1
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Raza H, Tang T, Gao B, Phuangthong C, Chen CB, Pinto NDS. Evaluation of various membranes at different fluxes to enable large-volume single-use perfusion bioreactors. Biotechnol Bioeng 2024; 121:2678-2690. [PMID: 38702962 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28722] [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: 10/07/2023] [Revised: 03/30/2024] [Accepted: 04/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024]
Abstract
The growing demand for biological therapeutics has increased interest in large-volume perfusion bioreactors, but the operation and scalability of perfusion membranes remain a challenge. This study evaluates perfusion cell culture performance and monoclonal antibody (mAb) productivity at various membrane fluxes (1.5-5 LMH), utilizing polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF), polyethersulfone (PES), or polysulfone (PS) membranes in tangential flow filtration mode. At low flux, culture with PVDF membrane maintained higher cell culture growth, permeate titer (1.06-1.34 g/L) and sieving coefficients (≥83%) but showed lower permeate volumetric throughput and higher transmembrane pressure (TMP) (>1.50 psi) in the later part of the run compared to cultures with PES and PS membrane. However, as permeate flux increased, the total mass of product decreased by around 30% for cultures with PVDF membrane, while it remained consistent with PES and PS membrane, and at the highest flux studied, PES membrane generated 12% more product than PVDF membrane. This highlights that membrane selection for large-volume perfusion bioreactors depends on the productivity and permeate flux required. Since operating large-volume perfusion bioreactors at low flux would require several cell retention devices and a complex setup, PVDF membranes are suitable for low-volume operations at low fluxes whereas PES membranes can be a desirable alternative for large-volume higher demand products at higher fluxes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassan Raza
- Biologics Process Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey, USA
| | - Tiffany Tang
- Biologics Process Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey, USA
| | - Baizhen Gao
- Biologics Process Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey, USA
| | - Chelsea Phuangthong
- Biologics Process Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey, USA
| | | | - Nuno D S Pinto
- Biologics Process Research & Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey, USA
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2
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Gonzalez-Rivera JC, Galvan A, Ryder T, Milman M, Agarwal K, Kandari L, Khetan A. A high-titer scalable Chinese hamster ovary transient expression platform for production of biotherapeutics. Biotechnol Bioeng 2024. [PMID: 39101569 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 07/08/2024] [Accepted: 07/18/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024]
Abstract
Transient gene expression (TGE) in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells offers a route to accelerate biologics development by delivering material weeks to months earlier than what is possible with conventional cell line development. However, low productivity, inconsistent product quality profiles, and scalability challenges have prevented its broader adoption. In this study, we develop a scalable CHO-based TGE system achieving 1.9 g/L of monoclonal antibody in an unmodified host. We integrated continuous flow-electroporation and alternate tangential flow (ATF) perfusion to enable an end-to-end closed system from N-1 perfusion to fed-batch 50-L bioreactor production. Optimization of both the ATF operation for three-in-one application-cell growth, buffer exchange, and cell mass concentration-and the flow-electroporation process, led to a platform for producing biotherapeutics using transiently transfected cells. We demonstrate scalability up to 50-L bioreactor, maintaining a titer over 1 g/L. We also show comparable quality between both transiently and stably produced material, and consistency across batches. The results confirm that purity, charge variants and N-glycan profiles are similar. Our study demonstrates the potential of CHO-based TGE platforms to accelerate biologics process development timelines and contributes evidence supporting its feasibility for manufacturing early clinical material, aiming to strengthen endorsement for TGE's wider implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alberto Galvan
- Biologics Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - Todd Ryder
- Biologics Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - Monica Milman
- Biologics Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - Kitty Agarwal
- Biologics Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - Lakshmi Kandari
- Biologics Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - Anurag Khetan
- Biologics Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
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3
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Vu J, Gadberry JA, Coffman J, Lee K. Improved sieving coefficient in perfusion cell culture with reduced effective filtration length of hollow fibers. Biotechnol Prog 2024:e3472. [PMID: 38655754 DOI: 10.1002/btpr.3472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
The hollow fiber filter is the primary cell-retention device used in high-density perfusion cell culture and often used in an alternating tangential flow (ATF) configuration. The limited commercially available diaphragm pumps for ATF prevent utilization of vertical space when scaling beyond 500 L. Stacking hollow fiber filters coupled with viscous cell culture imposes vacuum pressure exceeding facility capabilities. Additionally, the longer filter assembly increases the hold-up volume and exceeds the diaphragm pump's fluid exchange capacity. The conventional tangential flow filtration (TFF) configuration circumvents this issue by exchanging culture from the bioreactor and cell-retention device in a unidirectional recirculation loop; however, the increased filter length when scaled up exacerbates the TFF's inherent issue with product retention from Starling flow. Stacking commercially available 20 cm TFF filters to make up the similar single-module length TFF used for the platform 3 and 50 L perfusion process at 41.5 and 65 cm, respectively, attempts to reduce fouling caused by Starling flow. The permeate of a single-module filter is partitioned into short independent segments through serially stacked filters, each harvested separately. By partitioning the permeate, the sieving coefficient increased for both 3 and 50 L scales. Reduction of Starling flow was confirmed with lower total hydraulic membrane resistance throughout the culture. This work demonstrates a method for increasing sieving coefficient and filter capacity by stacking TFF filters with independent permeate streams.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jimmy Vu
- BioProcess Technologies & Engineering, BioPharmaceuticals Development, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
| | - J Alex Gadberry
- BioProcess Technologies & Engineering, BioPharmaceuticals Development, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
| | - Jon Coffman
- BioProcess Technologies & Engineering, BioPharmaceuticals Development, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
| | - Ken Lee
- BioProcess Technologies & Engineering, BioPharmaceuticals Development, R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
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4
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Zhang W, Ran Q, Zhao L, Ye Q, Tan WS. Characterization of cellular responses and cell lysis to elevated hydrodynamic stress from benchtop perfusion bioreactors. Biotechnol J 2024; 19:e2400063. [PMID: 38528344 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202400063] [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: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024]
Abstract
The effective design of perfusion cell culture is currently challenging regarding balancing the operating parameters associated with the hydrodynamic conditions due to increased system complexity. To address this issue, cellular responses of an industrial CHO cell line to different types of hydrodynamic stress in benchtop perfusion bioreactors originating from agitation, sparging, and hollow fibers (HF) in the cell retention devices were systematically investigated here with the analysis of cell lysis. It was found that cell lysis was very common and most associated with the sparging stress, followed by the HF and lastly the agitation, consequently heavily impacting the estimation of process descriptors related to biomass. The results indicated that the agitation stress led to a reduced cell growth with a shift toward a more productive phenotype, suggesting an energy redirection from biomass formation to product synthesis, whereas the sparging stress had a small impact on the intracellular metabolic flux distribution but increased the cell death rate drastically. For HF stress, a similar cell maintenance profile was found as the sparging while the activity of glycolysis and the TCA cycle was significantly impeded, potentially leading to the lack of energy and thus a substantial decrease in cell-specific productivity. Moreover, a novel concept of volume average shear stress was developed to further understand the relations of different types of stress and the observed responses for an improved insight for the perfusion cell culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weijian Zhang
- The State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Qingyuan Ran
- The State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Liang Zhao
- The State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Qian Ye
- The State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Wen-Song Tan
- The State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
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5
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Romann P, Giller P, Sibilia A, Herwig C, Zydney AL, Perilleux A, Souquet J, Bielser JM, Villiger TK. Co-current filtrate flow in TFF perfusion processes: Decoupling transmembrane pressure from crossflow to improve product sieving. Biotechnol Bioeng 2024; 121:640-654. [PMID: 37965698 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28589] [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: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
Hollow fiber-based membrane filtration has emerged as the dominant technology for cell retention in perfusion processes yet significant challenges in alleviating filter fouling remain unsolved. In this work, the benefits of co-current filtrate flow applied to a tangential flow filtration (TFF) module to reduce or even completely remove Starling recirculation caused by the axial pressure drop within the module was studied by pressure characterization experiments and perfusion cell culture runs. Additionally, a novel concept to achieve alternating Starling flow within unidirectional TFF was investigated. Pressure profiles demonstrated that precise flow control can be achieved with both lab-scale and manufacturing-scale filters. TFF systems with co-current flow showed up to 40% higher product sieving compared to standard TFF. The decoupling of transmembrane pressure from crossflow velocity and filter characteristics in co-current TFF alleviates common challenges for hollow fiber-based systems such as limited crossflow rates and relatively short filter module lengths, both of which are currently used to avoid extensive pressure drop along the filtration module. Therefore, co-current filtrate flow in unidirectional TFF systems represents an interesting and scalable alternative to standard TFF or alternating TFF operation with additional possibilities to control Starling recirculation flow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Romann
- School of Life Science, Institute for Pharma Technology, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Muttenz, Switzerland
- Research Division Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Chemical Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Philip Giller
- School of Life Science, Institute for Pharma Technology, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Muttenz, Switzerland
| | | | - Christoph Herwig
- Research Division Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Chemical Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andrew L Zydney
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Arnaud Perilleux
- Biotech Process Science, Merck Serono SA (an affiliate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany), Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland
| | - Jonathan Souquet
- Biotech Process Science, Merck Serono SA (an affiliate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany), Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland
| | - Jean-Marc Bielser
- Biotech Process Science, Merck Serono SA (an affiliate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany), Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland
| | - Thomas K Villiger
- School of Life Science, Institute for Pharma Technology, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, Muttenz, Switzerland
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6
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Sundar V, Zhang D, Qian X, Wickramasinghe SR, Smelko JP, Carbrello C, Jabbour Al Maalouf Y, Zydney AL. Use of scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy to identify key fouling species during alternating tangential filtration. Biotechnol Prog 2023:e3336. [PMID: 36825399 DOI: 10.1002/btpr.3336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
Alternating tangential flow filtration (ATF) has become one of the primary methods for cell retention and clarification in perfusion bioreactors. However, membrane fouling can cause product sieving losses that limit the performance of these systems. This study used scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy to identify the nature and location of foulants on 0.2 μm polyethersulfone hollow fiber membranes after use in industrial Chinese hamster ovary cell perfusion bioreactors for monoclonal antibody production. Membrane fouling was dominated by proteinaceous material, primarily host cell proteins along with some monoclonal antibody. Fouling occurred primarily on the lumen surface with much less protein trapped within the depth of the fiber. Protein deposition was also most pronounced near the inlet/exit of the hollow fibers, which are the regions with the greatest flux (and transmembrane pressure) during the cyclical operation of the ATF. These results provide important insights into the underlying phenomena governing the fouling behavior of ATF systems for continuous bioprocessing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vikram Sundar
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Da Zhang
- Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA
| | - Xianghong Qian
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA
| | - S Ranil Wickramasinghe
- Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA
| | | | | | | | - Andrew L Zydney
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
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7
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The efficient development of a novel recombinant adenovirus zoster vaccine perfusion production process. Vaccine 2022; 40:2036-2043. [PMID: 35216843 PMCID: PMC8863426 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.02.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2021] [Revised: 01/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The adenovirus vector vaccines induce humoral and cellular immune responses and have been used to develop vaccines for effective prevention of life-threating viruses, such as Ebola and Coronaviruses. High demand of vaccines worldwide requires optimization of the production process. Perfusion process increases cell concentration and volumetric productivity, so that it becomes the commonly used strategy in vaccine production In this study, we optimized and developed a perfusion process for the adenovirus-based zoster vaccine production efficiently. We first tested different perfusion strategies in shake flasks, showing semi-continuous strategies for optimal HEK 293 cell growth. We then evaluated three empirical key process parameters (cell concentration at the time of infection (VCC), multiplicity of infection (MOI), virus production pH) by the design of experiment (DoE) method, from which the robust setpoint (VCC 1.04 × 107 cells/mL, MOI 9, and virus production pH 7.17) was confirmed in both shake flask and 2 L benchtop bioreactor. In the bioreactor, we compared the performances of two perfusion systems, the commercially-available XCell ATF® system and a novel peristaltic pump-driven alternating tangential flow perfusion system (PATFP system) that we developed. During cell cultivation stage, both perfusion systems have comparable performances regarding viable cell concentration and cell viability. At 2 dpi, the PATFP system resulted in an adenovirus titer of 2.1 × 1010 IFU/mL and cell-specific virus yield of 2,062 IFU/cell, reaching 75% and 77% of values for XCell ATF® system. This study demonstrates the perfusion process to be superior strategy for adenovirus-based vaccine production compared to the batch-mode strategy (1,467 IFU/cell). Furthermore, our PATFP system shows potential to be comparable to the XCell ATF® system, and it would become an alternative perfusion strategy for the vaccine production.
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8
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MacDonald MA, Nöbel M, Roche Recinos D, Martínez VS, Schulz BL, Howard CB, Baker K, Shave E, Lee YY, Marcellin E, Mahler S, Nielsen LK, Munro T. Perfusion culture of Chinese Hamster Ovary cells for bioprocessing applications. Crit Rev Biotechnol 2021; 42:1099-1115. [PMID: 34844499 DOI: 10.1080/07388551.2021.1998821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Much of the biopharmaceutical industry's success over the past 30 years has relied on products derived from Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cell lines. During this time, improvements in mammalian cell cultures have come from cell line development and process optimization suited for large-scale fed-batch processes. Originally developed for high cell densities and sensitive products, perfusion processes have a long history. Driven by high volumetric titers and a small footprint, perfusion-based bioprocess research has regained an interest from academia and industry. The recent pandemic has further highlighted the need for such intensified biomanufacturing options. In this review, we outline the technical history of research in this field as it applies to biologics production in CHO cells. We demonstrate a number of emerging trends in the literature and corroborate these with underlying drivers in the commercial space. From these trends, we speculate that the future of perfusion bioprocesses is bright and that the fields of media optimization, continuous processing, and cell line engineering hold the greatest potential. Aligning in its continuous setup with the demands for Industry 4.0, perfusion biomanufacturing is likely to be a hot topic in the years to come.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A MacDonald
- ARC Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Australia.,Thermo Fisher Scientific, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Matthias Nöbel
- ARC Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Australia.,Thermo Fisher Scientific, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Dinora Roche Recinos
- ARC Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Australia.,CSL Limited, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Verónica S Martínez
- ARC Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Benjamin L Schulz
- ARC Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Australia.,School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Christopher B Howard
- ARC Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Kym Baker
- Thermo Fisher Scientific, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Evan Shave
- Thermo Fisher Scientific, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Australia
| | | | - Esteban Marcellin
- ARC Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Australia.,Metabolomics Australia, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Stephen Mahler
- ARC Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Lars Keld Nielsen
- ARC Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Australia.,Metabolomics Australia, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Australia.,The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Trent Munro
- ARC Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Australia.,National Biologics Facility, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Australia
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9
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Su Y, Wei Z, Miao Y, Sun L, Shen Y, Tang Z, Li L, Quan Y, Yu H, Wang WC, Zhou W, Tian J. Optimized process operations reduce product retention and column clogging in ATF-based perfusion cell cultures. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2021; 105:9125-9136. [PMID: 34811605 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-021-11662-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Product retention in hollow fibers is a common issue in ATF-based cell culture system. In this study, the effects of four major process factors on product (therapeutic antibody/recombinant protein) retention were investigated using Chinese hamster ovary cell. Hollow fibers made of polysulfone presented a product retention rate from 15% ± 8 to 43% ± 18% higher than those made of polyether sulfone varying with specific processes. Higher harvest flowrate and ATF exchange rate increased product retention by 13% ± 10% and up to 31% ± 13%, respectively. Hollow fibers with larger pore sizes (0.65 μm) appeared to have increased product retention by 38% ± 7% compared with smaller ones (0.2 μm) in this study. Further investigation revealed that the effects of pore size on retention could be correlated to the particle size distribution in the cell culture broth. A hollow fiber with a larger pore size (>0.5 μm) may reduce protein retention when small particles (approximately 0.01-0.2 μm in diameter) are dominant in the culture. However, if majority of the particles are larger than 0.2 μm in diameter, hollow fiber with smaller pore sizes (0.2 μm) could be a solution to reducing product retention. Alternatively, process optimization may modulate particle size distribution towards reduced production retention with selected ATF hollow fibers. This study for the first time highlights the importance of matching proper pore sizes of hollow fibers with the cell culture particles distribution and offers methods to reducing product retention and ATF column clogging in perfusion cell cultures. KEY POINTS: The material of ATF column could impact product retention during perfusion culture. Higher harvest flowrate and ATF exchange rate increased product retention. Matching culture particle size and ATF pore size is critical for retention modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuning Su
- Process Development, WuXi Biologics, 108 Meiliang Road, Wuxi, 214092, China
| | - Zhaohui Wei
- Process Development, WuXi Biologics, 108 Meiliang Road, Wuxi, 214092, China
| | - Yana Miao
- Process Development, WuXi Biologics, 108 Meiliang Road, Wuxi, 214092, China
| | - Liuliu Sun
- Process Development, WuXi Biologics, 108 Meiliang Road, Wuxi, 214092, China
| | - Yina Shen
- Process Development, WuXi Biologics, 108 Meiliang Road, Wuxi, 214092, China
| | - Ziran Tang
- Process Development, WuXi Biologics, 108 Meiliang Road, Wuxi, 214092, China
| | - Le Li
- Process Development, WuXi Biologics, 108 Meiliang Road, Wuxi, 214092, China
| | - Yufen Quan
- Process Development, WuXi Biologics, 108 Meiliang Road, Wuxi, 214092, China
| | - Haiyang Yu
- Process Development, WuXi Biologics, 108 Meiliang Road, Wuxi, 214092, China.
| | - Wei-Chun Wang
- Process Development, WuXi Biologics, 108 Meiliang Road, Wuxi, 214092, China
| | - Weichang Zhou
- WuXi Biologics, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai, 200131, China
| | - Jun Tian
- Process Development, WuXi Biologics, 108 Meiliang Road, Wuxi, 214092, China
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10
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Liu Z, Zhang Z, Qin Y, Chen G, Hu J, Wang Q, Zhou W. The application of Raman spectroscopy for monitoring product quality attributes in perfusion cell culture. Biochem Eng J 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bej.2021.108064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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11
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Särnlund S, Jiang Y, Chotteau V. Process intensification to produce a difficult-to-express therapeutic enzyme by high cell density perfusion or enhanced fed-batch. Biotechnol Bioeng 2021; 118:3533-3544. [PMID: 33914903 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27806] [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: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Intensified bioprocesses have caught industrial interest in the field of biomanufacturing in recent years. Thanks to new technology, intensified processes can support high cell densities, higher productivities and longer process times, which together can offer lower cost of goods. In this study two different intensified process modes, high cell density perfusion and enhanced fed-batch, were evaluated and compared with a conventional fed-batch process for a difficult-to-express therapeutic enzyme. The intensified process modes were cultivated with a target cell density of 100 × 106 cells/ml and with alternating tangential flow filtration, ATF, as cell retention device. The processes were designed to resemble an established optimized fed-batch process using the knowledge of this process without new dedicated optimization for the intensified modes. The design strategy included decision of the ratio of feed concentrate to base medium and glucose supplementation, which were based on target cell-specific consumption rates of key amino acids and glucose, using a targeted feeding approach (TAFE). A difficult-to-express therapeutic enzyme with multiple glycosylation sites was expressed and analyzed in the different production processes. The two new intensified processes both achieved 10 times higher volumetric productivity (mg/L/day) with retained protein quality and minor changes to the glycan profile compared to the fed-batch process. The study demonstrates the potential of using intensified processes for sensitive complex enzymes. It is shown here that it is possible to transfer a developed fed-batch process into high cell density processes either in intensified fed-batch or steady-state perfusion without new dedicated optimization. The results demonstrated as well that these intensified modes significantly increase the productivity while maintaining the desired product quality, for instance the same amount of product was obtained in 1 day during the perfusion process than in a whole fed-batch run. Without any prior optimization of the perfusion rate, the high cell density perfusion process resulted in only 1.2 times higher medium cost per gram produced protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sigrid Särnlund
- Manufacturing Science and Technology, Swedish Orphan Biovitrum, Solna, Sweden.,AdBIOPRO, Competence Centre for Advanced Bioproduction by Continuous Processing, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Industrial Biotechnology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Yun Jiang
- Manufacturing Science and Technology, Swedish Orphan Biovitrum, Solna, Sweden
| | - Veronique Chotteau
- AdBIOPRO, Competence Centre for Advanced Bioproduction by Continuous Processing, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Industrial Biotechnology, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
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12
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Brantley T, Bogue J, Denny K, Elouafiq S, Madren S, Nakhle B, Khattak S. A novel approach to residence time distribution characterization in a mAb continuous process. Biotechnol Bioeng 2021; 118:3486-3498. [PMID: 33811655 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Revised: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Residence time distribution modeling of integrated perfusion to capture process can elucidate the impact of product quality excursions and filter fouling on monoclonal antibody production. In this case study, a glycosylation inhibitor and fluorescently labeled antibody are applied to the continuous process to study protein quality modulation, perfusion filter fouling, and unit operation hold times. The unit operations were modeled as continuous-stirred tank reactors and the residence time distribution of a small molecule glycan inhibitor and impact on glycosylation were characterized. A fluorescently labeled antibody was applied as a tracer molecule and confirmed the impact of packed cell volume and filter fouling. This study demonstrates how a biologics continuous process can be modeled and characterized through residence time distribution to ensure a robust, well-understood process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Brantley
- Protein Development, Biogen Inc, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jon Bogue
- Analytical Development, Biogen Inc, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Kurtis Denny
- Protein Development, Biogen Inc, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Sanaa Elouafiq
- Protein Development, Biogen Inc, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Seth Madren
- Analytical Development, Biogen Inc, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Bassam Nakhle
- Analytical Development, Biogen Inc, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Sarwat Khattak
- Protein Development, Biogen Inc, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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13
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14
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Khanal O, Lenhoff AM. Developments and opportunities in continuous biopharmaceutical manufacturing. MAbs 2021; 13:1903664. [PMID: 33843449 PMCID: PMC8043180 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2021.1903664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Today's biologics manufacturing practices incur high costs to the drug makers, which can contribute to high prices for patients. Timely investment in the development and implementation of continuous biomanufacturing can increase the production of consistent-quality drugs at a lower cost and a faster pace, to meet growing demand. Efficient use of equipment, manufacturing footprint, and labor also offer the potential to improve drug accessibility. Although technological efforts enabling continuous biomanufacturing have commenced, challenges remain in the integration, monitoring, and control of traditionally segmented unit operations. Here, we discuss recent developments supporting the implementation of continuous biomanufacturing, along with their benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ohnmar Khanal
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE
| | - Abraham M. Lenhoff
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE
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15
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O’Brien SA, Hu WS. Cell culture bioprocessing - the road taken and the path forward. Curr Opin Chem Eng 2020; 30:100663. [PMID: 33391982 PMCID: PMC7773285 DOI: 10.1016/j.coche.2020.100663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Cell culture processes are used to produce the vast majority of protein therapeutics, valued at over US$180 billion per annum worldwide. For more than a decade now, these processes have become highly productive. To further enhance capital efficiency, there has been an increase in the adoption of disposable apparatus and continuous processing, as well as a greater exploration of in-line sensing, various -omic tools, and cell engineering to enhance process controllability and product quality consistency. These feats in cell culture processing for protein biologics will help accelerate the bioprocess advancements for virus and cell therapy applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofie A. O’Brien
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455-0132 USA
| | - Wei-Shou Hu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455-0132 USA
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16
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Nadar S, Shooter G, Somasundaram B, Shave E, Baker K, Lua LHL. Intensified Downstream Processing of Monoclonal Antibodies Using Membrane Technology. Biotechnol J 2020; 16:e2000309. [PMID: 33006254 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202000309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The need to intensify downstream processing of monoclonal antibodies to complement the advances in upstream productivity has led to increased attention toward implementing membrane technologies. With the industry moving toward continuous operations and single use processes, membrane technologies show promise in fulfilling the industry needs due to their operational flexibility and ease of implementation. Recently, the applicability of membrane-based unit operations in integrating the downstream process has been explored. In this article, the major developments in the application of membrane-based technologies in the bioprocessing of monoclonal antibodies are reviewed. The recent progress toward developing intensified end-to-end bioprocesses and the critical role membrane technology will play in achieving this goal are focused upon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sathish Nadar
- Australian Research Council Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Corner College and Cooper Roads, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Gary Shooter
- Australian Research Council Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Corner College and Cooper Roads, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Balaji Somasundaram
- Protein Expression Facility, The University of Queensland, Corner College and Cooper Roads, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Evan Shave
- Australian Research Council Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Corner College and Cooper Roads, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia.,Pharma services group, Thermo Fisher Scientific, 37 Kent St, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Queensland, 4102, Australia
| | - Kym Baker
- Pharma services group, Thermo Fisher Scientific, 37 Kent St, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Queensland, 4102, Australia
| | - Linda H L Lua
- Australian Research Council Training Centre for Biopharmaceutical Innovation, Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, The University of Queensland, Corner College and Cooper Roads, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia.,Protein Expression Facility, The University of Queensland, Corner College and Cooper Roads, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
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17
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Johnstone P, Mast E, Hughes E, Peng H. Development of a small-scale rotary lobe-pump cell culture model for examining cell damage in large-scale N-1 seed perfusion process. Biotechnol Prog 2020; 36:e3044. [PMID: 32594624 DOI: 10.1002/btpr.3044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2019] [Revised: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Perfusion technology has been identified as a process improvement capable of eliminating some of the constraints in cell culture and allows for high cell densities and viabilities. However, when implementing this N-1 seed perfusion platform in large-scale manufacturing, unexpected cell damage was observed as early as Day 1. Given that the shear rate within recirculation hollow fibers was normalized and aligned correctly across bench, pilot, and manufacture scale, the primary mitigation was placed on the rotary lobe pump. Lowering the pump rate in manufacture scale successfully alleviated the cell damage. To understand the source of cell damage within the pump, a small-scale rotary lobe-pump robustness model was developed. Testing different pump flow rates and back pressures, it was concluded that high back pressure can cause cell damage. The back pressure within the system can cause back flow and high shear within small clearances inside the pump, which lead to the primary cell damage observed at a large scale. This shear level can be significantly higher than the shear in the hollow fiber. This pump robustness model can be utilized to aid the perfusion skid design, including pump operation efficiency and cell shear sensitivity. Methods to reduce the back pressure and cell shearing were determined to better predict manufacturing performance in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Elena Mast
- Manufacturing Sciences, Biogen, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Erik Hughes
- Manufacturing Sciences, Biogen, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Haofan Peng
- Manufacturing Sciences, Biogen, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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18
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Bielser JM, Kraus L, Burgos-Morales O, Broly H, Souquet J. Reduction of medium consumption in perfusion mammalian cell cultures using a perfusion rate equivalent concentrated nutrient feed. Biotechnol Prog 2020; 36:e3026. [PMID: 32415806 DOI: 10.1002/btpr.3026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Media preparation for perfusion cell culture processes contributes significantly to operational costs and the footprint of continuous operations for therapeutic protein manufacturing. In this study, definitions are given for the use of a perfusion equivalent nutrient feed stream which, when used in combination with basal perfusion medium, supplements the culture with targeted compounds and increases the medium depth. Definitions to compare medium and feed depth are given in this article. Using a concentrated nutrient feed, a 1.8-fold medium consumption (MC) decrease and a 1.67-fold increase in volumetric productivity (PR) were achieved compared to the initial condition. Later, this strategy was used to push cell densities above 100 × 106 cells/ml while using a perfusion rate below 2 RV/day. In this example, MC was also decreased 1.8-fold compared to the initial condition, but due to the higher cell density, PR was increased 3.1-fold and to an average PR value of 1.36 g L-1 day-1 during a short stable phase, and versus 0.46 g L-1 day-1 in the initial condition. Overall, the performance improvements were aligned with the given definitions. This multiple feeding strategy can be applied to gain some flexibility during process development and also in a manufacturing set-up to enable better control on nutrient addition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Marc Bielser
- Biotech Process Sciences, Merck Biopharma, Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland
| | - Leon Kraus
- Biotech Process Sciences, Merck Biopharma, Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland
| | | | - Hervé Broly
- Biotech Process Sciences, Merck Biopharma, Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland
| | - Jonathan Souquet
- Biotech Process Sciences, Merck Biopharma, Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland
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19
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Nikolay A, de Grooth J, Genzel Y, Wood JA, Reichl U. Virus harvesting in perfusion culture: Choosing the right type of hollow fiber membrane. Biotechnol Bioeng 2020; 117:3040-3052. [PMID: 32568408 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27470] [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: 11/13/2019] [Revised: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The use of bioreactors coupled to membrane-based perfusion systems enables very high cell and product concentrations in vaccine and viral vector manufacturing. Many virus particles, however, are not stable and either lose their infectivity or physically degrade resulting in significant product losses if not harvested continuously. Even hollow fiber membranes with a nominal pore size of 0.2 µm can retain much smaller virions within a bioreactor. Here, we report on a systematic study to characterize structural and physicochemical membrane properties with respect to filter fouling and harvesting of yellow fever virus (YFV; ~50 nm). In tangential flow filtration perfusion experiments, we observed that YFV retention was only marginally determined by nominal but by effective pore sizes depending on filter fouling. Evaluation of scanning electron microscope images indicated that filter fouling can be reduced significantly by choosing membranes with (i) a flat inner surface (low boundary layer thickness), (ii) a smooth material structure (reduced deposition), (iii) a high porosity (high transmembrane flux), (iv) a distinct pore size distribution (well-defined pore selectivity), and (v) an increased fiber wall thickness (larger effective surface area). Lowest filter fouling was observed with polysulfone (PS) membranes. While the use of a small-pore PS membrane (0.08 µm) allowed to fully retain YFV within the bioreactor, continuous product harvesting was achieved with the large-pore PS membrane (0.34 µm). Due to the low protein rejection of the latter, this membrane type could also be of interest for other applications, that is, recombinant protein production in perfusion cultures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Nikolay
- Bioprocess Engineering, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Joris de Grooth
- Films in Fluids, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Yvonne Genzel
- Bioprocess Engineering, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Jeffery A Wood
- Soft Matter, Fluidics and Interfaces, Faculty of Science and Technology, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Udo Reichl
- Bioprocess Engineering, Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, Magdeburg, Germany.,Chair for Bioprocess Engineering, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
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20
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Schwarz H, Zhang Y, Zhan C, Malm M, Field R, Turner R, Sellick C, Varley P, Rockberg J, Chotteau V. Small-scale bioreactor supports high density HEK293 cell perfusion culture for the production of recombinant Erythropoietin. J Biotechnol 2020; 309:44-52. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2019.12.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Revised: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 12/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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21
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Gagnon M, Nagre S, Wang W, Coffman J, Hiller GW. Novel, linked bioreactor system for continuous production of biologics. Biotechnol Bioeng 2019; 116:1946-1958. [DOI: 10.1002/bit.26985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Revised: 02/20/2019] [Accepted: 03/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Gagnon
- Culture Process DevelopmentPfizer IncAndover Massachusetts
| | - Shashikant Nagre
- Upstream Process DevelopmentAkston BiosciencesBeverly Massachusetts
| | - Wenge Wang
- Culture Process DevelopmentPfizer IncAndover Massachusetts
| | - Jon Coffman
- Department of Process ScienceBoehringer IngelheimFremont California
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22
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Sewell DJ, Turner R, Field R, Holmes W, Pradhan R, Spencer C, Oliver SG, Slater NKH, Dikicioglu D. Enhancing the functionality of a microscale bioreactor system as an industrial process development tool for mammalian perfusion culture. Biotechnol Bioeng 2019; 116:1315-1325. [PMID: 30712286 PMCID: PMC6593443 DOI: 10.1002/bit.26946] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2018] [Revised: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 01/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Without a scale-down model for perfusion, high resource demand makes cell line screening or process development challenging, therefore, potentially successful cell lines or perfusion processes are unrealized and their ability untapped. We present here the refunctioning of a high-capacity microscale system that is typically used in fed-batch process development to allow perfusion operation utilizing in situ gravity settling and automated sampling. In this low resource setting, which involved routine perturbations in mixing, pH and dissolved oxygen concentrations, the specific productivity and the maximum cell concentration were higher than 3.0 × 106 mg/cell/day and 7 × 10 7 cells/ml, respectively, across replicate microscale perfusion runs conducted at one vessel volume exchange per day. A comparative analysis was conducted at bench scale with vessels operated in perfusion mode utilizing a cell retention device. Neither specific productivity nor product quality indicated by product aggregation (6%) was significantly different across scales 19 days after inoculation, thus demonstrating this setup to be a suitable and reliable platform for evaluating the performance of cell lines and the effect of process parameters, relevant to perfusion mode of culturing.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Sewell
- Department of Chemical Engineering and BiotechnologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Richard Turner
- BioPharmaceutical Development DivisionMedImmuneCambridgeUK
| | - Ray Field
- BioPharmaceutical Development DivisionMedImmuneCambridgeUK
| | - William Holmes
- BioPharmaceutical Development DivisionMedImmuneCambridgeUK
| | - Rahul Pradhan
- BioPharmaceutical Development DivisionMedImmuneCambridgeUK
| | | | - Stephen G Oliver
- Cambridge Systems Biology CentreUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
- Department of BiochemistryUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Nigel KH Slater
- Department of Chemical Engineering and BiotechnologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Duygu Dikicioglu
- Department of Chemical Engineering and BiotechnologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
- Cambridge Systems Biology CentreUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
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