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Zhi L, Chen Y, Lai KYN, Wert J, Li S, Wang X, Tang XC, Shameem M, Liu D. Lyophilization as an effective tool to develop AAV8 gene therapy products for refrigerated storage. Int J Pharm 2023; 648:123564. [PMID: 37914106 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2023.123564] [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: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/29/2023] [Indexed: 11/03/2023]
Abstract
Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) has emerged as the leading gene delivery platform for treatment of monogenic disorders. Currently, for clinical and commercial products, rAAVs are typically formulated and stored below -65 °C as frozen liquid. Their long-term storage is often far from ideal because it may result in shorter drug product (DP) shelf-life compared to recombinant protein-based biologics, and also presents challenges for supply chain and inventory management. Consequently, there is great interest in developing robust lyophilized AAV DPs that are stable at 2 to 8 °C. In this study, we evaluated formulation excipients required for stable lyophilized AAV8 products including buffers, salts, cryoprotectants/lyoprotectants, surfactants, and bulking agents, and optimized the concentrations and ratios between the excipients. This led to the identification of the lead formulation that demonstrated short-term in-solution stability at 25 °C and, upon lyophilization, sufficient long-term stability at 2 to 8 °C. Our study demonstrated that, in the presence of 110 mM salts, mannitol can serve as an effective bulking agent with the appropriate formulation and lyophilization process design, and the sucrose to mannitol ratio is critical to maintain the stability and cake appearance of the lyophilized AAV8 DP. Thorough characterization of the effect of formulation components on the properties and quality of the lyophilized DP led to an optimized AAV8 lyophilized DP. This approach could be applied to streamline the future development of lyophilized AAV gene therapy products with various target transgenes and capsid serotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Zhi
- Formulation Development, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY 10591, USA.
| | - Yao Chen
- Formulation Development, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY 10591, USA
| | - Kuan-Yu Nick Lai
- Formulation Development, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY 10591, USA
| | - Jonathan Wert
- Formulation Development, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY 10591, USA
| | - Shuai Li
- Formulation Development, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY 10591, USA
| | - Xiaoyan Wang
- Formulation Development, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY 10591, USA
| | - Xiaolin Charlie Tang
- Formulation Development, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY 10591, USA
| | - Mohammed Shameem
- Formulation Development, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY 10591, USA
| | - Dingjiang Liu
- Formulation Development, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, NY 10591, USA.
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Thakral S, Sonje J, Munjal B, Bhatnagar B, Suryanarayanan R. Mannitol as an Excipient for Lyophilized Injectable Formulations. J Pharm Sci 2023; 112:19-35. [PMID: 36030846 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2022.08.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The review summarizes the current state of knowledge of mannitol as an excipient in lyophilized injectable small and large molecule formulations. When compared with glycine, the physicochemical properties of mannitol make it a desirable and preferred bulking agent. Though mannitol is a popular bulking agent in freeze-dried formulations, its use may pose certain challenges such as vial breakage or its existence as a metastable crystalline hemihydrate in the final cake, necessitating appropriate mitigation strategies. The understanding of the phase behavior of mannitol in aqueous systems, during the various stages of freeze-drying, can be critical for the optimization of freeze-drying cycle parameters in multi-component formulations. Finally, using a decision tree as a guiding tool, we demonstrate the use of orthogonal techniques for attaining a stable and cost-effective lyophilized drug product containing mannitol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seema Thakral
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States of America.
| | - Jayesh Sonje
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States of America
| | - Bhushan Munjal
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States of America
| | - Bakul Bhatnagar
- Pfizer Inc., BioTherapeutics, Pharmaceutical Sciences, 1 Burtt Road, Andover, MA 01810, United States of America
| | - Raj Suryanarayanan
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States of America.
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Munjal B, Patel SM, Suryanarayanan R. Role of Arginine Salts in Preventing Freezing-induced Increase in Subvisible Particles in Protein Formulations. Int J Pharm 2022; 619:121694. [PMID: 35331829 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2022.121694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Revised: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
While arginine hydrochloride (ArgHCl) has emerged as a potential stabilizer of protein drugs in liquid formulations the purpose of this manuscript was to evaluate its stabilization potential in frozen solutions. The phase behavior of frozen AgHCl solutions was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and low temperature powder X-ray diffractometry. The aggregation of β-galactosidase was evaluated following freeze-thaw cycling in ArgHCl solutions with and without mannitol. ArgHCl (5% w/v) was retained amorphous in frozen aqueous solutions and effectively inhibited protein aggregation even after 5 freeze-thaw cycles. Annealing frozen arginine solution (5% w/v) containing mannitol (10% w/v) induced mannitol crystallization which in turn facilitated crystallization of ArgHCl. The stabilizing effect of ArgHCl was completely lost in the presence of mannitol. Use of alternate arginine salts (aspartate, glutamate, and acetate) allowed selective crystallization of mannitol while the arginine was retained amorphous and stabilized the protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhushan Munjal
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States
| | - Sajal M Patel
- Dosage Form Design & Development, Biopharmaceutical Development, Biopharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878, United States
| | - Raj Suryanarayanan
- Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States.
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Effects of monoclonal antibody concentration and type of bulking agent on critical quality attributes of lyophilisates. J Drug Deliv Sci Technol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jddst.2021.102510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Thakral S, Sonje J, Munjal B, Suryanarayanan R. Stabilizers and their interaction with formulation components in frozen and freeze-dried protein formulations. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2021; 173:1-19. [PMID: 33741437 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2021.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Revised: 02/06/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
This review aims to provide an overview of the current knowledge on protein stabilization during freezing and freeze-drying in relation to stress conditions commonly encountered during these processes. The traditional as well as refined mechanisms by which excipients may stabilize proteins are presented. These stabilizers encompass a wide variety of compounds including sugars, sugar alcohols, amino acids, surfactants, buffers and polymers. The rational selection of excipients for use in frozen and freeze-dried protein formulations is presented. Lyophilized protein formulations are generally multicomponent systems, providing numerous possibilities of excipient-excipient and protein-excipient interactions. The interplay of different formulation components on the protein stability and excipient functionality in the frozen and freeze-dried systems are reviewed, with discussion of representative examples of such interactions.
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Álvarez-Castillo E, Bengoechea C, Guerrero A. Strengthening of Porcine Plasma Protein Superabsorbent Materials through a Solubilization-Freeze-Drying Process. Polymers (Basel) 2021; 13:772. [PMID: 33802290 PMCID: PMC7959129 DOI: 10.3390/polym13050772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2021] [Revised: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The replacement of common acrylic derivatives by biodegradable materials in the formulation of superabsorbent materials would lessen the associated environmental impact. Moreover, the use of by-products or biowastes from the food industry that are usually discarded would promote a desired circular economy. The present study deals with the development of superabsorbent materials based on a by-product from the meat industry, namely plasma protein, focusing on the effects of a freeze-drying stage before blending with glycerol and eventual injection molding. More specifically, this freeze-drying stage is carried out either directly on the protein flour or after its solubilization in deionized water (10% w/w). Superabsorbent materials obtained after this solubilization-freeze-drying process display higher Young's modulus and tensile strength values, without affecting their water uptake capacity. As greater water uptake is commonly related to poorer mechanical properties, the proposed solubilization-freeze-drying process is a useful strategy for producing strengthened hydrophilic materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estefanía Álvarez-Castillo
- Escuela Politécnica Superior, Chemical Engineering Department, University of Seville, Calle Virgen de África, 7, 41011 Sevilla, Spain; (C.B.); (A.G.)
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Seifert I, Friess W. Improvement of arginine hydrochloride based antibody lyophilisates. Int J Pharm 2020; 589:119859. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2020.119859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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Anumalla B, Prabhu NP. Counteracting Effect of Charged Amino Acids Against the Destabilization of Proteins by Arginine. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2019; 189:541-555. [PMID: 31056736 DOI: 10.1007/s12010-019-03026-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2018] [Accepted: 04/22/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Studies on osmolyte-induced effects on proteins help in enhancing protein stability under stressed conditions for various applications. Using mixtures of osmolytes could indeed widen their applications. The combinatorial effects of osmolytes with methylamines are majorly found in the literature; however, such studies are limited on the amino acid class of osmolytes. The present study examines the effect of charged amino acids Arg, Asp, and Lys on the stability of RNase A and α-LA. The thermal stabilities of the proteins in the presence of osmolytes are monitored by absorption changes, and the structural changes are analyzed using fluorescence quenching and near-UV circular dichroism (CD). These results are compared with our previous report on the effect of Glu. Arg destabilizes both the proteins whereas Asp, Lys, and Glu stabilize the proteins. The extent of stability provided by Asp and Glu is almost same and higher than Lys in RNase A. However, the stability acquired in the presence of Asp and Lys is comparable for α-LA and Glu provides higher stability. Further, the quenching and CD results suggest that the addition of amino acids do not alter the structure of the proteins significantly. The counteracting abilities of the stabilizing amino acids (stAAs) against Arg are then investigated. The results show that Glu could counteract Arg at the lowest fraction in the mixture. Lys requires nearly equimolar concentration whereas Asp needs almost double the concentration to counteract Arg induced destabilization of the proteins. At higher concentrations, the counteracting ability of Asp and Lys is similar for both the proteins. The counteracting ratio might slightly vary among the proteins, and it is not necessary that the amino acid providing higher stability to the protein could more effectively counteract Arg. This could be due to the change in the extent of preferential hydration of the proteins by stAAs in the presence of Arg. The results suggest that the addition of stAAs could be an effective strategy to increase the protein stability in biotechnology and biopharma applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bramhini Anumalla
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, 500 046, India
| | - N Prakash Prabhu
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, 500 046, India.
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Lyophilization of High-Concentration Protein Formulations. METHODS IN PHARMACOLOGY AND TOXICOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-8928-7_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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Pansare SK, Patel SM. Lyophilization Process Design and Development: A Single-Step Drying Approach. J Pharm Sci 2018; 108:1423-1433. [PMID: 30468830 DOI: 10.1016/j.xphs.2018.11.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2018] [Revised: 11/06/2018] [Accepted: 11/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
High-throughput lyophilization process was designed and developed for protein formulations using a single-step drying approach at a shelf temperature (Ts) of ≥40°C. Model proteins were evaluated at different protein concentrations in amorphous-only and amorphous-crystalline formulations. Single-step drying resulted in product temperature (Tp) above the collapse temperature (Tc) and a significant reduction (of at least 40%) in process time compared to the control cycle (wherein Tp <Tc). For the amorphous-only formulation at a protein concentration of ≤25 mg/mL, single-step drying resulted in product shrinkage and partial collapse, whereas a 50 mg/mL concentration showed minor product shrinkage. The presence of a crystallizing bulking agent improved product appearance at ≤25 mg/mL protein concentration for single-step drying. No impact to other product quality attributes was observed for single-step drying. Vial type, fill height, and scale-up considerations (i.e., choked flow, condenser capacity, lyophilizer design and geometry) were the important factors identified for successful implementation of single-step drying. Although single-step drying showed significant reduction in the edge vial effect, the scale-up considerations need to be addressed critically. Finally, the single-step drying approach can indeed make the lyophilization process high throughput compared to traditional freeze-drying process (i.e., 2-step drying).
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Affiliation(s)
- Swapnil K Pansare
- MedImmune, LLC, Dosage Form Design and Development Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878
| | - Sajal M Patel
- MedImmune, LLC, Dosage Form Design and Development Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878.
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Crystallizing amino acids as bulking agents in freeze-drying. Eur J Pharm Biopharm 2018; 132:70-82. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpb.2018.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2018] [Revised: 07/27/2018] [Accepted: 09/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Hackl E, Darkwah J, Smith G, Ermolina I. Effect of Arginine on the Aggregation of Protein in Freeze-Dried Formulations Containing Sugars and Polyol: 1-Formulation Development. AAPS PharmSciTech 2018; 19:896-911. [PMID: 29047017 DOI: 10.1208/s12249-017-0884-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2017] [Accepted: 09/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
L-arginine was introduced into protein-based freeze-dried formulations to study the ability of arginine to reduce/prevent from protein aggregation during manufacturing, storage and reconstitution of lyophilized protein-based pharmaceuticals. As L-arginine is known to be very hygroscopic, additional excipients which could provide a moisture buffering capacity need to be introduced into the formulation. In the first part of our study-excipient formulation development-the screening of a number of sugars/polyols has been done in order to select the best combination of excipients that, in a complex with L-arginine, can (i) produce freeze-dried cakes with elegant appearance, adequate mechanical properties and reconstitution times, and (ii) resist/minimise the moisture sorption. Various freeze-dried cakes containing L-arginine in combination with mannitol, trehalose, lactose and sucrose were produced and analysed by TGA, DSC, texture analysis, moisture sorption, cake shrinkage, TVIM and SEM. The non-linear dependencies of the physicochemical properties of the freeze-dried cakes on the sugar-to-mannitol ratios were found. The best combinations of excipients (L-arginine, mannitol and trehalose) were selected to be used in the second part of this work, in which the impact of each selected formulation will be studied in relation to the aggregation of a protein.
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Effect of cyclophosphamide on the solid form of mannitol during lyophilization. Eur J Pharm Sci 2017; 101:251-257. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2017.02.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2016] [Revised: 01/30/2017] [Accepted: 02/14/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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