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Xu P, Ou YC, Smith M, Paulson J, Schmidt MA, Kandari L, Parsons R, Khetan A. Application of fucosylation inhibitors for production of afucosylated antibody. Biotechnol Prog 2024; 40:e3438. [PMID: 38415431 DOI: 10.1002/btpr.3438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Fucosylation is an important quality attribute for therapeutic antibodies. Afucosylated antibodies exhibit higher therapeutic efficacies than their fucosylated counterparts through antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) mechanism. Since higher potency is beneficial in reducing dose or duration of the treatment, afucosylated antibodies have attracted a great deal of interest in biotherapeutics development. In this study, novel small molecules GDP-D-Rhamnose and its derivatives (Ac-GDP-D-Rhamnose and rhamnose sodium phosphate) were synthesized to inhibit the enzyme in the GDP-fucose synthesis pathway. Addition of these compounds into cell culture increased antibody afucosylation levels in a dose-dependent manner and had no significant impact on other protein quality attributes. A novel and effective mechanism to generate afucosylated antibody is demonstrated for biologics discovery, analytical method development, process development, and other applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Xu
- Biologics Development, Global Product Development & Supply, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - Yu Chuan Ou
- Biologics Development, Global Product Development & Supply, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - Michael Smith
- Chemical Process Development, Global Product Development & Supply, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - Jim Paulson
- Chemical Process Development, Global Product Development & Supply, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - Michael A Schmidt
- Chemical Process Development, Global Product Development & Supply, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - Lakshmi Kandari
- Biologics Development, Global Product Development & Supply, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - Rodney Parsons
- Chemical Process Development, Global Product Development & Supply, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - Anurag Khetan
- Biologics Development, Global Product Development & Supply, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
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2
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Zhong X, Schenk J, Sakorafas P, Chamberland J, Tam A, Thomas LM, Yan G, D' Antona AM, Lin L, Nocula-Lugowska M, Zhang Y, Sousa E, Cohen J, Gu L, Abel M, Donahue J, Lim S, Meade C, Zhou J, Riegel L, Birch A, Fennell BJ, Franklin E, Gomes JM, Tzvetkova B, Scarcelli JJ. Impacts of fast production of afucosylated antibodies and Fc mutants in ExpiCHO-S™ for enhancing FcγRIIIa binding and NK cell activation. J Biotechnol 2022; 360:79-91. [PMID: 36341973 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2022.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
This study has employed mammalian transient expression systems to generate afucosylated antibodies and antibody Fc mutants for rapid candidate screening in discovery and early development. While chemical treatment with the fucose analogue 2-fluoro-peracetyl-fucose during transient expression only partially produced antibodies with afucosylated N-glycans, the genetic inactivation of the FUT8 gene in ExpiCHO-S™ by CRISPR/Cas9 enabled the transient production of fully afucosylated antibodies. Human IgG1 and murine IgG2a generated by the ExpiCHOfut8KO cell line possessed a 8-to-11-fold enhanced FcγRIIIa binding activity in comparison with those produced by ExpiCHO-S™. The Fc mutant S239D/S298A/I332E produced by ExpiCHO-S™ had an approximate 2-fold higher FcγRIIIa affinity than that of the afucosylated wildtype molecule, although it displayed significantly lower thermal-stability. When the Fc mutant was produced in the ExpiCHOfut8KO cell line, the resulting afucosylated Fc mutant antibody had an additional approximate 6-fold increase in FcγRIIIa binding affinity. This synergistic effect between afucosylation and the Fc mutations was further verified by a natural killer (NK) cell activation assay. Together, these results have not only established an efficient large-scale transient CHO system for rapid production of afucosylated antibodies, but also confirmed a cooperative impact between afucosylation and Fc mutations on FcγRIIIa binding and NK cell activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaotian Zhong
- BioMedicine Design, Medicinal Sciences, Pfizer Worldwide R&D, 610 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
| | - Jennifer Schenk
- Analytical R&D, Biotherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences, Medicinal Sciences, Pfizer Worldwide R&D, 1 Burtt Road, Andover, MA 01810, USA
| | - Paul Sakorafas
- Analytical R&D, Biotherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences, Medicinal Sciences, Pfizer Worldwide R&D, 1 Burtt Road, Andover, MA 01810, USA
| | - John Chamberland
- BioProcess R&D, Biotherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences, Medicinal Sciences, Pfizer Worldwide R&D, 1 Burtt Road, Andover, MA 01810, USA
| | - Amy Tam
- BioMedicine Design, Medicinal Sciences, Pfizer Worldwide R&D, 610 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - L Michael Thomas
- BioMedicine Design, Medicinal Sciences, Pfizer Worldwide R&D, 610 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Grace Yan
- BioMedicine Design, Medicinal Sciences, Pfizer Worldwide R&D, 610 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Aaron M D' Antona
- BioMedicine Design, Medicinal Sciences, Pfizer Worldwide R&D, 610 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Laura Lin
- BioMedicine Design, Medicinal Sciences, Pfizer Worldwide R&D, 610 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | | | - Yan Zhang
- BioMedicine Design, Medicinal Sciences, Pfizer Worldwide R&D, 610 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Eric Sousa
- BioMedicine Design, Medicinal Sciences, Pfizer Worldwide R&D, 610 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Justin Cohen
- BioMedicine Design, Medicinal Sciences, Pfizer Worldwide R&D, 610 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Ling Gu
- Analytical R&D, Biotherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences, Medicinal Sciences, Pfizer Worldwide R&D, 1 Burtt Road, Andover, MA 01810, USA
| | - Molica Abel
- BioMedicine Design, Medicinal Sciences, Pfizer Worldwide R&D, 610 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Jacob Donahue
- BioMedicine Design, Medicinal Sciences, Pfizer Worldwide R&D, 610 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Sean Lim
- BioMedicine Design, Medicinal Sciences, Pfizer Worldwide R&D, 610 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Caryl Meade
- BioMedicine Design, Medicinal Sciences, Pfizer Worldwide R&D, 610 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Jing Zhou
- BioMedicine Design, Medicinal Sciences, Pfizer Worldwide R&D, 610 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Logan Riegel
- BioMedicine Design, Medicinal Sciences, Pfizer Worldwide R&D, 610 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Alex Birch
- BioMedicine Design, Medicinal Sciences, Pfizer Worldwide R&D, 610 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Brian J Fennell
- BioMedicine Design, Medicinal Sciences, Pfizer Worldwide R&D, Grange Castle, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Edward Franklin
- BioMedicine Design, Medicinal Sciences, Pfizer Worldwide R&D, Grange Castle, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Jose M Gomes
- BioProcess R&D, Biotherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences, Medicinal Sciences, Pfizer Worldwide R&D, 1 Burtt Road, Andover, MA 01810, USA
| | - Boriana Tzvetkova
- Analytical R&D, Biotherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences, Medicinal Sciences, Pfizer Worldwide R&D, 1 Burtt Road, Andover, MA 01810, USA
| | - John J Scarcelli
- BioProcess R&D, Biotherapeutics Pharmaceutical Sciences, Medicinal Sciences, Pfizer Worldwide R&D, 1 Burtt Road, Andover, MA 01810, USA.
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3
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Kwiatkowski A, Co C, Kameoka S, Zhang A, Coughlin J, Cameron T, Chiao E, Bergelson S, Schmid Mason C. Assessment of the role of afucosylated glycoforms on the in vitro antibody-dependent phagocytosis activity of an antibody to Aβ aggregates. MAbs 2021; 12:1803645. [PMID: 32812835 PMCID: PMC7531570 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2020.1803645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The terminal sugars of Fc glycans can influence the Fc-dependent biological activities of monoclonal antibody therapeutics. Afucosylated N-glycans have been shown to significantly alter binding to FcγRIIIa and affect antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC). Therefore, in order to maintain and ensure safety and efficacy for antibodies whose predominant mechanism of action (MOA) is ADCC, afucosylation is routinely monitored and controlled within appropriate limits. However, it is unclear how the composition and levels of afucosylated N-glycans can modulate the biological activities for a recombinant antibody whose target is not a cell surface receptor, as is the case with ADCC. The impact of different types and varying levels of enriched afucosylated N-glycan species on the in vitro bioactivities is assessed for an antibody whose target is aggregated amyloid beta (Aβ). While either the presence of complex biantennary or high mannose afucosylated glycoforms significantly increased FcγRIIIa binding activity compared to fucosylated glycoforms, they did not similarly increase aggregated Aβ uptake activity mediated by different effector cells. These experiments suggest that afucosylated N-glycans are not critical for the in vitro phagocytic activity of a recombinant antibody whose target is aggregated Aβ and uses Fc effector function as part of its MOA.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Carl Co
- Pharmaceutical Operations and Technology, Biogen , Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Sei Kameoka
- Research and Development, Biogen , Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - An Zhang
- Pharmaceutical Operations and Technology, Biogen , Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - John Coughlin
- Pharmaceutical Operations and Technology, Biogen , Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Tom Cameron
- Research and Development, Biogen , Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Eric Chiao
- Research and Development, Biogen , Cambridge, MA, USA
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4
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Brantley T, Moore B, Grinnell C, Khattak S. Investigating trace metal precipitation in highly concentrated cell culture media with Pourbaix diagrams. Biotechnol Bioeng 2021; 118:3888-3897. [PMID: 34143438 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Commercial production of therapeutic proteins using mammalian cells requires complex process solutions, and consistency of these process solutions is critical to maintaining product titer and quality between batches. Inconsistencies between process solutions prepared at bench and commercial scale may be due to differences in mixing time, temperature, and pH which can lead to precipitation and subsequent removal via filtration of critical solution components such as trace metals. Pourbaix diagrams provide a useful tool to model the solubility of trace metals and were applied to troubleshoot the scale-up of nutrient feed preparation after inconsistencies in product titer were observed between bench- and manufacturing-scale batches. Pourbaix diagrams modeled the solubility of key metals in solution at various stages of the nutrient feed preparation and identified copper precipitation as the likely root cause of inconsistent medium stability at commercial scale. Copper precipitation increased proportionally with temperature in bench-scale preparations of nutrient feed and temperature was identified as the root cause of copper precipitation at the commercial scale. Additionally, cell culture copper titration studies performed in bench-scale bioreactors linked copper-deficient mammalian cell culture to inconsistent titers at the commercial scale. Pourbaix diagrams can predict when trace metals are at risk of precipitating and can be used to mitigate risk during the scale-up of complex medium preparations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy Brantley
- Biogen Inc, Cell Culture Development, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Brandon Moore
- Biogen Inc, Cell Culture Development, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Chris Grinnell
- Biogen Inc, Manufacturing Sciences, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Sarwat Khattak
- Biogen Inc, Cell Culture Development, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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5
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Rameez S, Gowtham YK, Nayar G, Mostafa SS. Modulation of high mannose levels in N-linked glycosylation through cell culture process conditions to increase antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity activity for an antibody biosimilar. Biotechnol Prog 2021; 37:e3176. [PMID: 34021724 DOI: 10.1002/btpr.3176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Revised: 03/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The regulatory approval of a biosimilar product is contingent on the favorable comparability of its safety and efficacy to that of the innovator product. As such, it is important to match the critical quality attributes of the biosimilar product to that of the innovator product. The N-glycosylation profile of a monoclonal antibody (mAb) can influence effector function activities such as antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and complement-dependent cytotoxicity. In this study, we describe efforts to modulate the high-mannose (HM) levels of a biosimilar mAb produced in a Chinese hamster ovary cell fed-batch process. Because the HM level of the mAb was observed to impact ADCC activity, it was desirable to match it to the innovator mAb's levels. Several cell culture process related factors known to modulate the HM content of N-glycosylation were investigated, including osmolality, ammonium chloride (NH4 Cl) addition, glutamine concentration, monensin addition, and the addition of alternate sugars and amino sugars to the feed medium. The process conditions evaluated varied in impact on HM levels, process performance and product quality. One condition, the addition of alternate sugars and amino sugars to feed medium, was identified as the preferred method for increasing HM levels with minimal disruptions to process performance or other product quality attributes. Interestingly, a secondary interaction between sugar and amino sugar supplemented feeds and osmolality was observed during process scale-up. These studies demonstrate sugar and amino sugar concentrations and osmolality are critical variables to evaluate to match HM content in biosimilar and their innovator mAbs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahid Rameez
- Process Development, KBI Biopharma Inc., Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | | | - Gautam Nayar
- Process Development, KBI Biopharma Inc., Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Sigma S Mostafa
- Process Development, KBI Biopharma Inc., Durham, North Carolina, USA
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6
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Zhang L, Wang M, Castan A, Hjalmarsson H, Chotteau V. Probabilistic model by Bayesian network for the prediction of antibody glycosylation in perfusion and fed-batch cell cultures. Biotechnol Bioeng 2021; 118:3447-3459. [PMID: 33788254 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2020] [Revised: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Glycosylation is a critical quality attribute of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). The glycan pattern can have a large impact on the immunological functions, serum half-life and stability. The medium components and cultivation parameters are known to potentially influence the glycosylation profile. Mathematical modelling provides a strategy for rational design and control of the upstream bioprocess. However, the kinetic models usually contain a very large number of unknown parameters, which limit their practical applications. In this article, we consider the metabolic network of N-linked glycosylation as a Bayesian network (BN) and calculate the fluxes of the glycosylation process as joint probability using the culture parameters as inputs. The modelling approach is validated with data of different Chinese hamster ovary cell cultures in pseudo perfusion, perfusion, and fed batch cultures, all showing very good predictive capacities. In cases where a large number of cultivation parameters is available, it is shown here that principal components analysis can efficiently be employed for a dimension reduction of the inputs compared to Pearson correlation analysis and feature importance by decision tree. The present study demonstrates that BN model can be a powerful tool in upstream process and medium development for glycoprotein productions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Zhang
- Department of Industrial Biotechnology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.,AdBIOPRO, VINNOVA Competence Centre for Advanced Bioproduction by Continuous Processing, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - MingLiang Wang
- AdBIOPRO, VINNOVA Competence Centre for Advanced Bioproduction by Continuous Processing, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.,Division of Decision and Control System, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Håkan Hjalmarsson
- AdBIOPRO, VINNOVA Competence Centre for Advanced Bioproduction by Continuous Processing, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.,Division of Decision and Control System, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.,Digital Futures - KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Veronique Chotteau
- Department of Industrial Biotechnology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.,AdBIOPRO, VINNOVA Competence Centre for Advanced Bioproduction by Continuous Processing, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.,Digital Futures - KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
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7
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Xu P, Xu S, He C, Khetan A. Applications of small molecules in modulating productivity and product quality of recombinant proteins produced using cell cultures. Biotechnol Adv 2020; 43:107577. [PMID: 32540474 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2020.107577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2020] [Revised: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Mammalian cell cultures have been used extensively for production of recombinant protein therapeutics such as monoclonal antibodies, fusion proteins and enzymes for decades. Small molecules have been investigated as media supplements to improve process productivity and reduce cost of goods. Those chemicals can lead to significant yield improvement through different mechanisms such as cell cycle modulation, cellular redox regulation, etc. In addition to productivity, small molecules have also been routinely used to regulate post-translational modifications of recombinant proteins. This review summarizes key applications of small molecules in protein productivity improvement and product quality control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Xu
- Biologics Development, Global Product Development & Supply, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, United States of America.
| | - Sen Xu
- Biologics Development, Global Product Development & Supply, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, United States of America
| | - Chunyan He
- Biologics Development, Global Product Development & Supply, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, United States of America
| | - Anurag Khetan
- Biologics Development, Global Product Development & Supply, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, United States of America
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8
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Brantley TJ, Mitchelson FG, Khattak SF. A class of low-cost alternatives to kifunensine for increasing high mannose N-linked glycosylation for monoclonal antibody production in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Biotechnol Prog 2020; 37:e3076. [PMID: 32888259 DOI: 10.1002/btpr.3076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Revised: 08/21/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
N-linked glycosylation of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies is an important product quality attribute for drug safety and efficacy. An increase in the percent of high mannose N-linked glycosylation may be required for drug efficacy or to match the glycosylation profile of the innovator drug during the development of a biosimilar. In this study, the addition of several chemical additives to a cell culture process resulted in high mannose N-glycans on monoclonal antibodies produced by Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells without impacting cell culture performance. The additives, which include known mannosidase inhibitors (kifunensine and deoxymannojirimycin) as well as novel inhibitors (tris, bis-tris, and 1-amino-1-methyl-1,3-propanediol), contain one similar molecular structure: 2-amino-1,3-propanediol, commonly referred to as serinol. The shared chemical structure provides insight into the binding and inhibition of mannosidase in CHO cells. One of the novel inhibitors, tris, is safer compared to kifunensine, 35x as cost-effective, and stable at room temperature. In addition, tris and bis-tris provide multiple low-cost alternatives to kifunensine for manipulating glycosylation in monoclonal antibody production in a cell culture process with minimal impact to productivity or cell health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J Brantley
- Cell Culture Development, Pharmaceutical Operations and Technology, Biogen Inc., Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Fernie G Mitchelson
- Manufacturing Sciences, Pharmaceutical Operations and Technology, Biogen Inc., Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Sarwat F Khattak
- Cell Culture Development, Pharmaceutical Operations and Technology, Biogen Inc., Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
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9
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Yongky A, Xu J, Tian J, Oliveira C, Zhao J, McFarland K, Borys MC, Li ZJ. Process intensification in fed-batch production bioreactors using non-perfusion seed cultures. MAbs 2019; 11:1502-1514. [PMID: 31379298 PMCID: PMC6816350 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2019.1652075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2019] [Revised: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Although process intensification by continuous operation has been successfully applied in the chemical industry, the biopharmaceutical industry primarily uses fed-batch, rather than continuous or perfusion methods, to produce stable monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) from Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Conventional fed-batch bioreactors may start with an inoculation viable cell density (VCD) of ~0.5 × 106 cells/mL. Increasing the inoculation VCD in the fed-batch production bioreactor (referred to as N stage bioreactor) to 2-10 × 106 cells/mL by introducing perfusion operation or process intensification at the seed step (N-1 step) prior to the production bioreactor has recently been used because it increases manufacturing output by shortening cell culture production duration. In this study, we report that increasing the inoculation VCD significantly improved the final titer in fed-batch production within the same 14-day duration for 3 mAbs produced by 3 CHO GS cell lines. We also report that other non-perfusion methods at the N-1 step using either fed batch or batch mode with enriched culture medium can similarly achieve high N-1 final VCD of 22-34 × 106 cells/mL. These non-perfusion N-1 seeds supported inoculation of subsequent production fed-batch production bioreactors at increased inoculation VCD of 3-6 × 106 cells/mL, where these achieved titer and product quality attributes comparable to those inoculated using the perfusion N-1 seeds demonstrated in both 5-L bioreactors, as well as scaled up to 500-L and 1000-L N-stage bioreactors. To operate the N-1 step using batch mode, enrichment of the basal medium was critical at both the N-1 and subsequent intensified fed-batch production steps. The non-perfusion N-1 methodologies reported here are much simpler alternatives in operation for process development, process characterization, and large-scale commercial manufacturing compared to perfusion N-1 seeds that require perfusion equipment, as well as preparation and storage vessels to accommodate large volumes of perfusion media. Although only 3 stable mAbs produced by CHO cell cultures are used in this study, the basic principles of the non-perfusion N-1 seed strategies for shortening seed train and production culture duration or improving titer should be applicable to other protein production by different mammalian cells and other hosts at any scale biologics facilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Yongky
- Global Product Development and Supply, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Devens, MA, USA
| | - Jianlin Xu
- Global Product Development and Supply, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Devens, MA, USA
| | - Jun Tian
- Global Product Development and Supply, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Devens, MA, USA
| | - Christopher Oliveira
- Global Product Development and Supply, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Devens, MA, USA
| | - Jia Zhao
- Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA
| | - Kevin McFarland
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Michael C. Borys
- Global Product Development and Supply, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Devens, MA, USA
| | - Zheng Jian Li
- Global Product Development and Supply, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Devens, MA, USA
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10
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Ma F, Zhang A, Chang D, Velev OD, Wiltberger K, Kshirsagar R. Real-time monitoring and control of CHO cell apoptosis by in situ multifrequency scanning dielectric spectroscopy. Process Biochem 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.procbio.2019.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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11
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Moore B, Sanford R, Zhang A. Case study: The characterization and implementation of dielectric spectroscopy (biocapacitance) for process control in a commercial GMP CHO manufacturing process. Biotechnol Prog 2019; 35:e2782. [DOI: 10.1002/btpr.2782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2018] [Revised: 12/20/2018] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Brandon Moore
- Cell Culture Development; Biogen, Research Triangle Park; North Carolina
| | - Ryan Sanford
- Cell Culture Development; Biogen, Research Triangle Park; North Carolina
| | - An Zhang
- Cell Culture Development; Biogen, Research Triangle Park; North Carolina
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12
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Ehret J, Zimmermann M, Eichhorn T, Zimmer A. Impact of cell culture media additives on IgG glycosylation produced in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Biotechnol Bioeng 2019; 116:816-830. [PMID: 30552760 PMCID: PMC6590254 DOI: 10.1002/bit.26904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Revised: 11/12/2018] [Accepted: 12/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Glycosylation is a key critical quality attribute for monoclonal antibodies and other recombinant proteins because of its impact on effector mechanisms and half‐life. In this study, a variety of compounds were evaluated for their ability to modulate glycosylation profiles of recombinant monoclonal antibodies produced in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Compounds were supplemented into the cell culture feed of fed‐batch experiments performed with a CHO K1 and a CHO DG44 cell line expressing a recombinant immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1). Experiments were performed in spin tubes or the ambr®15 controlled bioreactor system, and the impact of the compounds at various concentrations was determined by monitoring the glycosylation profile of the IgG and cell culture parameters, such as viable cell density, viability, and titer. Results indicate that the highest impact on mannosylation was achieved through 15 µM kifunensine supplementation leading to an 85.8% increase in high‐mannose containing species. Fucosylation was reduced by 76.1% through addition of 800 µM 2‐F‐peracetyl fucose. An increase of 40.9% in galactosylated species was achieved through the addition of 120 mM galactose in combination with 48 µM manganese and 24 µM uridine. Furthermore, 6.9% increased sialylation was detected through the addition of 30 µM dexamethasone in combination with the same manganese, uridine, and galactose mixture used to increase total galactosylation. Further compounds or combinations of additives were also efficient at achieving a smaller overall glycosylation modulation, required, for instance, during the development of biosimilars. To the best of our knowledge, no evaluation of the efficacy of such a variety of compounds in the same cell culture system has been described. The studied cell culture media additives are efficient modulators of glycosylation and are thus a valuable tool to produce recombinant glycoproteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janike Ehret
- Merck Life Sciences, Upstream R&D, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Martina Zimmermann
- Merck Life Sciences, Upstream R&D, Darmstadt, Germany.,Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | | | - Aline Zimmer
- Merck Life Sciences, Upstream R&D, Darmstadt, Germany
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Brown AJ, Gibson S, Hatton D, James DC. Transcriptome-Based Identification of the Optimal Reference CHO Genes for Normalisation of qPCR Data. Biotechnol J 2017; 13. [PMID: 28731643 DOI: 10.1002/biot.201700259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2017] [Revised: 07/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) is the standard method for determination of relative changes in mRNA transcript abundance. Analytical accuracy, precision and reliability are critically dependent on the selection of internal control reference genes. In this study, the authors have identified optimal reference genes that can be utilised universally for qPCR analysis of CHO cell mRNAs. Initially, transcriptomic datasets were analysed to identify eight endogenous genes that exhibited high expression stability across four distinct CHO cell lines sampled in different culture phases. The relative transcript abundance of each gene in 20 diverse, commonly applied experimental conditions was then determined by qPCR analysis. Utilizing GeNorm, BestKeeper and NormFinder algorithms, the authors identified four mRNAs (Gnb1, Fkbp1a, Tmed2 and Mmadhc) that exhibited a highly stable level of expression across all conditions, validating their utility as universally applicable reference genes. Whilst any combination of only two genes can be generally used for normalisation of qPCR data, the authors show that specific combinations of reference genes are particularly suited to discrete experimental conditions. In summary, the authors report the identification of fully validated universal reference genes, optimised primer sequences robust to genomic mutations and simple reference gene pair selection guidelines that enable streamlined qPCR analyses of mRNA abundance in CHO cells with maximum accuracy and precision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J Brown
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Sheffield, Mappin St., Sheffield, S1 3JD, England
| | - Suzanne Gibson
- Biopharmaceutical Development, MedImmune, Cambridge, CB21 6GH, England
| | - Diane Hatton
- Biopharmaceutical Development, MedImmune, Cambridge, CB21 6GH, England
| | - David C James
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Sheffield, Mappin St., Sheffield, S1 3JD, England
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