Optimization of ultrafiltration/diafiltration processes for partially bound impurities

Ultrafiltration and diafiltration processes are used extensively for removal of a variety of small impurities from biological products. There has, however, been no experimental or theoretical analysis of the effects of impurity- product binding on the rate of impurity removal during these processes. Model calculations were performed to account for the effects of equilibrium binding between a small impurity and a large (retained) product on impurity clearance. Experiments were performed using D-tryptophan and bovine serum albumin as a model system. The results clearly demonstrate that binding interactions can dramatically reduce the rate of small impurity removal, leading to large increases in the required number of diavolumes. The optimal product concentration for performing the diafiltration shifts to lower product concentrations in the presence of strong binding interactions. Approximate analytical expressions for the impurity removal were developed which can provide a guide for the design and optimization of industrial ultrafiltration/diafiltration processes.     

Small molecule clearance in ultrafiltration/diafiltration in relation to protein interactions: Study of citrate binding to a Fab

Ultrafiltration/diafiltration (UFDF) is commonly utilized in the purification of recombinant proteins to concentrate and buffer exchange the product. It is often the final step in the purification process, placing the protein in its final formulation and clearing small molecules introduced in upstream purification steps. This article presents a case study of reduced small molecule clearance in ultrafiltration/diafiltration of an antigen‐binding fragment of a monoclonal antibody. Citrate, a commonly utilized small molecule in downstream processes, is shown to have reduced clearance due to specific interactions with the protein product. The study presents process solutions and utilizes a simple model to characterize clearance of small molecules which exhibit interactions with product protein. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009;102: 1718–1722. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

New methods of protein purification. Affinity ultrafiltration.

This review describes a recently developed method for protein purification-affinity ultrafiltration. In affinity ultrafiltration, the protein to be purified is complexed with a macroligand composed of a soluble polymer or an insoluble microparticle with covalently bound, target protein-specific affinity ligands. The complex is trapped by an ultrafiltration membrane, whereas unwanted proteins pass through the membrane. The unwanted proteins are removed from the system by the carrier liquid. The system is then supplemented with an agent eluting the target protein by dissociating it from the microligand complex. The purified protein then passes the membrane, while the macroligand is trapped by it. The macroligand can be re-used after regeneration. Affinity ultrafiltration has a number of advantages over other protein purification techniques: 1) commercial availability of ultrafiltration systems with various high-productivity designs; 2) availability of presynthesized macroligands, which can be supplemented with additional, easily manufactured, commercial latex-based macroligands; 3) rapid separation of large solution volumes; 4) repeated use of equipment, enabling consecutive purification of different proteins; 5) simple scale-up and automation procedures.     

Intermolecular interactions during ultrafiltration of pegylated proteins

Recent studies have demonstrated the feasibility of using membrane ultrafiltration for the purification of pegylated proteins; however, the separations have all been performed at relatively low protein concentrations where intermolecular interactions are unimportant. The objective of this study was to examine the behavior at higher PEG concentrations and to develop an appropriate theoretical framework to describe the effects of intermolecular interactions. Ultrafiltration experiments were performed using pegylated α‐lactalbumin as a model protein with both neutral and charged composite regenerated cellulose membranes. The transmission of the pegylated α‐lactalbumin, PEG, and α‐lactalbumin all increase with increasing PEG concentration due to the increase in the solute partition coefficient arising from unfavorable intermolecular interactions in the bulk solution. The experimental results were in good agreement with a simple model that accounts for the change in Gibbs free energy associated with these intermolecular interactions, including the effects of concentration polarization on the local solute concentrations upstream of the membrane. These intermolecular interactions are shown to cause a greater than expected loss of pegylated product in a batch ultrafiltration system, and they alter the yield and purification factor that can be achieved during a diafiltration process to remove unreacted PEG. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 29:655–663, 2013     

Separation of protein charge variants by ultrafiltration

The removal of product variants that form during downstream processing remains a challenge in the purification of recombinant therapeutic proteins. We examined the feasibility of separating variants with slightly different net charge using high-performance membrane ultrafiltration. A myoglobin variant was formed by reaction of the lysine epsilon-amino group with succinic anhydride. Sieving data were obtained over a range of solution conditions using commercial polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membranes. Maximum selectivity of about 7-fold was obtained at very low conductivity due to the strong electrostatic repulsion of the more negatively charged variant. Protein separations were performed by diafiltration. A two-stage process generated solutions of the normal myoglobin (in the permeate) and the charge variant (in the retentate), both at greater than 9-fold purification and 90% yield. These results provide the first demonstration that membrane systems can be used to separate proteins that differ by only a single charged amino acid residue.     

Membrane‐Based Approach for the Downstream Processing of Influenza Virus‐Like Particles

Currently, marketed influenza vaccines are only efficient against homologous viruses, thus requiring a seasonal update based on circulating subtypes. This constant reformulation adds several challenges to manufacturing, particularly in purification due to the variation of the physicochemical properties of the vaccine product. A universal platform approach capable of handling such variation is therefore of utmost importance. In this work, a filtration‐based approach is explored to purify influenza virus‐like particles. Switching from adsorptive separation to size‐based purification allows overcoming the differences in retention observed for different influenza strains. The proposed process employs a cascade of ultrafiltration and diafiltration steps, followed by a sterile filtration step. Different process parameters are assessed in terms of product recovery and impurities’ removal. Membrane chemistry, pore size, operation modes, critical flux, transmembrane pressure, and permeate control strategies are evaluated. After membrane selection and parameter optimization, concentration factors and diafiltration volumes are also defined. By optimizing the filtration mode of operation, it is possible to achieve product recoveries of approximately 80%. Overall, the process time is decreased by 30%, its scalability is improved, and the costs are reduced due to the removal of chromatography and associated buffer consumptions, cleaning, and its validation steps.     

Affinity adsorption of lysozyme on a macroligand prepared with Cibacron Blue 3GA attached to yeast cells

The objective of this study was the development of affinity adsorbent particles with the appropriate characteristics to be applied in protein purification using the affinity ultrafiltration method. To prepare affinity macroligands Cibacron Blue 3GA, as a ligand molecule, was immobilized by covalent bonding onto yeast cell walls, the support material or matrix. The maximum attachment of the ligand to the matrix was 212 μmol/g (ligand dry weight/yeast dry weight). Lysozyme was selected as the protein model for the adsorption studies. Its adsorption onto the matrix without ligand and matrix with attached ligand were investigated batch-wise. The adsorption equilibrium isotherms appeared to follow a typical Langmuir isotherm. The maximum adsorption capacity (q(m)) of the Cell-Cibacron macroligand for lysozyme was 110 mg/ml of wet macroligand. The adsorbent was also employed for the separation of lysozyme from hen egg white. High purity lysozyme was obtained.     

Separation of monoclonal antibody alemtuzumab monomer and dimers using ultrafiltration

This article examines the feasibility of using ultrafiltration to separate the monomer of the monoclonal antibody alemtuzumab (Campath or Campath-1H) from a mixture of dimer and higher-order oligomers (collectively called "dimers" here). Using parameter scanning ultrafiltration, we initially assessed the suitability of the following membranes: 100 kDa and 300 kDa polyethersulfone (PES) membranes, and a 100 kDa polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane. A detailed study was then carried out to examine the effects of operating conditions (such as solution pH, ionic strength, stirring speed, and permeate flux) on the separation of the monomer from the dimers using 300 kDa PES and 100 kDa PVDF membranes. Results of the experiments carried out in the carrier phase ultrafiltration (CPUF) mode indicate that the size-based protein-protein separation critically depends on the membrane used as well as the system hydrodynamics. The separation of the monoclonal antibody monomer and dimers using 100 kDa PVDF membranes in the diafiltration mode was also examined. Experimental results demonstrate that under suitable conditions, it is feasible to obtain the alemtuzumab monomer with a purity of more than 93% and a yield of more than 85% (from a mixture of 75% monomer and 25% dimers, which is the typical composition obtained after affinity chromatography). Simulation study indicates that this could be further improved to a purity of more than 96% and a monomer yield of more than 96% by increasing the selectivity of separation or by employing a two-stage diafiltration process.     

Effect of protein and solution properties on the Donnan effect during the ultrafiltration of proteins

Formulation of protein biopharmaceuticals as highly concentrated liquids can improve the drug substance storage and supply chain, improve the target product profile, and allow greater flexibility in dosing methods. The Donnan effect can cause a large offset in pH from the target value established with the diafiltration buffer during the concentration and diafiltration of charged proteins with ultrafiltration membranes. For neutral formulations, the pH will typically increase above the diafiltration buffer pH for basic monoclonal antibodies and decline below the diafiltration buffer pH for acidic Fc-fusion proteins. In this study, new equations for the Donnan effect during the diafiltration and concentration of proteins in solutions containing monovalent and divalent ions were derived. The new Donnan models obey mass conservation laws, account for the buffering capacity of proteins, and account for protein-ion binding. Data for the pH offsets of an Fc-fusion protein and a monoclonal antibody were predicted in both monovalent and divalent buffers using these equations. To compensate for the pH offset caused by the Donnan effect, diafiltration buffers with pH and excipient values offset from the ultrafiltrate pool specifications can be used. The Donnan offset observed during the concentration of an acidic Fc-fusion protein was mitigated by operating at low temperature. It is important to account for the Donnan effect during preformulation studies. The excipients levels in an ultrafiltration pool may differ from the levels in a protein solution obtained by adding buffers into concentrated protein solutions due to the Donnan effect.     

Preliminary studies on the purification of a monoclonal antibody by affinity precipitation with Eudragit S-100

A simple procedure for the purification of an IgG-type monoclonal antibody by affinity precipitation using Eudragit S-100 is presented. The ligand, a microbial lipase previously used as antigen, was coupled to the polymer at a concentration of 40 mg lipase/g Eudragit. This macroligand was reversibly precipitated by manipulating the pH at values higher and lower than 4.8. The effects of polymer concentration and dilution of hybridoma culture supernatant on the overall precipitation process were evaluated. The best purification factor was achieved with a polymer concentration of 0.1% (w/v) and a supernatant dilution of 1:3. The preliminary studies reported here enabled the purification of a monoclonal antibody in one step with an activity yield (by ELISA) of 50%-55% and a purification factor of ca 6.     

Separation of alpha-lactalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin using membrane ultrafiltration

There is considerable commercial interest in the preparation of individual whey proteins as high-value food additives, nutraceuticals, and therapeutics. This study examined the use of membrane filtration for the separation of alpha-lactalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin. Stirred cell filtration experiments were performed using both cellulosic and polyethersulfone membranes to determine the optimal pH, ionic strength, and filtration conditions. Selectivities of greater than 55 could be achieved at pH 5.5 and 50 mM ionic strength using a 30-kD cellulose membrane. A diafiltration process was then designed for the protein separation. A 16-diavolume filtration yielded beta-lactoglobulin as the retentate product with a purification factor of 100 and recovery of 90%. The alpha-lactalbumin was recovered in the filtrate with a purification factor of more than 10 and nearly 99% yield. Model calculations were in good agreement with the experimental data.     

Purification of singly PEGylated α-lactalbumin using charged ultrafiltration membranes

One of the challenges in producing a PEGylated therapeutic protein is that the PEGylation reaction typically generates a mixture of both singly and multiply PEGylated species. The objective of this study was to examine the feasibility of using ultrafiltration for the purification of a singly PEGylated protein from the multiply PEGylated conjugates. Data were obtained with α‐lactalbumin that was PEGylated with a 20 kDa activated PEG, with the ultrafiltration performed over a range of pH and ionic strength using both unmodified and negatively charged composite regenerated cellulose membranes. Purification of the singly PEGylated α‐lactalbumin from the multiply PEGylated species was accomplished using a diafiltration process with a negatively charged membrane at pH 5 and an ionic strength of 0.4 mM, conditions that maximized the electrostatic exclusion of the multiply PEGylated species from the charged membrane. The diafiltration process provided more than 97% yield with greater than 20‐fold purification between the singly and doubly PEGylated proteins and nearly complete removal of the more heavily PEGylated species. The singly PEGylated α‐lactalbumin was recovered as a dilute filtrate solution, although this dilution could be eliminated using a cascade filtration or the final product could be re‐concentrated in a second ultrafiltration as part of the final formulation. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using ultrafiltration for the purification of singly PEGylated protein therapeutics. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2011; 108:822–829. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Purification of a conjugated polysaccharide vaccine using tangential flow diafiltration

Conjugated vaccines prepared from the capsular polysaccharide of Streptococcus pneumoniae can provide immunization against invasive pneumococcal disease, meningitis, and otitis media. One of the critical steps in the production of these vaccines is the removal of free (unreacted) polysaccharides from the protein-polysaccharide conjugate. Experimental studies were performed to evaluate the effects of membrane pore size, filtrate flux, and solution conditions on the transmission of both the conjugate and free polysaccharide through different ultrafiltration membranes. Conjugate purification was done using diafiltration performed in a linearly-scalable tangential flow filtration cassette. More than 98% of the free polysaccharide was removed within a 5-diavolume diafiltration process, which is a significant improvement over previously reported results for purification of similar conjugated vaccines. These results clearly demonstrate the opportunities for using ultrafiltration/diafiltration for the final purification of conjugated vaccine products.     

Ultrafiltration characteristics of immunobiological preparations

The removal of ammonium sulfate from the bulk product of fermented antitoxic serum by continuous diafiltration was not accompanied by changes in the stability of the solution. To concentrate immunoglobulin, eluted from DEAE cellulose, by diafiltration, the stabilization of the solution by adding sodium chloride at high concentration was necessary. The use of membranes purchased from different manufacturers and having similar selectivity characteristics permitted obtaining transfer factor preparations somewhat differing in their biological activity. The process of ultrafiltration, carried out in the atmosphere of compressed carbon dioxide, made it possible to obtain such preparations from donor blood plasma.     

The production of human papillomavirus type 16 L1 vaccine product from Escherichia coli inclusion bodies

The major capsid protein L1 of the human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) has been previously expressed recombinantly in Escherichia coli cells as inclusion bodies (IBs). The HPV16 L1 protein offers potential as a vaccine candidate against cervical cancer, but the reported E. coli process is limited in its ability to economically produce significant quantities of material. In this study, a scaleable laboratory process for the purification of recombinant His-tagged L1 protein and its processing to give an immunogenic product is developed. The performances of ion-exchange chromatography (IEX) and immobilised metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) for the purification of L1 protein in the presence of concentrated denaturant are compared. IEX was found to be superior to IMAC when taking into account the complexity of operation, cost of adsorbent, selectivity and purity of the final product. Following purification, reduction of denaturant concentration was performed by dilution to yield a product suitable for formulation. The simplicity and ease of scale-up of dilution makes it an attractive option for process scale production and superior to the existing approach employing dialysis. It was found that direct dilution of denaturant into suitable buffer can give rise to products which have neutralising conformational epitopes identified by strong antibody-binding properties, as assessed by ELISA with a conformational monoclonal antibody. Analysis of the results showed negative main effects of protein concentration and PEG addition on antibody-binding yields, but positive main effects of the addition of detergent and L-arginine to the buffer. The diluted product had antigenic properties as assessed by ELISA and may be formulated easily for use by diafiltration and the addition of adjuvant. This work demonstrates the feasibility of producing viral vaccines using E. coli and scaleable unit operations.     

Protein fractionation using electrostatic interactions in membranel filtration

One of the critical factors limiting the development of membrane systems for protein fractionation has been the poor selectivity that has generally been obtained with these membrane devices. We have demonstrated that it is possible to dramatically improve the selectivity of available membrane systems by exploiting the different electrostatic interactions between the two proteins and the membrane. The separation factor for the albumin-hemoglobin system could be increased to more than 70 simply by reducing the salt concentration and adjusting the pH to around 7 (near the isoelectric point of hemoglobin). This very high selectivity was a direct result of the strong electrostatic exclusion of the charged albumin from the membrane pores under these conditions. This high selectivity makes it possible to very effectively separate these albumin-hemoglobin mixtures using membrane filtration, and this was demonstrated experimentally using both a simple batch filtration process and a continuous diafiltration system. The hemoglobin recovery in the diafiltration experiment was greater than 70% after a 3-diavolume filtration, with the Hb purification factor being around 100 under these conditions. These results clearly demonstrate the potential of membrane systems for the fractionation of proteins even with very similar molecular weights. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Camelid VHH affinity ligands enable separation of closely related biopharmaceuticals

Interest in new and diverse classes of molecules such as recombinant toxins, enzymes, and blood factors continues to grow for use a biotherapeutics. Compared to monoclonal antibodies, these novel drugs typically lack a commercially available affinity chromatography option, which leads to greater process complexity, longer development timelines, and poor platformability. To date, for both monoclonal antibodies and novel molecules, affinity chromatography has been mostly reserved for separation of process‐related impurities such as host cell proteins and DNA. Reports of affinity purification of closely related product variants and modified forms are much rarer. In this work we describe custom affinity chromatography development using camelid V_HH antibody fragments as "tunable" immunoaffinity ligands for separation of product‐related impurities. One example demonstrates high selectivity for a recombinant immunotoxin where no binding was observed for an undesired deamidated species. Also discussed is affinity purification of a coagulation factor through specific recognition of the gamma‐carboxylglutamic acid domain.     

Multistage affinity cross-flow filtration: process optimization

The recovery yield (REC) and productivity (PRD) are used as objective functions to optimize the multistage affinity cross-flow filtration (mACFF) process. The effects of the operating conditions such as feed loading volume (Q _L ⁺), total protein concentration and target protein purity in the feeding broth are analyzed. For higher affinity system or by a mACFF process with larger number of stages as well as more macroligand loading, there is a critical value of Q _L ⁺ below which the REC keeps constant and maximal. This maximal value of REC is affected by the stage number as well as macroligand loading of the mACFF process and the affinity system (i.e., the binding constant of the target protein to its macroligand), but independent of the feeding broth properties (i.e., total protein concentration and target protein purity) and membrane permeability. An optimum of Q _L ⁺ exists to give a maximum of PRD. The optimal Q _L ⁺ is somewhat larger than the critical Q _L ⁺ value below which REC keeps constant. The maximum of PRD is raised by increasing the stage number and macroligand loading of the mACFF process, affinity binding constant, and total protein concentration as well as target protein purity in the feeding broth, but reduced by increasing the membrane rejection coefficient (R). However, it is encouraging that the decrease of the maximal PRD is less significant when R is less than 0.5. Therefore, if it is not possible to find a membrane that is completely permeable to proteins and at the same time completely impermeable to the macroligand, a membrane with R less than 0.5 may be selected to obtain a larger PRD. The results obtained in this work give further predictive understanding of the mACFF technique, and will be useful to the process design.     

Countercurrent staged diafiltration for formulation of high value proteins

A number of groups have studied the application of continuous bioreactors and continuous chromatographic systems as part of efforts to develop an integrated continuous biomanufacturing process. The objective of this study was to examine the feasibility of using a countercurrent staged diafiltration process for continuous protein formulation with reduced buffer requirements. Experiments were performed using a polyclonal immunoglobulin (IgG) with Cadence? Inline Concentrators. Model equations were developed for the product yield, impurity removal, and buffer requirements as a function of the number of stages and the stage conversion (ratio of permeate to feed flow rate). Data from a countercurrent two‐stage system were in excellent agreement with model calculations, demonstrating the potential of using countercurrent staged diafiltration for protein formulation. Model simulations demonstrated the importance of the countercurrent staging on both the extent of buffer exchange and the amount of buffer required per kg of formulated product. The staged diafiltration process not only provides for continuous buffer exchange, it could also provide significant reductions in the number of pump passes while providing opportunities for reduced buffer requirements.     

Human chymotrypsinogen B production from Pichia pastoris by integrated development of fermentation and downstream processing. Part 2. Protein recovery

The purification of human chymotrypsinogen B (hCTRB) after expression and secretion by the yeast Pichia pastoris is described based on two different approaches using integrated initial recovery. Extraction employing aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) from poly(ethylene glycol) and sodium sulfate allows direct processing of cell containing yeast suspensions of 50% wet weight. The target protein is obtained partially purified in the top phase while cells and cell debris are partitioned to the bottom phase of the system. hCTRB is further purified by adsorption from the top phase to the cation exchanger SP Sepharose Big Beads and elution in a salt step. The single step isolation of hCTRB is possible by expanded bed adsorption (EBA) using a fluidized cation exchanger (Streamline SP XL). A design strategy is shown taking both target protein binding and stable fluidization of the stationary phase in cell containing suspensions into consideration. For the example of hCTRB isolation from cell containing P. pastoris suspensions, a successful use of this strategy is demonstrated. Both initial recovery strategies deliver a product that can be further purified and formulated by ultrafiltration/diafiltration followed by lyophilization, resulting in a homogeneous product. Scale-up to 30-90 L of culture suspension was shown for both methods, resulting in a product of similar quality. Comparing both strategies reveals that the two-step ATPS route is better suited for high cell density cultures, while the single step EBA method is preferred for cultures of moderate cell density. This is due to the fact that application of EBA is restricted to suspensions of 10-12.5% wet weight cell concentration, thus necessitating dilution of the original broth prior to sample application. The data presented show that integrated recovery operations are a valuable alternative to traditional processing for systems that are problematic during initial solid-liquid separation.