Factors that determine stability of highly concentrated chemically defined production media

Evaluation of various membranes at different fluxes to enable large-volume single-use perfusion bioreactors

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.

Methods for identifying precipitates and improving stability of chemically defined highly concentrated cell culture media

Currently, within the biopharmaceutical industry, media development is a key area of development as the ratios and concentrations of media components such as amino acids, metals, vitamins, sugars, salts, and buffering agents play arguably the largest role in cellular productivity and product quality. However, optimizing media for these targets often conflicts with solubility limitations and slow-rate chemical reactions that result in precipitation formation. Here we present methods such as inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), colorimetry, and turbidity to identify multiple likely components of a complex precipitate that was observed in preparations of a custom nutrient feed medium across all storage conditions evaluated. Using these analytical methods, as well as adjustments to the formulation pH, increasing the pyruvate concentration, and removing sodium bicarbonate, we were able to extend the media shelf life from approximately 10 days to over 28 days. Alternatively, copper, selenium, and magnesium sources were removed from the media and no precipitation was observed until 32 days after prep, pointing to key metals as the probable root cause of precipitation. By analytically quantifying the precipitate using the methods above, instead of visual inspection, which is the current industry standard for media precipitation observation, we were better able to compare conditions to one another and relate them to the onset of precipitation. Cell culture performance and product quality remained comparable to the historical process despite the media formulation changes.

Stability and Requirement for Thiamin in a Cell Culture Feed Used to Produce New Biological Entities

Thiamin is susceptible to heat and oxidation, which is a concern for the development of concentrated and room temperature stable feeds used to produce recombinant proteins. Hence, it is critical to understand the reactivity and necessity of the vitamin in liquid feeds to be able to either develop mitigation strategies to stabilize the vitamin or to remove thiamin from formulations if it is unnecessary. LC-MS/MS was used to investigate thiamin stability in different liquid feed formulations and to identify thiamin degradation products. Results indicate oxidation of thiamin and interaction with amino acids, keto acids, and sulfur containing components. Thiamin necessity in feed was assessed during a fed batch experiment, focusing on cell performance and critical quality attributes of the produced recombinant proteins. The impact of thiamin depletion in the feed on the intra- and extracellular metabolome was investigated using untargeted LC-MS/MS. Results indicate that thiamin can be removed from the feed without affecting the performance or the intra- and extracellular metabolome of the tested cell lines. Overall, profound insights on thiamin reactivity and necessity are presented in this study, suggesting the removal of the dispensable and instable vitamin as a simple means for the development of next generation feeds used to produce therapeutic biological entities.

Reduction of medium consumption in perfusion mammalian cell cultures using a perfusion rate equivalent concentrated nutrient feed

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.

Oxidative stress-alleviating strategies to improve recombinant protein production in CHO cells

Large scale biopharmaceutical production of biologics relies on the overexpression of foreign proteins by cells cultivated in stirred tank bioreactors. It is well recognized and documented fact that protein overexpression may impact host cell metabolism and that factors associated with large scale culture, such as the hydrodynamic forces and inhomogeneities within the bioreactors, may promote cellular stress. The metabolic adaptations required to support the high‐level expression of recombinant proteins include increased energy production and improved secretory capacity, which, in turn, can lead to a rise of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated through the respiration metabolism and the interaction with media components. Oxidative stress is defined as the imbalance between the production of free radicals and the antioxidant response within the cells. Accumulation of intracellular ROS can interfere with the cellular activities and exert cytotoxic effects via the alternation of cellular components. In this context, strategies aiming to alleviate oxidative stress generated during the culture have been developed to improve cell growth, productivity, and reduce product microheterogeneity. In this review, we present a summary of the different approaches used to decrease the oxidative stress in Chinese hamster ovary cells and highlight media development and cell engineering as the main pathways through which ROS levels may be kept under control.

Modulating cell culture oxidative stress reduces protein glycation and acidic charge variant formation

Controlling acidic charge variants is critical for an industrial bioprocess due to the potential impact on therapeutic efficacy and safety. Achieving a consistent charge variant profile at manufacturing scale remains challenging and may require substantial resources to investigate effective control strategies. This is partially due to incomplete understanding of the underlying causes for charge variant formation during the cell culture process. To address this gap, we examined the effects of four process input factors (temperature, iron concentration, feed media age, and antioxidant (rosmarinic acid) concentration) on charge variant profile. These factors were found to affect the charge profile by modulating the cell culture oxidative state. Process conditions with higher acidic peaks corresponded to elevated supernatant peroxide concentration, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, or both. Changes in glycation level were the primary cause of the charge heterogeneity, and for the first time, supernatant peroxide was found to positively correlate with glycation levels. Based on these findings, a novel mathematical model was developed to demonstrate that the rate of acidic species formation was exponentially proportional to the concentrations of supernatant peroxide and protein product. This work provides critical insights into charge variant formation during the cell culture process and highlights the importance of modulating of cell culture oxidative stress for charge variant control.

Impact of S-sulfocysteine on fragments and trisulfide bond linkages in monoclonal antibodies

The quality of recombinant proteins such as monoclonal antibodies produced using Chinese hamster ovary cell-based mammalian systems is dependent on many factors, including cell line, process and cell culture media. Due to these factors, the generated product is heterogeneous and may have chemically-induced modifications or post-translational modifications that affect antibody stability, functionality and, in some cases, patient safety. This study demonstrates that S-sulfocysteine, a cysteine derivative, can increase the antibody specific productivity in different cell lines cultivated with different processes while minimizing trisulfide linkages in generated mAbs, mainly between heavy and light chain. The supplementation of a cell culture feed with S-sulfocysteine also proved to be useful to reduce the percentage of antibody fragments generated from the monoclonal antibody. Overall, this new component used in the upstream process allows a reduction of product heterogeneity.

Antioxidant effect of thiazolidine molecules in cell culture media improves stability and performance

The ability of cell culture media components to generate reactive species as well as their sensitivity to oxidative degradation, affects the overall stability of media and the behavior of cells cultured in vitro. This study investigates the influence of thiazolidine molecules, formed from the condensation between cysteine and alpha-ketoacids, on the stability of these complex mixtures and on the performance of cell culture processes aiming to produce therapeutically relevant monoclonal antibodies. Results presented in this study indicate that 2-methyl-1,3-thiazolidine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid and 2-(2-carboxyethyl)-1,3-thiazolidine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid, obtained by condensation of cysteine with pyruvate or alpha-ketoglutarate, respectively, are able to stabilize cell culture media formulations, in particular redox sensitive molecules like folic acid, thiamine, l-methionine (met) and l-tryptophan (trp). The use of thiazolidine containing feeds in Chinese hamster ovary fed-batch processes showed prolonged culture duration and increased productivity. This enhanced performance was correlated with lower reactive species generation, extracellularly and intracellularly. Moreover, an anti-oxidative response was triggered via the induction of superoxide dismutase and an increase in the total glutathione pool, the major intracellular antioxidant. In total, the results confirm that cells in vitro are not cultured in an oxidant-free environment, a concept that has to be considered when studying the influence of reactive species in human diseases. Furthermore, this study indicates that thiazolidines are an interesting class of antioxidant molecules, capable of increasing cell culture media stability and process performance. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:759-770, 2017.