Characterization of a Monoclonal Antibody Cell Culture Production Process Using a Quality by Design Approach

The goal of quality by design (QbD) in cell culture manufacturing is to develop manufacturing processes which deliver products with consistent critical quality attributes (CQAs). QbD approaches can lead to better process understanding through the use of process parameter risk ranking and statistical design of experiments (DOE). The QbD process starts with an analysis of process parameter risk with respect to CQAs and key performance indicators (KPIs). Initial DOE study designs and their factor test ranges are based on the outcomes of the process parameter risk ranking exercises. Initial DOE studies screen factors for significant influences on CQAs as well as characterize responses for process KPIs. In the case study provided here, multifactor process characterization studies using a scale-down model resulted in significant variation in charge heterogeneity of a monoclonal antibody (MAb) as measured by ion-exchange chromatography (IEC). Iterative DOE studies, using both screening and response surface designs, were used to narrow the operating parameter ranges so that charge heterogeneity could be controlled to an acceptable level. The data from the DOE studies were used to predict worst-case conditions, which were then verified by testing at those conditions. Using the approach described here, multivariate process parameter ranges were identified that yield acceptable CQA levels and that still provide operational flexibility for manufacturing.     

Preparative high-performance liquid chromatographic separation of proteins with HyperD ion-exchange supports

HyperD ion-exchange media combine the mechanical strength of a rigid polystyrene-mineral composite skeleton with the high protein-binding capacity of a three-dimensional soft gel located inside the skeleton. The skeleton solid matrix is completely filled with functionalized, highly hydrophilic, chemically stable ion-exchange hydrogels. These materials gave very efficient columns for protein separation with superior dynamic capacity, high resolving power and excellent protein recovery. Various protein mixtures were used to study the chromatographic performance of these new stationary phases. Comparisons between different particle size packing materials demonstrated the potential of this ion-exchange material for use on a large scale.     

High performance liquid chromatography of nucleotides. Major methods and their development

The separation of mono- and oligonucleotides possibilities by means of high performance ion-exchange, reversed-phase, so-called "ion-pair" and adsorption chromatography are studied. The influence of the eluent composition (solvent, salt) and pH on the retention, selectivity and resolution in reversed-phase and ion-exchange chromatography is investigated. The model of the hydrophobic-pair ion-exchange mechanism of ion-pair chromatography is considered. The conditions for analysis and preparative isolation of a desired component are optimized for selectivity, resolution and throughput. The methods for prediction of the optimal gradient elution program reasonable resolution at the desired retention time and for choosing the guard-column packing material are proposed. A design of the gradient for system and the version of slurry packing method for HPLC prolonged life-time columns are improved. The automatized analytical technique for determination of the oligonucleotide monomeric composition with two coupled microcolumns is described, that involves enzymatic digestion of an oligonucleotide followed by ion-exchange separation of the hydrolysate.     

Comparison of linear gradient and displacement separations in ion-exchange systems

The linear gradient mode of chromatography is the most widely employed mode of operation in ion-exchange chromatographic separations. However, in recent years, the displacement mode has received considerable attention because of its promise of high throughput and high resolution. To enable a comparison of these two modes of chromatography, it is essential to identify the optimum operating conditions for each. We employed an iterative algorithm to carry out the necessary optimization. The Steric Mass Action model of ion-exchange chromatography is used in concert with the solid-film linear-driving force model to describe the chromatographic behavior of the solutes in these systems. The performances of displacement and gradient modes of chromatography are compared for different types of separation problems. It turns out that for "easy" separations, both the modes are equally effective. However, for challenging separations, the displacement mode is superior to the gradient mode. Our results shed significant light on the performance of gradient and displacement modes in protein ion-exchange systems.     

Performance Comparison of Some Classes of Flexible Flow Shops and Job Shops

Flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs) for two-stage production may possess a variety of operating flexibilities in the form of tooling capabilities for the machines and alternative routings for each operation. In this paper, we compare the throughput performance of several flexible flow shop and job shop designs. We consider two-stage assembly flow shops with m parallel machines in stage 1 and a single assembly facility in stage 2. Every upstream operation can be processed by any one of the machines in stage 1 prior to the assembly stage. We also study a similar design where every stage 1 operation is processed by a predetermined machine. For both designs, we present heuristic algorithms with good worst-case error bounds and show that the average performance of these algorithms is near optimal. The algorithms presented are used to compare the performance of the two designs with each other and other related flexible flow shop designs. It is shown, both analytically and experimentally, that the mode of flexibility possessed by a design has implications on the throughput performance of the production system.     

Searching Optimal Designs in the Presence of Serially Correlated Errors

Based on simple updating formulaé, a computer algorithm for searching optimal designs when the errors are believed to be serially correlated in the one-dimensional situation is described. The performance of the designs found by the algorithm is compared with the optimal designs available in the literature.     

Enhancement of enzyme activity in supercritical carbon dioxide via changes in acid-base conditions

Enzyme performance is often impaired in supercritical carbon dioxide. We were able to enhance enzyme activity in this medium via changes in acid-base conditions by using ion-exchange materials (solid H(+)/Na(+) buffer pairs and a zeolite), which were selected on the basis of the response of an organosoluble acid-base indicator. The concentration of ion-exchange materials had an important effect on the catalytic activity of subtilisin Carlsberg cross-linked enzyme crystals (CLECs), and this was related to the protonation and hydration states of the enzyme. The buffer Na(2)CO(3)/NaHCO(3) gave the highest enhancement in enzyme activity (by a factor of 54), probably as a result of its high basicity and capacity to counteract the deleterious effect of carbonic acid to a greater extent than the other materials tested.     

Preparative isolation of adult human liver metallothionein isoforms

Preparative human liver metallothionein (MT) isolation is described. MT was saturated with cadmium to follow MT purification spectrophotometrically instead of by metal content and to increase the stability of the protein. A concentrated, MT-rich fraction of the liver cytosol was prepared by selective organic solvent (acetone or acetone/methanol) fractionation. Conventional gel filtration and ion-exchange chromatographies resolved two MT isoforms, MT-I and MT-II. When needed, purification of MT from other low-molecular weight proteins was further increased by gel filtration chromatography at zero ionic strength, i.e., in distilled water. Reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography of both MT isoforms resolved further peaks sharing MT properties not only from the MT-I but also from the MT-II ion-exchange isoform. The results show that it is feasible to perform a human liver MT isolation from an entire human liver with a reasonable laboratory capability.     

Performance evaluation of reactors designed for bioconversion of wheat straw to animal feed

A chronology of reactor design from laboratory scale to pilot scale for the bioconversion of wheat straw to animal feed is presented. The engineering criteria considered at each stage of development are discussed. Designs were executed at each stage and their performance was compared based on engineering and bioconversion parameters. Illustrative detailed analyses of data obtained from performance evaluation experiments from selected designs are provided. Schematics diagrams of the different generations of reactor designs are also presented.     

Bayesian adaptive biased-coin designs for clinical trials with normal responses

Adaptive designs are used in phase III clinical trials for skewing the allocation pattern toward the better treatments. We use optimum design theory to derive a skewed Bayesian biased-coin procedure for sequential designs with continuous responses. The skewed designs are used to provide adaptive designs, the performance of which is studied numerically and theoretically. Important properties are loss and the proportion of allocation to the better treatment.     

Fast preparative separation of 'native' core E coli 30S ribosomal proteins.

We have developed an ion-exchange high performance liquid chromatographic method for preparative separation of 'core' proteins from E coli 30S ribosomal subunits, extracted with salt under non-denaturing conditions. This method yields individual proteins in pure and native form at high concentrations, (5 to 25 mg/ml) suitable for direct use in 1D-, 2D- or 3D-NMR studies.     

The amino acid sequence of kinetensin, a novel peptide isolated from pepsin-treated human plasma: homology with human serum albumin, neurotensin and angiotensin

A novel nonapeptide with neurotensin-like immunoreactivity was isolated from pepsin-treated human plasma by dialysis, ion-exchange chromatography and high performance reversed-phase liquid chromatography. The amino acid sequence was determined by automated gas-phase sequence analysis as Ile-Ala-Arg-Arg-His-Pro-Tyr-Phe-Leu. Sequence homology with human serum albumin and with the biologically active peptides neurotensin and angiotensin is demonstrated. The name proposed for this peptide is kinetensin.     

Isolation of heavy chain isoenzymes of myosin subfragment 1 by high performance ion exchange chromatography

The procedure of high performance ion-exchange chromatography has been used to fractionate subfragment 1 of myosin (SF1) into its isoenzymic forms. In contrast to conventional ion-exchange procedures which yield two fractions corresponding to SF1(A1) and SF1(A2), the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) procedure resolves SF1 into four discrete fractions. The first pair that is eluted appears to be A1-containing isoenzymes while the latter pair corresponds to the A2 forms based on their polypeptide compositions by gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. By gel electrophoresis under nondenaturing conditions it is not possible to differentiate between the two fractions corresponding to each isoenzyme. Although very minor differences between the fractions can be seen by the presence of extraneous peptides, these are present in far below stoichiometric amounts and, therefore, make it very unlikely that the superior fractionation by the HPLC procedure is based on their presence. An examination of the heavy chain heterogeneity in each of these fractions by peptide mapping revealed that the extra separation was based on this factor. Thus the HPLC procedure is capable of providing separation of SF1 into heavy chain-based isozymes as well as the light chain forms. ATPase measurements of these fractions reveal only minor differences in the Ca2+- and EDTA-activated ATPase.     

Direct assay of thymidine kinase bound to ion-exchange paper for dot spotting and enzyme blotting analysis

The direct assay of thymidine kinase (Tk) bound to ion-exchange paper was investigated as a means to further simplify the analytical procedure. Thymidine kinase bound firmly and quantitatively to ion-exchange paper at near neutral pH. The enzymatic properties of Tk did not change while bound to the ion-exchange paper. The amount of phosphorylated 125IdU or 125IdC formed on ion-exchange paper was proportional to the amount of applied Tk. Enzymatic activity could be determined visually by autoradiography or by gamma counting. This method was relatively independent of the protein concentration or volume of the sample and which allows the assay from dilute solutions. A simplified dot spot method that can be used for the assay of thymidine kinase activity in cell extracts is described. Thymidine kinase could also be visualized after electrophoresis and blotting on ion-exchange paper.     

Swing phase simulation and design of above knee prostheses

A detailed dynamic model of the stump-prosthesis system for an above knee amputee was developed. The model was used to examine the influence of controls and design parameters on the limb system performance during the swing phase of gait. The model duplicated the clinically known fact that hydraulic knee controllers allow the amputee to change walking speed while mechanical knee controllers limit the amputee to a single walking speed. Contrary to current practice, the simulations suggest that light weight prosthesis designs do not perform as well as heavier designs. A simple design based on a constant friction knee is shown to yield good overall performance.     

The role of the carbohydrate moiety on the size heterogeneity and immunologic determinants of human testosterone-estradiol-binding globulin

Human testosterone-estradiol-binding globulin (hTeBG) has been purified to apparent homogeneity by several laboratories using procedures which, in most instances, were labor intensive. In this report, hTeBG was purified from pregnancy serum by a newly developed two step procedure involving sequential affinity chromatography and ion-exchange high performance liquid chromatography (ion-exchange HPLC). The purity of the final product was confirmed by silver stained SDS-polyacrylamide gel and reverse phase HPLC monitored at 206 nm. hTeBG purified by ion-exchange-HPLC maintained binding activity by Dextran coated charcoal (DCC) assay and size heterogeneity on SDS-polyacrylamide gels which were indistinguishable from those of the proteins purified by conventional chromatography. Removal of the carbohydrate moiety from the molecule by both enzymatic and chemical treatment reduced the apparent molecular size and eliminated lectin binding of hTeBG subunits. Deglycosylation did not, however, abolish or alter the distribution of the protomeric forms of this subunit. We conclude that hTeBG is a dimer whose monomer exhibits two protomeric forms which is not a result of carbohydrate heterogeneity. In addition, disialylated and deglycosylated hTeBG exhibited antigenic determinants identical to the native protein.     

沙漠生物结皮芽孢杆菌产胞外多糖的纯化及其絮凝性的研究

【目的】以新疆古尔班通古特沙漠的生物结皮为样品,通过培养、筛选、分离得到一株高产胞外多糖(EPS)的菌株XJ-27,对XJ-27菌株所产的胞外多糖进行分离纯化,并对其絮凝性进行研究。【方法】利用DEAE sepharose CL-6B阴离子层析和Sephadex G100凝胶层析的方法对胞外多糖进行纯化,通过紫外分析方法和高效凝胶渗透色谱进行纯度的测定,利用高效凝胶渗透色谱法(HP-GPC)测定其分子量,以高岭土为体系对其絮凝性进行研究。【结果】利用层析分离的方法共得到2个胞外多糖的组分,对其中一个组分进一步纯化,得到组分EPS-I。结果表明,EPS-I纯度较高,分子量为575 kD。同时对胞外多糖的絮凝性进行了研究,结果表明该胞外多糖对高岭土为体系的絮凝率为80.4%。【结论】菌株XJ-27产胞外多糖,其胞外多糖具有絮凝性,对该胞外多糖进行分离纯化后,得到分子量为575 kD的多糖组分EPS-I。     

Investigations on protein adsorption to agarose-dextran composite media

A new stationary phase for protein purification was investigated with regard to its performance during capture of selected model proteins. The commercially available matrix consists of a porous agarose backbone, to which dextran is covalently attached. The dextran carries ion-exchange ligands, thus providing a binding space of high ligand density. Breakthrough of various proteins during frontal application to packed beds was measured and the experiments were analyzed in terms of equilibrium and breakthrough capacity. A significant increase of static capacity, as compared with conventional porous matrices, was found. Good dynamic properties allowed utilization of a high percentage of the equilibrium capacity at 10% breakthrough. For all proteins, a decreasing ratio of breakthrough to equilibrium capacity was detected with increasing feed concentration. This observation suggested a significant contribution of solid diffusion to the transport of proteins into the adsorbent particles. The specific architecture of the stationary phase, where the agarose base structure is derivatized with ion-exchange ligand-bearing dextran, may lead to this behavior.     

Differences in the protein composition of rat parotid salivas evoked by sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve stimulation

1. Parotid salivas were collected from rats following electrical stimulation of either the sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous supplies. 2. The protein compositions of these salivas were compared using high performance ion-exchange chromatography (FPLC), SDS electrophoresis and biochemical assay. 3. Chromatography and electrophoresis indicated differences between the protein compositions of sympathetic and parasympathetic salivas. 4. Protein secretion derived solely from the exocytosis of parotid acinar cells cannot account for these differences.     

Removal of heavy metals from stainless steel effluents by waste biomass from Brazilian alcoholic beverage production

The capacity of waste biomasses from sugar-cane aguardente, a traditional Brazilian spirit, for metal biosorption was assessed. Free biomass and biomass immobilized onto chitin and Dowex (ion-exchange resin) were utilized to remove chromium, iron and nickel from both synthetic solutions and stainless steel effluents. The best performance in terms of metal sorbed was observed in with free biomass, with the following adsorption capacity: 70% chromium, 50% iron and 20% nickel at pH 4.0.