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Yan Y, Xing T, Huang X, Peng W, Wang S, Li N. Affinity-Resolved Size Exclusion Chromatography Coupled to Mass Spectrometry: A Novel Tool to Study the Attribute-and-Function Relationship in Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies. Anal Chem 2024; 96:11716-11724. [PMID: 38986034 PMCID: PMC11270518 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.4c00660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Revised: 06/27/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024]
Abstract
Assessment of critical quality attributes (CQAs) is an important aspect during the development of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Attributes that affect either the target binding or Fc receptor engagement may have direct impacts on the drug safety and efficacy and thus are considered as CQAs. Native size exclusion chromatography (SEC)-based competitive binding assay has recently been reported and demonstrated significant benefits compared to conventional approaches for CQA identification, owing to its faster turn-around and higher multiplexity. Expanding on the similar concept, we report the development of a novel affinity-resolved size exclusion chromatography-mass spectrometry (AR-SEC-MS) method for rapid CQA evaluation in therapeutic mAbs. This method features wide applicability, fast turn-around, high multiplexity, and easy implementation. Using the well-studied Fc gamma receptor III-A (FcγRIIIa) and Fc interaction as a model system, the effectiveness of this method in studying the attribute-and-function relationship was demonstrated. Further, two case studies were detailed to showcase the application of this method in assessing CQAs related to antibody target binding, which included unusual N-linked glycosylation in a bispecific antibody and Met oxidation in a monospecific antibody, both occurring within the complementarity-determining regions (CDRs).
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuetian Yan
- Analytical Chemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York 10591-6707, United States
| | - Tao Xing
- Analytical Chemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York 10591-6707, United States
| | - Xiaoxiao Huang
- Analytical Chemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York 10591-6707, United States
| | - Wenjing Peng
- Analytical Chemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York 10591-6707, United States
| | - Shunhai Wang
- Analytical Chemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York 10591-6707, United States
| | - Ning Li
- Analytical Chemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York 10591-6707, United States
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Liu S, Yan Y, Secor CM, Oberholtzer ZR, Skow DJ, Sheikh M, Moon Y, Fu Y, Sandu C, Wang S, Li N, Nguyen JB, Rosconi MP, Pyles EA. Enrichment strategy and initial characterization of heterodimers enriched from a co-formulated cocktail of therapeutic antibodies against SARS-COV-2. MAbs 2024; 16:2338301. [PMID: 38591617 PMCID: PMC11005800 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2024.2338301] [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: 12/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Co-formulation of multiple drug products is an efficient and convenient approach to simultaneously deliver multiple biotherapeutics with the potentially added benefit of a synergistic therapeutic effect. However, co-formulation also increases the risk of heteromeric interactions, giving rise to unique impurities with unknown efficacy and immunogenicity. Therefore, it is critical to develop methods to evaluate the risk of heteromers as an impurity that could affect potency, efficacy, and/or immunogenicity. The most direct strategy to evaluate antibody heteromers is via specific enrichment. However, the fact that antibody heterodimers generated from the co-formulated cocktail share highly similar molar mass and size properties as homodimers natively present in each individual antibody drug product poses a unique purification challenge. Here, we report the path to successful enrichment of heterodimers from co-formulated REGEN-COVⓇ and discuss its potential impacts on drug quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia Liu
- Protein Biochemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc ., Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | - Yuetian Yan
- Analytical Chemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | - Cody M. Secor
- Protein Biochemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc ., Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | | | - Donna J. Skow
- Therapeutic Proteins, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | - Mushhood Sheikh
- Therapeutic Proteins, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | - Youmi Moon
- Protein Biochemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc ., Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | - Yue Fu
- Protein Biochemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc ., Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | - Cristinel Sandu
- Therapeutic Proteins, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | - Shunhai Wang
- Analytical Chemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | - Ning Li
- Analytical Chemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | - Jennifer B. Nguyen
- Protein Biochemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc ., Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | - Michael P. Rosconi
- Protein Biochemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc ., Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | - Erica A. Pyles
- Protein Biochemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc ., Tarrytown, NY, USA
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Liu GY, Zhang Z, Yan Y, Wang S, Li N. Discovery and Characterization of an Acid-Labile Serine-Lysine Cross-Link in Antibody High-Molecular-Weight Species Using a Multipronged Mass Spectrometry Approach. Anal Chem 2023; 95:13813-13821. [PMID: 37674418 PMCID: PMC10515106 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c01602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
Characterizing the cross-links responsible for the covalent high-molecular-weight (HMW) species in therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) is of great importance as it not only provides a framework for risk assessment but also offers insights for process improvement. However, owing to the complexity and low abundance, identification of novel and unknown cross-links in mAb products can be very challenging. Here, applying a multipronged MS-based approach, we report the discovery of a novel covalent cross-link formed via an imine bond between lysine and serine residues. In particular, this Ser-Lys cross-link was found to be acid-labile and can be easily overlooked by conventional LC-MS techniques operated at low pH. It is worth noting that although imine-based cross-link has been previously reported in collagen protein cross-linking, this is the first time that a Ser-Lys cross-link has been found in a mAb product that contributes to covalent HMW species formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gao-Yuan Liu
- Analytical Chemistry, Regeneron
Pharmaceuticals Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York 10591-6707, United States
| | - Zhengqi Zhang
- Analytical Chemistry, Regeneron
Pharmaceuticals Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York 10591-6707, United States
| | - Yuetian Yan
- Analytical Chemistry, Regeneron
Pharmaceuticals Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York 10591-6707, United States
| | - Shunhai Wang
- Analytical Chemistry, Regeneron
Pharmaceuticals Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York 10591-6707, United States
| | - Ning Li
- Analytical Chemistry, Regeneron
Pharmaceuticals Inc., 777 Old Saw Mill River Road, Tarrytown, New York 10591-6707, United States
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Cotham VC, Liu AP, Wang S, Li N. A generic platform to couple affinity chromatography with native mass spectrometry for the analysis of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2023; 228:115337. [PMID: 36933319 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2023.115337] [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: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
Affinity chromatography coupled with native mass spectrometry has emerged as a powerful tool for the analysis of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Exploiting the specific interactions between mAbs and their ligands, these methods not only provide orthogonal means to study the highly complex mAb attributes, but also offer insights on their biological relevance. Despite the great promise, application of affinity chromatography - native mass spectrometry in routine mAb characterization has been limited, largely due to the complicated experimental set up. In this study, we introduced a generic platform to facilitate the online coupling of different affinity separation modes with native mass spectrometry. Built upon a recently introduced native LC-MS platform, this new strategy can accommodate a wide range of chromatographic conditions, and therefore, allow greatly simplified experimental set up and facile swapping of affinity separation modes. The utility of this platform was demonstrated by successful online coupling of three affinity chromatography methods (protein A, FcγRIIIa, and FcRn) with native mass spectrometry. The developed protein A-MS method was tested both in a "bind-and-elute" mode for rapid mAb screening and in a high-resolution resolving mode to study mAb species with altered protein A affinity. The FcγRIIIa-MS method was applied to achieve glycoform-resolved analyses of both IgG1 and IgG4 subclass molecules. The FcRn-MS method was demonstrated in two case studies, where specific post-translational modifications and Fc mutations were known to alter FcRn affinities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria C Cotham
- Analytical Chemistry Group, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | - Anita P Liu
- Analytical Chemistry Group, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., Tarrytown, NY, USA
| | - Shunhai Wang
- Analytical Chemistry Group, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., Tarrytown, NY, USA.
| | - Ning Li
- Analytical Chemistry Group, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., Tarrytown, NY, USA
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Cramer DAT, Franc V, Heidenreich AK, Hook M, Adibzadeh M, Reusch D, Heck AJR, Haberger M. Characterization of high-molecular weight by-products in the production of a trivalent bispecific 2+1 heterodimeric antibody. MAbs 2023; 15:2175312. [PMID: 36799476 PMCID: PMC9980510 DOI: 10.1080/19420862.2023.2175312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of increasingly complex antibody formats, such as bispecifics, can lead to the formation of increasingly complex high- and low-molecular-weight by-products. Here, we focus on the characterization of high molecular weight species (HMWs) representing the highest complexity of size variants. Standard methods used for product release, such as size exclusion chromatography (SEC), can separate HMW by-products from the main product, but cannot distinguish smaller changes in mass. Here, for the identification of the diverse and complex HMW variants of a trivalent bispecific CrossMAb antibody, offline fractionation, as well as production of HMW by-products combined with comprehensive analytical testing, was applied. Furthermore, HMW variants were analyzed regarding their chemical binding nature and tested in functional assays regarding changes in potency of the variants. Changes in potency were explained by detailed characterization using mass photometry, SDS-PAGE analysis, native mass spectrometry (MS) coupled to SEC and bottom-up proteomics. We identified a major portion of the HMW by-products to be non-covalently linked, leading to dissociation and changes in activity. We also identified and localized high heterogeneity of a by-product of concern and applied a CD3 affinity column coupled to native MS to annotate unexpected by-products. We present here a multi-method approach for the characterization of complex HMW by-products. A better understanding of these by-products is beneficial to guide analytical method development and proper specification setting for therapeutic bispecific antibodies to ensure constant efficacy and patient safety of the product through the assessment of by-products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dario A T Cramer
- Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research and Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Netherlands Proteomics Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Vojtech Franc
- Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research and Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Netherlands Proteomics Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Michaela Hook
- Pharma Technical Development, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Penzberg, Germany
| | - Mahdi Adibzadeh
- Pharma Technical Development, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Dietmar Reusch
- Pharma Technical Development, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Penzberg, Germany
| | - Albert J R Heck
- Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research and Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Netherlands Proteomics Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Markus Haberger
- Pharma Technical Development, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Penzberg, Germany
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