The glycosylation of anti-rhIFN-α2b recombinant antibodies influences the antigen-neutralizing activity

Enhancing recombinant antibody yield in Chinese hamster ovary cells

A range of recombinant monoclonal antibodies (rMAbs) have found application in treating diverse diseases, spanning various cancers and immune system disorders. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells have emerged as the predominant choice for producing these rMAbs due to their robustness, ease of transfection, and capacity for posttranslational modifications akin to those in human cells. Transient transfection and/or stable expression could be conducted to express rMAbs in CHO cells. To bolster the yield of rMAbs in CHO cells, a multitude of approaches have been developed, encompassing vector optimization, medium formulation, cultivation parameters, and cell engineering. This review succinctly outlines these methodologies when also addressing challenges encountered in the production process, such as issues with aggregation and fucosylation.

Changes in antibody binding and functionality after humanizing a murine scFv anti-IFN-α2: From in silico studies to experimental analysis

The structural and dynamic changes introduced during antibody humanization continue to be a topic open to new contributions. For this reason, the study of structural and functional changes of a murine scFv (mu.scFv) anti-rhIFN-α2b after humanization was carried out. As it was shown by long molecular dynamics simulations and circular dichroism analysis, changes in primary sequence affected the tertiary structure of the humanized scFv (hz.scFv): the position of the variable domain of light chain (VL) respective to the variable domain of heavy chain (VH) in each scFv molecule was different. This change mainly impacted on conformation and dynamics of the complementarity-determining region 3 of VH (CDR-H3) which led to changes in the specificity and affinity of humanized scFv (hz.scFv). These observations agree with experimental results that showed a decrease in the antigen-binding strength of hz.scFv, and different capacities of these molecules to neutralize the in vitro rhIFN-α2b biological activity. Besides, experimental studies to characterize antigen-antibody binding showed that mu.scFv and hz.scFv bind to the same antigen area and recognize a conformational epitope, which is evidence of docking results. Finally, the differences between these molecules to neutralize the in vitro rhIFN-α2b biological activity were described as a consequence of the blockade of certain functionally relevant amino acids of the cytokine, after scFv binding. All these observations confirmed that humanization affected the affinity and specificity of hz.scFv and pointed out that two specific changes in the frameworks would be responsible.

Large Area Microfluidic Bioreactor for Production of Recombinant Protein

To produce innovative biopharmaceuticals, highly flexible, adaptable, robust, and affordable bioprocess platforms for bioreactors are essential. In this article, we describe the development of a large-area microfluidic bioreactor (LM bioreactor) for mammalian cell culture that works at laminar flow and perfusion conditions. The 184 cm² 32 cisterns LM bioreactor is the largest polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic device fabricated by photopolymer flexographic master mold methodology, reaching a final volume of 2.8 mL. The LM bioreactor was connected to a syringe pump system for culture media perfusion, and the cells’ culture was monitored by photomicrograph imaging. CHO-ahIFN-α2b adherent cell line expressing the anti-hIFN-a2b recombinant scFv-Fc monoclonal antibody (mAb) for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus were cultured on the LM bioreactor. Cell culture and mAb production in the LM bioreactor could be sustained for 18 days. Moreover, the anti-hIFN-a2b produced in the LM bioreactor showed higher affinity and neutralizing antiproliferative activity compared to those mAbs produced in the control condition. We demonstrate for the first-time, a large area microfluidic bioreactor for mammalian cell culture that enables a controlled microenvironment suitable for the development of high-quality biologics with potential for therapeutic use.

Strategies and Considerations for Improving Recombinant Antibody Production and Quality in Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells

Recombinant antibodies are rapidly developing therapeutic agents; approximately 40 novel antibody molecules enter clinical trials each year, most of which are produced from Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. However, one of the major bottlenecks restricting the development of antibody drugs is how to perform high-level expression and production of recombinant antibodies. The high-efficiency expression and quality of recombinant antibodies in CHO cells is determined by multiple factors. This review provides a comprehensive overview of several state-of-the-art approaches, such as optimization of gene sequence of antibody, construction and optimization of high-efficiency expression vector, using antibody expression system, transformation of host cell lines, and glycosylation modification. Finally, the authors discuss the potential of large-scale production of recombinant antibodies and development of culture processes for biopharmaceutical manufacturing in the future.