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Rajoub N, Gerard CJJ, Pantuso E, Fontananova E, Caliandro R, Belviso BD, Curcio E, Nicoletta FP, Pullen J, Chen W, Heng JYY, Ruane S, Liddell J, Alvey N, Ter Horst JH, Di Profio G. A workflow for the development of template-assisted membrane crystallization downstream processing for monoclonal antibody purification. Nat Protoc 2023; 18:2998-3049. [PMID: 37697106 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-023-00869-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023]
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are commonly used biologic drugs for the treatment of diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, COVID-19 and various cancers. They are produced in Chinese hamster ovary cell lines and are purified via a number of complex and expensive chromatography-based steps, operated in batch mode, that rely heavily on protein A resin. The major drawback of conventional procedures is the high cost of the adsorption media and the extensive use of chemicals for the regeneration of the chromatographic columns, with an environmental cost. We have shown that conventional protein A chromatography can be replaced with a single crystallization step and gram-scale production can be achieved in continuous flow using the template-assisted membrane crystallization process. The templates are embedded in a membrane (e.g., porous polyvinylidene fluoride with a layer of polymerized polyvinyl alcohol) and serve as nucleants for crystallization. mAbs are flexible proteins that are difficult to crystallize, so it can be challenging to determine the optimal conditions for crystallization. The objective of this protocol is to establish a systematic and flexible approach for the design of a robust, economic and sustainable mAb purification platform to replace at least the protein A affinity stage in traditional chromatography-based purification platforms. The procedure provides details on how to establish the optimal parameters for separation (crystallization conditions, choice of templates, choice of membrane) and advice on analytical and characterization methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nazer Rajoub
- CMAC Future Manufacturing Research Hub, c/o Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Technology and Innovation Centre, Glasgow, UK
| | - Charline J J Gerard
- CMAC Future Manufacturing Research Hub, c/o Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Technology and Innovation Centre, Glasgow, UK
| | - Elvira Pantuso
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto per la Tecnologia delle Membrane (ITM), Rende, Italy
| | - Enrica Fontananova
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto per la Tecnologia delle Membrane (ITM), Rende, Italy
| | - Rocco Caliandro
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto di Cristallografia (IC), Bari, Italy
| | - Benny D Belviso
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto di Cristallografia (IC), Bari, Italy
| | - Efrem Curcio
- Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Calabria, Rende, Italy
| | - Fiore P Nicoletta
- Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Edificio Polifunzionale, Rende, Italy
| | - James Pullen
- FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, Billingham, UK
| | - Wenqian Chen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Jerry Y Y Heng
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Sean Ruane
- Center for Process Innovation (CPI), Darlington, UK
| | - John Liddell
- Center for Process Innovation (CPI), Darlington, UK
| | | | - Joop H Ter Horst
- CMAC Future Manufacturing Research Hub, c/o Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Technology and Innovation Centre, Glasgow, UK
| | - Gianluca Di Profio
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto per la Tecnologia delle Membrane (ITM), Rende, Italy.
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Gerard CJ, Briuglia ML, Rajoub N, Mastropietro TF, Chen W, Heng JYY, Di Profio G, ter Horst JH. Template-Assisted Crystallization Behavior in Stirred Solutions of the Monoclonal Antibody Anti-CD20: Probability Distributions of Induction Times. Cryst Growth Des 2022; 22:3637-3645. [PMID: 35673394 PMCID: PMC9164231 DOI: 10.1021/acs.cgd.1c01324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
We present a method to determine the template crystallization behavior of proteins. This method is a statistical approach that accounts for the stochastic nature of nucleation. It makes use of batch-wise experiments under stirring conditions in volumes smaller than 0.3 mL to save material while mimicking larger-scale processes. To validate our method, it was applied to the crystallization of a monoclonal antibody of pharmaceutical interest, Anti-CD20. First, we determined the Anti-CD20 phase diagram in a PEG-400/Na2SO4/water system using the batch method, as, to date, no such data on Anti-CD20 solubility have been reported. Then, the probability distribution of induction times was determined experimentally, in the presence of various mesoporous silica template particles, and crystallization of Anti-CD20 in the absence of templates was compared to template-assisted crystallization. The probability distribution of induction times is shown to be a suitable method to determine the effect of template particles on protein crystallization. The induction time distribution allows for the determination of two key parameters of nucleation, the nucleation rate and the growth time. This study shows that the use of silica particles leads to faster crystallization and a higher nucleation rate. The template particle characteristics are shown to be critical parameters to efficiently promote protein crystallization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charline
J. J. Gerard
- EPSRC
Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Continuous Manufacturing and
Crystallisation, Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical
Sciences, Technology and Innovation Centre, University of Strathclyde, 99 George Street, Glasgow, G1 1RD, U.K.
- SMS
Laboratory EA 3233, Place Emile Blondel, University of Rouen-Normandie, CEDEX, F-76821 Mont Saint Aignan, France
| | - Maria L. Briuglia
- EPSRC
Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Continuous Manufacturing and
Crystallisation, Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical
Sciences, Technology and Innovation Centre, University of Strathclyde, 99 George Street, Glasgow, G1 1RD, U.K.
| | - Nazer Rajoub
- EPSRC
Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Continuous Manufacturing and
Crystallisation, Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical
Sciences, Technology and Innovation Centre, University of Strathclyde, 99 George Street, Glasgow, G1 1RD, U.K.
| | - Teresa F. Mastropietro
- Consiglio
Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto
per la Tecnologia delle Membrane (ITM), Via P. Bucci, cubo 17/C, I-87036, Rende, Cosenza, Italy
| | - Wenqian Chen
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College
London, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, U.K.
| | - Jerry Y. Y. Heng
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College
London, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, U.K.
| | - Gianluca Di Profio
- Consiglio
Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto
per la Tecnologia delle Membrane (ITM), Via P. Bucci, cubo 17/C, I-87036, Rende, Cosenza, Italy
| | - Joop H. ter Horst
- EPSRC
Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Continuous Manufacturing and
Crystallisation, Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical
Sciences, Technology and Innovation Centre, University of Strathclyde, 99 George Street, Glasgow, G1 1RD, U.K.
- SMS
Laboratory EA 3233, Place Emile Blondel, University of Rouen-Normandie, CEDEX, F-76821 Mont Saint Aignan, France
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Mendez Torrecillas C, Gorringe LJ, Rajoub N, Robertson J, Elkes RG, Lamprou DA, Halbert GW. The impact of channel fill level on internal forces during continuous twin screw wet granulation. Int J Pharm 2019; 558:91-100. [PMID: 30597270 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2018.12.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Revised: 12/05/2018] [Accepted: 12/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The forces experienced by the particles inside a twin screw granulator (TSG) are one of the most difficult parameters to measure quantitatively. However, it is possible to perform accurately this measurement through the use of dye containing calibrated microencapsulated sensors (CAMES) whose rupture is directly dependant on their experienced shear stress. The current study measures the extent of local stresses in the transformation from powder to granules at different channel fills during TSG processing. Channel fill has shown good potential as a design tool, however, its validity for predicting particle size distributions has yet to be demonstrated in an 11-mm TSG. The results of this study showed that the particles within the twin screw granulator experienced stresses in the range of 350-1000 kPa and this value was not linear with the specific mechanical energy applied by the granulator. It was observed that the majority of these stresses were produced by material transport processes rather than the granulation in itself. In addition it was determined that the torque required by the TSG increases exponentially after a certain channel fill a feature that requires to be considered in order to design safer, predictable and reliable granulation workspaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlota Mendez Torrecillas
- EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Continuous Manufacturing and Crystallisation (CMAC), University of Strathclyde, Technology and Innovation Centre, 99 George Street, G1 1RD Glasgow, United Kingdom; Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences (SIPBS), University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral Street, G4 0RE Glasgow, United Kingdom.
| | - Lee J Gorringe
- R&D Platform Technology & Science GSK, David Jack Centre for R&D, Park Road, Ware, Hertfordshire SG12 0DP, United Kingdom
| | - Nazer Rajoub
- EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Continuous Manufacturing and Crystallisation (CMAC), University of Strathclyde, Technology and Innovation Centre, 99 George Street, G1 1RD Glasgow, United Kingdom; Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences (SIPBS), University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral Street, G4 0RE Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - John Robertson
- EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Continuous Manufacturing and Crystallisation (CMAC), University of Strathclyde, Technology and Innovation Centre, 99 George Street, G1 1RD Glasgow, United Kingdom; Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences (SIPBS), University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral Street, G4 0RE Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Richard G Elkes
- R&D Platform Technology & Science GSK, David Jack Centre for R&D, Park Road, Ware, Hertfordshire SG12 0DP, United Kingdom
| | - Dimitrios A Lamprou
- School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, BT9 7BL, United Kingdom
| | - Gavin W Halbert
- EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Continuous Manufacturing and Crystallisation (CMAC), University of Strathclyde, Technology and Innovation Centre, 99 George Street, G1 1RD Glasgow, United Kingdom; Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences (SIPBS), University of Strathclyde, 161 Cathedral Street, G4 0RE Glasgow, United Kingdom.
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