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Schmitz F, Minceva M, Kampmann M. Comparison of batch and continuous multi-column capture of monoclonal antibodies with convective diffusive membrane adsorbers. J Chromatogr A 2024; 1732:465201. [PMID: 39079364 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2024.465201] [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: 06/14/2024] [Revised: 07/15/2024] [Accepted: 07/20/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024]
Abstract
Protein A affinity membrane adsorbers are a promising alternative to resins to intensify the manufacturing of monoclonal antibodies. This study examined the process performance of convective diffusive membrane adsorbers operated in batch and continuous multi-column mode. Therefore, three different processes were compared regarding membrane utilization, productivity, and buffer consumption: the batch process, the rapid cycling parallel multi-column chromatography process, and the rapid cycling simulated moving bed process. The influence of the monoclonal antibody loading concentration (between 0.5 g L-1 and 5.2 g L-1) and the loading flow rate (between 1.25 MV min-1 and 10 MV min-1) on the monoclonal antibody binding behavior of the membrane adsorber were studied with breakthrough curve experiments. The determined breakthrough curves were used to calculate the monoclonal antibody dynamic binding capacity, the duration of the loading steps for each process, and the number of required membrane adsorbers for the continuous processes rapid cycling parallel multi-column chromatography and rapid cycling simulated moving bed. The highest productivity for the batch (176 g L-1 h-1) and rapid cycling parallel multi-column chromatography process (176 g L-1 h-1) was calculated for high monoclonal antibody loading concentrations and low loading flow rates. In contrast, the rapid cycling simulated moving bed process achieved the highest productivity (217 g L-1 h-1) for high monoclonal antibody loading concentrations and loading flow rates. Furthermore, due to the higher membrane utilization, the buffer consumption of the rapid cycling simulated moving bed process (1.1 L g-1) was up to 1.9 times lower than that of the batch or rapid cycling parallel multi-column chromatography operation (2.1 L g-1).
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Schmitz
- Biothermodynamics, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany; Corporate Research, Sartorius Stedim Biotech GmbH, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Mirjana Minceva
- Biothermodynamics, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Markus Kampmann
- Corporate Research, Sartorius Stedim Biotech GmbH, Göttingen, Germany.
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Schmitz F, Knöchelmann E, Kruse T, Minceva M, Kampmann M. Continuous multi-column capture of monoclonal antibodies with convective diffusive membrane adsorbers. Biotechnol Bioeng 2024; 121:1859-1875. [PMID: 38470343 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28695] [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: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Downstream processing is the bottleneck in the continuous manufacturing of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). To overcome throughput limitations, two different continuous processes with a novel convective diffusive protein A membrane adsorber (MA) were investigated: the rapid cycling parallel multi-column chromatography (RC-PMCC) process and the rapid cycling simulated moving bed (RC-BioSMB) process. First, breakthrough curve experiments were performed to investigate the influence of the flow rate on the mAb dynamic binding capacity and to calculate the duration of the loading steps. In addition, customized control software was developed for an automated MA exchange in case of pressure increase due to membrane fouling to enable robust, uninterrupted, and continuous processing. Both processes were performed for 4 days with 0.61 g L-1 mAb-containing filtrate and process performance, product purity, productivity, and buffer consumption were compared. The mAb was recovered with a yield of approximately 90% and productivities of 1010 g L-1 d-1 (RC-PMCC) and 574 g L-1 d-1 (RC-BioSMB). At the same time, high removal of process-related impurities was achieved with both processes, whereas the buffer consumption was lower for the RC-BioSMB process. Finally, the attainable productivity for perfusion bioreactors of different sizes with suitable MA sizes was calculated to demonstrate the potential to operate both processes on a manufacturing scale with bioreactor volumes of up to 2000 L.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Schmitz
- Biothermodynamics, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
- Corporate Research, Sartorius Stedim Biotech GmbH, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Elias Knöchelmann
- Corporate Research, Sartorius Stedim Biotech GmbH, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Kruse
- Corporate Research, Sartorius Stedim Biotech GmbH, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Mirjana Minceva
- Biothermodynamics, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
| | - Markus Kampmann
- Corporate Research, Sartorius Stedim Biotech GmbH, Göttingen, Germany
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Liu C, Tian M, Dong W, Lu W, Zhang T, Wan Y, Zhang X, Li Y. SEC-HPLC analysis of column load and flow-through provides critical understanding of low Protein A step yield. Protein Expr Purif 2024; 216:106418. [PMID: 38141898 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2023.106418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/25/2023]
Abstract
For a certain number of mAbs, bispecific antibodies (bsAbs) and Fc-fusion proteins that we worked on, the Protein A capture step experienced low yield (i.e., ∼80%). A previous case study suggested that non-binding aggregate formed in cell culture was the root cause of low Protein A step yield. In the current work, we selected five projects with the low Protein A yield issue to further illustrate this phenomenon. In all cases, existence of non-binding aggregates was confirmed by size-exclusion chromatography-high performance liquid chromatography (SEC-HPLC) analysis of Protein A load and flow-through. In addition, we demonstrated that aggregates failed to bind to Protein A resin mainly due to their large sizes, which prevented them from entering the resin beads. As the data suggested, SEC-HPLC analysis of Protein A load and flow-through, although not a standard procedure, can provide information that is critical for understanding the unexpected performance of Protein A chromatography in cases like those being presented here. Thus, SEC-HPLC analysis of Protein A load and flow-through is highly recommended for antibodies/Fc-fusions suffering from low Protein A yield.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Liu
- Downstream Process Development (DSPD), WuXi Biologics, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai, 200131, China
| | - Mengying Tian
- Downstream Process Development (DSPD), WuXi Biologics, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai, 200131, China
| | - Wanyuan Dong
- Downstream Process Development (DSPD), WuXi Biologics, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai, 200131, China
| | - Wenwen Lu
- Downstream Process Development (DSPD), WuXi Biologics, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai, 200131, China
| | - Ting Zhang
- Downstream Process Development (DSPD), WuXi Biologics, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai, 200131, China
| | - Yan Wan
- Downstream Process Development (DSPD), WuXi Biologics, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai, 200131, China
| | - Xudong Zhang
- Downstream Process Development (DSPD), WuXi Biologics, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai, 200131, China.
| | - Yifeng Li
- Downstream Process Development (DSPD), WuXi Biologics, 288 Fute Zhong Road, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Shanghai, 200131, China.
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Anderson SM, Seto E, Chau D, Lee B, Vail A, Ding S, Voloshin A, Nagel M. Fiber chromatographic enabled process intensification increases monoclonal antibody product yield. Biotechnol Bioeng 2024; 121:757-770. [PMID: 37902763 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28584] [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: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023]
Abstract
The most straightforward method to increase monoclonal antibody (mAb) product yield is to complete the purification process in less steps. Here, three different fiber chromatographic devices were implemented using a holistic approach to intensify the mAb purification process and increase yield. Fiber protein A (proA) chromatography was first investigated, but traditional depth filtration was not sufficient in reducing the contaminant load as the fiber proA device prematurely fouled. Further experimentation revealed that chromatin aggregates were the most likely reason for the fiber fouling. To reduce levels of chromatin aggregates, a chromatographic clarification device (CCD) was incorporated into the process, resulting in single-stage clarification of harvested cell culture fluid and reduction of DNA levels. The CCD clarified pool was then successfully processed through the fiber proA device, fully realizing the productivity gains that the fiber technology offers. After the proA and viral inactivation neutralization (VIN) hold step, the purification process was further intensified using a novel single-use fiber-based polishing anion exchange (AEX) material that is capable of binding both soluble and insoluble contaminants. The three-stage fiber chromatographic purification process was compared to a legacy five-step process of dual-stage depth filtration, bead-based proA chromatography, post-VIN depth filtration, and bead-based AEX chromatography. The overall yield from the five-step process was 60%, while the fiber chromatographic-enabled intensified process had an overall yield of 70%. The impurity clearance of DNA and host cell protein (HCP) for both processes were within the regulatory specification (<100 ppm HCP, <1 ppb DNA). For the harvest of a 2000 L cell culture, the intensified process is expected to increase productivity by 2.5-fold at clarification, 50-fold at the proA step, and 1.6-fold in polishing. Relative to the legacy process, the intensified process would reduce buffer use by 1088 L and decrease overall process product mass intensity by 12.6%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean M Anderson
- 3M, Separation and Purification Sciences, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Elbert Seto
- Gilead, Protein Sciences, Foster City, California, USA
| | - David Chau
- 3M, Separation and Purification Sciences, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Brian Lee
- Gilead, Protein Sciences, Foster City, California, USA
| | - Andrew Vail
- 3M, Separation and Purification Sciences, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Sheng Ding
- Gilead, Protein Sciences, Foster City, California, USA
| | - Alexei Voloshin
- 3M, Separation and Purification Sciences, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Mark Nagel
- Gilead, Protein Sciences, Foster City, California, USA
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Steegmüller T, Kratky T, Gollwitzer L, Schwaminger SP, Berensmeier S. Development of a New Affinity Gold Polymer Membrane with Immobilized Protein A. MEMBRANES 2024; 14:31. [PMID: 38392658 PMCID: PMC10890041 DOI: 10.3390/membranes14020031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
New and highly selective stationary phases for affinity membrane chromatography have the potential to significantly enhance the efficiency and specificity of therapeutic protein purification by reduced mass transfer limitations. This work developed and compared different immobilization strategies for recombinant Protein A ligands to a gold-sputtered polymer membrane for antibody separation in terms of functionalization and immobilization success, protein load, and stability. Successful, functionalization was validated via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Here, a recombinant Protein A ligand was coupled by N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS)/N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N'-ethylcarbodiimide (EDC) chemistry to carboxy-functionalized, gold-sputtered membranes. We achieved a binding capacity of up to 104 ± 17 mg of the protein ligand per gram of the gold-sputtered membrane. The developed membranes were able to successfully capture and release the monoclonal antibody (mAb) Trastuzumab, as well as antibodies from fresh frozen human blood plasma in both static and dynamic setups. Therefore, they demonstrated successful functionalization and immobilization strategies. The antibody load was tested using bicinchoninic acid (BCA), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis) measurements, and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The outcome is a fully functional affinity membrane that can be implemented in a variety of different antibody purification processes, eliminating the need for creating individualized strategies for modifying the surface to suit different substrates or conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Steegmüller
- Chair of Bioseparation Engineering, TUM School of Engineering and Design, Technical University of Munich, Boltzmannstraße 15, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Tim Kratky
- Associate Professorship Physical Chemistry with Focus on Catalysis, TUM School of Natural Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstraße 4, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Lena Gollwitzer
- Chair of Bioseparation Engineering, TUM School of Engineering and Design, Technical University of Munich, Boltzmannstraße 15, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Sebastian Patrick Schwaminger
- Chair of Bioseparation Engineering, TUM School of Engineering and Design, Technical University of Munich, Boltzmannstraße 15, 85748 Garching, Germany
- Division of Medicinal Chemistry, Otto-Loewi Research Center, Medical University of Graz, Neue Stiftingtalstraße 6, 8010 Graz, Austria
- BioTechMed-Graz, Mozartgasse 12, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Sonja Berensmeier
- Chair of Bioseparation Engineering, TUM School of Engineering and Design, Technical University of Munich, Boltzmannstraße 15, 85748 Garching, Germany
- Munich Institute of Integrated Materials, Energy and Process Engineering, Technical University of Munich, Lichtenbergstraße 4a, 85748 Garching, Germany
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Gehrmann N, Daxbacher A, Hahn R. Rapid purification of mAb using protein a membranes yielding high HCP clearance. J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci 2024; 1232:123989. [PMID: 38154412 DOI: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2023.123989] [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: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
Protein A chromatography remains the crucial step in mAb purification because of the high binding specificity and impurity clearance. In recent years, highly productive membrane adsorbers emerged as an alternative to traditional resins allowing for rapid purification of biomolecules. In this study, we tested three commercially available protein A membranes (Sartobind® Rapid A, HiTrap Fibro™ PrismA and GORE™ Protein Capture Device) regarding flow distribution, permeability and binding performance. As an application study using a cell-culture supernatant (CCS) containing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), acidic and high pH wash steps were investigated regarding recovery and impurity removal. All membranes proved their applicability as highly productive capture media leading to high HCP and DNA removal with no observable influence on recovery. GORE™ Protein Capture Device exhibited a superior flow distribution but revealed diffusional limitations at high flow rates. Sartobind® Rapid A and HiTrap Fibro™ PrismA showed binding capacities of ∼ 40 g/L even at residence times (RTs) < 12 s but were limited by hydrodynamics suggesting room for improvement with optimized membrane housing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils Gehrmann
- Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, Department of Biotechnology. University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas Daxbacher
- Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, Department of Biotechnology. University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Rainer Hahn
- Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering, Department of Biotechnology. University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Muthgasse 18, 1190 Vienna, Austria.
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Osuofa J, Husson SM. Preparation of Protein A Membrane Adsorbers Using Strain-Promoted, Copper-Free Dibenzocyclooctyne (DBCO)-Azide Click Chemistry. MEMBRANES 2023; 13:824. [PMID: 37887996 PMCID: PMC10608826 DOI: 10.3390/membranes13100824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023]
Abstract
Protein A chromatography is the preferred unit operation for purifying Fc-based proteins. Convective chromatography technologies, like membrane adsorbers, can perform the purification rapidly and improve throughput dramatically. While the literature reports the preparation of Protein A membrane adsorbers utilizing traditional coupling chemistries that target lysine or thiol groups on the Protein A ligand, this study demonstrates a new approach utilizing copper-free dibenzocyclooctyne (DBCO)-azide click chemistry. The synthetic pathway consists of three main steps: bioconjugation of Protein A with a DBCO-polyethylene glycol (PEG) linker, preparation of an azide-functionalized membrane surface, and click reaction of DBCO-Protein A onto the membrane surface. Using polyclonal human immunoglobulins (hIgG) as the target molecule, Protein A membranes prepared by this synthetic pathway showed a flowrate-independent dynamic binding capacity of ~10 mg/mL membrane at 10% breakthrough. Fitting of static binding capacity measurements to the Langmuir adsorption isotherm showed a maximum binding (qmax) of 27.48 ± 1.31 mg/mL and an apparent equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) of value of 1.72 × 10-1 ± 4.03 × 10-2 mg/mL. This work represents a new application for copper-less click chemistry in the membrane chromatography space and outlines a synthetic pathway that can be followed for immobilization of other ligands.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Scott M. Husson
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
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