1
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Armstrong GB, Shah V, Sanches P, Patel M, Casey R, Jamieson C, Burley GA, Lewis W, Rattray Z. A framework for the biophysical screening of antibody mutations targeting solvent-accessible hydrophobic and electrostatic patches for enhanced viscosity profiles. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2024; 23:2345-2357. [PMID: 38867721 PMCID: PMC11167247 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2024.05.041] [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: 03/29/2024] [Revised: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The formulation of high-concentration monoclonal antibody (mAb) solutions in low dose volumes for autoinjector devices poses challenges in manufacturability and patient administration due to elevated solution viscosity. Often many therapeutically potent mAbs are discovered, but their commercial development is stalled by unfavourable developability challenges. In this work, we present a systematic experimental framework for the computational screening of molecular descriptors to guide the design of 24 mutants with modified viscosity profiles accompanied by experimental evaluation. Our experimental observations using a model anti-IL8 mAb and eight engineered mutant variants reveal that viscosity reduction is influenced by the location of hydrophobic interactions, while targeting positively charged patches significantly increases viscosity in comparison to wild-type anti-IL-8 mAb. We conclude that most predicted in silico physicochemical properties exhibit poor correlation with measured experimental parameters for antibodies with suboptimal developability characteristics, emphasizing the need for comprehensive case-by-case evaluation of mAbs. This framework combining molecular design and triage via computational predictions with experimental evaluation aids the agile and rational design of mAbs with tailored solution viscosities, ensuring improved manufacturability and patient convenience in self-administration scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgina B. Armstrong
- Drug Substance Development, GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, UK
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - Vidhi Shah
- Large Molecule Discovery, GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, UK
| | - Paula Sanches
- Drug Substance Development, GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, UK
| | - Mitul Patel
- Drug Substance Development, GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, UK
| | - Ricky Casey
- Drug Substance Development, GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, UK
| | - Craig Jamieson
- Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - Glenn A. Burley
- Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - William Lewis
- Drug Substance Development, GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, UK
| | - Zahra Rattray
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
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2
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Jacquot G, Lopez Navarro P, Grange C, Boudali L, Harlepp S, Pivot X, Detappe A. Landscape of Subcutaneous Administration Strategies for Monoclonal Antibodies in Oncology. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2406604. [PMID: 39165046 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202406604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2024] [Revised: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 08/22/2024]
Abstract
In recent decades, subcutaneous (SC) administration of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) has emerged as a promising alternative to intravenous delivery in oncology, offering comparable therapeutic efficacy while addressing patient preferences. This perspective article provides an in-depth analysis of the technological landscape surrounding SC mAb administration in oncology. It outlines various technologies under evaluation across developmental stages, spanning from preclinical investigations to the integration of established methodologies in clinical practice. Additionally, this perspective article explores emerging trends and prospective trajectories, shedding light on the evolving landscape of SC mAb administration. Furthermore, it emphasizes key checkpoints related to quality attributes essential for optimizing mAb delivery via the SC route. This review serves as a valuable resource for researchers, clinicians, and healthcare policymakers, offering insights into the advancement of SC mAb administration in oncology and its implications for patient care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Jacquot
- Institut de Cancérologie Strasbourg Europe, Strasbourg, 67000, France
- Equipe labellisée Ligue contre le Cancer, France
- Strasbourg Drug Discovery and Development Institute (IMS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
| | - Pedro Lopez Navarro
- Institut de Cancérologie Strasbourg Europe, Strasbourg, 67000, France
- Equipe labellisée Ligue contre le Cancer, France
- Strasbourg Drug Discovery and Development Institute (IMS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
| | - Coralie Grange
- Institut de Cancérologie Strasbourg Europe, Strasbourg, 67000, France
- Equipe labellisée Ligue contre le Cancer, France
- Strasbourg Drug Discovery and Development Institute (IMS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
| | - Lotfi Boudali
- Institut de Cancérologie Strasbourg Europe, Strasbourg, 67000, France
- Equipe labellisée Ligue contre le Cancer, France
- Strasbourg Drug Discovery and Development Institute (IMS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
| | - Sébastien Harlepp
- Institut de Cancérologie Strasbourg Europe, Strasbourg, 67000, France
- Equipe labellisée Ligue contre le Cancer, France
- Strasbourg Drug Discovery and Development Institute (IMS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
| | - Xavier Pivot
- Institut de Cancérologie Strasbourg Europe, Strasbourg, 67000, France
- Equipe labellisée Ligue contre le Cancer, France
- Strasbourg Drug Discovery and Development Institute (IMS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
| | - Alexandre Detappe
- Institut de Cancérologie Strasbourg Europe, Strasbourg, 67000, France
- Equipe labellisée Ligue contre le Cancer, France
- Strasbourg Drug Discovery and Development Institute (IMS), Strasbourg, 67000, France
- Equipe de Synthèse Pour l'Analyse, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien (IPHC), UMR 7178 CNRS/University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, Cedex 2, 67087, France
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3
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Yuan G, Salipante PF, Hudson SD, Gillilan RE, Huang Q, Hatch HW, Shen VK, Grishaev AV, Pabit S, Upadhya R, Adhikari S, Panchal J, Blanco MA, Liu Y. Flow Activation Energy of High-Concentration Monoclonal Antibody Solutions and Protein-Protein Interactions Influenced by NaCl and Sucrose. Mol Pharm 2024; 21:4553-4564. [PMID: 39163212 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.4c00460] [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] [Indexed: 08/22/2024]
Abstract
The solution viscosity and protein-protein interactions (PPIs) as a function of temperature (4-40 °C) were measured at a series of protein concentrations for a monoclonal antibody (mAb) with different formulation conditions, which include NaCl and sucrose. The flow activation energy (Eη) was extracted from the temperature dependence of solution viscosity using the Arrhenius equation. PPIs were quantified via the protein diffusion interaction parameter (kD) measured by dynamic light scattering, together with the osmotic second virial coefficient and the structure factor obtained through small-angle X-ray scattering. Both viscosity and PPIs were found to vary with the formulation conditions. Adding NaCl introduces an attractive interaction but leads to a significant reduction in the viscosity. However, adding sucrose enhances an overall repulsive effect and leads to a slight decrease in viscosity. Thus, the averaged (attractive or repulsive) PPI information is not a good indicator of viscosity at high protein concentrations for the mAb studied here. Instead, a correlation based on the temperature dependence of viscosity (i.e., Eη) and the temperature sensitivity in PPIs was observed for this specific mAb. When kD is more sensitive to the temperature variation, it corresponds to a larger value of Eη and thus a higher viscosity in concentrated protein solutions. When kD is less sensitive to temperature change, it corresponds to a smaller value of Eη and thus a lower viscosity at high protein concentrations. Rather than the absolute value of PPIs at a given temperature, our results show that the temperature sensitivity of PPIs may be a more useful metric for predicting issues with high viscosity of concentrated solutions. In addition, we also demonstrate that caution is required in choosing a proper protein concentration range to extract kD. In some excipient conditions studied here, the appropriate protein concentration range needs to be less than 4 mg/mL, remarkably lower than the typical concentration range used in the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangcui Yuan
- Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Paul F Salipante
- Materials Science and Engineering Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Steven D Hudson
- Materials Science and Engineering Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Richard E Gillilan
- Center for High-Energy X-ray Sciences at CHESS, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Qingqiu Huang
- Center for High-Energy X-ray Sciences at CHESS, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Harold W Hatch
- Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Vincent K Shen
- Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Alexander V Grishaev
- Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
| | - Suzette Pabit
- Analytical Enabling Capabilities, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Rahul Upadhya
- Analytical Enabling Capabilities, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Sudeep Adhikari
- Analytical Enabling Capabilities, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Jainik Panchal
- Sterile and Specialty Products, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033, United States
| | - Marco A Blanco
- Discovery Pharmaceutical Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Yun Liu
- Center for Neutron Research, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899, United States
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, United States
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4
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Eisinger M, Rahn H, Chen Y, Fernandes M, Lin Z, Hentze N, Tavella D, Moussa EM. Elucidation of the Reversible Self-Association Interface of a Diabody-Interleukin Fusion Protein Using Hydrogen-Exchange Mass Spectrometry and In Silico Modeling. Mol Pharm 2024; 21:4285-4296. [PMID: 38922328 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.4c00169] [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] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Abstract
Reversible self-association (RSA) of therapeutic proteins presents major challenges in the development of high-concentration formulations, especially those intended for subcutaneous administration. Understanding self-association mechanisms is therefore critical to the design and selection of candidates with acceptable developability to advance to clinical trials. The combination of experiments and in silico modeling presents a powerful tool to elucidate the interface of self-association. RSA of monoclonal antibodies has been studied extensively under different solution conditions and have been shown to involve interactions for both the antigen-binding fragment and the crystallizable fragment. Novel modalities such as bispecific antibodies, antigen-binding fragments, single-chain-variable fragments, and diabodies constitute a fast-growing class of antibody-based therapeutics that have unique physiochemical properties compared to monoclonal antibodies. In this study, the RSA interface of a diabody-interleukin 22 fusion protein (FP-1) was studied using hydrogen-deuterium exchange coupled with mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) in combination with in silico modeling. Taken together, the results show that a complex solution behavior underlies the self-association of FP-1 and that the interface thereof can be attributed to a specific segment in the variable light chain of the diabody. These findings also demonstrate that the combination of HDX-MS with in silico modeling is a powerful tool to guide the design and candidate selection of novel biotherapeutic modalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Eisinger
- Biologics Analytical Research and Development, AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Ludwigshafen 67061, Germany
| | - Harri Rahn
- Biologics Analytical Research and Development, AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Ludwigshafen 67061, Germany
| | - Yong Chen
- Biologics Analytical Research and Development, AbbVie Inc., North Chicago, Illinois 60061, United States
| | - Melissa Fernandes
- Biologics Drug Product Development, AbbVie Inc., North Chicago, Illinois 60061, United States
| | - Zhiyi Lin
- Biologics Drug Product Development, AbbVie Inc., North Chicago, Illinois 60061, United States
| | - Nikolai Hentze
- Biologics Analytical Research and Development, AbbVie Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Ludwigshafen 67061, Germany
| | - Davide Tavella
- Biotherapeutics and Genetic Medicine, AbbVie Inc., Worcester, Massachusetts 01604, United States
| | - Ehab M Moussa
- Biologics Drug Product Development, AbbVie Inc., North Chicago, Illinois 60061, United States
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5
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Armstrong GB, Lewis A, Shah V, Taylor P, Jamieson CJ, Burley GA, Lewis W, Rattray Z. A First Insight into the Developability of an Immunoglobulin G3: A Combined Computational and Experimental Approach. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2024; 7:2439-2451. [PMID: 39144567 PMCID: PMC11320737 DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.4c00271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 08/16/2024]
Abstract
Immunoglobulin G 3 (IgG3) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are high-value scaffolds for developing novel therapies. Despite their wide-ranging therapeutic potential, IgG3 physicochemical properties and developability characteristics remain largely under-characterized. Protein-protein interactions elevate solution viscosity in high-concentration formulations, impacting physicochemical stability, manufacturability, and the injectability of mAbs. Therefore, in this manuscript, the key molecular descriptors and biophysical properties of a model anti-IL-8 IgG1 and its IgG3 ortholog are characterized. A computational and experimental framework was applied to measure molecular descriptors impacting their downstream developability. Findings from this approach underpin a detailed understanding of the molecular characteristics of IgG3 mAbs as potential therapeutic entities. This work is the first report examining the manufacturability of IgG3 for high-concentration mAb formulations. While poorer conformational and colloidal stability and elevated solution viscosity were observed for IgG3, future efforts controlling surface potential through sequence-engineering of solvent-accessible patches can be used to improve biophysical parameters that dictate mAb developability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgina B. Armstrong
- Drug
Substance Development, GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, U.K.
- Strathclyde
Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0RE, U.K.
| | - Alan Lewis
- Computational
and Modelling Sciences, GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, U.K.
| | - Vidhi Shah
- Large
Molecule Discovery, GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, U.K.
| | - Paul Taylor
- Drug
Substance Development, GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, U.K.
| | - Craig J. Jamieson
- Department
of Pure and Applied Chemistry, University
of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XL, U.K.
| | - Glenn A. Burley
- Department
of Pure and Applied Chemistry, University
of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XL, U.K.
| | - William Lewis
- Drug
Substance Development, GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage SG1 2NY, U.K.
| | - Zahra Rattray
- Strathclyde
Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G4 0RE, U.K.
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6
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Larpent P, Codan L, Bothe JR, Iuzzolino L, Pabit S, Gupta S, Fischmann T, Su Y, Reichert P, Stueber D, Cote A. Small-Angle X-ray Scattering as a Powerful Tool for Phase and Crystallinity Assessment of Monoclonal Antibody Crystallites in Support of Batch Crystallization. Mol Pharm 2024; 21:4024-4037. [PMID: 38958508 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.4c00418] [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] [Indexed: 07/04/2024]
Abstract
Crystalline suspensions of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have great potential to improve drug substance isolation and purification on a large scale and to be used for drug delivery via high-concentration formulations. Crystalline mAb suspensions are expected to have enhanced chemical and physical properties relative to mAb solutions delivered intravenously, making them attractive candidates for subcutaneous delivery. In contrast to small molecules, the development of protein crystalline suspensions is not a widely used approach in the pharmaceutical industry. This is mainly due to the challenges in finding crystalline hits and the suboptimal physical properties of the resulting crystallites when hits are found. Modern advances in instrumentation and increased knowledge of mAb crystallization have, however, resulted in higher probabilities of discovering crystal forms and improving their particle properties and characterization. In this regard, physical, analytical characterization plays a central role in the initial steps of understanding and later optimizing the crystallization of mAbs and requires careful selection of the appropriate tools. This contribution describes a novel crystal structure of the antibody pembrolizumab and demonstrates the usefulness of small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) for characterizing its crystalline suspensions. It illustrates the advantages of SAXS when used to (i) confirm crystallinity and crystal phase of crystallites produced in batch mode; (ii) confirm crystallinity under various conditions and detect variations in crystal phases, enabling fine-tuning of the crystallizations for phase control across multiple batches; (iii) monitor the physical response and stability of the crystallites in suspension with regard to filtration and washing; and (iv) monitor the physical stability of the crystallites upon drying. Overall, this work highlights how SAXS is an essential tool for mAb crystallization characterization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Larpent
- Department of Analytical Research and Development, MSD Werthenstein BioPharma GmbH, Industrie Nord 1, 6105 Schachen, Switzerland
| | - Lorenzo Codan
- Department of Process Research and Development, MSD Werthenstein BioPharma GmbH, Industrie Nord 1, 6105 Schachen, Switzerland
| | - Jameson R Bothe
- Department of Analytical Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033, United States
| | - Luca Iuzzolino
- Department of Computational and Structural Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Suzette Pabit
- Department of Analytical Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Sudipta Gupta
- Department of Analytical Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania 19486, United States
| | - Thierry Fischmann
- Department of Protein and Structural Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033, United States
| | - Yongchao Su
- Department of Analytical Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Paul Reichert
- Department of Protein and Structural Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033, United States
| | - Dirk Stueber
- Department of Analytical Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Aaron Cote
- Department of Biologics Process Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033, United States
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7
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Kumar G, Ardekani AM. Concentration-Dependent Diffusion of Monoclonal Antibodies: Underlying Mechanisms of Anomalous Diffusion. Mol Pharm 2024; 21:2212-2222. [PMID: 38572979 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.3c00973] [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] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
The development, storage, transport, and subcutaneous delivery of highly concentrated monoclonal antibody formulations pose significant challenges due to the high solution viscosity and low diffusion of the antibody molecules in crowded environments. These issues often stem from the self-associating behavior of the antibody molecules, potentially leading to aggregation. In this work, we used a dissipative particle dynamics-based coarse-grained model to investigate the diffusion behavior of IgG1 antibody molecules in aqueous solutions with 15 and 32 mM NaCl and antibody concentrations ranging from 10 to 400 mg/mL. We determined the coarse-grained interaction parameters by matching the calculated structure factor with the computational and experimental data from the literature. Our results indicate Fickian diffusion for antibody concentrations of 10 and 25 mg/mL and anomalous diffusion for concentrations exceeding 50 mg/mL. The anomalous diffusion was observed for ∼0.33 to 0.4 μs, followed by Fickian diffusion for all antibody concentrations. We observed a strong linear correlation between the diffusion behavior of the antibody molecules (diffusion coefficient D and anomalous diffusion exponent α) and the amount of aggregates present in the solution and between the amount of aggregates and the Coulomb interaction energy. The investigation of underlying mechanisms for anomalous diffusion revealed that in crowded environments at high antibody concentrations, the attractive interaction between electrostatically complementary regions of the antibody molecules could further bring the neighboring molecules closer to one another, ultimately resulting in aggregate formation. Further, the Coulomb attraction can continue to draw more molecules together, forming larger aggregates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaurav Kumar
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - Arezoo M Ardekani
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
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8
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Prašnikar M, Proj M, Bjelošević Žiberna M, Lebar B, Knez B, Kržišnik N, Roškar R, Gobec S, Grabnar I, Žula A, Ahlin Grabnar P. The search for novel proline analogs for viscosity reduction and stabilization of highly concentrated monoclonal antibody solutions. Int J Pharm 2024; 655:124055. [PMID: 38554741 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.124055] [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: 02/12/2024] [Revised: 03/16/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
Administration of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) is currently focused on subcutaneous injection associated with increased patient adherence and reduced treatment cost, leading to sustainable healthcare. The main bottleneck is low volume that can be injected, requiring highly concentrated mAb solutions. The latter results in increased solution viscosity with pronounced mAb aggregation propensity because of intensive protein-protein interactions. Small molecule excipients have been proposed to restrict the protein-protein interactions, contributing to reduced viscosity. The aim of the study was to discover novel compounds that reduce the viscosity of highly concentrated mAb solution. First, the chemical space of proline analogs was explored and 35 compounds were determined. Viscosity measurements revealed that 18 proline analogs reduced the mAb solution viscosity similar to or more than proline. The compounds forming both electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions with mAb reduced the viscosity of the formulation more efficiently without detrimentally effecting mAb physical stability. A correlation between the level of interaction and viscosity-reducing effect was confirmed with molecular dynamic simulations. Structure rigidity of the compounds and aromaticity contributed to their viscosity-reducing effect, dependent on molecule size. The study results highlight the novel proline analogs as an effective approach in viscosity reduction in development of biopharmaceuticals for subcutaneous administration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Prašnikar
- University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Pharmacy, Aškerčeva cesta 7, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Matic Proj
- University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Pharmacy, Aškerčeva cesta 7, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | | | - Blaž Lebar
- Biologics Drug Product, Technical Research and Development, Global Drug Development, Novartis, Slovenia
| | - Benjamin Knez
- Biologics Drug Product, Technical Research and Development, Global Drug Development, Novartis, Slovenia
| | - Nika Kržišnik
- University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Pharmacy, Aškerčeva cesta 7, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Robert Roškar
- University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Pharmacy, Aškerčeva cesta 7, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Stanislav Gobec
- University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Pharmacy, Aškerčeva cesta 7, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Iztok Grabnar
- University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Pharmacy, Aškerčeva cesta 7, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Aleš Žula
- Biologics Drug Product, Technical Research and Development, Global Drug Development, Novartis, Slovenia
| | - Pegi Ahlin Grabnar
- University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Pharmacy, Aškerčeva cesta 7, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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9
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Tian Z, Jiang X, Chen Z, Huang C, Qian F. Quantifying Protein Shape to Elucidate Its Influence on Solution Viscosity in High-Concentration Electrolyte Solutions. Mol Pharm 2024; 21:1719-1728. [PMID: 38411904 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.3c01075] [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] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Therapeutic proteins with a high concentration and low viscosity are highly desirable for subcutaneous and certain local injections. The shape of a protein is known to influence solution viscosity; however, the precise quantification of protein shape and its relative impact compared to other factors like charge-charge interactions remains unclear. In this study, we utilized seven model proteins of varying shapes and experimentally determined their shape factors (v) based on Einstein's viscosity theory, which correlate strongly with the ratios of the proteins' surface area to the 2/3 power of their respective volumes, based on protein crystal structures resolved experimentally or predicted by AlphaFold. This finding confirms the feasibility of computationally estimating protein shape factors from amino acid sequences alone. Furthermore, our results demonstrated that, in high-concentration electrolyte solutions, a more spherical protein shape increases the protein's critical concentration (C*), the transition concentration beyond which protein viscosity increases exponentially relative to concentration increases. In summary, our work elucidates protein shape as a key determinant of solution viscosity through quantitative analysis and comparison with other contributing factors. This provides insights into molecular engineering strategies to optimize the molecular design of therapeutic proteins, thus optimizing their viscosity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhou Tian
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, and Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
| | - Xuling Jiang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, and Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
| | - Zhidong Chen
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, and Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
| | - Chengnan Huang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, and Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
| | - Feng Qian
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, and Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, P. R. China
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10
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Brudar S, Breydo L, Chung E, Dill KA, Ehterami N, Phadnis K, Senapati S, Shameem M, Tang X, Tayyab M, Hribar-Lee B. Antibody association in solution: cluster distributions and mechanisms. MAbs 2024; 16:2339582. [PMID: 38666507 PMCID: PMC11057677 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2024.2339582] [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: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding factors that affect the clustering and association of antibodies molecules in solution is critical to their development as therapeutics. For 19 different monoclonal antibody (mAb) solutions, we measured the viscosities, the second virial coefficients, the Kirkwood-Buff integrals, and the cluster distributions of the antibody molecules as functions of protein concentration. Solutions were modeled using the statistical-physics Wertheim liquid-solution theory, representing antibodies as Y-shaped molecular structures of seven beads each. We found that high-viscosity solutions result from more antibody molecules per cluster. Multi-body properties such as viscosity are well predicted experimentally by the 2-body Kirkwood-Buff quantity, G22, but not by the second virial coefficient, B22, and well-predicted theoretically from the Wertheim protein-protein sticking energy. Weakly interacting antibodies are rate-limited by nucleation; strongly interacting ones by propagation. This approach gives a way to relate micro to macro properties of solutions of associating proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandi Brudar
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Leonid Breydo
- Formulation Development Group, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | - Elisha Chung
- Formulation Development Group, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | - Ken A. Dill
- Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Nasim Ehterami
- Formulation Development Group, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | - Ketan Phadnis
- Formulation Development Group, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | - Samir Senapati
- Formulation Development Group, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | - Mohammed Shameem
- Formulation Development Group, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | - Xiaolin Tang
- Formulation Development Group, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | - Muhammmad Tayyab
- Formulation Development Group, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | - Barbara Hribar-Lee
- Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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11
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Park E, Izadi S. Molecular surface descriptors to predict antibody developability: sensitivity to parameters, structure models, and conformational sampling. MAbs 2024; 16:2362788. [PMID: 38853585 PMCID: PMC11168226 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2024.2362788] [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: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024] Open
Abstract
In silico assessment of antibody developability during early lead candidate selection and optimization is of paramount importance, offering a rapid and material-free screening approach. However, the predictive power and reproducibility of such methods depend heavily on the selection of molecular descriptors, model parameters, accuracy of predicted structure models, and conformational sampling techniques. Here, we present a set of molecular surface descriptors specifically designed for predicting antibody developability. We assess the performance of these descriptors by benchmarking their correlations with an extensive array of experimentally determined biophysical properties, including viscosity, aggregation, hydrophobic interaction chromatography, human pharmacokinetic clearance, heparin retention time, and polyspecificity. Further, we investigate the sensitivity of these surface descriptors to methodological nuances, such as the choice of interior dielectric constant, hydrophobicity scales, structure prediction methods, and the impact of conformational sampling. Notably, we observe systematic shifts in the distribution of surface descriptors depending on the structure prediction method used, driving weak correlations of surface descriptors across structure models. Averaging the descriptor values over conformational distributions from molecular dynamics mitigates the systematic shifts and improves the consistency across different structure prediction methods, albeit with inconsistent improvements in correlations with biophysical data. Based on our benchmarking analysis, we propose six in silico developability risk flags and assess their effectiveness in predicting potential developability issues for a set of case study molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliott Park
- Pharmaceutical Development, Genentech Inc, South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Saeed Izadi
- Pharmaceutical Development, Genentech Inc, South San Francisco, CA, USA
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12
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Makowski EK, Chen HT, Wang T, Wu L, Huang J, Mock M, Underhill P, Pelegri-O’Day E, Maglalang E, Winters D, Tessier PM. Reduction of monoclonal antibody viscosity using interpretable machine learning. MAbs 2024; 16:2303781. [PMID: 38475982 PMCID: PMC10939158 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2024.2303781] [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: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Early identification of antibody candidates with drug-like properties is essential for simplifying the development of safe and effective antibody therapeutics. For subcutaneous administration, it is important to identify candidates with low self-association to enable their formulation at high concentration while maintaining low viscosity, opalescence, and aggregation. Here, we report an interpretable machine learning model for predicting antibody (IgG1) variants with low viscosity using only the sequences of their variable (Fv) regions. Our model was trained on antibody viscosity data (>100 mg/mL mAb concentration) obtained at a common formulation pH (pH 5.2), and it identifies three key Fv features of antibodies linked to viscosity, namely their isoelectric points, hydrophobic patch sizes, and numbers of negatively charged patches. Of the three features, most predicted antibodies at risk for high viscosity, including antibodies with diverse antibody germlines in our study (79 mAbs) as well as clinical-stage IgG1s (94 mAbs), are those with low Fv isoelectric points (Fv pIs < 6.3). Our model identifies viscous antibodies with relatively high accuracy not only in our training and test sets, but also for previously reported data. Importantly, we show that the interpretable nature of the model enables the design of mutations that significantly reduce antibody viscosity, which we confirmed experimentally. We expect that this approach can be readily integrated into the drug development process to reduce the need for experimental viscosity screening and improve the identification of antibody candidates with drug-like properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily K. Makowski
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Hsin-Ting Chen
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Tiexin Wang
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Lina Wu
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jie Huang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Marissa Mock
- Therapeutic Discovery, Research, Amgen Inc, Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
| | - Patrick Underhill
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA
| | | | - Erick Maglalang
- Drug Product Technologies, Amgen Inc, Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
| | - Dwight Winters
- Therapeutic Discovery, Research, Amgen Inc, Thousand Oaks, CA, USA
| | - Peter M. Tessier
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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13
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Karppanen H, Halahlah A, Kilpeläinen PO, Mikkonen KS, Ho TM. Gel characteristics of low-acetyl spruce galactoglucomannans. Carbohydr Polym 2023; 321:121316. [PMID: 37739540 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121316] [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: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 08/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023]
Abstract
Galactoglucomannans (GGM) recovered from abundant forest industry side-streams has been widely recognized as a renewable hydrocolloid. The low molar mass and presence of O-acetyl side-groups results in low viscous dispersions and weak intermolecular interactions that make GGM unsuitable for hydrogel formation, unless forcefully chemically derivatized and/or crosslinked with other polymers. Here we present the characterization of hydrogels prepared from GGM after tailoring the degree of acetylation by alkaline treatment during its recovery. Specifically, we investigated gel characteristics of low-acetyl GGM dispersions prepared at varied solid concentrations (5, 10 and 15 %) and pH (4, 7 and 10), and then subjected to ultrasonication. The results indicated that low-acetyl GGM dispersions formed gels (G' > G″) at all other studied solid concentration and pH level combinations except 5 % and pH 4. High pH levels, leading to further removal of acetyl groups, and high solid concentration facilitated the gel formation. GGM hydrogels were weak gels with strong shear-thinning behavior and thixotropic properties, and high hardness and water holding capacity; which were enhanced with increased pH and solid concentration, and prolonged storage time. Our study showed the possibility to utilize low-acetyl GGM as mildly processed gelling or thickening agents, and renewable materials for bio-based hydrogels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henrik Karppanen
- Department of Food and Nutrition, P.O. Box 66, FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Abedalghani Halahlah
- Department of Food and Nutrition, P.O. Box 66, FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Petri O Kilpeläinen
- Biorefinery and Bioproducts, Production Systems Unit - Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Viikinkaari 9, FI-00790 HU, Finland
| | - Kirsi S Mikkonen
- Department of Food and Nutrition, P.O. Box 66, FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland; Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), P.O. Box 65, FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Thao M Ho
- Department of Food and Nutrition, P.O. Box 66, FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland; Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), P.O. Box 65, FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland.
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14
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Meza NP, Hardy CA, Morin KH, Huang C, Raghava S, Song J, Zhang J, Wang Y. Predicting Colloidal Stability of High-Concentration Monoclonal Antibody Formulations in Common Pharmaceutical Buffers Using Improved Polyethylene Glycol Induced Protein Precipitation Assay. Mol Pharm 2023; 20:5842-5855. [PMID: 37867303 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.3c00694] [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] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
Colloidal stability is an important consideration when developing high concentration mAb formulations. PEG-induced protein precipitation is a commonly used assay to assess the colloidal stability of protein solutions. However, the practical usefulness and the current theoretical model for this assay have yet to be verified over a large formulation space across multiple mAbs and mAb-based modalities. In the present study, we used PEG-induced protein precipitation assays to evaluate colloidal stability of 3 mAbs in 24 common formulation buffers at 20 and 5 °C. These prediction assays were conducted at low protein concentration (1 mg/mL). We also directly characterized high concentration (100 mg/mL) formulations for cold-induced phase separation, turbidity, and concentratibility by ultrafiltration. This systematic study allowed analysis of the correlation between the results of low concentration assays and the high concentration attributes. The key findings of this study include the following: (1) verification of the usefulness of three different parameters (Cmid, μB, and Tcloud) from PEG-induced protein precipitation assays for ranking colloidal stability of high concentration mAb formulations; (2) a new method to implement PEG-induced protein precipitation assay suitable for high throughput screening with low sample consumption; (3) improvement in the theoretical model for calculating robust thermodynamic parameters of colloidal stability (μB and εB) that are independent of specific experimental settings; (4) systematic evaluation of the effects of pH and buffer salts on colloidal stability of mAbs in common formulation buffers. These findings provide improved theoretical and practical tools for assessing the colloidal stability of mAbs and mAb-based modalities during formulation development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noemi P Meza
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina 28403, United States
| | - Colin A Hardy
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina 28403, United States
| | - Kylie H Morin
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina 28403, United States
| | - Chengbin Huang
- Analytical Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Smita Raghava
- Sterile and Specialty Products, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Jing Song
- Analytical Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Jingtao Zhang
- Analytical Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Ying Wang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina 28403, United States
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15
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Vitharana S, Stillahn JM, Katayama DS, Henry CS, Manning MC. Application of Formulation Principles to Stability Issues Encountered During Processing, Manufacturing, and Storage of Drug Substance and Drug Product Protein Therapeutics. J Pharm Sci 2023; 112:2724-2751. [PMID: 37572779 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2023.08.003] [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: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
The field of formulation and stabilization of protein therapeutics has become rather extensive. However, most of the focus has been on stabilization of the final drug product. Yet, proteins experience stress and degradation through the manufacturing process, starting with fermentaition. This review describes how formulation principles can be applied to stabilize biopharmaceutical proteins during bioprocessing and manufacturing, considering each unit operation involved in prepration of the drug substance. In addition, the impact of the container on stabilty is discussed as well.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Joshua M Stillahn
- Legacy BioDesign LLC, Johnstown, CO 80534, USA; Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | | | - Charles S Henry
- Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Mark Cornell Manning
- Legacy BioDesign LLC, Johnstown, CO 80534, USA; Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
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16
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Mieczkowski CA. The Evolution of Commercial Antibody Formulations. J Pharm Sci 2023; 112:1801-1810. [PMID: 37037341 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2023.03.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/12/2023]
Abstract
It has been nearly four decades since the first therapeutic monoclonal antibodies were approved and made available for widespread human use. Herein, US and EU approved antibody formulations are reviewed, and their nature and compositions are evaluated over time. From 1986 through Jan 2023, significant formulation trends have occurred and to represent this, 165 commercial antibody therapeutic formulations were binned into 5 different periods of time. Overall, we have observed the following: 1) The average formulation pH has decreased in recent years by over 0.5 units along with a decrease in variability that is largely driven by non-high concentration liquid in vial presentations for IV administration, 2) The use of certain excipients and buffers such as histidine, sucrose, metal chelators, arginine and methionine has become significantly more common, whereas formulations that contain phosphate, salt, no sugar or no surfactant have fallen out of favor, 3) Overall formulation space has increasingly become more homogenous and has converged in terms of formulation pH and excipient preferences regardless of formulation concentration, drug product presentation, and route of administration, 4) The average calculated isoelectric point (pI) has decreased 0.26 units, and 5) Overall, the average formulation pH and calculated pI for all commercial antibodies surveyed was 6.0 and 8.4, respectively. These trends and formulation convergence may be driven by multiple factors such as advancements in high-throughput computational and analytical technologies, the increased emphasis and understanding of certain developability attributes and formulation principles during lead selection and formulation development, and the adoption of low-risk development platform approaches.
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17
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Mills BJ, Godamudunage MP, Ren S, Laha M. Predictive Nature of High-Throughput Assays in ADC Formulation Screening. J Pharm Sci 2023; 112:1821-1831. [PMID: 37037342 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2023.03.021] [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: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/12/2023]
Abstract
Utilization of high-throughput biophysical screening techniques during early screening studies is warranted due to the limited amount of material and large number of samples. But the predictability of the data to longer-term storage stability is critical as the high-throughput methods assist in defining the design space for the longer-term studies. In this study, the biophysical properties of two ADCs in 16 formulation conditions were evaluated using high-throughput techniques. Conformational stability and colloidal stability were evaluated by determining Tm values, kD, B22, and Tagg. In addition, the samples were placed on stability and the extent of aggregate formation over the 8-week interval was determined. The rank order of the 16 different formulations in the high-throughput assays was compared to the rank order observed during the stability studies to assess the predictive capabilities of the screening methods. It was demonstrated that similar rank orders can be expected between high-throughput physical stability indicating assays such as Tagg and B22 and traditional aggregation by SEC data, whereas conformational stability read-outs (Tm) are less predictive. In addition, the high-throughput assays appropriately identified the poor performing formulation conditions, which is ultimately what is desired of screening assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittney J Mills
- Biologics CMC Drug Product Development, AbbVie Inc., 1 N Waukegan Road, North Chicago, IL 60064, United States.
| | - Malika P Godamudunage
- Biologics CMC Drug Product Development, AbbVie Inc., 1 N Waukegan Road, North Chicago, IL 60064, United States
| | - Siyuan Ren
- Biologics CMC Drug Product Development, AbbVie Inc., 1 N Waukegan Road, North Chicago, IL 60064, United States
| | - Malabika Laha
- Biologics CMC Drug Product Development, AbbVie Inc., 1 N Waukegan Road, North Chicago, IL 60064, United States
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18
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Desai PG, Garidel P, Gbormittah FO, Kamen DE, Mills BJ, Narasimhan CN, Singh S, Stokes ESE, Walsh ER. An Intercompany Perspective on Practical Experiences of Predicting, Optimizing and Analyzing High Concentration Biologic Therapeutic Formulations. J Pharm Sci 2023; 112:359-369. [PMID: 36442683 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2022.11.020] [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: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Developing high-dose biologic drugs for subcutaneous injection often requires high-concentration formulations and optimizing viscosity, solubility, and stability while overcoming analytical, manufacturing, and administration challenges. To understand industry approaches for developing high-concentration formulations, the Formulation Workstream of the BioPhorum Development Group, an industry-wide consortium, conducted an inter-company collaborative exercise which included several surveys. This collaboration provided an industry perspective, experience, and insight into the practicalities for developing high-concentration biologics. To understand solubility and viscosity, companies desire predictive tools, but experience indicates that these are not reliable and experimental strategies are best. Similarly, most companies prefer accelerated and stress stability studies to in-silico or biophysical-based prediction methods to assess aggregation. In addition, optimization of primary container-closure and devices are pursued to mitigate challenges associated with high viscosity of the formulation. Formulation strategies including excipient selection and application of studies at low concentration to high-concentration formulations are reported. Finally, analytical approaches to high concentration formulations are presented. The survey suggests that although prediction of viscosity, solubility, and long-term stability is desirable, the outcome can be inconsistent and molecule dependent. Significant experimental studies are required to confirm robust product definition as modeling at low protein concentrations will not necessarily extrapolate to high concentration formulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Preeti G Desai
- Bristol Myers Squibb, Sterile Product Development, 556 Morris Avenue, Summit, NJ 07901, USA
| | - Patrick Garidel
- Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH Co KG, Innovation Unit, PDB-TIP, 88397 Biberach an der Riss, Germany
| | - Francisca O Gbormittah
- GlaxoSmithKline, Strategic External Development, 1000 Winter Street North, Waltham, MA 02451, USA
| | - Douglas E Kamen
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., Formulation Development, 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY 10591, USA
| | - Brittney J Mills
- AbbVie, NBE Drug Product Development, 1 N Waukegan Road, North Chicago, IL 60064, USA
| | | | - Shubhadra Singh
- GlaxoSmithKline R&D, Biopharmaceutical Product Sciences, Collegeville, PA 19426, USA
| | - Elaine S E Stokes
- BioPhorum, The Gridiron Building, 1 Pancras Square, London N1C 4AG UK.
| | - Erika R Walsh
- Merck & Co., Inc., Sterile and Specialty Products, Rahway, NJ, USA
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19
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Schmitt J, Razvi A, Grapentin C. Predictive modeling of concentration-dependent viscosity behavior of monoclonal antibody solutions using artificial neural networks. MAbs 2023; 15:2169440. [PMID: 36705325 PMCID: PMC9888472 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2023.2169440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Solutions of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) can show increased viscosity at high concentration, which can be a disadvantage during protein purification, filling, and administration. The viscosity is determined by protein-protein-interactions, which are influenced by the antibody's sequence as well as solution conditions, like pH, buffer type, or the presence of salts and other excipients. To predict viscosity, experimental parameters, like the diffusion interaction parameter (kD), or computational tools harnessing information derived from primary sequence, are often used, but a reliable predictive tool is still missing. We present a modeling approach employing artificial neural networks (ANNs) using experimental factors combined with simulation-derived parameters plus viscosity data from 27 highly concentrated (180 mg/mL) mAbs. These ANNs can be used to predict if mAbs exhibit problematic viscosity at distinct concentrations or to model viscosity-concentration-curves.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Abbas Razvi
- Lonza AG/Ltd, Drug Product Services, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Christoph Grapentin
- Lonza AG/Ltd, Drug Product Services, Basel, Switzerland,CONTACT Christoph Grapentin
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20
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Ghosh I, Gutka H, Krause ME, Clemens R, Kashi RS. A systematic review of commercial high concentration antibody drug products approved in the US: formulation composition, dosage form design and primary packaging considerations. MAbs 2023; 15:2205540. [PMID: 37243580 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2023.2205540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Revised: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Three critical aspects that define high concentration antibody products (HCAPs) are as follows: 1) formulation composition, 2) dosage form, and 3) primary packaging configuration. HCAPs have become successful in the therapeutic sector due to their unique advantage of allowing subcutaneous self-administration. Technical challenges, such as physical and chemical instability, viscosity, delivery volume limitations, and product immunogenicity, can hinder successful development and commercialization of HCAPs. Such challenges can be overcome by robust formulation and process development strategies, as well as rational selection of excipients and packaging components. We compiled and analyzed data from US Food and Drug Administration-approved and marketed HCAPs that are ≥100 mg/mL to identify trends in formulation composition and quality target product profile. This review presents our findings and discusses novel formulation and processing technologies that enable the development of improved HCAPs at ≥200 mg/mL. The observed trends can be used as a guide for further advancements in the development of HCAPs as more complex antibody-based modalities enter biologics product development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indrajit Ghosh
- Sterile Product Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Hiten Gutka
- Sterile Product Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Mary E Krause
- Sterile Product Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Ryan Clemens
- College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, USA
| | - Ramesh S Kashi
- Sterile Product Development, Bristol Myers Squibb, Summit, NJ, USA
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21
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Mieczkowski C, Zhang X, Lee D, Nguyen K, Lv W, Wang Y, Zhang Y, Way J, Gries JM. Blueprint for antibody biologics developability. MAbs 2023; 15:2185924. [PMID: 36880643 PMCID: PMC10012935 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2023.2185924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Large-molecule antibody biologics have revolutionized medicine owing to their superior target specificity, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties, safety and toxicity profiles, and amenability to versatile engineering. In this review, we focus on preclinical antibody developability, including its definition, scope, and key activities from hit to lead optimization and selection. This includes generation, computational and in silico approaches, molecular engineering, production, analytical and biophysical characterization, stability and forced degradation studies, and process and formulation assessments. More recently, it is apparent these activities not only affect lead selection and manufacturability, but ultimately correlate with clinical progression and success. Emerging developability workflows and strategies are explored as part of a blueprint for developability success that includes an overview of the four major molecular properties that affect all developability outcomes: 1) conformational, 2) chemical, 3) colloidal, and 4) other interactions. We also examine risk assessment and mitigation strategies that increase the likelihood of success for moving the right candidate into the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl Mieczkowski
- Department of Protein Sciences, Hengenix Biotech, Inc, Milpitas, CA, USA
| | - Xuejin Zhang
- Department of Protein Sciences, Hengenix Biotech, Inc, Milpitas, CA, USA
| | - Dana Lee
- Department of Protein Sciences, Hengenix Biotech, Inc, Milpitas, CA, USA
| | - Khanh Nguyen
- Department of Protein Sciences, Hengenix Biotech, Inc, Milpitas, CA, USA
| | - Wei Lv
- Department of Protein Sciences, Hengenix Biotech, Inc, Milpitas, CA, USA
| | - Yanling Wang
- Department of Protein Sciences, Hengenix Biotech, Inc, Milpitas, CA, USA
| | - Yue Zhang
- Department of Protein Sciences, Hengenix Biotech, Inc, Milpitas, CA, USA
| | - Jackie Way
- Department of Protein Sciences, Hengenix Biotech, Inc, Milpitas, CA, USA
| | - Jean-Michel Gries
- President, Discovery Research, Hengenix Biotech, Inc, Milpitas, CA, USA
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22
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Farzan M, Ross A, Müller C, Allmendinger A. Liquid crystal phase formation and non-Newtonian behavior of oligonucleotide formulations. Eur J Pharm Biopharm 2022; 181:270-281. [PMID: 36435312 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpb.2022.11.021] [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: 09/26/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Viscosity behavior of liquid oligonucleotide therapeutics and its dependence on formulation properties has been poorly studied to date. We observed a high increase in viscosity and solidification of therapeutic oligonucleotide formulations with increasing oligonucleotide concentration creating challenges during drug product manufacturing. In this study, we characterized the viscosity behavior of three different single strand DNA oligonucleotides based on oligonucleotide concentration and formulation composition. We subsequently studied the underlying mechanism for increased viscosity at higher oligonucleotide concentrations by dynamic light scattering (DLS), 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and polarized light microscopy. Viscosity was highly dependent on formulation composition, oligonucleotide sequence, and concentration, and especially dependent on the presence and combination of different individual ions, such as the presence of sodium chloride in the formulation. In samples with elevated viscosity, the viscosity behavior was characterized by non-Newtonian, shear-thinning flow behavior. We further studied these samples by DLS and 1H NMR, which revealed the presence of supra-molecular assemblies, and further characterization by polarized light and DSC characterized these assemblies as liquid crystals in the formulation. The present study links the macroscopic viscosity behavior of oligonucleotide formulations to the formation of supra-molecular assemblies and to the presence of liquid crystals, and highlights the importance of formulation composition selection for these therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Farzan
- Pharmaceutical Development & Supplies, Pharmaceutical Technical Development Biologics Europe, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Grenzacherstr. 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Alfred Ross
- Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Grenzacherstr. 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Claudia Müller
- Pharmaceutical Development & Supplies, Pharmaceutical Technical Development Biologics Europe, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Grenzacherstr. 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Allmendinger
- Pharmaceutical Development & Supplies, Pharmaceutical Technical Development Biologics Europe, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Grenzacherstr. 124, 4070 Basel, Switzerland; Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmacy, University of Freiburg, Sonnenstr. 5, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.
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23
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Banik N, Braun S, Gerit Brandenburg J, Fricker G, Kalonia DS, Rosenkranz T. Technology development to evaluate the effectiveness of viscosity reducing excipients. Int J Pharm 2022; 626:122204. [PMID: 36116691 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2022.122204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/11/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Addition of pharmaceutical excipients is a commonly used approach to decrease the viscosity of highly concentrated protein formulations, which otherwise could not be subcutaneously injected or processed. The variety of protein-protein interactions, which are responsible for increased viscosities, makes a portfolio approach necessary. Screening of several excipients to develop such a portfolio is time and money consuming in industrial settings. Responsible protein-protein interactions were investigated using the interaction parameter kD obtained from dynamic light scattering measurements in the studies presented herein. Together with in-silico calculated excipient parameter, kD could be used as a screening tool accelerating screening and formulation development as kD is suitable to high-throughput formats using small quantities of protein and low concentrations. A qualitative correlation between kD and high-concentration viscosity behavior could be shown in our case.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niels Banik
- Biomolecule Formulation, Merck KGaA, Frankfurter Straße 250, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany; Institute for Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Ruprecht-Karls-University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 329, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stefan Braun
- Biomolecule Formulation, Merck KGaA, Frankfurter Straße 250, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Jan Gerit Brandenburg
- Chief Science and Technology Office, Merck KGaA, Frankfurter Straße 250, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Gert Fricker
- Institute for Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Ruprecht-Karls-University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 329, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Devendra S Kalonia
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, United States
| | - Tobias Rosenkranz
- Biomolecule Formulation, Merck KGaA, Frankfurter Straße 250, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany.
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24
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Shahfar H, O'Brien CJ, Budyak IL, Roberts CJ. Predicting Experimental B22 Values and the Effects of Histidine Charge States for Monoclonal Antibodies Using Coarse-Grained Molecular Simulations. Mol Pharm 2022; 19:3820-3830. [PMID: 36194430 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.2c00337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Static light scattering (SLS) was used to characterize five monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) as a function of total ionic strength (TIS) at pH values between 5.5 and 7.0. Second osmotic virial coefficient (B22) values were determined experimentally for each MAb as a function of TIS using low protein concentration SLS data. Coarse-grained molecular simulations were performed to predict the B22 values for each MAb at a given pH and TIS. To include the effect of charge fluctuations of titratable residues in the B22 calculations, a statistical approach was introduced in the Monte Carlo algorithm based on the protonation probability based on a given pH value and the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation. The charged residues were allowed to fluctuate individually, based on the sampled microstates and the influence of electrostatic interactions on net protein-protein interactions during the simulations. Compared to static charge simulations, the new approach provided improved results compared to experimental B22 values at pH conditions near the pKa of titratable residues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassan Shahfar
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware19716, United States
| | - Christopher J O'Brien
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware19716, United States
| | - Ivan L Budyak
- Bioproduct Research and Development, Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, Indiana46285, United States
| | - Christopher J Roberts
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware19716, United States
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25
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Virk SS, Underhill PT. Application of a Simple Short-Range Attraction and Long-Range Repulsion Colloidal Model toward Predicting the Viscosity of Protein Solutions. Mol Pharm 2022; 19:4233-4240. [PMID: 36129361 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.2c00582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Some hard-sphere colloidal models have been criticized for inaccurately predicting the solution viscosity of complex biological molecules like proteins. Competing short-range attractions and long-range repulsions, also known as short-range attraction and long-range repulsion (SALR) interactions, have been thought to affect the microstructure of a protein solution at low to moderate ionic strength. However, such interactions have been implicated primarily in causing phase transition, protein gelation, or reversible cluster formation, and their effect on protein solution viscosity change is not fully understood. In this work, we show the application of a hard-sphere colloidal model with SALR interactions toward predicting the viscosity of dilute to semi-dilute protein solutions. The comparison is performed for a globular-shaped albumin and Y-shaped therapeutic monoclonal antibody that are not explained by previous colloidal models. The model predictions show that it is the coupling between attractions and repulsions that gives rise to the observed experimental trends in solution viscosity as a function of pH, concentration, and ionic strength. The parameters of the model are obtained from measurements of the second virial coefficient and net surface charge/zeta-potential, without additional fitting of the viscosity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabitoj Singh Virk
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, New York 12180, United States
| | - Patrick T Underhill
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 110 8th Street, Troy, New York 12180, United States
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26
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Ye Q, Ding M, Zhang P, Wu P, Wang Y, Selomulya C, Chen XD. Visual Monitoring of Disintegration of Solid Oral Dosage Forms in Simulated Gastric Fluids Using Low-Field NMR Imaging. AAPS PharmSciTech 2022; 23:246. [PMID: 36050431 DOI: 10.1208/s12249-022-02401-x] [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: 07/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Compared to traditional drug release monitoring with manual sampling and testing procedures, low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) imaging is a one-step, visual, non-destructive, and non-invasive measurement method. Here, we reported the application of LF-NMR to image the morphology, component, sub-diffusion, and spatial distribution of a solid oral formulation, Biyankang tablets, during dissolution in vitro. The drug ingredients with characteristic relaxation times were distinguished and localized based on the signal of standards, such as patchouli oil, Xanthium strumarium extract, and starch. The hydration, swelling, disintegration, and sub-diffusion of tablets in simulated gastric fluids (SGF) were visualized statically. All tablets showed similar expansion (37.4-42.0%) along the direction of thickness at 25 min and reached a full disintegration at 145 min, at pH 1.80-6.15, indicating pH-independent swelling and disintegration. Compared to that static immersion within 20 mL SGF, the tablet disintegration time was shortened by ~ 11% in 30 mL SGF. The application of shear reduced the time by ~ 28%, suggesting a major role of hydrodynamic condition in tablet dissolution. The ability to simultaneously visualize, distinguish, and localize drug ingredients using LF-NMR is expected to provide valuable information to develop drug release monitoring systems in vitro and potentially in vivo using small animal studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianyu Ye
- The Life Quality Engineering Interest Group, School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China.,School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Meilai Ding
- The Life Quality Engineering Interest Group, School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Ping Zhang
- The Life Quality Engineering Interest Group, School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Peng Wu
- The Life Quality Engineering Interest Group, School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China.
| | - Yong Wang
- School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Cordelia Selomulya
- School of Chemical Engineering, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Xiao Dong Chen
- The Life Quality Engineering Interest Group, School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215123, China.
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27
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Lauser KT, Rueter AL, Calabrese MA. Polysorbate identity and quantity dictate the extensional flow properties of protein‐excipient solutions. AIChE J 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/aic.17850] [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)
- Kathleen T. Lauser
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota
| | - Amy L. Rueter
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota
| | - Michelle A. Calabrese
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota
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28
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Laber JR, Laue TM, Filoti DI. Use of Debye-Hückel-Henry charge measurements in early antibody development elucidates effects of non-specific association. Antib Ther 2022; 5:211-215. [PMID: 35983303 PMCID: PMC9380711 DOI: 10.1093/abt/tbac018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The diffusion interaction parameter (kD) has been demonstrated to be a high-throughput technique for characterizing interactions between proteins in solution. kD reflects both attractive and repulsive interactions, including long-ranged electrostatic repulsions. Here, we plot the mutual diffusion coefficient (Dm) as a function of the experimentally determined Debye-Hückel-Henry surface charge (ZDHH) for seven human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in 15 mM histidine, pH 6. We find that graphs of Dm versus ZDHH intersect at ZDHH, ~ 2.6, independent of protein concentration. The same data plotted as kD vs. ZDHH shows a transition from net attractive to net repulsive interactions in the same region of the ZDHH intersection point. These data suggest that there is a minimum surface charge necessary on these mAbs needed to overcome attractive interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua R Laber
- Formulation and Biologics Product Development, Nektar Therapeutics , 455 Mission Bay Boulevard South, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Thomas M Laue
- Carpenter Professor Emeritus, University of New Hampshire , Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - Dana I Filoti
- Analytical Research and Development, AbbVie , 100 Research Drive, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
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29
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Meleties M, Martineau RL, Gupta MK, Montclare JK. Particle-Based Microrheology As a Tool for Characterizing Protein-Based Materials. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2022; 8:2747-2763. [PMID: 35678203 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.2c00035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Microrheology based on video microscopy of embedded tracer particles has the potential to be used for high-throughput protein-based materials characterization. This potential is due to a number of characteristics of the techniques, including the suitability for measurement of low sample volumes, noninvasive and noncontact measurements, and the ability to set up a large number of samples for facile, sequential measurement. In addition to characterization of the bulk rheological properties of proteins in solution, for example, viscosity, microrheology can provide insight into the dynamics and self-assembly of protein-based materials as well as heterogeneities in the microenvironment being probed. Specifically, passive microrheology in the form of multiple particle tracking and differential dynamic microscopy holds promise for applications in high-throughput characterization because of the lack of user interaction required while making measurements. Herein, recent developments in the use of multiple particle tracking and differential dynamic microscopy are reviewed for protein characterization and their potential to be applied in a high-throughput, automatable setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Meleties
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, New York, New York 11201, United States
| | - Rhett L Martineau
- Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433, United States.,Biological and Nanoscale Technologies Division, UES Inc., Dayton, Ohio 45432, United States
| | - Maneesh K Gupta
- Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 45433, United States
| | - Jin Kim Montclare
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Tandon School of Engineering, New York University, New York, New York 11201, United States.,Department of Radiology, New York University Langone Health, New York, New York 10016, United States.,Department of Biomaterials, College of Dentistry, New York University, New York, New York 10010, United States.,Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, New York 10003, United States
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30
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Lai PK. DeepSCM: An efficient convolutional neural network surrogate model for the screening of therapeutic antibody viscosity. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2022; 20:2143-2152. [PMID: 35832619 PMCID: PMC9092385 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2022.04.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Predicting high concentration antibody viscosity is essential for developing subcutaneous administration. Computer simulations provide promising tools to reach this aim. One such model is the spatial charge map (SCM) proposed by Agrawal and coworkers (mAbs. 2015, 8(1):43-48). SCM applies molecular dynamics simulations to calculate a score for the screening of antibody viscosity at high concentrations. However, molecular dynamics simulations are computationally costly and require structural information, a significant application bottleneck. In this work, high throughput computing was performed to calculate the SCM scores for 6596 nonredundant antibody variable regions. A convolutional neural network surrogate model, DeepSCM, requiring only sequence information, was then developed based on this dataset. The linear correlation coefficient of the DeepSCM and SCM scores achieved 0.9 on the test set (N = 1320). The DeepSCM model was applied to screen the viscosity of 38 therapeutic antibodies that SCM correctly classified and resulted in only one misclassification. The DeepSCM model will facilitate high concentration antibody viscosity screening. The code and parameters are freely available at https://github.com/Lailabcode/DeepSCM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pin-Kuang Lai
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken 07030, NJ, United States
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31
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Nakauchi Y, Nishinami S, Murakami Y, Ogura T, Kano H, Shiraki K. Opalescence Arising from Network Assembly in Antibody Solution. Mol Pharm 2022; 19:1160-1167. [PMID: 35274955 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.1c00929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Opalescence of therapeutic antibody solutions is one of the concerns in drug formulation. However, the mechanistic insights into the opalescence of antibody solutions remain unclear. Here, we investigated the assembly states of antibody molecules as a function of antibody concentration. The solutions of bovine gamma globulin and human immunoglobulin G at around 100 mg/mL showed the formation of submicron-scale network assemblies. The network assembly resulted in the appearance of opalescence with a transparent blue color without the precipitates of antibodies. Furthermore, the addition of trehalose and arginine, previously known to act as protein stabilizers and protein aggregation suppressors, was able to suppress the opalescence arising from the network assembly. These results will provide an important information for evaluating and improving protein formulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshitaka Nakauchi
- Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba 305-8573, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Suguru Nishinami
- Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba 305-8573, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Yusuke Murakami
- Ph.D. Program in Humanics, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba 305-8577, Ibaraki, Japan.,International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba 305-8575, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Toshihiko Ogura
- Health and Medical Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Higashi, Tsukuba 305-8566, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Hideaki Kano
- Department of Chemistry, Kyusyu University, 744, Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka-shi 819-0395, Fukuoka, Japan
| | - Kentaro Shiraki
- Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba 305-8573, Ibaraki, Japan
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32
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Gupta P, Makowski EK, Kumar S, Zhang Y, Scheer JM, Tessier PM. Antibodies with Weakly Basic Isoelectric Points Minimize Trade-offs between Formulation and Physiological Colloidal Properties. Mol Pharm 2022; 19:775-787. [PMID: 35108018 PMCID: PMC9350878 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.1c00373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The widespread interest in antibody therapeutics has led to much focus on identifying antibody candidates with favorable developability properties. In particular, there is broad interest in identifying antibody candidates with highly repulsive self-interactions in standard formulations (e.g., low ionic strength buffers at pH 5-6) for high solubility and low viscosity. Likewise, there is also broad interest in identifying antibody candidates with low levels of non-specific interactions in physiological solution conditions (PBS, pH 7.4) to promote favorable pharmacokinetic properties. To what extent antibodies that possess both highly repulsive self-interactions in standard formulations and weak non-specific interactions in physiological solution conditions can be systematically identified remains unclear and is a potential impediment to successful therapeutic drug development. Here, we evaluate these two properties for 42 IgG1 variants based on the variable fragments (Fvs) from four clinical-stage antibodies and complementarity-determining regions from 10 clinical-stage antibodies. Interestingly, we find that antibodies with the strongest repulsive self-interactions in a standard formulation (pH 6 and 10 mM histidine) display the strongest non-specific interactions in physiological solution conditions. Conversely, antibodies with the weakest non-specific interactions under physiological conditions display the least repulsive self-interactions in standard formulations. This behavior can be largely explained by the antibody isoelectric point, as highly basic antibodies that are highly positively charged under standard formulation conditions (pH 5-6) promote repulsive self-interactions that mediate high colloidal stability but also mediate strong non-specific interactions with negatively charged biomolecules at physiological pH and vice versa for antibodies with negatively charged Fv regions. Therefore, IgG1s with weakly basic isoelectric points between 8 and 8.5 and Fv isoelectric points between 7.5 and 9 typically display the best combinations of strong repulsive self-interactions and weak non-specific interactions. We expect that these findings will improve the identification and engineering of antibody candidates with drug-like biophysical properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka Gupta
- Biochemistry and Biophysics Department, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180, United States.,Biotherapeutics Molecule Discovery Department, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc., Ridgefield, Connecticut 06877, United States
| | - Emily K Makowski
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Sandeep Kumar
- Biotherapeutics Molecule Discovery Department, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc., Ridgefield, Connecticut 06877, United States
| | - Yulei Zhang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | - Justin M Scheer
- Biotherapeutics Molecule Discovery Department, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc., Ridgefield, Connecticut 06877, United States.,Janssen R&D, South San Francisco, California 94080, United States
| | - Peter M Tessier
- Biochemistry and Biophysics Department, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York 12180, United States.,Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States.,Department of Chemical Engineering, Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
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33
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Utility of High Resolution 2D NMR Fingerprinting in Assessing Viscosity of Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies. Pharm Res 2022; 39:529-539. [PMID: 35174433 PMCID: PMC9043092 DOI: 10.1007/s11095-022-03200-6] [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: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Purpose The viscosity of highly concentrated therapeutic monoclonal antibody (mAb) formulations at concentrations ≥ 100 mg/mL can significantly affect the stability, processing, and drug product development for subcutaneous delivery. An early identification of a viscosity prone mAb during candidate selection stages are often beneficial for downstream processes. Higher order structure of mAbs may often dictate their viscosity behavior at high concentration. Thus it is beneficial to gauge or rank-order their viscosity behavior using noninvasive structural fingerprinting methods and to potentially screen for suitable viscosity lowering excipients. Methods In this study, Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and 2D NMR based methyl fingerprinting were used to correlate viscosity behavior of a set of Pfizer mAbs. The viscosities of mAbs were determined. Respective Fab and Fc domains were generated for studies. Result Methyl fingerprinting of intact mAbs allows for differentiation of viscosity prone mAbs from well behaved ones even at 30–40 mg/ml, where bulk viscosity of the solutions are near identical. For viscosity prone mAbs, peak broadening and or distinct chemical shift changes were noted in intact and fragment fingerprints, unlike the well-behaved mAbs, indicative of protein protein interactions (PPI). Conclusion Fab-Fab or Fab-Fc interactions may lead to formation of protein networks at high concentration. The early transients to these network formation may be manifested through peak broadening or peak shift in the 2D NMR spectrum of mAb/mAb fragments. Such insights go beyond rank ordering mAbs based on viscosity behavior, which can be obtained by other methods as well.. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11095-022-03200-6.
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34
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Li M, Reichert P, Narasimhan C, Sorman B, Xu W, Cote A, Su Y. Investigating Crystalline Protein Suspension Formulations of Pembrolizumab from MAS NMR Spectroscopy. Mol Pharm 2022; 19:936-952. [PMID: 35107019 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.1c00915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Developing biological formulations to maintain the chemical and structural integrity of therapeutic antibodies remains a significant challenge. Monoclonal antibody (mAb) crystalline suspension formulation is a promising alternative for high concentration subcutaneous drug delivery. It demonstrates many merits compared to the solution formulation to reach a high concentration at the reduced viscosity and enhanced stability. One main challenge in drug development is the lack of high-resolution characterization of the crystallinity and stability of mAb microcrystals in the native formulations. Conventional analytical techniques often cannot evaluate structural details of mAb microcrystals in the native suspension due to the presence of visible particles, relatively small crystal size, high protein concentration, and multicomponent nature of a liquid formulation. This study demonstrates the first high-resolution characterization of mAb microcrystalline suspension using magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectroscopy. Crystalline suspension formulation of pembrolizumab (Keytruda, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, U.S.) is utilized as a model system. Remarkably narrow 13C spectral linewidth of approximately 29 Hz suggests a high order of crystallinity and conformational homogeneity of pembrolizumab crystals. The impact of thermal stress and dehydration on the structure, dynamics, and stability of these mAb crystals in the formulation environment is evaluated. Moreover, isotopic labeling and heteronuclear 13C and 15N spectroscopies have been utilized to identify the binding of caffeine in the pembrolizumab crystal lattice, providing molecular insights into the cocrystallization of the protein and ligand. Our study provides valuable structural details for facilitating the design of crystalline suspension formulation of Keytruda and demonstrates the high potential of MAS NMR as an advanced tool for biophysical characterization of biological therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingyue Li
- Analytical Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033, United States
| | - Paul Reichert
- Discovery Chemistry, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033, United States
| | | | - Bradley Sorman
- Analytical Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033, United States
| | - Wei Xu
- Analytical Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033, United States
| | - Aaron Cote
- Biologics Process Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033, United States
| | - Yongchao Su
- Analytical Research and Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey 07033, United States
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35
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Assessment of Therapeutic Antibody Developability by Combinations of In Vitro and In Silico Methods. METHODS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (CLIFTON, N.J.) 2022; 2313:57-113. [PMID: 34478132 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1450-1_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Although antibodies have become the fastest-growing class of therapeutics on the market, it is still challenging to develop them for therapeutic applications, which often require these molecules to withstand stresses that are not present in vivo. We define developability as the likelihood of an antibody candidate with suitable functionality to be developed into a manufacturable, stable, safe, and effective drug that can be formulated to high concentrations while retaining a long shelf life. The implementation of reliable developability assessments from the early stages of antibody discovery enables flagging and deselection of potentially problematic candidates, while focussing available resources on the development of the most promising ones. Currently, however, thorough developability assessment requires multiple in vitro assays, which makes it labor intensive and time consuming to implement at early stages. Furthermore, accurate in vitro analysis at the early stage is compromised by the high number of potential candidates that are often prepared at low quantities and purity. Recent improvements in the performance of computational predictors of developability potential are beginning to change this scenario. Many computational methods only require the knowledge of the amino acid sequences and can be used to identify possible developability issues or to rank available candidates according to a range of biophysical properties. Here, we describe how the implementation of in silico tools into antibody discovery pipelines is increasingly offering time- and cost-effective alternatives to in vitro experimental screening, thus streamlining the drug development process. We discuss in particular the biophysical and biochemical properties that underpin developability potential and their trade-offs, review various in vitro assays to measure such properties or parameters that are predictive of developability, and give an overview of the growing number of in silico tools available to predict properties important for antibody development, including the CamSol method developed in our laboratory.
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36
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Deciphering the high viscosity of a therapeutic monoclonal antibody in high concentration formulations by microdialysis-hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry. J Pharm Sci 2022; 111:1335-1345. [PMID: 34999091 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2021.12.027] [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: 03/17/2021] [Revised: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 12/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
High concentration formulations of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are highly desired for subcutaneous injection. However, high concentration formulations can exhibit unusual molecular behaviors, such as high viscosity or aggregation, that present challenges for manufacturing and administration. To understand the molecular mechanism of the high viscosity exhibited by high concentration protein formulations, we analyzed a human IgG4 (mAb1) at high protein concentrations using sedimentation velocity analytical ultracentrifugation (SV-AUC), X-ray crystallography, hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS), and protein surface patches analysis. Particularly, we developed a microdialysis HDX-MS method to determine intermolecular interactions at different protein concentrations. SV-AUC revealed that mAb1 displayed a propensity for self-association of Fab-Fab, Fab-Fc, and Fc-Fc. mAb1 crystal structure and HDX-MS results demonstrated self-association between complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) and Fc through electrostatic interactions. HDX-MS also indicated Fab-Fab interactions through hydrophobic surface patches constructed by mAb1 CDRs. Our multi-method approach, including fast screening of SV-AUC as well as interface analysis by X-ray crystallography and HDX-MS, helped to elucidate the high viscosity of mAb1 at high concentrations as induced by self-associations of Fab-Fc and Fab-Fab.
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Lai PK, Ghag G, Yu Y, Juan V, Fayadat-Dilman L, Trout BL. Differences in human IgG1 and IgG4 S228P monoclonal antibodies viscosity and self-interactions: Experimental assessment and computational predictions of domain interactions. MAbs 2021; 13:1991256. [PMID: 34747330 PMCID: PMC8583000 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2021.1991256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Human/humanized IgG4 antibodies have reduced effector function relative to IgG1 antibodies, which is desirable for certain therapeutic purposes. However, the developability and biophysical properties for IgG4 antibodies are not well understood. This work focuses on the head-to-head comparison of key biophysical properties, such as self-interaction and viscosity, for 14 human/humanized, and chimeric IgG1 and IgG4 S228P monoclonal antibody pairs that contain the identical variable regions. Experimental measurements showed that the IgG4 S228P antibodies have similar or higher self-interaction and viscosity than that of IgG1 antibodies in 20 mM sodium acetate, pH 5.5. We report sequence and structural drivers for the increased viscosity and self-interaction detected in IgG4 S228P antibodies through a combination of experimental data and computational models. Further, we applied and extended a previously established computational model for IgG1 antibodies to predict the self-interaction and viscosity behavior for each antibody pair, providing insight into the structural characteristics and differences of these two isotypes. Interestingly, we observed that the IgG4 S228P swapped variants, where the CH3 domain was swapped for that of an IgG1, showed reduced self-interaction behavior. These domain swapped IgG4 S228P molecules also showed reduced viscosity from experiment and coarse-grained simulations. We also observed that experimental diffusion interaction parameter (kD) values have a high correlation with computational diffusivity prediction for both IgG1 and IgG4 S228P isotypes. Abbreviations: AHc, constant region Hamaker constant; AHv, variable region Hamaker constant; CDRs, Complementarity-determining regions; CG, Coarse-grained model; CH1, Constant heavy chain 1; CH2 Constant heavy chain 2; CH3 Constant heavy chain 3; chgCH3 Effective charge on the CH3 region; CL Constant light chain; cP, Centipoise; DLS, Dynamic light scattering; Fab, Fragment antigen-binding; Fc, Fragment crystallizable; Fv, Variable domaing; (r) Radial distribution function; H1 CDR1 of Heavy Chain; H2 CDR2 of Heavy Chain; H3 CDR3 of Heavy Chain; HVI, High viscosity index; IgG1 human immunoglobulin of IgG1 subclass; IgG4 human immunoglobulin of IgG4 subclass; kD, Diffusion interaction parameter; L1 CDR1 of Light Chain; L2 CDR2 of Light Chain; L3 CDR3 of Light Chain; mAb, Monoclonal antibody; MD, Molecular dynamics; PPI Protein–protein interactions; SCM, Spatial charge map; UP-SEC, Ultra-high-performance size-exclusion chromatography; VH, Variable domain of Heavy Chain; VL, Variable domain of Light Chain
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Affiliation(s)
- Pin-Kuang Lai
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts USA.,Current Address: Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey USA
| | - Gaurav Ghag
- Merck & Co, Discovery Biologics, Protein Sciences Department, South San Francisco, CA , USA
| | - Yao Yu
- Merck & Co, Discovery Biologics, Protein Sciences Department, South San Francisco, CA , USA
| | - Veronica Juan
- Merck & Co, Discovery Biologics, Protein Sciences Department, South San Francisco, CA , USA
| | | | - Bernhardt L Trout
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts USA
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Roche A, Gentiluomo L, Sibanda N, Roessner D, Friess W, Trainoff SP, Curtis R. Towards an improved prediction of concentrated antibody solution viscosity using the Huggins coefficient. J Colloid Interface Sci 2021; 607:1813-1824. [PMID: 34624723 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2021.08.191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 07/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The viscosity of a monoclonal antibody solution must be monitored and controlled as it can adversely affect product processing, packaging and administration. Engineering low viscosity mAb formulations is challenging as prohibitive amounts of material are required for concentrated solution analysis, and it is difficult to predict viscosity from parameters obtained through low-volume, high-throughput measurements such as the interaction parameter, kD, and the second osmotic virial coefficient, B22. As a measure encompassing the effect of intermolecular interactions on dilute solution viscosity, the Huggins coefficient, kh, is a promising candidate as a parameter measureable at low concentrations, but indicative of concentrated solution viscosity. In this study, a differential viscometry technique is developed to measure the intrinsic viscosity, [η], and the Huggins coefficient, kh, of protein solutions. To understand the effect of colloidal protein-protein interactions on the viscosity of concentrated protein formulations, the viscometric parameters are compared to kD and B22 of two mAbs, tuning the contributions of repulsive and attractive forces to the net protein-protein interaction by adjusting solution pH and ionic strength. We find a strong correlation between the concentrated protein solution viscosity and the kh but this was not observed for the kD or the b22, which have been previously used as indicators of high concentration viscosity. Trends observed in [η] and kh values as a function of pH and ionic strength are rationalised in terms of protein-protein interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aisling Roche
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, Manchester M1 7DN, UK; Currently at: National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, South Mimms, Potters Bar, Herts EN6 3QG, UK
| | - Lorenzo Gentiluomo
- Wyatt Technology Europe GmbH, Hochstrasse 18, 56307 Dernbach, Germany; Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstrasse 5, 81377 Munich, Germany; Currently at: Coriolis Pharma, Fraunhoferstraße 18B, 82152 Munich, Germany
| | - Nicole Sibanda
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, Manchester M1 7DN, UK
| | - Dierk Roessner
- Wyatt Technology Europe GmbH, Hochstrasse 18, 56307 Dernbach, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Friess
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstrasse 5, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Steven P Trainoff
- Wyatt Technology Corporation, 6330 Hollister Ave, Goleta, CA 93117, United States
| | - Robin Curtis
- Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, University of Manchester, 131 Princess Street, School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, Manchester M1 7DN, UK.
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Hirschman J, Venkataramani D, Murphy MI, Patel SM, Du J, Amin S. Application of thin gap rheometry for high shear rate viscosity measurement in monoclonal antibody formulations. Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.colsurfa.2021.127018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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40
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Xu J, Namanja A, Chan SL, Son C, Petros AM, Sun C, Radziejewski C, Ihnat PM. Insights into the Conformation and Self-Association of a Concentrated Monoclonal Antibody using Isothermal Chemical Denaturation and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. J Pharm Sci 2021; 110:3819-3828. [PMID: 34506864 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2021.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this investigation was to highlight the utility of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) as a multi-attribute method for the characterization of therapeutic antibodies. In this case study, we compared results from isothermal chemical denaturation (ICD) and NMR with standard methods to relate conformational states of a model monoclonal antibody (mAb1) with protein-protein interactions (PPI) that lead to self - association in concentrated solutions. The increase in aggregation rate and relative viscosity for mAb1 was found to be both concentration and pH dependent. The free energy of unfolding (∆G⁰) from ICD and thermal analysis in dilute solutions indicated that although the native state predominated between pH 4 - pH 7, it was disrupted at the CH2 and unfolded noncooperatively under acidic conditions. One-dimensional (1D) 1H NMR and two-dimensional (2D) 13C-1H NMR performed, in concentrated solutions, confirmed that PPI between pH 4-7 occurred while mAb1 was in the native state. NMR corroborated that mAb1 maintained a dominant native state at formulation-relevant conditions at the tested pH range, had increased global molecular tumbling dynamics at lower pH and confirmed increased PPI at higher pH conditions. This report aligns and compares typical characterization of an IgG1 with assessment of structure by NMR and provided a more precise assessment and deeper insight into the conformation of an IgG1 in concentrated solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianwen Xu
- Drug Product Development Biologic Preformulation, Abbvie Bioresearch Center, Worcester, MA 01605, United States
| | - Andrew Namanja
- Protein & Assay Sciences, Drug Discovery Science & Technology, Abbvie Inc, Waukegan, IL 60031, United States
| | - Siew Leong Chan
- Analytical Sciences, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Westborough, MA 01581, United States; Protein Analytics, Abbvie Bioresearch Center, Worcester, MA 01605, United States
| | - Chelsea Son
- Drug Product Development Biologic Preformulation, Abbvie Bioresearch Center, Worcester, MA 01605, United States; Process Analytics, Amgen Inc., Cambridge, MA 02141, United States
| | - Andrew M Petros
- Protein & Assay Sciences, Drug Discovery Science & Technology, Abbvie Inc, Waukegan, IL 60031, United States
| | - Chaohong Sun
- Protein & Assay Sciences, Drug Discovery Science & Technology, Abbvie Inc, Waukegan, IL 60031, United States
| | - Czeslaw Radziejewski
- Protein Analytics, Abbvie Bioresearch Center, Worcester, MA 01605, United States
| | - Peter M Ihnat
- Drug Product Development Biologic Preformulation, Abbvie Bioresearch Center, Worcester, MA 01605, United States; Protein Biochemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., Tarrytown, NY 10591, United States.
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41
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Kopp MRG, Wolf Pérez AM, Zucca MV, Capasso Palmiero U, Friedrichsen B, Lorenzen N, Arosio P. An accelerated surface-mediated stress assay of antibody instability for developability studies. MAbs 2021; 12:1815995. [PMID: 32954930 PMCID: PMC7577746 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2020.1815995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
High physical stability is required for the development of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) into successful therapeutic products. Developability assays are used to predict physical stability issues such as high viscosity and poor conformational stability, but protein aggregation remains a challenging property to predict. Among different types of stresses, air–water and solid–liquid interfaces are well known to potentially trigger protein instability and induce aggregation. Yet, in contrast to the increasing number of developability assays to evaluate bulk properties, there is still a lack of experimental methods to evaluate antibody stability against interfaces. Here, we investigate the potential of a hydrophobic nanoparticle surface-mediated stress assay to assess the stability of mAbs during the early stages of development. We evaluate this surface-mediated accelerated stability assay on a rationally designed library of 14 variants of a humanized IgG4, featuring a broad span of solubility values and other developability properties. The assay could identify variants characterized by high instability against agitation in the presence of air–water interfaces. Remarkably, for the set of investigated molecules, we observe strong correlations between the extent of aggregation induced by the surface-mediated stress assay and other developability properties of the molecules, such as aggregation upon storage at 45°C, self-association (evaluated by affinity-capture self-interaction nanoparticle spectroscopy) and nonspecific interactions (estimated by cross-interaction chromatography, stand-up monolayer chromatography (SMAC), SMAC*). This highly controlled surface-mediated stress assay has the potential to complement and increase the ability of the current set of screening techniques to assess protein aggregation and developability potential of mAbs during the early stages of drug development. Abbreviations:AC-SINS: Affinity-Capture Self-Interaction Nanoparticle Spectroscopy; AMS: Ammonium sulfate precipitation; ANS: 1-anilinonaphtalene-8-sulfonate; CIC: Cross-interaction chromatography; DLS: Dynamic light scattering; HIC: Hydrophobic interaction chromatography; HNSSA: Hydrophobic nanoparticles surface-stress assay; mAb: Monoclonal antibody; NP: Nanoparticle; SEC: Size exclusion chromatography; SMAC: Stand-up monolayer chromatography; WT: Wild type
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie R G Kopp
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology , Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Adriana-Michelle Wolf Pérez
- Department of Biophysics, Biophysics and Injectable Formulation, Novo Nordisk , Måløv, Denmark.,Aarhus University, iNANO , Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Marta Virginia Zucca
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology , Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Umberto Capasso Palmiero
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology , Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Nikolai Lorenzen
- Department of Biophysics, Biophysics and Injectable Formulation, Novo Nordisk , Måløv, Denmark
| | - Paolo Arosio
- Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology , Zurich, Switzerland
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42
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Zeng Y, Tran T, Wuthrich P, Naik S, Davagnino J, Greene DG, Mahoney RP, Soane DS. Caffeine as a Viscosity Reducer for Highly Concentrated Monoclonal Antibody Solutions. J Pharm Sci 2021; 110:3594-3604. [PMID: 34181992 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2021.06.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Revised: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Many monoclonal antibody (mAb) solutions exhibit high viscosity at elevated concentrations, which prevents manufacturing and injecting of concentrated mAb drug products at the small volumes needed for subcutaneous (SC) administration. Addition of excipients that interrupt intermolecular interactions is a common approach to reduce viscosity of high concentration mAb formulations. However, in some cases widely used excipients can fail to lower viscosity. Here, using infliximab and ipilimumab as model proteins, we show that caffeine effectively lowers the viscosity of both mAb formulations, whereas other common viscosity-reducing excipients, sodium chloride and arginine, do not. Furthermore, stability studies under accelerated conditions show that caffeine has no impact on stability of lyophilized infliximab or liquid ipilimumab formulations. In addition, presence of caffeine in the formulations does not affect in vitro bioactivities of infliximab or ipilimumab. Results from this study suggest that caffeine could be a useful viscosity reducing agent that complements other traditional excipients and provides viscosity reduction to a wider range of mAb drug products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhong Zeng
- ReForm Biologics Inc., 12 Gill Street Suite 4650, Woburn, MA 01801, United States.
| | - Timothy Tran
- ReForm Biologics Inc., 12 Gill Street Suite 4650, Woburn, MA 01801, United States
| | - Philip Wuthrich
- ReForm Biologics Inc., 12 Gill Street Suite 4650, Woburn, MA 01801, United States
| | - Subhashchandra Naik
- ReForm Biologics Inc., 12 Gill Street Suite 4650, Woburn, MA 01801, United States
| | - Juan Davagnino
- KBI Biopharma Inc., 1101 Hamlin Rd, Durham, NC 27704, United States
| | - Daniel G Greene
- ReForm Biologics Inc., 12 Gill Street Suite 4650, Woburn, MA 01801, United States
| | - Robert P Mahoney
- ReForm Biologics Inc., 12 Gill Street Suite 4650, Woburn, MA 01801, United States
| | - David S Soane
- ReForm Biologics Inc., 12 Gill Street Suite 4650, Woburn, MA 01801, United States
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43
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Cardillo AG, Castellanos MM, Desailly B, Dessoy S, Mariti M, Portela RMC, Scutella B, von Stosch M, Tomba E, Varsakelis C. Towards in silico Process Modeling for Vaccines. Trends Biotechnol 2021; 39:1120-1130. [PMID: 33707043 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2021.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Revised: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Chemical, manufacturing, and control development timelines occupy a significant part of vaccine end-to-end development. In the on-going race for accelerating timelines, in silico process development constitutes a viable strategy that can be achieved through an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven or a mechanistically oriented approach. In this opinion, we focus on the mechanistic option and report on the modeling competencies required to achieve it. By inspecting the most frequent vaccine process units, we identify fluid mechanics, thermodynamics and transport phenomena, intracellular modeling, hybrid modeling and data science, and model-based design of experiments as the pillars for vaccine development. In addition, we craft a generic pathway for accommodating the modeling competencies into an in silico process development strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Benoit Desailly
- Technical Research and Development, GSK, 89 Rue De L'Institut, B-1330 Rixensart, Belgium
| | - Sandrine Dessoy
- Technical Research and Development, GSK, 89 Rue De L'Institut, B-1330 Rixensart, Belgium
| | - Marco Mariti
- Technical Research and Development, GSK, 1 Via Fiorentina, 53100 Siena, SI, Italy
| | - Rui M C Portela
- Technical Research and Development, GSK, 89 Rue De L'Institut, B-1330 Rixensart, Belgium
| | - Bernadette Scutella
- Technical Research and Development, GSK, 14200 Shady Grove Rd, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
| | - Moritz von Stosch
- Technical Research and Development, GSK, 89 Rue De L'Institut, B-1330 Rixensart, Belgium; Current affiliation: Data How AG, Zürichstrasse 137, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Emanuele Tomba
- Technical Research and Development, GSK, 1 Via Fiorentina, 53100 Siena, SI, Italy
| | - Christos Varsakelis
- Technical Research and Development, GSK, 89 Rue De L'Institut, B-1330 Rixensart, Belgium.
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Pathak JA, Nugent S, Bender MF, Roberts CJ, Curtis RJ, Douglas JF. Comparison of Huggins Coefficients and Osmotic Second Virial Coefficients of Buffered Solutions of Monoclonal Antibodies. Polymers (Basel) 2021; 13:601. [PMID: 33671342 PMCID: PMC7922252 DOI: 10.3390/polym13040601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2021] [Revised: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The Huggins coefficient kH is a well-known metric for quantifying the increase in solution viscosity arising from intermolecular interactions in relatively dilute macromolecular solutions, and there has been much interest in this solution property in connection with developing improved antibody therapeutics. While numerous kH measurements have been reported for select monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) solutions, there has been limited study of kH in terms of the fundamental molecular interactions that determine this property. In this paper, we compare measurements of the osmotic second virial coefficient B22, a common metric of intermolecular and interparticle interaction strength, to measurements of kH for model antibody solutions. This comparison is motivated by the seminal work of Russel for hard sphere particles having a short-range "sticky" interparticle interaction, and we also compare our data with known results for uncharged flexible polymers having variable excluded volume interactions because proteins are polypeptide chains. Our observations indicate that neither the adhesive hard sphere model, a common colloidal model of globular proteins, nor the familiar uncharged flexible polymer model, an excellent model of intrinsically disordered proteins, describes the dependence of kH of these antibodies on B22. Clearly, an improved understanding of protein and ion solvation by water as well as dipole-dipole and charge-dipole effects is required to understand the significance of kH from the standpoint of fundamental protein-protein interactions. Despite shortcomings in our theoretical understanding of kH for antibody solutions, this quantity provides a useful practical measure of the strength of interprotein interactions at elevated protein concentrations that is of direct significance for the development of antibody formulations that minimize the solution viscosity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jai A. Pathak
- Vaccine Production Program (VPP), Vaccine Research Center (VRC), Formulation and Stabilization Sciences Department, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), 9 W. Watkins Mill Rd., Gaithersburg, MD 20878, USA; (J.A.P.); (S.N.); (M.B.)
| | - Sean Nugent
- Vaccine Production Program (VPP), Vaccine Research Center (VRC), Formulation and Stabilization Sciences Department, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), 9 W. Watkins Mill Rd., Gaithersburg, MD 20878, USA; (J.A.P.); (S.N.); (M.B.)
| | - Michael F. Bender
- Vaccine Production Program (VPP), Vaccine Research Center (VRC), Formulation and Stabilization Sciences Department, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), 9 W. Watkins Mill Rd., Gaithersburg, MD 20878, USA; (J.A.P.); (S.N.); (M.B.)
| | - Christopher J. Roberts
- Colburn Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA;
| | - Robin J. Curtis
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK;
| | - Jack F. Douglas
- Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8544, USA
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Mieczkowski C, Cheng A, Fischmann T, Hsieh M, Baker J, Uchida M, Raghunathan G, Strickland C, Fayadat-Dilman L. Characterization and Modeling of Reversible Antibody Self-Association Provide Insights into Behavior, Prediction, and Correction. Antibodies (Basel) 2021; 10:antib10010008. [PMID: 33671864 PMCID: PMC7931086 DOI: 10.3390/antib10010008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Reversible antibody self-association, while having major developability and therapeutic implications, is not fully understood or readily predictable and correctable. For a strongly self-associating humanized mAb variant, resulting in unacceptable viscosity, the monovalent affinity of self-interaction was measured in the low μM range, typical of many specific and biologically relevant protein-protein interactions. A face-to-face interaction model extending across both the heavy-chain (HC) and light-chain (LC) Complementary Determining Regions (CDRs) was apparent from biochemical and mutagenesis approaches as well as computational modeling. Light scattering experiments involving individual mAb, Fc, Fab, and Fab'2 domains revealed that Fabs self-interact to form dimers, while bivalent mAb/Fab'2 forms lead to significant oligomerization. Site-directed mutagenesis of aromatic residues identified by homology model patch analysis and self-docking dramatically affected self-association, demonstrating the utility of these predictive approaches, while revealing a highly specific and tunable nature of self-binding modulated by single point mutations. Mutagenesis at these same key HC/LC CDR positions that affect self-interaction also typically abolished target binding with notable exceptions, clearly demonstrating the difficulties yet possibility of correcting self-association through engineering. Clear correlations were also observed between different methods used to assess self-interaction, such as Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and Affinity-Capture Self-Interaction Nanoparticle Spectroscopy (AC-SINS). Our findings advance our understanding of therapeutic protein and antibody self-association and offer insights into its prediction, evaluation and corrective mitigation to aid therapeutic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl Mieczkowski
- Discovery Biologics, Protein Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA; (C.M.); (M.H.); (J.B.); (M.U.); (G.R.); (L.F.-D.)
| | - Alan Cheng
- Discovery Chemistry, Modeling and Informatics, Merck & Co., Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-650-496-4834
| | - Thierry Fischmann
- Department of Chemistry, Modeling and Informatics, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA; (T.F.); (C.S.)
| | - Mark Hsieh
- Discovery Biologics, Protein Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA; (C.M.); (M.H.); (J.B.); (M.U.); (G.R.); (L.F.-D.)
| | - Jeanne Baker
- Discovery Biologics, Protein Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA; (C.M.); (M.H.); (J.B.); (M.U.); (G.R.); (L.F.-D.)
| | - Makiko Uchida
- Discovery Biologics, Protein Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA; (C.M.); (M.H.); (J.B.); (M.U.); (G.R.); (L.F.-D.)
| | - Gopalan Raghunathan
- Discovery Biologics, Protein Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA; (C.M.); (M.H.); (J.B.); (M.U.); (G.R.); (L.F.-D.)
| | - Corey Strickland
- Department of Chemistry, Modeling and Informatics, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ 07033, USA; (T.F.); (C.S.)
| | - Laurence Fayadat-Dilman
- Discovery Biologics, Protein Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA; (C.M.); (M.H.); (J.B.); (M.U.); (G.R.); (L.F.-D.)
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Dandekar R, Ardekani AM. Monoclonal Antibody Aggregation near Silicone Oil-Water Interfaces. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2021; 37:1386-1398. [PMID: 33478225 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c02785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
In this work, we study the hydrodynamic behavior of monoclonal antibodies in the presence of silicone oil-water interfaces. We model the antibody molecules using a coarse-grained 24-bead model, where two beads are used to represent each antibody domain. We consider the spatial variation of the antibody polarity in our model as each bead represents a set of hydrophilic or hydrophobic amino acids. We use the dissipative particle dynamics scheme to represent the coarse-grained force field which governs the motion of the beads. In addition, interprotein interactions are modeled using an electrostatic force field. The model parameters are determined by comparing the structure factor against experimental structure factor data ranging from a low concentration regime (10 mg/mL) to a high concentration regime (150 mg/mL). Next, we conduct simulations for a suspension of antibody molecules in the presence of silicone oil-water interfaces. Protein loss from the bulk solution is noticed as the molecules adsorb at the interface. We observe dynamic cluster formation in the solution bulk and at the interface, as the antibody molecules self-associate along their trajectories. We quantify the aggregation using a density clustering algorithm and investigate the effect of the antibody concentration on the diffusivity of the antibody solution, aggregation propensity, and protein loss from the bulk. Our study shows that numerical simulations can be an important tool for understanding the molecular mechanisms driving protein aggregation near hydrophobic interfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajat Dandekar
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47906, United States
| | - Arezoo M Ardekani
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47906, United States
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47
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Tilegenova C, Izadi S, Yin J, Huang CS, Wu J, Ellerman D, Hymowitz SG, Walters B, Salisbury C, Carter PJ. Dissecting the molecular basis of high viscosity of monospecific and bispecific IgG antibodies. MAbs 2021; 12:1692764. [PMID: 31779513 PMCID: PMC6927759 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2019.1692764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Some antibodies exhibit elevated viscosity at high concentrations, making them poorly suited for therapeutic applications requiring administration by injection such as subcutaneous or ocular delivery. Here we studied an anti-IL-13/IL-17 bispecific IgG4 antibody, which has anomalously high viscosity compared to its parent monospecific antibodies. The viscosity of the bispecific IgG4 in solution was decreased by only ~30% in the presence of NaCl, suggesting electrostatic interactions are insufficient to fully explain the drivers of viscosity. Intriguingly, addition of arginine-HCl reduced the viscosity of the bispecific IgG4 by ~50% to its parent IgG level. These data suggest that beyond electrostatics, additional types of interactions such as cation-π and/or π-π may contribute to high viscosity more significantly than previously understood. Molecular dynamics simulations of antibody fragments in the mixed solution of free arginine and explicit water were conducted to identify hotspots involved in self-interactions. Exposed surface aromatic amino acids displayed an increased number of contacts with arginine. Mutagenesis of the majority of aromatic residues pinpointed by molecular dynamics simulations effectively decreased the solution's viscosity when tested experimentally. This mutational method to reduce the viscosity of a bispecific antibody was extended to a monospecific anti-GCGR IgG1 antibody with elevated viscosity. In all cases, point mutants were readily identified that both reduced viscosity and retained antigen-binding affinity. These studies demonstrate a new approach to mitigate high viscosity of some antibodies by mutagenesis of surface-exposed aromatic residues on complementarity-determining regions that may facilitate some clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Saeed Izadi
- Early Stage Pharmaceutical Development, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Jianping Yin
- Structural Biology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Jiansheng Wu
- Protein Chemistry, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Diego Ellerman
- Protein Chemistry, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Sarah G Hymowitz
- Structural Biology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Benjamin Walters
- Biochemical and Cellular Pharmacology, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Cleo Salisbury
- Early Stage Pharmaceutical Development, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Paul J Carter
- Antibody Engineering, Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, CA, USA
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48
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Makowski EK, Wu L, Gupta P, Tessier PM. Discovery-stage identification of drug-like antibodies using emerging experimental and computational methods. MAbs 2021; 13:1895540. [PMID: 34313532 PMCID: PMC8346245 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2021.1895540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Revised: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
There is intense and widespread interest in developing monoclonal antibodies as therapeutic agents to treat diverse human disorders. During early-stage antibody discovery, hundreds to thousands of lead candidates are identified, and those that lack optimal physical and chemical properties must be deselected as early as possible to avoid problems later in drug development. It is particularly challenging to characterize such properties for large numbers of candidates with the low antibody quantities, concentrations, and purities that are available at the discovery stage, and to predict concentrated antibody properties (e.g., solubility, viscosity) required for efficient formulation, delivery, and efficacy. Here we review key recent advances in developing and implementing high-throughput methods for identifying antibodies with desirable in vitro and in vivo properties, including favorable antibody stability, specificity, solubility, pharmacokinetics, and immunogenicity profiles, that together encompass overall drug developability. In particular, we highlight impressive recent progress in developing computational methods for improving rational antibody design and prediction of drug-like behaviors that hold great promise for reducing the amount of required experimentation. We also discuss outstanding challenges that will need to be addressed in the future to fully realize the great potential of using such analysis for minimizing development times and improving the success rate of antibody candidates in the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily K. Makowski
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Lina Wu
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering
| | - Priyanka Gupta
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA
- Biotherapeutics Discovery Department, Boehringer Ingelheim, Ridgefield, CT, USA
| | - Peter M. Tessier
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Biointerfaces Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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49
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Domnowski M, Lo Presti K, Binder J, Reindl J, Lehmann L, Kummer F, Wolber M, Satzger M, Dehling M, Jaehrling J, Frieß W. Generation of mAb Variants with Less Attractive Self-Interaction but Preserved Target Binding by Well-Directed Mutation. Mol Pharm 2020; 18:236-245. [PMID: 33331157 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.0c00848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Strongly attractive self-interaction of therapeutic protein candidates can impose challenges for manufacturing, filling, stability, and administration due to elevated viscosity or aggregation propensity. Suitable formulations can mitigate these issues to a certain extent. Understanding the self-interaction mechanism on a molecular basis and rational protein engineering provides a more fundamental approach, and it can save costs and efforts as well as alleviate risks at later stages of development. In this study, we used computational methods for the identification of aggregation-prone regions in a mAb and generated mutants based on these findings. We applied hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry to identify distinct self-interaction hot spots. Ultimately, we generated mAb variants based on a combination of both approaches and identified mutants with low attractive self-interaction propensity, minimal off-target binding, and even improved target binding. Our data show that the introduction of arginine in spatial proximity to hydrophobic patches is highly beneficial on all these levels. For our mAb, variants that contain more than one aspartate residue flanking to the hydrophobic HCDR3 show decreased attractive self-interaction at unaffected off-target and target binding. The combined engineering strategy described here underlines the high potential of understanding self-interaction in the early stages of development to predict and reduce the risk of failure in subsequent development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Domnowski
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics, Ludwig Maximilians-Universitaet, Munich 81377, Germany.,MorphoSys AG, Department of Protein Sciences (Research), Planegg 82152, Germany
| | - Ken Lo Presti
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics, Ludwig Maximilians-Universitaet, Munich 81377, Germany
| | - Jonas Binder
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics, Ludwig Maximilians-Universitaet, Munich 81377, Germany
| | - Josef Reindl
- MorphoSys AG, Department of Protein Sciences (Research), Planegg 82152, Germany
| | - Lucille Lehmann
- MorphoSys AG, Department of Protein Sciences (Research), Planegg 82152, Germany
| | - Felix Kummer
- MorphoSys AG, Department of Protein Sciences (Research), Planegg 82152, Germany
| | - Meike Wolber
- MorphoSys AG, Department of Protein Sciences (Research), Planegg 82152, Germany
| | - Marion Satzger
- MorphoSys AG, Department of Protein Sciences (Research), Planegg 82152, Germany
| | - Marco Dehling
- MorphoSys AG, Department of Protein Sciences (Research), Planegg 82152, Germany
| | - Jan Jaehrling
- MorphoSys AG, Department of Protein Sciences (Research), Planegg 82152, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Frieß
- Department of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics, Ludwig Maximilians-Universitaet, Munich 81377, Germany
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50
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Gudapati H, Parisi D, Colby RH, Ozbolat IT. Rheological investigation of collagen, fibrinogen, and thrombin solutions for drop-on-demand 3D bioprinting. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:10506-10517. [PMID: 33073269 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm01455a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Collagen, fibrinogen, and thrombin proteins in aqueous buffer solutions are widely used as precursors of natural biopolymers in three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting applications. The proteins are sourced from animals and their quality may vary from batch to batch, inducing differences in the rheological properties of such solutions. In this work, we investigate the rheological response of collagen, fibrinogen, and thrombin protein solutions in bulk and at the solution/air interface. Interfacial rheological measurements show that fibrous collagen, fibrinogen and globular thrombin proteins adsorb and aggregate at the solution/air interface, forming a viscoelastic solid film at the interface. The viscoelastic film corrupts the bulk rheological measurements in rotational rheometers by contributing to an apparent yield stress, which increases the apparent bulk viscosity up to shear rates as high as 1000 s-1. The addition of a non-ionic surfactant, such as polysorbate 80 (PS80) in small amounts between 0.001 and 0.1 v/v%, prevents the formation of the interfacial layer, allowing the estimation of true bulk viscosity of the solutions. The estimation of viscosity not only helps in identifying those protein solutions that are potentially printable with drop-on-demand (DOD) inkjet printing but also detects inconsistencies in flow behavior among the batches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hemanth Gudapati
- Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
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