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Anand A, McCahill M, Thomas J, Sood A, Kinross J, Dasgupta A, Rajendran A. An in-silico analysis of hydrodynamics and gas mass transfer characteristics in scale-down models for mammalian cell cultures. J Biotechnol 2024; 388:96-106. [PMID: 38642816 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2024.04.013] [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: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/22/2024]
Abstract
Bioprocess scale-up and technology transfer can be challenging due to multiple variables that need to be optimized during process development from laboratory scale to commercial manufacturing. Cell cultures are highly sensitive to key factors during process transfer across scales, including geometric variability in bioreactors, shear stress from impeller and sparging activity, and nutrient gradients that occur due to increasing blend times. To improve the scale-up and scale-down of these processes, it is important to fully characterize bioreactors to better understand the differences that will occur within the culture environment, especially the hydrodynamic profiles that will vary in vessel designs across scales. In this study, a comprehensive hydrodynamic characterization of the Ambr® 250 mammalian single-use bioreactor was performed using time-accurate computational fluid dynamics simulations conducted with M-Star computational fluid dynamics software, which employs lattice-Boltzmann techniques to solve the Navier-Stokes transport equations at a mesoscopic scale. The single-phase and two-phase fluid properties within this small-scale vessel were analyzed in the context of agitation hydrodynamics and mass transfer (both within the bulk fluid and the free surface) to effectively characterize and understand the differences that scale-down models possess when compared to their large-scale counterparts. The model results validate the use of computational fluid dynamics as an in-silico tool to characterize bioreactor hydrodynamics and additionally identify important free-surface transfer mechanics that need to be considered during the qualification of a scale-down model in the development of mammalian bioprocesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alaina Anand
- Bioprocess Research and Development, Pfizer, Andover, MA 01810, USA
| | - Madelynn McCahill
- Manufacturing Sciences and Technology, Global Technology and Engineering, Pfizer, Andover, MA 01810, USA; Manufacturing Intelligence, Global Technology and Engineering, Pfizer, Andover, MA, USA
| | - John Thomas
- M-Star Simulations, 11000 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City, MD 21042, USA
| | - Aishwarya Sood
- Manufacturing Sciences and Technology, Global Technology and Engineering, Pfizer, Andover, MA 01810, USA
| | - Jonathan Kinross
- Manufacturing Sciences and Technology, Global Technology and Engineering, Pfizer, Andover, MA 01810, USA
| | - Aparajita Dasgupta
- Manufacturing Sciences and Technology, Global Technology and Engineering, Pfizer, Andover, MA 01810, USA.
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2
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Gaugler L, Hofmann S, Schlüter M, Takors R. Mimicking CHO large-scale effects in the single multicompartment bioreactor: A new approach to access scale-up behavior. Biotechnol Bioeng 2024; 121:1244-1256. [PMID: 38192095 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28647] [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: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
During the scale-up of biopharmaceutical production processes, insufficiently predictable performance losses may occur alongside gradients and heterogeneities. To overcome such performance losses, tools are required to explain, predict, and ultimately prohibit inconsistencies between laboratory and commercial scale. In this work, we performed CHO fed-batch cultivations in the single multicompartment bioreactor (SMCB), a new scale-down reactor system that offers new access to study large-scale heterogeneities in mammalian cell cultures. At volumetric power inputs of 20.4-1.5 W m-3, large-scale characteristics like long mixing times and dissolved oxygen (DO) heterogeneities were mimicked in the SMCB. Compared to a reference bioreactor (REFB) set-up, the conditions in the SMCB provoked an increase in lactate accumulation of up to 87%, an increased glucose uptake, and reduced viable cell concentrations in the stationary phase. All are characteristic for large-scale performance. The unique possibility to distinguish between the effects of changing power inputs and observed heterogeneities provided new insights into the potential reasons for altered product quality attributes. Apparently, the degree of galactosylation in the evaluated glycan patterns changed primarily due to the different power inputs rather than the provoked heterogeneities. The SMCB system could serve as a potent tool to provide new insights into scale-up behavior and to predict cell line-specific drawbacks at an early stage of process development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena Gaugler
- Institute of Biochemical Engineering, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Sebastian Hofmann
- Institute of Multiphase Flows, Hamburg University of Technology, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michael Schlüter
- Institute of Multiphase Flows, Hamburg University of Technology, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ralf Takors
- Institute of Biochemical Engineering, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
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3
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Guez JS, Lacroix PY, Château T, Vial C. Deep in situ microscopy for real-time analysis of mammalian cell populations in bioreactors. Sci Rep 2023; 13:22045. [PMID: 38086908 PMCID: PMC10716407 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48733-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
An in situ microscope based on pulsed transmitted light illumination via optical fiber was combined to artificial-intelligence to enable for the first time an online cell classification according to well-known cellular morphological features. A 848 192-image database generated during a lab-scale production process of antibodies was processed using a convolutional neural network approach chosen for its accurate real-time object detection capabilities. In order to induce different cell death routes, hybridomas were grown in normal or suboptimal conditions in a stirred tank reactor, in the presence of substrate limitation, medium addition, pH regulation problem or oxygen depletion. Using such an optical system made it possible to monitor real-time the evolution of different classes of animal cells, among which viable, necrotic and apoptotic cells. A class of viable cells displaying bulges in feast or famine conditions was also revealed. Considered as a breakthrough in the catalogue of process analytical tools, in situ microscopy powered by artificial-intelligence is also of great interest for research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Sébastien Guez
- Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont Auvergne INP, CNRS, Institut Pascal, 63 000, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
| | - Pierre-Yves Lacroix
- Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont Auvergne INP, CNRS, Institut Pascal, 63 000, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- Logiroad.AI, 63 178, Aubière, France
| | - Thierry Château
- Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont Auvergne INP, CNRS, Institut Pascal, 63 000, Clermont-Ferrand, France
- Logiroad.AI, 63 178, Aubière, France
| | - Christophe Vial
- Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont Auvergne INP, CNRS, Institut Pascal, 63 000, Clermont-Ferrand, France
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4
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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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5
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Reddy JV, Raudenbush K, Papoutsakis ET, Ierapetritou M. Cell-culture process optimization via model-based predictions of metabolism and protein glycosylation. Biotechnol Adv 2023; 67:108179. [PMID: 37257729 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2023.108179] [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: 11/27/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
In order to meet the rising demand for biologics and become competitive on the developing biosimilar market, there is a need for process intensification of biomanufacturing processes. Process development of biologics has historically relied on extensive experimentation to develop and optimize biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Experimentation to optimize media formulations, feeding schedules, bioreactor operations and bioreactor scale up is expensive, labor intensive and time consuming. Mathematical modeling frameworks have the potential to enable process intensification while reducing the experimental burden. This review focuses on mathematical modeling of cellular metabolism and N-linked glycosylation as applied to upstream manufacturing of biologics. We review developments in the field of modeling cellular metabolism of mammalian cells using kinetic and stoichiometric modeling frameworks along with their applications to simulate, optimize and improve mechanistic understanding of the process. Interest in modeling N-linked glycosylation has led to the creation of various types of parametric and non-parametric models. Most published studies on mammalian cell metabolism have performed experiments in shake flasks where the pH and dissolved oxygen cannot be controlled. Efforts to understand and model the effect of bioreactor-specific parameters such as pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and bioreactor heterogeneity are critically reviewed. Most modeling efforts have focused on the Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells, which are most commonly used to produce monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). However, these modeling approaches can be generalized and applied to any mammalian cell-based manufacturing platform. Current and potential future applications of these models for Vero cell-based vaccine manufacturing, CAR-T cell therapies, and viral vector manufacturing are also discussed. We offer specific recommendations for improving the applicability of these models to industrially relevant processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jayanth Venkatarama Reddy
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716-3196, USA
| | - Katherine Raudenbush
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716-3196, USA
| | - Eleftherios Terry Papoutsakis
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716-3196, USA; Delaware Biotechnology Institute, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, USA.
| | - Marianthi Ierapetritou
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716-3196, USA.
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6
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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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7
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Podunavac I, Knežić T, Djisalov M, Omerovic N, Radovic M, Janjušević L, Stefanovic D, Panic M, Gadjanski I, Radonic V. Mammalian Cell-Growth Monitoring Based on an Impedimetric Sensor and Image Processing within a Microfluidic Platform. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 23:3748. [PMID: 37050808 PMCID: PMC10099282 DOI: 10.3390/s23073748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, advancements in microfluidic and sensor technologies have led to the development of new methods for monitoring cell growth both in macro- and micro-systems. In this paper, a microfluidic (MF) platform with a microbioreactor and integrated impedimetric sensor is proposed for cell growth monitoring during the cell cultivation process in a scaled-down simulator. The impedimetric sensor with an interdigitated electrode (IDE) design was realized with inkjet printing and integrated into the custom-made MF platform, i.e., the scaled-down simulator. The proposed method, which was integrated into a simple and rapid fabrication MF system, presents an excellent candidate for the scaled-down analyses of cell growths that can be of use in, e.g., optimization of the cultivated meat bioprocess. When applied to MRC-5 cells as a model of adherent mammalian cells, the proposed sensor was able to precisely detect all phases of cell growth (the lag, exponential, stationary, and dying phases) during a 96-h cultivation period with limited available nutrients. By combining the impedimetric approach with image processing, the platform enables the real-time monitoring of biomasses and advanced control of cell growth progress in microbioreactors and scaled-down simulator systems.
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8
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Handlogten MW, Bosley S, Dunn S, Zhu J, Lee-O'Brien A, Li L, Therres J, Chakrabarti L, Khanal B, Mowery R, Arumugam S, Klover J, Taleb M, Reier J, Hatton D, Schmelzer A. Accelerated cell culture process development and characterization for cilgavimab/tixagevimab (AZD7442) for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Biotechnol Bioeng 2023. [PMID: 36722717 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28336] [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: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The global COVID-19 pandemic ignited an unprecedented race to develop vaccines and antibody therapeutics. AstraZeneca's pursuit to provide AZD7442 (EVUSHELD), two long-acting, SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor binding domain-specific neutralizing monoclonal antibodies, to individuals at risk on highly accelerated timelines challenged our traditional ways of process development and spurred the rapid adoption of novel approaches. Conventional upstream development processes were replaced by agile strategies that combined technological advances and highly accelerated workflows. With calculated business risks and close cross-functional collaborations, this process paved the way for hyper accelerated antibody development from discovery through manufacturing, process validation, emergency use authorization filing, and global regulatory approvals. The result was initiation of commercial manufacturing at a contract manufacturing organization less than 6 months from the selection of cilgavimab and tixagevimab-a process that historically has taken close to 10 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael W Handlogten
- Cell Culture and Fermentation Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
| | - Stefanie Bosley
- Cell Culture and Fermentation Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
| | - Sarah Dunn
- Cell Culture and Fermentation Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jie Zhu
- Cell Culture and Fermentation Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
| | - Allison Lee-O'Brien
- Cell Culture and Fermentation Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
| | - Lina Li
- Cell Culture and Fermentation Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
| | - Jamy Therres
- Cell Culture and Fermentation Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
| | - Lina Chakrabarti
- Cell Culture and Fermentation Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
| | - Bijay Khanal
- Cell Culture and Fermentation Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
| | - Rachel Mowery
- Cell Culture and Fermentation Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
| | - Subhashini Arumugam
- Cell Culture and Fermentation Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
| | - Judith Klover
- Cell Culture and Fermentation Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
| | - Mohammed Taleb
- Cell Culture and Fermentation Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
| | - Jason Reier
- Cell Culture and Fermentation Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
| | - Diane Hatton
- Cell Culture and Fermentation Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK
| | - Albert Schmelzer
- Cell Culture and Fermentation Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
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9
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Delbridge J, Barrett T, Ducci A, Micheletti M. Power, mixing and flow dynamics of the novel Allegro™ stirred tank reactor. Chem Eng Sci 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ces.2023.118545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
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10
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Mutaf T, Oncel SS. Bubble column and airlift bioreactor systems for animal cell culture applications. ASIA-PAC J CHEM ENG 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/apj.2872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tugce Mutaf
- Department of Bioengineering,Faculty of Engineering Ege University Izmir Turkey
- Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering Manisa Celal Bayar University Manisa Turkey
| | - Suphi S. Oncel
- Department of Bioengineering,Faculty of Engineering Ege University Izmir Turkey
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11
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Charalambidou AD, Micheletti M, Ducci A. Study of Trailing Vortices and Impeller Jet Instabilities of a Flat Blade Impeller in
Small‐Scale
Reactors. AIChE J 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/aic.17842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A. D. Charalambidou
- University College London, Department of Biochemical Engineering, Gower Street London WC1E 6BT
| | - M. Micheletti
- University College London, Department of Biochemical Engineering, Gower Street London WC1E 6BT
| | - A. Ducci
- University College London, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Torrington Place London WC1E 7JE
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12
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Zakrzewski R, Lee K, Lye GJ. Development of a miniature bioreactor model to study the impact of pH and DOT fluctuations on CHO cell culture performance as a tool to understanding heterogeneity effects at large-scale. Biotechnol Prog 2022; 38:e3264. [PMID: 35441833 PMCID: PMC9542549 DOI: 10.1002/btpr.3264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the impact of spatial heterogeneities that are known to occur in large‐scale cell culture bioreactors remains a significant challenge. This work presents a novel methodology for mimicking the effects of pH and dissolved oxygen heterogeneities on Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell culture performance and antibody quality characteristics, using an automated miniature bioreactor system. Cultures of 4 different cell lines, expressing 3 IgG molecules and one fusion protein, were exposed to repeated pH and dissolved oxygen tension (DOT) fluctuations between pH 7.0–7.5 and DOT 10%–30%, respectively, for durations of 15, 30, and 60 min. Fluctuations in pH had a minimal impact on growth, productivity, and product quality although some changes in lactate metabolism were observed. DOT fluctuations were found to have a more significant impact; a 35% decrease in cell growth and product titre was observed in the fastest growing cell line tested, while all cell lines exhibited a significant increase in lactate accumulation. Product quality analysis yielded varied results; two cell lines showed an increase in the G0F glycan and decrease in G1F, G2F, and Man5; however, another line showed the opposite trend. The study suggests that the response of CHO cells to the effects of fluctuating culture conditions is cell line specific and that higher growing cell lines are most impacted. The miniature bioreactor system described in this work therefore provides a platform for use during early stage cell culture process development to identify cell lines that may be adversely impacted by the pH and DOT heterogeneities encountered on scale‐up. This experimental data can be combined with computational modeling approaches to predict overall cell culture performance in large‐scale bioreactors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Zakrzewski
- The Advanced Centre for Biochemical Engineering, Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, London, UK
| | - Kenneth Lee
- Cell Culture and Fermentation Science, R&D, AstraZeneca, Franklin Building, Granta Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Gary J Lye
- The Advanced Centre for Biochemical Engineering, Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, London, UK
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13
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Zalai D, Kopp J, Kozma B, Küchler M, Herwig C, Kager J. Microbial technologies for biotherapeutics production: Key tools for advanced biopharmaceutical process development and control. DRUG DISCOVERY TODAY. TECHNOLOGIES 2021; 38:9-24. [PMID: 34895644 DOI: 10.1016/j.ddtec.2021.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Revised: 03/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Current trends in the biopharmaceutical market such as the diversification of therapies as well as the increasing time-to-market pressure will trigger the rethinking of bioprocess development and production approaches. Thereby, the importance of development time and manufacturing costs will increase, especially for microbial production. In the present review, we investigate three technological approaches which, to our opinion, will play a key role in the future of biopharmaceutical production. The first cornerstone of process development is the generation and effective utilization of platform knowledge. Building processes on well understood microbial and technological platforms allows to accelerate early-stage bioprocess development and to better condense this knowledge into multi-purpose technologies and applicable mathematical models. Second, the application of verified scale down systems and in silico models for process design and characterization will reduce the required number of large scale batches before dossier submission. Third, the broader availability of mathematical process models and the improvement of process analytical technologies will increase the applicability and acceptance of advanced control and process automation in the manufacturing scale. This will reduce process failure rates and subsequently cost of goods. Along these three aspects we give an overview of recently developed key tools and their potential integration into bioprocess development strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denes Zalai
- Richter-Helm BioLogics GmbH & Co. KG, Suhrenkamp 59, 22335 Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Julian Kopp
- Research Division Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Chemical Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Bence Kozma
- Research Division Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Chemical Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Michael Küchler
- Richter-Helm BioLogics GmbH & Co. KG, Suhrenkamp 59, 22335 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christoph Herwig
- Research Division Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Chemical Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria; Competence Center CHASE GmbH, Altenbergerstraße 69, 4040 Linz, Austria
| | - Julian Kager
- Research Division Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Chemical Environmental and Bioscience Engineering, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria
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Schmitz J, Hertel O, Yermakov B, Noll T, Grünberger A. Growth and eGFP Production of CHO-K1 Suspension Cells Cultivated From Single Cell to Laboratory Scale. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 9:716343. [PMID: 34722476 PMCID: PMC8554123 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.716343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Scaling down bioproduction processes has become a major driving force for more accelerated and efficient process development over the last decades. Especially expensive and time-consuming processes like the production of biopharmaceuticals with mammalian cell lines benefit clearly from miniaturization, due to higher parallelization and increased insights while at the same time decreasing experimental time and costs. Lately, novel microfluidic methods have been developed, especially microfluidic single-cell cultivation (MSCC) devices have been proved to be valuable to miniaturize the cultivation of mammalian cells. So far, growth characteristics of microfluidic cultivated cell lines were not systematically compared to larger cultivation scales; however, validation of a miniaturization tool against initial cultivation scales is mandatory to prove its applicability for bioprocess development. Here, we systematically investigate growth, morphology, and eGFP production of CHO-K1 cells in different cultivation scales ranging from a microfluidic chip (230 nl) to a shake flask (125 ml) and laboratory-scale stirred tank bioreactor (2.0 L). Our study shows a high comparability regarding specific growth rates, cellular diameters, and eGFP production, which proves the feasibility of MSCC as a miniaturized cultivation tool for mammalian cell culture. In addition, we demonstrate that MSCC provides insights into cellular heterogeneity and single-cell dynamics concerning growth and production behavior which, when occurring in bioproduction processes, might severely affect process robustness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Schmitz
- Multiscale Bioengineering, Faculty of Technology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany.,Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Oliver Hertel
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany.,Cell Culture Technology, Faculty of Technology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Boris Yermakov
- Multiscale Bioengineering, Faculty of Technology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Thomas Noll
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany.,Cell Culture Technology, Faculty of Technology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Alexander Grünberger
- Multiscale Bioengineering, Faculty of Technology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany.,Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
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Euler-Lagrangian Simulations: A Proper Tool for Predicting Cellular Performance in Industrial Scale Bioreactors. ADVANCES IN BIOCHEMICAL ENGINEERING/BIOTECHNOLOGY 2021. [PMID: 32978650 DOI: 10.1007/10_2020_133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
Abstract
Eulerian-Lagrangian approach to investigate cellular responses in a bioreactor has become the center of attention in recent years. It was introduced to biotechnological processes about two decades ago, but within the last few years, it proved itself as a powerful tool to address scale-up and -down topics of bioprocesses. It can capture the history of a cell and reveal invaluable information for, not only, bioprocess control and design but also strain engineering. This way it will be possible to shed light on the actual environment that cell experiences throughout its lifespan. Lifelines of a microorganism in a bioreactor can serve as the missing link that encompasses the biological timescales and the physical timescales. For this purpose digitalization of bioreactors provides us with new insights that are not achievable in industrial reactors easily if at all, namely, substrate and product gradients; high-shear regions are among the most interesting factors that can be reproduced adequately with help of a digital twin. In this chapter basic principles of this method will be introduced, and later on some practical aspects of particle tracking technique will be illustrated. In the final section, some of the advantages and challenges associated with this method will be discussed.
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Anane E, Knudsen IM, Wilson GC. Scale-down cultivation in mammalian cell bioreactors—The effect of bioreactor mixing time on the response of CHO cells to dissolved oxygen gradients. Biochem Eng J 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bej.2020.107870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Impact of Altered Trehalose Metabolism on Physiological Response of Penicillium chrysogenum Chemostat Cultures during Industrially Relevant Rapid Feast/Famine Conditions. Processes (Basel) 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/pr9010118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Due to insufficient mass transfer and mixing issues, cells in the industrial-scale bioreactor are often forced to experience glucose feast/famine cycles, mostly resulting in reduced commercial metrics (titer, yield and productivity). Trehalose cycling has been confirmed as a double-edged sword in the Penicillium chrysogenum strain, which facilitates the maintenance of a metabolically balanced state, but it consumes extra amounts of the ATP responsible for the repeated breakdown and formation of trehalose molecules in response to extracellular glucose perturbations. This loss of ATP would be in competition with the high ATP-demanding penicillin biosynthesis. In this work, the role of trehalose metabolism was further explored under industrially relevant conditions by cultivating a high-yielding Penicillium chrysogenum strain, and the derived trehalose-null strains in the glucose-limited chemostat system where the glucose feast/famine condition was imposed. This dynamic feast/famine regime with a block-wise feed/no feed regime (36 s on, 324 s off) allows one to generate repetitive cycles of moderate changes in glucose availability. The results obtained using quantitative metabolomics and stoichiometric analysis revealed that the intact trehalose metabolism is vitally important for maintaining penicillin production capacity in the Penicillium chrysogenum strain under both steady state and dynamic conditions. Additionally, cells lacking such a key metabolic regulator would become more sensitive to industrially relevant conditions, and are more able to sustain metabolic rearrangements, which manifests in the shrinkage of the central metabolite pool size and the formation of ATP-consuming futile cycles.
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Paul K, Böttinger K, Mitic BM, Scherfler G, Posch C, Behrens D, Huber CG, Herwig C. Development, characterization, and application of a 2-Compartment system to investigate the impact of pH inhomogeneities in large-scale CHO-based processes. Eng Life Sci 2020; 20:368-378. [PMID: 32774209 PMCID: PMC7401239 DOI: 10.1002/elsc.202000009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Revised: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Large-scale bioreactors for the production of monoclonal antibodies reach volumes of up to 25 000 L. With increasing bioreactor size, mixing is however affected negatively, resulting in the formation of gradients throughout the reactor. These gradients can adversely affect process performance at large scale. Since mammalian cells are sensitive to changes in pH, this study investigated the effects of pH gradients on process performance. A 2-Compartment System was established for this purpose to expose only a fraction of the cell population to pH excursions and thereby mimicking a large-scale bioreactor. Cells were exposed to repeated pH amplitudes of 0.4 units (pH 7.3), which resulted in decreased viable cell counts, as well as the inhibition of the lactate metabolic shift. These effects were furthermore accompanied by increased absolute lactate levels. Continuous assessment of molecular attributes of the expressed target protein revealed that subunit assembly or N-glycosylation patterns were only slightly influenced by the pH excursions. The exposure of more cells to the same pH amplitudes further impaired process performance, indicating this is an important factor, which influences the impact of pH inhomogeneity. This knowledge can aid in the design of pH control strategies to minimize the effects of pH inhomogeneity in large-scale bioreactors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrin Paul
- Institute of ChemicalEnvironmental and Bioscience EngineeringTU WienViennaAustria
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Mechanistic and Physiological Methods for Improved BioprocessesTU WienViennaAustria
| | - Katharina Böttinger
- Department of BiosciencesBioanalytical Research LabsUniversity of SalzburgSalzburgAustria
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Innovative Tools for Biosimilar CharacterizationUniversity of SalzburgSalzburgAustria
| | - Bernd M. Mitic
- Institute of ChemicalEnvironmental and Bioscience EngineeringTU WienViennaAustria
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Mechanistic and Physiological Methods for Improved BioprocessesTU WienViennaAustria
| | - Georg Scherfler
- Institute of ChemicalEnvironmental and Bioscience EngineeringTU WienViennaAustria
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Mechanistic and Physiological Methods for Improved BioprocessesTU WienViennaAustria
| | | | | | - Christian G. Huber
- Department of BiosciencesBioanalytical Research LabsUniversity of SalzburgSalzburgAustria
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Innovative Tools for Biosimilar CharacterizationUniversity of SalzburgSalzburgAustria
| | - Christoph Herwig
- Institute of ChemicalEnvironmental and Bioscience EngineeringTU WienViennaAustria
- Christian Doppler Laboratory for Mechanistic and Physiological Methods for Improved BioprocessesTU WienViennaAustria
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