Reseros y Nicolás Repetto s/n, Hurlingham 1686, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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95
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Komarova TV, Sheshukova EV, Dorokhov YL. Plant-Made Antibodies: Properties and Therapeutic Applications. Curr Med Chem 2019; 26:381-395. [PMID: 29231134 DOI: 10.2174/0929867325666171212093257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2017] [Revised: 05/18/2017] [Accepted: 10/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A cost-effective plant platform for therapeutic monoclonal antibody production is both flexible and scalable. Plant cells have mechanisms for protein synthesis and posttranslational modification, including glycosylation, similar to those in animal cells. However, plants produce less complex and diverse Asn-attached glycans compared to animal cells and contain plant-specific residues. Nevertheless, plant-made antibodies (PMAbs) could be advantageous compared to those produced in animal cells due to the absence of a risk of contamination from nucleic acids or proteins of animal origin. OBJECTIVE In this review, the various platforms of PMAbs production are described, and the widely used transient expression system based on Agrobacterium-mediated delivery of genetic material into plant cells is discussed in detail. RESULTS We examined the features of and approaches to humanizing the Asn-linked glycan of PMAbs. The prospects for PMAbs in the prevention and treatment of human infectious diseases have been illustrated by promising results with PMAbs against human immunodeficiency virus, rotavirus infection, human respiratory syncytial virus, rabies, anthrax and Ebola virus. The pre-clinical and clinical trials of PMAbs against different types of cancer, including lymphoma and breast cancer, are addressed. CONCLUSION PMAb biosafety assessments in patients suggest that it has no side effects, although this does not completely remove concerns about the potential immunogenicity of some plant glycans in humans. Several PMAbs at various developmental stages have been proposed. Promise for the clinical use of PMAbs is aimed at the treatment of viral and bacterial infections as well as in anti-cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana V Komarova
- Vavilov Institute of General Genetics Russian Academy of Sciences 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation.,A.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Ekaterina V Sheshukova
- Vavilov Institute of General Genetics Russian Academy of Sciences 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Yuri L Dorokhov
- Vavilov Institute of General Genetics Russian Academy of Sciences 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation.,A.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
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96
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Laughlin RC, Madera R, Peres Y, Berquist BR, Wang L, Buist S, Burakova Y, Palle S, Chung CJ, Rasmussen MV, Martel E, Brake DA, Neilan JG, Lawhon SD, Adams LG, Shi J, Marcel S. Plant-made E2 glycoprotein single-dose vaccine protects pigs against classical swine fever. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2019; 17:410-420. [PMID: 29993179 PMCID: PMC6335066 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.12986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2018] [Revised: 06/27/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Classical Swine Fever Virus (CSFV) causes classical swine fever, a highly contagious hemorrhagic fever affecting both feral and domesticated pigs. Outbreaks of CSF in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America had significant adverse impacts on animal health, food security and the pig industry. The disease is generally contained by prevention of exposure through import restrictions (e.g. banning import of live pigs and pork products), localized vaccination programmes and culling of infected or at-risk animals, often at very high cost. Current CSFV-modified live virus vaccines are protective, but do not allow differentiation of infected from vaccinated animals (DIVA), a critical aspect of disease surveillance programmes. Alternatively, first-generation subunit vaccines using the viral protein E2 allow for use of DIVA diagnostic tests, but are slow to induce a protective response, provide limited prevention of vertical transmission and may fail to block viral shedding. CSFV E2 subunit vaccines from a baculovirus/insect cell system have been developed for several vaccination campaigns in Europe and Asia. However, this expression system is considered expensive for a veterinary vaccine and is not ideal for wide-spread deployment. To address the issues of scalability, cost of production and immunogenicity, we have employed an Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression platform in Nicotiana benthamiana and formulated the purified antigen in novel oil-in-water emulsion adjuvants. We report the manufacturing of adjuvanted, plant-made CSFV E2 subunit vaccine. The vaccine provided complete protection in challenged pigs, even after single-dose vaccination, which was accompanied by strong virus neutralization antibody responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard C. Laughlin
- Department of Biological and Health SciencesTexas A&M University KingsvilleKingsvilleTXUSA
| | - Rachel Madera
- Department of Anatomy and PhysiologyKansas State UniversityManhattanKSUSA
| | | | | | - Lihua Wang
- Department of Anatomy and PhysiologyKansas State UniversityManhattanKSUSA
| | - Sterling Buist
- Department of Anatomy and PhysiologyKansas State UniversityManhattanKSUSA
| | - Yulia Burakova
- Department of Anatomy and PhysiologyKansas State UniversityManhattanKSUSA
| | | | - Chungwon J. Chung
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology DirectoratePlum Island Animal Disease CenterGreenportNew YorkUSA
| | - Max V. Rasmussen
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology DirectoratePlum Island Animal Disease CenterGreenportNew YorkUSA
| | - Erica Martel
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and EducationPlum Island Animal Disease Center Research Participation ProgramOak RidgeTNUSA
| | - David A. Brake
- BioQuest Associates LLCPlum Island Animal Disease CenterGreenportNew YorkUSA
| | - John G. Neilan
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology DirectoratePlum Island Animal Disease CenterGreenportNew YorkUSA
| | - Sara D. Lawhon
- Department of Veterinary PathobiologyTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTXUSA
| | - L. Garry Adams
- Department of Veterinary PathobiologyTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTXUSA
| | - Jishu Shi
- Department of Anatomy and PhysiologyKansas State UniversityManhattanKSUSA
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97
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Alkanaimsh S, Corbin JM, Kailemia MJ, Karuppanan K, Rodriguez RL, Lebrilla CB, McDonald KA, Nandi S. Purification and site-specific N-glycosylation analysis of human recombinant butyrylcholinesterase from Nicotiana benthamiana. Biochem Eng J 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bej.2018.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
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98
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Buyel JF. Plant Molecular Farming - Integration and Exploitation of Side Streams to Achieve Sustainable Biomanufacturing. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 9:1893. [PMID: 30713542 PMCID: PMC6345721 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.01893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Accepted: 12/06/2018] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Plants have unique advantages over other systems such as mammalian cells for the production of valuable small molecules and proteins. The benefits cited most often include safety due to the absence of replicating human pathogens, simplicity because sterility is not required during production, scalability due to the potential for open-field cultivation with transgenic plants, and the speed of transient expression potentially providing gram quantities of product in less than 4 weeks. Initially there were also significant drawbacks, such as the need to clarify feed streams with a high particle burden and the large quantities of host cell proteins, but efficient clarification is now readily achieved. Several additional advantages have also emerged reflecting the fact that plants are essentially biodegradable, single-use bioreactors. This article will focus on the exploitation of this concept for the production of biopharmaceutical proteins, thus improving overall process economics. Specifically, we will discuss the single-use properties of plants, the sustainability of the production platform, and the commercial potential of different biomass side streams. We find that incorporating these side streams through rational process integration has the potential to more than double the revenue that can currently be achieved using plant-based production systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes F. Buyel
- Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology IME, Aachen, Germany
- Institute for Molecular Biotechnology, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
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99
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Diamos AG, Mason HS. Modifying the Replication of Geminiviral Vectors Reduces Cell Death and Enhances Expression of Biopharmaceutical Proteins in Nicotiana benthamiana Leaves. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2019; 9:1974. [PMID: 30687368 PMCID: PMC6333858 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.01974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2018] [Accepted: 12/19/2018] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Plants are a promising platform to produce biopharmaceutical proteins, however, the toxic nature of some proteins inhibits their accumulation. We previously created a replicating geminiviral expression system based on bean yellow dwarf virus (BeYDV) that enables very high-level production of recombinant proteins. To study the role of replication in this system, we generated vectors that allow separate and controlled expression of BeYDV Rep and RepA proteins. We show that the ratio of Rep and RepA strongly affects the efficiency of replication. Rep, RepA, and vector replication all elicit the plant hypersensitive response, resulting in cell death. We find that a modest reduction in expression of Rep and RepA reduces plant leaf cell death which, despite reducing the accumulation of viral replicons, increases target protein accumulation. A single nucleotide change in the 5' untranslated region (UTR) reduced Rep/RepA expression, reduced cell death, and enhanced the production of monoclonal antibodies. We also find that replicating vectors achieve optimal expression with lower Agrobacterium concentrations than non-replicating vectors, further reducing cell death. Viral UTRs are also shown to contribute substantially to cell death, while a native plant-derived 5' UTR does not.
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100
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Kommineni V, Markert M, Ren Z, Palle S, Carrillo B, Deng J, Tejeda A, Nandi S, McDonald KA, Marcel S, Holtz B. In Vivo Glycan Engineering via the Mannosidase I Inhibitor (Kifunensine) Improves Efficacy of Rituximab Manufactured in Nicotiana benthamiana Plants. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:E194. [PMID: 30621113 PMCID: PMC6337617 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20010194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2018] [Revised: 12/20/2018] [Accepted: 01/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
N-glycosylation has been shown to affect the pharmacokinetic properties of several classes of biologics, including monoclonal antibodies, blood factors, and lysosomal enzymes. In the last two decades, N-glycan engineering has been employed to achieve a N-glycosylation profile that is either more consistent or aligned with a specific improved activity (i.e., effector function or serum half-life). In particular, attention has focused on engineering processes in vivo or in vitro to alter the structure of the N-glycosylation of the Fc region of anti-cancer monoclonal antibodies in order to increase antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC). Here, we applied the mannosidase I inhibitor kifunensine to the Nicotiana benthamiana transient expression platform to produce an afucosylated anti-CD20 antibody (rituximab). We determined the optimal concentration of kifunensine used in the infiltration solution, 0.375 µM, which was sufficient to produce exclusively oligomannose glycoforms, at a concentration 14 times lower than previously published levels. The resulting afucosylated rituximab revealed a 14-fold increase in ADCC activity targeting the lymphoma cell line Wil2-S when compared with rituximab produced in the absence of kifunensine. When applied to the cost-effective and scalable N. benthamiana transient expression platform, the use of kifunensine allows simple in-process glycan engineering without the need for transgenic hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vally Kommineni
- iBio CDMO, LLC, 8800 Health Science Center Parkway, Bryan, TX 77807, USA.
| | - Matthew Markert
- iBio CDMO, LLC, 8800 Health Science Center Parkway, Bryan, TX 77807, USA.
| | - Zhongjie Ren
- iBio CDMO, LLC, 8800 Health Science Center Parkway, Bryan, TX 77807, USA.
| | - Sreenath Palle
- iBio CDMO, LLC, 8800 Health Science Center Parkway, Bryan, TX 77807, USA.
| | - Berenice Carrillo
- iBio CDMO, LLC, 8800 Health Science Center Parkway, Bryan, TX 77807, USA.
| | - Jasmine Deng
- iBio CDMO, LLC, 8800 Health Science Center Parkway, Bryan, TX 77807, USA.
| | - Armando Tejeda
- iBio CDMO, LLC, 8800 Health Science Center Parkway, Bryan, TX 77807, USA.
| | - Somen Nandi
- Global HealthShare® Initiative, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| | - Karen A McDonald
- Global HealthShare® Initiative, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| | - Sylvain Marcel
- iBio CDMO, LLC, 8800 Health Science Center Parkway, Bryan, TX 77807, USA.
| | - Barry Holtz
- iBio CDMO, LLC, 8800 Health Science Center Parkway, Bryan, TX 77807, USA.
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