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Lakatos D, Idler M, Stibitzky S, Amann J, Schuschkewitz J, Krayl D, Liebau J, Grosch JH, Arango Gutierrez E, Kluters S. Buffer system improves the removal of host cell protein impurities in monoclonal antibody purification. Biotechnol Bioeng 2024. [PMID: 39295215 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28844] [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: 05/15/2024] [Revised: 08/01/2024] [Accepted: 09/04/2024] [Indexed: 09/21/2024]
Abstract
Polysorbates (PS) are commonly used as stabilizers of biopharmaceuticals such as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). However, they are prone to chemical and enzymatic degradation. The latter can be caused by residual host cell proteins (HCPs) in the drug substance. Degradation affects the functionality of the PS surfactant which can lead to formation of particles. An increasing number of publications describe enzymatic PS degradation. Significant efforts have been made to characterize HCP removal during Downstream Processing (DSP) of mAbs and to develop mitigation strategies. Here we describe the use of glycine buffer for acidic elution in Protein A affinity chromatography compared to acetate buffer, which is more commonly used in the biopharmaceutical industry. Increased turbidity was observed during pH re-adjustment after low pH virus inactivation when using glycine buffer. Analytical data suggests that this turbidity is caused by the formation of precipitates which include HCP and DNA impurities. Additionally, as a zwitterion, glycine does not contribute to conductivity; this further enhances HCP removal during anion-exchange flow-through chromatography. Although glycine is well known as a possible elution buffer for Protein A affinity chromatography, its positive impact on HCP removal and PS stability have not yet been described in literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dániel Lakatos
- Bioprocess Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Martina Idler
- Development Operations, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Selina Stibitzky
- Bioprocess Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Jennifer Amann
- Bioprocess Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Jakob Schuschkewitz
- Bioprocess Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Dominik Krayl
- Bioprocess Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Judith Liebau
- Bioprocess Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Jan-Hendrik Grosch
- Bioprocess Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Erik Arango Gutierrez
- Bioprocess Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Simon Kluters
- Bioprocess Development Biologicals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany
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2
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Zhao Y, Li H, Fan Z, Wang T. Effect of Host Cell Protein on Chinese Hamster Ovary Recombinant Protein Production and its Removal Strategies: A Mini Review. Curr Pharm Biotechnol 2024; 25:665-675. [PMID: 37594091 DOI: 10.2174/1389201024666230818112633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
Chinese hamster ovary cells are the main expression system for recombinant therapeutic proteins. During the production of these proteins, certain host cell proteins are secreted, broken down, and released by host cells in the culture along with the proteins of interest. These host cell proteins are often difficult to remove during the downstream purification process, and thus affect the quality, safety, and effectiveness of recombinant protein biopharmaceutical products and increase the production cost of recombinant therapeutic proteins. Therefore, host cell protein production must be reduced as much as possible during the production process and eliminated during purification. This article reviews the harm caused by host cell proteins in the production of recombinant protein drugs using Chinese hamster ovary cell, factors affecting host cell proteins, the monitoring and identification of these proteins, and methods to reduce their type and quantity in the final product.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaru Zhao
- Institutes of Health Central Plains, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Recombinant Pharmaceutical Protein Expression System, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - He Li
- Institutes of Health Central Plains, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Recombinant Pharmaceutical Protein Expression System, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Zhenlin Fan
- Institutes of Health Central Plains, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Recombinant Pharmaceutical Protein Expression System, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Tianyun Wang
- Henan International Joint Laboratory of Recombinant Pharmaceutical Protein Expression System, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
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3
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Cordova LT, Dahodwala H, Cooley R, Lee KH. Prediction of CHO cell line stability using expression of DNA repair genes. Biotechnol J 2024; 19:e2300425. [PMID: 37970758 DOI: 10.1002/biot.202300425] [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: 08/20/2023] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023]
Abstract
Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are essential to biopharmaceutical manufacturing and production instability, the loss of productivity over time, is a long-standing challenge in the industry. Accurate prediction of cell line stability could enable efficient screening to identify clones suitable for manufacturing saving significant time and costs. DNA repair genes may offer biomarkers to address this need. In this study, over 40 cell lines representing various host lineages from three companies/organizations were evaluated for expression of five DNA repair genes (Fam35a, Lig4, Palb2, Pari, and Xrcc6). Expression measured in cells with less than 30 population doubling levels (PDLs) was correlated to stability profiles at 60+ PDL. Principal component analysis identified markers which separate stable and unstable CHO-DG44 cell lines. Notably, two genes, Lig4 and Xrcc6, showed higher expression in unstable CHO-DG44 cell lines with copy number loss identified as the mechanism of production instability. Expression levels across all cell ages showed lower DNA repair gene expression was associated with increased cell age. Collectively, DNA repair genes provide critical insight into long-term behavior of CHO cells and their expression levels have potential to predict cell line stability in certain cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren T Cordova
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - Hussain Dahodwala
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
- National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - Rebecca Cooley
- Pfizer, Inc, 875 Chesterfield Pkwy W, Chesterfield, Missouri, USA
| | - Kelvin H Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
- National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals, Newark, Delaware, USA
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4
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Herman CE, Min L, Choe LH, Maurer RW, Xu X, Ghose S, Lee KH, Lenhoff AM. Behavior of host-cell-protein-rich aggregates in antibody capture and polishing chromatography. J Chromatogr A 2023; 1702:464081. [PMID: 37244165 PMCID: PMC10299761 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2023.464081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Recent work has shown that aggregates in monoclonal antibody (mAb) solutions may be made up not just of mAb oligomers but can also harbor hundreds of host-cell proteins (HCPs), suggesting that aggregate persistence through downstream purification operations may be related to HCP clearance. We have examined this in a primary analysis of aggregate persistence through processing steps that are typically implemented for HCP reduction, demonstrating that the phenomenon is relevant to depth filtration, protein A chromatography and flow-through anion-exchange (AEX) polishing. Confocal laser scanning microscopy observations show that aggregates compete with the mAb to adsorb specifically in protein A chromatography and that this competitive interaction is integral to the efficacy of protein A washes. Column chromatography reveals that the protein A elution tail can have a relatively high concentration of aggregates, which corroborates analogous observations from recent HCP studies. Similar measurements in flow-through AEX chromatography show that relatively large aggregates that harbor HCPs and that persist into the protein A eluate can be retained to an extent that appears to depend primarily on the resin surface chemistry. The total aggregate mass fraction of both protein A eluate pools (∼ 2.4 - 3.6%) and AEX flow-through fractions (∼ 1.5 - 3.2%) correlates generally with HCP concentrations measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as well as the number of HCPs that may be identified in proteomic analysis. This suggests that quantification of the aggregate mass fraction may serve as a convenient albeit imperfect surrogate for informing early process development decisions regarding HCP clearance strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chase E Herman
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Lie Min
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Leila H Choe
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Ronald W Maurer
- Biologics Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Devens, MA 01434, USA
| | - Xuankuo Xu
- Biologics Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Devens, MA 01434, USA
| | - Sanchayita Ghose
- Biologics Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Devens, MA 01434, USA
| | - Kelvin H Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Abraham M Lenhoff
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA.
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5
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Herman CE, Min L, Choe LH, Maurer RW, Xu X, Ghose S, Lee KH, Lenhoff AM. Analytical characterization of host-cell-protein-rich aggregates in monoclonal antibody solutions. Biotechnol Prog 2023; 39:e3343. [PMID: 37020359 DOI: 10.1002/btpr.3343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
Abstract
Host-cell proteins (HCPs) and high molecular weight (HMW) species have historically been treated as independent classes of impurities in the downstream processing of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), but recent indications suggest that they may be partially linked. We have explored this connection with a shotgun proteomic analysis of HMW impurities that were isolated from harvest cell culture fluid (HCCF) and protein A eluate using size-exclusion chromatography (SEC). As part of the proteomic analysis, a cross-digest study was performed in which samples were analyzed using both the standard and native digest techniques to enable a fair comparison between bioprocess pools. This comparison reveals that the HCP profiles of HCCF and protein A eluate overlap substantially more than previous work has suggested, because hundreds of HCPs are conserved in aggregates that may be up to ~50 nm in hydrodynamic radius and that persist through the protein A capture step. Quantitative SWATH proteomics suggests that the majority of the protein A eluate's HCP mass is found in such aggregates, and this is corroborated by ELISA measurements on SEC fractions. The SWATH data also show that intra-aggregate concentrations of individual HCPs are positively correlated between aggregates that were isolated from HCCF and protein A eluate, and species that have generally been considered difficult to remove tend to be more concentrated than their counterparts. These observations support prior hypotheses regarding aggregate-mediated HCP persistence through protein A chromatography and highlight the importance of this persistence mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chase E Herman
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, 19716, USA
| | - Lie Min
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, 19716, USA
| | - Leila H Choe
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, 19716, USA
| | - Ronald W Maurer
- Biologics Process Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Massachusetts, 01434, Devens, USA
| | - Xuankuo Xu
- Biologics Process Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Massachusetts, 01434, Devens, USA
| | - Sanchayita Ghose
- Biologics Process Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Massachusetts, 01434, Devens, USA
| | - Kelvin H Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, 19716, USA
| | - Abraham M Lenhoff
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, 19716, USA
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6
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Cordova LT, Dahodwala H, Elliott KS, Baik J, Odenewelder DC, Nmagu D, Skelton BA, Uy L, Klaubert SR, Synoground BF, Chitwood DG, Dhara VG, Naik HM, Morris CS, Yoon S, Betenbaugh M, Coffman J, Swartzwelder F, Gillmeister MP, Harcum SW, Lee KH. Generation of reference cell lines, media, and a process platform for CHO cell biomanufacturing. Biotechnol Bioeng 2023; 120:715-725. [PMID: 36411514 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2022] [Revised: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Due to the favorable attributes of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells for therapeutic proteins and antibodies biomanufacturing, companies generate proprietary cells with desirable phenotypes. One key attribute is the ability to stably express multi-gram per liter titers in chemically defined media. Cell, media, and feed diversity has limited community efforts to translate knowledge. Moreover, academic, and nonprofit researchers generally cannot study "industrially relevant" CHO cells due to limited public availability, and the time and knowledge required to generate such cells. To address these issues, a university-industrial consortium (Advanced Mammalian Biomanufacturing Innovation Center, AMBIC) has acquired two CHO "reference cell lines" from different lineages that express monoclonal antibodies. These reference cell lines have relevant production titers, key performance outcomes confirmed by multiple laboratories, and a detailed technology transfer protocol. In commercial media, titers over 2 g/L are reached. Fed-batch cultivation data from shake flask and scaled-down bioreactors is presented. Using productivity as the primary attribute, two academic sites aligned with tight reproducibility at each site. Further, a chemically defined media formulation was developed and evaluated in parallel to the commercial media. The goal of this work is to provide a universal, industrially relevant CHO culture platform to accelerate biomanufacturing innovation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren T Cordova
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - Hussain Dahodwala
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA.,National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - Kathryn S Elliott
- Department of Bioengineering, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA
| | - Jongyoun Baik
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Inha University, Incheon, South Korea
| | | | - Douglas Nmagu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA
| | - Bradley A Skelton
- Department of Bioengineering, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA
| | - Lisa Uy
- Department of Bioengineering, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA
| | - Stephanie R Klaubert
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA
| | | | - Dylan G Chitwood
- Department of Bioengineering, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA
| | - Venkata Gayatri Dhara
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Harnish Mukesh Naik
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Caitlin S Morris
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Seongkyu Yoon
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Michael Betenbaugh
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | | | | | | | - Sarah W Harcum
- Department of Bioengineering, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, USA
| | - Kelvin H Lee
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA.,National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals, Newark, Delaware, USA
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7
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Guo J, Kufer R, Li D, Wohlrab S, Greenwood-Goodwin M, Yang F. Technical advancement and practical considerations of LC-MS/MS-based methods for host cell protein identification and quantitation to support process development. MAbs 2023; 15:2213365. [PMID: 37218066 PMCID: PMC10208169 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2023.2213365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Host cell proteins (HCPs) are process-related impurities derived from the manufacturing of recombinant biotherapeutics. Residual HCP in drug products, ranging from 1 to 100 ppm (ng HCP/mg product) or even below sub-ppm level, may affect product quality, stability, efficacy, or safety. Therefore, removal of HCPs to appropriate levels is critical for the bioprocess development of biotherapeutics. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis has become an important tool to identify, quantify, and monitor the clearance of individual HCPs. This review covers the technical advancement of sample preparation strategies, new LC-MS-based techniques, and data analysis approaches to robustly and sensitively measure HCPs while overcoming the high dynamic range analytical challenges. We also discuss our strategy for LC-MS-based HCP workflows to enable fast support of process development throughout the product life cycle, and provide insights into developing specific analytical strategies leveraging LC-MS tools to control HCPs in process and mitigate their potential risks to drug quality, stability, and patient safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Guo
- Protein Analytical Chemistry, Genentech, A Member of the Roche Group, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Regina Kufer
- Pharma Technical Development Analytics, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Penzberg, Germany
| | - Delia Li
- Protein Analytical Chemistry, Genentech, A Member of the Roche Group, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Stefanie Wohlrab
- Pharma Technical Development Analytics, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Penzberg, Germany
| | | | - Feng Yang
- Protein Analytical Chemistry, Genentech, A Member of the Roche Group, South San Francisco, CA, USA
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