Evaluation of on-line high-performance size-exclusion chromatography, differential refractometry, and multi-angle laser light scattering analysis for the monitoring of the oligomeric state of human immunodeficiency virus vaccine protein antigen

Advances and opportunities in process analytical technologies for viral vector manufacturing

Viral vectors are an emerging, exciting class of biologics whose application in vaccines, oncology, and gene therapy has grown exponentially in recent years. Following first regulatory approval, this class of therapeutics has been vigorously pursued to treat monogenic disorders including orphan diseases, entering hundreds of new products into pipelines. Viral vector manufacturing supporting clinical efforts has spurred the introduction of a broad swath of analytical techniques dedicated to assessing the diverse and evolving panel of Critical Quality Attributes (CQAs) of these products. Herein, we provide an overview of the current state of analytics enabling measurement of CQAs such as capsid and vector identities, product titer, transduction efficiency, impurity clearance etc. We highlight orthogonal methods and discuss the advantages and limitations of these techniques while evaluating their adaptation as process analytical technologies. Finally, we identify gaps and propose opportunities in enabling existing technologies for real-time monitoring from hardware, software, and data analysis viewpoints for technology development within viral vector biomanufacturing.

Trends in Process Analytical Technology: Present State in Bioprocessing

Process analytical technology (PAT), the regulatory initiative for incorporating quality in pharmaceutical manufacturing, is an area of intense research and interest. If PAT is effectively applied to bioprocesses, this can increase process understanding and control, and mitigate the risk from substandard drug products to both manufacturer and patient. To optimize the benefits of PAT, the entire PAT framework must be considered and each elements of PAT must be carefully selected, including sensor and analytical technology, data analysis techniques, control strategies and algorithms, and process optimization routines. This chapter discusses the current state of PAT in the biopharmaceutical industry, including several case studies demonstrating the degree of maturity of various PAT tools. Graphical Abstract Hierarchy of QbD components.

At-line process analytical technology (PAT) for more efficient scale up of biopharmaceutical microfiltration unit operations

Tangential flow microfiltration (MF) is a cost-effective and robust bioprocess separation technique, but successful full scale implementation is hindered by the empirical, trial-and-error nature of scale-up. We present an integrated approach leveraging at-line process analytical technology (PAT) and mass balance based modeling to de-risk MF scale-up. Chromatography-based PAT was employed to improve the consistency of an MF step that had been a bottleneck in the process used to manufacture a therapeutic protein. A 10-min reverse phase ultra high performance liquid chromatography (RP-UPLC) assay was developed to provide at-line monitoring of protein concentration. The method was successfully validated and method performance was comparable to previously validated methods. The PAT tool revealed areas of divergence from a mass balance-based model, highlighting specific opportunities for process improvement. Adjustment of appropriate process controls led to improved operability and significantly increased yield, providing a successful example of PAT deployment in the downstream purification of a therapeutic protein. The general approach presented here should be broadly applicable to reduce risk during scale-up of filtration processes and should be suitable for feed-forward and feed-back process control.

Synthesis of novel size exclusion chromatography support by surface initiated aqueous atom transfer radical polymerization

We report the use of aqueous surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) to grow polymer brushes from a "gigaporous" polymeric chromatography support for use as a novel size exclusion chromatography medium. Poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) (PDMA) was grown from hydrolyzable surface initiators via SI-ATRP catalyzed by 1,1,4,7,10,10-hexamethyltriethylenetetramine (HMTETA)/CuCl. Grafted polymer was characterized semiquantitatively by ATR-FTIR and also cleaved and quantitatively characterized for mass, molecular weight, and polydispersity via analytical SEC/MALLS. The synthesis provides control over graft density and allows the creation of dense brushes. Incorporation of negative surface charge was found to be crucial for improving the initiation efficiency. As polymer molecular weight and density could be controlled through reaction conditions, the resulting low-polydispersity grafted polymer brush medium is shown to be suitable for use as a customizable size exclusion chromatography medium for investigating the principals of entropic interaction chromatography. All packed media investigated showed size-dependent partitioning of solutes, even for low graft density systems. Increasing the molecular weight of the grafts allowed solutes more access to the volume fraction in the column available for partitioning. Compared to low graft density media, increased graft density caused eluted solute probes to be retained less within the column and allowed for greater size discrimination of probes whose molecular weights were less than 10(4) kDa.

Molecular characterization of recombinant Hepatitis B surface antigen from Chinese hamster ovary and Hansenula polymorpha cells by high-performance size exclusion chromatography and multi-angle laser light scattering

The molecular weight and size of recombinant Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) derived from Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) and the Hansenula polymorph have been characterized by high-performance size exclusion chromatography with multi-angle laser light scattering (HPSEC-MALLS). The average molecular weight of CHO-derived HBsAg particle (CHO-rHBsAg) (4921 kDa) was higher than that of H. polymorpha yeast strain (Hans-rHBsAg) (3010 kDa). The size of CHO-rHBsAg (22.1 nm) is nearly the same as that of native HBsAg compared to 18.1 nm for Hans-rHBsAg. The average monomer numbers were found to be 155 for CHO-rHBsAg and 86 for Hans-rHBsAg, respectively. The data obtained support the assumption that the higher immunogenicity of CHO-derived HBsAg is related to its more favorable macromolecular assembly structure.

Inter-subunit disulfide bonds in soluble HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein trimers

Soluble forms of the trimeric human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) envelope glycoproteins are important tools for structural studies and in the construction of improved immunogens. We found that a substantial fraction of soluble envelope glycoprotein trimers contain inter-subunit disulfide bonds (inter-S-S bonds) that render the trimers resistant to heat and denaturing agents. These inter-S-S bonds can be reduced without disrupting the trimers by treatment with a low concentration of beta-mercaptoethanol or DTT. Antibody mapping studies suggest that the soluble HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein trimers lacking the inter-S-S bonds exhibit a conformation closer to that of the native HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein complex. However, reducing these inter-S-S bonds had only modest effects on the inefficient elicitation of neutralizing antibodies by the soluble trimers. These studies provide guidance in improving the resemblance of tractable, soluble forms of the HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins to the native virion spikes.

Entropic interaction chromatography: Separating proteins on the basis of size using end-grafted polymer brushes

Partitioning of a macromolecule into the interfacial volume occupied by a grafted polymer brush decreases the configurational entropy (DeltaSbrush(c)) of the terminally attached linear polymer chains due to a loss of free volume. Self-consistent field theory (SCF) calculations are used to show that DeltaSbrush(c) is a strong function of both the size (MWp) of the partitioning macromolecule and the depth of penetration into the brush volume. We further demonstrate that the strong dependence of DeltaSbrush(c) on MWp provides a novel and powerful platform, which we call entropic interaction chromatography (EIC), for efficiently separating mixtures of proteins on the basis of size. Two EIC columns, differing primarily in polymer grafting density, were prepared by growing a brush of poly(methoxyethyl acrylamide) chains on the surface of a wide-pore (1,000-A pores, 64-microm diameter rigid beads) resin (Toyopearl AF-650M) bearing surface aldehyde groups. Semipreparative 0.1-L columns packed with either EIC resin provide reduced-plate heights of 2 or less for efficient separation of globular protein mixtures over at least three molecular-weight decades. Protein partitioning within these wide-pore EIC columns is shown to be effectively modeled as a thermodynamically controlled process, allowing partition coefficients (K(P)) and elution chromatograms to be accurately predicted using a column model that combines SCF calculation of K(P) values with an equilibrium-dispersion type model of solute transport through the column. This model is used to explore the dependence of column separation efficiency on brush properties, predicting that optimal separation of proteins over a broad MWp range is achieved at low to moderate grafting densities and intermediate chain lengths.