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Karimi Alavijeh M, Lee YY, Gras SL. A perspective-driven and technical evaluation of machine learning in bioreactor scale-up: A case-study for potential model developments. Eng Life Sci 2024; 24:e2400023. [PMID: 38975020 PMCID: PMC11223373 DOI: 10.1002/elsc.202400023] [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: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Bioreactor scale-up and scale-down have always been a topical issue for the biopharmaceutical industry and despite considerable effort, the identification of a fail-safe strategy for bioprocess development across scales remains a challenge. With the ubiquitous growth of digital transformation technologies, new scaling methods based on computer models may enable more effective scaling. This study aimed to evaluate the potential application of machine learning (ML) algorithms for bioreactor scale-up, with a specific focus on the prediction of scaling parameters. Factors critical to the development of such models were identified and data for bioreactor scale-up studies involving CHO cell-generated mAb products collated from the literature and public sources for the development of unsupervised and supervised ML models. Comparison of bioreactor performance across scales identified similarities between the different processes and primary differences between small- and large-scale bioreactors. A series of three case studies were developed to assess the relationship between cell growth and scale-sensitive bioreactor features. An embedding layer improved the capability of artificial neural network models to predict cell growth at a large-scale, as this approach captured similarities between the processes. Further models constructed to predict scaling parameters demonstrated how ML models may be applied to assist the scaling process. The development of data sets that include more characterization data with greater variability under different gassing and agitation regimes will also assist the future development of ML tools for bioreactor scaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masih Karimi Alavijeh
- Department of Chemical EngineeringThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
- The Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology InstituteThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
| | | | - Sally L. Gras
- Department of Chemical EngineeringThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
- The Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology InstituteThe University of MelbourneParkvilleVictoriaAustralia
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Xing Z, Duane G, O'Sullivan J, Chelius C, Smith L, Borys MC, Khetan A. Validation of a CFD model for cell culture bioreactors at large scale and its application in scale-up. J Biotechnol 2024; 387:79-88. [PMID: 38582408 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2024.02.006] [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: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024]
Abstract
Among all the operating parameters that control the cell culture environment inside bioreactors, appropriate mixing and aeration are crucial to ensure sufficient oxygen supply, homogeneous mixing, and CO2 stripping. A model-based manufacturing facility fit approach was applied to define agitation and bottom air flow rates during the process scale-up from laboratory to manufacturing, of which computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was the core modeling tool. The realizable k-ε turbulent dispersed Eulerian gas-liquid flow model was established and validated using experimental values for the volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient (kLa). Model validation defined the process operating parameter ranges for application of the model, identified mixing issues (e.g., impeller flooding, dissolved oxygen gradients, etc.) and the impact of antifoam on kLa. Using the CFD simulation results as inputs to the models for oxygen demand, gas entrance velocity, and CO2 stripping aided in the design of the agitation and bottom air flow rates needed to meet cellular oxygen demand, control CO2 levels, mitigate risks for cell damage due to shear, foaming, as well as fire hazards due to high O2 levels in the bioreactor gas outlet. The recommended operating conditions led to the completion of five manufacturing runs with a 100% success rate. This model-based approach achieved a seamless scale-up and reduced the required number of at-scale development batches, resulting in cost and time savings of a cell culture commercialization process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zizhuo Xing
- Biologics Development and Operations, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Devens, MA 01434, USA.
| | - Gearóid Duane
- Manufacturing Science and Technology Biologics, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Mulhuddart, Ireland
| | - Josiah O'Sullivan
- Manufacturing Science and Technology Biologics, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Mulhuddart, Ireland
| | - Cynthia Chelius
- Biologics Development and Operations, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Devens, MA 01434, USA
| | - Laura Smith
- Biologics Development and Operations, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Devens, MA 01434, USA
| | - Michael C Borys
- Biologics Development and Operations, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Devens, MA 01434, USA.
| | - Anurag Khetan
- Biologics Development and Operations, Bristol Myers Squibb Company, Devens, MA 01434, USA
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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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4
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McRae O, Walls PLL, Natarajan V, Antoniou C, Bird JC. Elucidating the effects of microbubble pinch-off dynamics on mammalian cell viability. Biotechnol Bioeng 2024; 121:524-534. [PMID: 37902645 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023]
Abstract
In the biotechnology industry, ensuring the health and viability of mammalian cells, especially Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells, plays a significant role in the successful production of therapeutic agents. These cells are typically cultivated in aerated bioreactors, where they encounter fluid stressors from rapidly deforming bubbles. These stressors can disrupt essential biological processes and potentially lead to cell death. However, the impact of these transient, elevated stressors on cell viability remains elusive. In this study, we first employ /cgqamicrofluidics to expose CHO cells near to bubbles undergoing pinch-off, subsequently collecting and assaying the cells to quantify the reduction in viability. Observing a significant impact, we set out to understand this phenomenon. We leverage computational fluid dynamics and numerical particle tracking to map the stressor field history surrounding a rapidly deforming bubble. Separately, we expose CHO cells to a known stressor level in a flow constriction device, collecting and assaying the cells to quantify the reduction in viability. By integrating the numerical data and results from the flow constriction device experiments, we develop a predictive model for cell viability reduction. We validate this model by comparing its predictions to the earlier microfluidic results, observing good agreement. Our findings provide critical insights into the relationship between bubble-induced fluid stressors and mammalian cell viability, with implications for bioreactor design and cell culture protocol optimization in the biotechnology sector.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver McRae
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Peter L L Walls
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dunwoody College of Technology, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | | | - Chris Antoniou
- Global Processing Engineering, Biogen, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - James C Bird
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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5
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Tran W, Seamans TC, Bowers JS. Glass microspargers as effective frit spargers in single use bioreactors. Biotechnol Prog 2023; 39:e3382. [PMID: 37549975 DOI: 10.1002/btpr.3382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
For multiple-use bench scale and larger bioreactors, sintered stainless steel frit spargers are commonly used as microspargers. For bench-scale single-use bioreactors (SUBs), existing microspargers are sintered plastics, such as polyethylene. However, though plastics are readily sterilized by irradiation making them convenient for single use, these designs overlook surface energy properties of the materials of construction. For these sintered plastic spargers, forces at the water-air-surface interface cause bubble coalescence, leading to lower effective mass transfer, higher gas flow rates, and differing pCO2 profiles in cell culture. Alternative materials of construction were evaluated based on contact angle information and bubble formation observations. Sintered glass was chosen over thermoplastic polymers for higher surface wettability as described in the glass/water contact angle, its history as a commonly sintered material, and availability at costs suitable for single use applications. Glass sintered spargers and traditional stainless steel frit spargers were compared by porosity, bubble size, and kL a studies. Mass transfer (kL a) and cell culture performance equal or greater than a standard 20 μm stainless steel microsparger mass transfer efficiency was achieved by a glass frit sparger, of international porosity standard "P40" according to ISO 4793-80, which corresponds to a range of 16-40 μm.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Tran
- Biologics Process Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey, USA
| | - T Craig Seamans
- Biologics Process Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey, USA
| | - John S Bowers
- Emerging Technologies, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey, USA
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Kreitmayer D, Gopireddy SR, Aki Y, Nonaka K, Urbanetz NA, Gutheil E. Scale-up analysis of geometrically dissimilar single-use bioreactors. Biotechnol Bioeng 2023; 120:3381-3395. [PMID: 37605806 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28529] [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: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
Cell culture scale-up is a challenging task due to the simultaneous change of multiple hydrodynamic process characteristics and their different dependencies on the bioreactor size as well as variation in the requirements of individual cell lines. Conventionally, the volumetric power input is the most common parameter to select the impeller speed for scale-up, however, it is well reported that this approach fails when there are huge differences in bioreactor scales. In this study, different scale-up criteria are evaluated. At first, different hydrodynamic characteristics are assessed using computational fluid dynamics data for four single-use bioreactors, the Mobius® CellReady 3 L, the Xcellerex™ XDR-10, the Xcellerex™ XDR-200, and the Xcellerex™ XDR-2000. On the basis of this numerical data, several potential scale-up criteria such as volumetric power input, impeller tip speed, mixing time, maximum hydrodynamic stress, and average strain rate in the impeller zone are evaluated. Out of all these criteria, the latter is found to be most appropriate, and the successful scale-up from 3 to 10 L bioreactor and to 200 L bioreactor is confirmed with cell culture experiments using Chinese Hamster Ovary cell cultivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Kreitmayer
- Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
- Pharmaceutical Development, Daiichi Sankyo Europe GmbH, Pfaffenhofen/Ilm, Germany
| | - Srikanth R Gopireddy
- Pharmaceutical Development, Daiichi Sankyo Europe GmbH, Pfaffenhofen/Ilm, Germany
| | - Yuichi Aki
- Biotechnology Research Laboratories, Biologics Division, Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd., Gunma, Japan
| | - Koichi Nonaka
- Biotechnology Research Laboratories, Biologics Division, Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd., Gunma, Japan
| | - Nora A Urbanetz
- Pharmaceutical Development, Daiichi Sankyo Europe GmbH, Pfaffenhofen/Ilm, Germany
| | - Eva Gutheil
- Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
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Marschall L, Gottimukkala CB, Kayal B, Veeraraghavan VM, Mandal SK, Bandyopadhyay S, Herwig C. Temperature Upshifts in Mammalian Cell Culture: A Suitable Strategy for Biosimilar Monoclonal Antibodies? Bioengineering (Basel) 2023; 10:1149. [PMID: 37892879 PMCID: PMC10603922 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering10101149] [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: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Temperature downshifts are the gold standard when setting up control strategies for mammalian cell culture processes. These shifts are performed to prolong production phases and attain heightened levels of productivity. For the development of biosimilars, however, the bottleneck is in achieving a prespecified product quality. In a late-stage development project, we investigated the impact of temperature shifts and other process parameters with the aim of optimizing the glycosylation profile of a monoclonal antibody (mAb). We applied a design of experiments approach on a 3 L scale. The optimal glycosylation profile was achieved when performing a temperature upshift from 35.8 °C to 37 °C. Total afucosylated glycan (TAF) decreased by 1.2%, and galactosylated glycan species (GAL) increased by up to 4.5%. The optimized control strategy was then successfully taken to the manufacturing scale (1000 L). By testing two sets of set points at the manufacturing scale, we demonstrated that the statistical models predicting TAF and GAL trained with small-scale data are representative of the manufacturing scale. We hope this study encourages researchers to widen the screening ranges in process development and investigate whether temperature upshifts are also beneficial for other mAbs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Marschall
- TU Wien, Faculty of Technical Chemistry, Research Unit Biochemical Engineering, Gumpendorferstrasse 1a, 1060 Vienna, Austria
- Körber Pharma Austria GmbH, Mariahilfer Straße 88A/1/9, 1070 Vienna, Austria
| | - Chitti Babu Gottimukkala
- Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd., Biologics, Survey No. 47, Bachupally, Hyderabad 500090, India; (C.B.G.); (B.K.); (V.M.V.); (S.K.M.); (S.B.)
| | - Biswajit Kayal
- Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd., Biologics, Survey No. 47, Bachupally, Hyderabad 500090, India; (C.B.G.); (B.K.); (V.M.V.); (S.K.M.); (S.B.)
| | - Veerabhadra Madurai Veeraraghavan
- Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd., Biologics, Survey No. 47, Bachupally, Hyderabad 500090, India; (C.B.G.); (B.K.); (V.M.V.); (S.K.M.); (S.B.)
| | - Samir Kumar Mandal
- Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd., Biologics, Survey No. 47, Bachupally, Hyderabad 500090, India; (C.B.G.); (B.K.); (V.M.V.); (S.K.M.); (S.B.)
| | - Suman Bandyopadhyay
- Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd., Biologics, Survey No. 47, Bachupally, Hyderabad 500090, India; (C.B.G.); (B.K.); (V.M.V.); (S.K.M.); (S.B.)
| | - Christoph Herwig
- TU Wien, Faculty of Technical Chemistry, Research Unit Biochemical Engineering, Gumpendorferstrasse 1a, 1060 Vienna, Austria
- Körber Pharma Austria GmbH, Mariahilfer Straße 88A/1/9, 1070 Vienna, Austria
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Yasukuni R, Koyanagi A, Tanaka Y, Okano K, Hosokawa Y. Cell viability assessment associated with a contact of gas bubbles produced by femtosecond laser breakdown in cell culture media. Sci Rep 2022; 12:19001. [PMID: 36347928 PMCID: PMC9643501 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23733-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
High intensity near infrared femtosecond laser is a promising tool for three-dimensional processing of biological materials. During the processing of cells and tissues, long lasting gas bubbles randomly appeared around the laser focal point, however physicochemical and mechanical effects of the gas bubbles has not been emphasized. This paper presents characteristic behaviors of the gas bubbles and their contact effects on cell viability. High-speed imaging of the gas bubble formation with various additives in physiological medium confirms that the gas bubble consists of dissolved air, and amphipathic proteins stabilize the bubble surface. This surface protective layer inhibits interactions of gas bubbles and cell membranes. Consequently, the gas bubble contact does not cause critical effects on cell viability. On the other hands, burst of gas bubbles stimulated by an impact of femtosecond laser induced cavitation can lead to liquid jet flow that might cause serious mechanical damages on cells. These results provide insights for the parameter of biological tissue processing with intense fs laser pulses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryohei Yasukuni
- grid.419937.10000 0000 8498 289XDepartment of Electronics and Information Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Osaka Institute of Technology, Osaka, 535-8585 Japan
| | - Akari Koyanagi
- grid.260493.a0000 0000 9227 2257Division of Materials Science, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192 Japan
| | - Yukihiro Tanaka
- grid.260493.a0000 0000 9227 2257Division of Materials Science, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192 Japan
| | - Kazunori Okano
- grid.260493.a0000 0000 9227 2257Division of Materials Science, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192 Japan
| | - Yoichiroh Hosokawa
- grid.260493.a0000 0000 9227 2257Division of Materials Science, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192 Japan
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Gallego‐Murillo JS, Iacono G, van der Wielen LAM, van den Akker E, von Lindern M, Wahl SA. Expansion and differentiation of ex vivo cultured erythroblasts in scalable stirred bioreactors. Biotechnol Bioeng 2022; 119:3096-3116. [PMID: 35879812 PMCID: PMC9804173 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Transfusion of donor-derived red blood cells (RBCs) is the most common form of cell therapy. Production of transfusion-ready cultured RBCs (cRBCs) is a promising replacement for the current, fully donor-dependent therapy. A single transfusion unit, however, contains 2 × 1012 RBC, which requires large scale production. Here, we report on the scale-up of cRBC production from static cultures of erythroblasts to 3 L stirred tank bioreactors, and identify the effect of operating conditions on the efficiency of the process. Oxygen requirement of proliferating erythroblasts (0.55-2.01 pg/cell/h) required sparging of air to maintain the dissolved oxygen concentration at the tested setpoint (2.88 mg O2 /L). Erythroblasts could be cultured at dissolved oxygen concentrations as low as 0.7 O2 mg/ml without negative impact on proliferation, viability or differentiation dynamics. Stirring speeds of up to 600 rpm supported erythroblast proliferation, while 1800 rpm led to a transient halt in growth and accelerated differentiation followed by a recovery after 5 days of culture. Erythroblasts differentiated in bioreactors, with final enucleation levels and hemoglobin content similar to parallel cultures under static conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joan Sebastián Gallego‐Murillo
- Sanquin Research and Landsteiner Laboratory, Department of HematopoiesisAmsterdam UMCAmsterdamThe Netherlands,Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied SciencesDelft University of TechnologyDelftThe Netherlands,Present address:
MeatableAlexander Fleminglaan 1,2613AX,DelftThe Netherlands
| | - Giulia Iacono
- Sanquin Research and Landsteiner Laboratory, Department of HematopoiesisAmsterdam UMCAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Luuk A. M. van der Wielen
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied SciencesDelft University of TechnologyDelftThe Netherlands,Bernal Institute, Faculty of Science and EngineeringUniversity of LimerickLimerickRepublic of Ireland
| | - Emile van den Akker
- Sanquin Research and Landsteiner Laboratory, Department of HematopoiesisAmsterdam UMCAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Marieke von Lindern
- Sanquin Research and Landsteiner Laboratory, Department of HematopoiesisAmsterdam UMCAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Sebastian Aljoscha Wahl
- Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied SciencesDelft University of TechnologyDelftThe Netherlands,Present address:
Lehrstuhl Für BioverfahrenstechnikFriedrich‐Alexander Universität Erlangen‐NürnbergPaul‐Gordan‐Str. 3,91052,ErlangenGermany
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Toh YH, Huang YW, Chang YC, Chen YT, Hsu YT, Lin GH. Reactivity of human antisera to codon optimized SARS-CoV2 viral proteins expressed in Escherichia coli. Tzu Chi Med J 2021; 33:146-153. [PMID: 33912411 PMCID: PMC8059472 DOI: 10.4103/tcmj.tcmj_189_20] [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: 07/25/2020] [Revised: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV2 virus continues to pose a serious threat to public health worldwide. The development of rapid diagnostic kits can assist the Tzu Chi Foundation in supporting global volunteers working to provide relief during the current pandemic. Materials and Methods In this study, nucleotide sequences derived from publicly available viral genome data for several domains of the SARS-CoV2 spike and nucleocapsid (N) proteins were chemically synthesized, with codon optimization for Escherichia coli protein expression. No actual viral particles were involved in these experiments. The synthesized sequences were cloned into an E. coli expression system based on pQE80L, and expressed viral proteins were subsequently purified using Ni-affinity chromatography. Western blotting was conducted using human antiviral sera to assess the response of codon-modified viral proteins to COVID-19 patient sera. Results N protein was expressed in amounts large enough to support large-scale production. The N-terminal domain, receptor-binding domain (RBD), Region 3, and the S2 domain were expressed in small but sufficient amounts for experiments. Immunoblotting results showed that anti-N IgG and anti-N IgM antibodies were detected in most patient sera, but only 60% of samples reacted with the recombinant RBD and S2 domain expressed by E. coli. Conclusion The results indicated that codon-optimized SARS-CoV2 viral proteins can be expressed in E. coli and purified for rapid antibody detection kit preparation, with the codon-optimized N protein, RBD, and S2 protein demonstrating the most potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yee-Huan Toh
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Weng Huang
- Department of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan
| | - Yo-Chen Chang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology, School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Ting Chen
- Department of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan
| | - Ya-Ting Hsu
- Master Program in Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan
| | - Guang-Huey Lin
- Master Program in Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan.,International College, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan
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