A modified IMAC method for the capture of target protein from mammalian cell culture harvest containing metal chelating species

Although immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) offers high capacity and protein selectivity it is not typically used commercially for the capture of native proteins from mammalian cell culture harvest. This is due mainly to the potential for low target recovery due to the presence of strong metal ion chelating species in the harvest that compete for the metal immobilized on the resin. To address this issue a buffer exchange step, such as tangential flow filtration (TFF), is added after harvest clarification and prior to IMAC to remove the interfering harvest components. The addition of a TFF step adds process time and cost and reduces target protein recovery. The elimination of the TFF might make IMAC competitive with other orthogonal methods of protein capture. In this study, we developed a modified IMAC method to allow the direct loading of clarified mammalian harvest without prior buffer exchange (direct IMAC). Although the target enzyme recovery was lower than that from standard IMAC the elimination of the buffer exchange step resulted in a 19% increase in overall enzyme recovery. The target enzyme capacity in direct IMAC was higher, in our experience, than the capacity of hydrophobic interaction (HIC) and ion-exchange (IEX) for protein capture. An economic evaluation of using direct IMAC as a capture step in manufacturing is also discussed.     

Comparing the performance of one-column process and four-zone simulated moving bed by computer simulation

A new one-column chromatography process, analogous to a four-zone simulated moving bed (SMB), was presented. The basic principle of the process was identical to that of a four-zone SMB. The process consisted of one chromatographic column and four tanks, instead of the four columns in the four-zone SMB (1-1-1-1), and has been used for the separation of two amino acids, phenylalanine and tryptophan, using an ion exchange resin. The operating parameters for the one-column process and four-zone SMB were obtained from equilibrium theory. Computer simulations were used to compare the performances of the new one column process to that of the general four-zone SMB, using Aspen Chromatography^™ v 11.1. The differences between the one-column and SMB processes in terms of the purities and yields of phenylalanine and tryptophan were less than 4 and about 6%, respectively. The lower purities of the one-column process were due to the loss of the developed concentration profiles in the column when the liquid was stored in tanks. The one-column process gave great flexibility, and would be useful for reconstructing an existing conventional chromatography process to one of a SMB.     

蛋白A亲和层析法纯化单克隆抗体工艺的优化

治疗性单克隆抗体药物已成为生物医药领域市场最主要的产品类别。蛋白A亲和层析作为第一步捕获抗体蛋白最为有效的手段仍然在现有单克隆抗体纯化平台中占据主导地位。在本研究中,首先开发了一种基于低p H处理抗体细胞回收液的新型细胞液回收技术,该技术能有效去除宿主相关污染物(非组蛋白宿主杂质蛋白、组蛋白、DNA、蛋白聚合物等),同时保证较高的抗体回收率。通过该技术有效预处理后,蛋白A纯化效率可提高10倍左右,并且有效避免了抗体洗脱液中和后浊度的上升,大大减轻了后续蛋白纯化的压力。同时我们也对酸性处理中各种宿主杂质去除机制进行了研究。然后,预处理的洗脱液再经一步Capto adhere色谱纯化,非组蛋白宿主杂质蛋白降低至5 ppm、DNA小于1 ppb、组蛋白降低至检测限以下、蛋白聚合物小于0.01%。总过程抗体蛋白收率87%。该两步法抗体纯化技术可有效集成至当前主流抗体纯化平台,具有良好的大规模应用价值。     

Preparative scale enantioseparation of a chiral epoxide: Comparison of liquid chromatography and simulated moving bed adsorption technology

The feasibility of using simulated moving bed technology (SMB) for chiral separation on cellulose triacetate is demonstrated on the preparative scale: 1 kg of a chiral epoxide has been separated. On comparing SMB technology with conventional liquid chromatography it turns out that the main advantage of SMB lies in the significant reduction of mobile phase consumption. The process design for SMB is made theoretically and the predictions are confirmed by our pilot study. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

The application of preparative batch HPLC, supercritical fluid chromatography, steady-state recycling, and simulated moving bed for the resolution of a racemic pharmaceutical intermediate

This article discusses the chromatographic resolution of a racemic pharmaceutical intermediate. Preparative batch high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC), steady-state recycling (SSR), and simulated moving bed (SMB) were used to resolve a total of 12.2 kg of a racemic pharmaceutical intermediate. In this study, a first batch of 0.8 kg of racemate was separated on the preparative batch HPLC and SFC, and subsequently another 5.9 kg of racemate was separated on the SSR. Lastly, a third batch of 5.5 kg was separated on the SMB. The separation conditions and results of these techniques are discussed. The productivities and solvent costs of SFC versus HPLC are compared. The productivities and solvent costs of SMB, SSR, and HPLC are also compared. The analytical method development and process optimization of these processes are also discussed in this article.     

Solution structure of recombinant somatomedin B domain from vitronectin produced in Pichia pastoris

The cysteine-rich somatomedin B domain (SMB) of the matrix protein vitronectin is involved in several important biological processes. First, it stabilizes the active conformation of the plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1); second, it provides the recognition motif for cell adhesion via the cognate integrins (alpha(v)beta(3), alpha(v)beta(5), and alpha(IIb)beta(3)); and third, it binds the complex between urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and its glycolipid-anchored receptor (uPAR). Previous structural studies on SMB have used recombinant protein expressed in Escherichia coli or SMB released from plasma-derived vitronectin by CNBr cleavage. However, different disulfide patterns and three-dimensional structures for SMB were reported. In the present study, we have expressed recombinant human SMB by two different eukaryotic expression systems, Pichia pastoris and Drosophila melanogaster S2-cells, both yielding structurally and functionally homogeneous protein preparations. Importantly, the entire population of our purified, recombinant SMB has a solvent exposure, both as a free domain and in complex with PAI-1, which is indistinguishable from that of plasma-derived SMB as assessed by amide hydrogen ((1)H/(2)H) exchange. This solvent exposure was only reproduced by one of three synthetic SMB products with predefined disulfide connectivities corresponding to those published previously. Furthermore, this connectivity was also the only one to yield a folded and functional domain. The NMR structure was determined for free SMB produced by Pichia and is largely consistent with that solved by X-ray crystallography for SMB in complex with PAI-1.     

Simulation and operation performance of simulated moving bed for enatioseparation of mandelic acid

Separation of mandelic acid enantiomer was carried out by using laboratory simulated moving bed (SMB) chromatography. The SMB process consists of four zones, with each zone having 1 column. The triangle theory was used to obtain the operating conditions for SMB. Adsorption isotherms of the D-/L-mandelic acids were obtained by pulse input method, considering linear isotherms of the two components. Flow rates of extract, raffinate, feed, and eluent streams were systematically changed to understand the effects of operation flow rates of SMB. Simulation results and experimental data from the SMB chromatography showed good agreements. Adjusting the flow rate in zone II increased the purity of D-mandelic acid from extract port. The highest purity of D-mandelic acid in the extract was obtained as 94% under the operating flow rates of Q_feed = 0.1 mL/min, Q_extract = 0.2 mL/min, Q_raffinate = 0.8 mL/min, and Q_eluent = 0.9 mL/min.     

Mechanism of antibody reduction in cell culture production processes

We recently observed a significant disulfide reduction problem during the scale‐up of a manufacturing process for a therapeutic antibody using a CHO expression system. Under certain conditions, extensive reduction of inter‐chain disulfide bonds of an antibody produced by CHO cell culture may occur during the harvest operations and/or the protein A chromatography step, resulting in the observation of antibody fragments (light chain, heavy chain, and various combination of both) in the protein A pools. Although all conditions leading to disulfide reduction have not been completely identified, an excessive amount of mechanical cell lysis generated at the harvest step appears to be an important requirement for antibody reduction (Trexler‐Schmidt et al., 2010 ). We have been able to determine the mechanism by which the antibody is reduced despite the fact that not all requirements for antibody reduction were identified. Here we present data strongly suggesting that the antibody reduction was caused by a thioredoxin system or other reducing enzymes with thioredoxin‐like activity. The intracellular reducing enzymes and their substrates/cofactors apparently were released into the harvest cell culture fluid (HCCF) when cells were exposed to mechanical cell shear during harvest operations. Surprisingly, the reducing activity in the HCCF can last for a long period of time, causing the reduction of inter‐chain disulfide bonds in an antibody. Our findings provide a basis for designing methods to prevent the antibody reduction during the manufacturing process. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2010;107:622–632. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Separation of amino acids by simulated moving bed using competitive Langmuir isotherm

The separation of two amino acids, phenylalanine and tryptophan, was carried out using laboratory simulated moving bed (SMB) chromatography. The SMB process consisted of four zones, with each zone having 2 columns. The triangle theory was used to obtain the operating conditions for the SMB. The mass transfer coefficients of the two amino acids were obtained from the best-fit values by comparing simulated and experimental pulse data. The competitive adsorption isotherms of the two amino acids were obtained by single and binary frontal analyses, taking into consideration the competition between the two components. A competitive Langmuir isotherm, obtained from single-component frontal chromatography, was used in the first run, and the isotherm from binary frontal chromatography in the second, with the flow rate of zone I modified to improve the purity. Compared to the first and second runs, the competitive Langmuir isotherm from the binary frontal chromatography showed good agreement with the experimental results. Also, adjusting the flow rate in zone I increased the purity of the products. The purities of the phenylalanine in the raffinate and the tryptophan in the extract were 99.84 and 99.99%, respectively.     

Development of a three-zone simulated moving bed process based on partial-discard strategy for continuous separation of valine from isoleucine with high purity,high yield,and high product concentration

The issue of separating valine from isoleucine has been a major concern in the biotechnological process for production of valine. To address this issue, an optimal three-zone simulated moving bed (SMB) process for continuous separation of valine was developed in this study. It was first found that an Amberchrom-CG161C resin was highly suitable for the adsorbent of such SMB process. The adsorption isotherm and mass-transfer parameters of valine and isoleucine on the Amberchrom-CG161C adsorbent were then determined through multiple frontal experiments. The determined parameters were used in the next stage of optimizing the SMB for valine separation, which was performed on the basis of genetic algorithm. For the optimized SMB process, a partial-discard strategy was applied to the raffinate port in order to make a further improvement in the valine product concentration. Finally, the optimized SMB based on the partial-discard strategy was tested experimentally using the self-assembled SMB equipment. The experimental results showed that the developed process in this study was highly effective in continuous separation of valine from isoleucine while ensuring the attainment of high product concentration. The experimental data for the SMB effluent histories and the SMB column profiles were also in close agreement with the model predictions.     

Evidence for the existence of procolipase in chicken pancreas and pancreatic juice

Purified antibodies raised against chicken colipase were coupled to Sepharose 4B and colipase was isolated in a single step by immunoaffinity chromatography from an extract of chicken pancreas prepared under conditions where trypsin activation is avoided. The purified protein has a single amino terminal residue of alanine and its biochemical properties are similar to those of the precursor form of colipase (procolipase) previously isolated from porcine and equine pancreas or pancreatic juice. Further evidence for the existence of procolipase was obtained from kinetic studies of the hydrolysis of the Intralipid emulsion by untreated and trypsin-treated chicken pancreatic juice.     

A novel design of simulated moving bed (SMB) chromatography for separation of ketoprofen enantiomer

A simulated moving bed (SMB) chromatography system is a powerful tool for preparative scale separation, which can be applied to the separation of chiral compound. We have designed our own lab-scale SMB chromatography using 5 HPLC pumps, 6 stainless steel columns and 4 multi-position valves, to separate a racemic mixture of ketoprofen in to its enantiomers. Our design has the characteristics of the low cost for assembly for the SMB chromatography and easy repair of the unit, which differs from the designs suggested by other investigators. It is possible for the flow path through each column to be independently changed by computer control, using 4 multi-position rotary valves and 5 HPLC solvent delivery pumps. In order to prove the operability of our SMB system, attempts were made to separate the (S)-ketoprofen enantiomer from a ketoprofen racemic mixture. The operating parameters of the SMB chromatography were calculated for ketoprofen separation from a batch chromatography experiment as well as by the triangle theory. With a feed concentration of 1 mg/mL, (S)-ketoprofen was obtained with a purity of 96% under the calculated operating conditions.     

Simulated moving bed chromatography with supercritical fluids for the resolution of bi-naphthol enantiomers and phytol isomers

The combination of the simulated moving bed (SMB) technique with supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) leads to a process with unique features. Besides the known advantages of the SMB process, the use of supercritical carbon dioxide as the mobile phase offers the advantages of reduction in organic solvents and an easy eluent/solute separation. Because of the low viscosity and high diffusion coefficients of supercritical fluids, a high efficiency is possible. The steps of process development for SMB SFC are presented using the separations of the bi-naphthol enantiomers and phytol isomers as examples. The development of a packed column SFC method at an analytical scale is shown for the separation of the bi-naphthol enantiomers on a chiral stationary phase and CO(2) with a modifier as the mobile phase. The influence of the modifier, modifier content, and column configuration on productivity of the SMB SFC process was investigated by simulation. The first set of experiments was performed in the SMB separation of phytol isomers at low concentration to test the feasibility of the SMB SFC high purity separation of the binary mixtures. In the second set of experiments, the productivity of the process was increased by increasing the feed concentration up to 54 grams feed per liter stationary phase (SP) and hour (g(feed)/l(SP) h).     

Pilot-scale process for magnetic bead purification of antibodies directly from non-clarified CHO cell culture

High capacity magnetic protein A agarose beads, LOABeads PrtA, were used in the development of a new process for affinity purification of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) from non-clarified CHO cell broth using a pilot-scale magnetic separator. The LOABeads had a maximum binding capacity of 65 mg/mL and an adsorption capacity of 25–42 mg IgG/mL bead in suspension for an IgG concentration of 1 to 8 g/L. Pilot-scale separation was initially tested in a mAb capture step from 26 L clarified harvest. Small-scale experiments showed that similar mAb adsorptions were obtained in cell broth containing 40 × 10⁶ cells/mL as in clarified supernatant. Two pilot-scale purification runs were then performed on non-clarified cell broth from fed-batch runs of 16 L, where a rapid mAb adsorption ≥96.6% was observed after 1 h. This process using 1 L of magnetic beads had an overall mAb yield of 86% and 16 times concentration factor. After this single protein A capture step, the mAb purity was similar to the one obtained by column chromatography, while the host cell protein content was very low, <10 ppm. Our results showed that this magnetic bead mAb purification process, using a dedicated pilot-scale separation device, was a highly efficient single step, which directly connected the culture to the downstream process without cell clarification. Purification of mAb directly from non-clarified cell broth without cell separation can provide significant savings in terms of resources, operation time, and equipment, compared to legacy procedure of cell separation followed by column chromatography step. © 2019 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 35: e2775, 2019.     

Identification of the disulfide bonds in the recombinant somatomedin B domain of human vitronectin

The NH(2)-terminal somatomedin B (SMB) domain (residues 1-44) of human vitronectin contains eight Cys residues organized into four disulfide bonds and is required for the binding of type 1 plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1). In the present study, we map the four disulfide bonds in recombinant SMB (rSMB) and evaluate their functional importance. Active rSMB was purified from transformed Escherichia coli by immunoaffinity chromatography using a monoclonal antibody that recognizes a conformational epitope in SMB (monoclonal antibody 153). Plasmon surface resonance (BIAcore) and competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays demonstrate that the purified rSMB domain and intact urea-activated vitronectin have similar PAI-1 binding activities. The individual disulfide linkages present in active rSMB were investigated by CNBr cleavage, partial reduction and S-alkylation, mass spectrometry, and protein sequencing. Two pairs of disulfide bonds at the NH(2)-terminal portion of active rSMB were identified as Cys(5)-Cys(9) and Cys(19)-Cys(21). Selective reduction/S-alkylation of these two disulfide linkages caused the complete loss of PAI-1 binding activity. The other two pairs of disulfide bonds in the COOH-terminal portion of rSMB were identified as Cys(25)-Cys(31) and Cys(32)-Cys(39) by protease-generated peptide mapping of partially reduced and S-alkylated rSMB. These results suggest a linear uncrossed pattern for the disulfide bond topology of rSMB that is distinct from the crossed pattern present in most small disulfide bond-rich proteins.     

Techno-economic evaluation of an inclusion body solubilization and recombinant protein refolding process

Expression of recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli is normally accompanied by the formation of inclusion bodies (IBs). To obtain the protein product in an active (native) soluble form, the IBs must be first solubilized, and thereafter, the soluble, often denatured and reduced protein must be refolded. Several technically feasible alternatives to conduct IBs solubilization and on-column refolding have been proposed in recent years. However, rarely these on-column refolding alternatives have been evaluated from an economical point of view, questioning the feasibility of their implementation at a preparative scale. The presented study assesses the economic performance of four distinct process alternatives that include pH induced IBs solubilization and protein refolding (pH_IndSR); IBs solubilization using urea, dithiothreitol (DTT), and alkaline pH followed by batch size-exclusion protein refolding; inclusion bodies (IBs) solubilization using urea, DTT, and alkaline pH followed by simulated moving bed (SMB) size-exclusion protein refolding, and IBs solubilization using urea, DTT and alkaline pH followed by batch dilution protein refolding. The economic performance was judged on the basis of the direct fixed capital, and the production cost per unit of product (P(C)). This work shows that (1) pH_IndSR system is a relatively economical process, because of the low IBs solubilization cost; (2) substituting β-mercaptoethanol for dithiothreithol is an attractive alternative, as it significantly decreases the product cost contribution from the IBs solubilization; and (3) protein refolding by size-exclusion chromatography becomes economically attractive by changing the mode of operation of the chromatographic reactor from batch to continuous using SMB technology.     

An overview of mechanistic modeling of liquid chromatography

Abstract

Liquid chromatography is considered to be the bottleneck for purification of therapeutic proteins. Development and optimization of chromatography process is a cumbersome activity due to the increasing complexities in the types and content of impurities present in the high product titer cell culture harvest obtained from the upstream processing. Further, regulatory expectations are continuously rising with the recent initiatives of quality by design and process analytical technology expecting the manufacturer to have a deeper understanding of the process and the product. Mechanistic modeling is one approach to gain this deeper understanding of a process step. It involves modeling of the underlying physicochemical processes. A well calibrated model with acceptable predictability can be very effective in both process optimization and process characterization activities. In this paper we provide an overview of mechanistic modeling of liquid chromatography. We discuss the various components that such a model entails and also presents the status quo of this area.     

Optimal design and experimental validation of a three-zone simulated moving bed process based on the Amberchrom-CG161C adsorbent for continuous removal of acetic acid from biomass hydrolyzate

In the production process of bio-ethanol from biomass, acetic acid is recognized as the key impurity to be removed from the sugar components that are generated by hydrolyzing biomass. In regard to this issue, it has recently been confirmed that the Amberchrom-CG161C resin was highly qualified as the adsorbent of a simulated moving bed (SMB) process for continuous separation of acetic acid from the biomass hydrolyzate, i.e., sugars. However, the previous study on the Amberchrom-CG161C SMB with the aforementioned separation goal has been limited to only a theoretical work, including some batch-chromatography tests. The experimental validation of such an Amberchrom-CG161C SMB process, including its optimal design, was attempted in this article. This task began by assembling the experimental unit of the SMB process with three zones. Its operating conditions were then optimized by using genetic algorithm. Under the optimized operating conditions, the relevant three-zone SMB experiment was conducted. The assay of all the resultant product samples verified that the SMB separation of interest was performed successfully as designed. The experimental data were also found to agree closely with the model predictions. Finally, a partial-discard strategy was applied to maintain the sugar product concentration as high as possible.     

Optimal economic design and operation of single- and multi-column chromatographic processes

Single-column chromatography is widely used in the biopharmaceutical industries, although multi-column alternatives in the form of simulated moving bed (SMB) processes are now emerging. It may be difficult, however, to determine which column alternative will be best suited for a given application, and this work sets out to address this issue. A systematic approach is presented that is based on a full economic appraisal of each process alternative based on an optimization of the net annual profit. Single-column processes with and without recycling are considered, as are both the SMB and the Varicol process. The cyclic steady state for the SMB and Varicol processes is determined directly by complete discretization. The approach is applied to a case study based on a linear isotherm where it is found that for this particular system, a recycling policy is not necessary for the single column. When comparing the single-column process with the multi-column alternatives, the single column is the most economical provided the life time of the project is short; however, the economic benefits of the more capital-intensive multi-column processes are greater if the life time of the project is over 5 years. The SMB process is found to perform marginally better than the Varicol process over 15 years; however, this may be because not all extra degrees of freedom for the Varicol process were considered.     

Demonstration of robust host cell protein clearance in biopharmaceutical downstream processes

Residual host cell protein impurities (HCPs) are a key component of biopharmaceutical process related impurities. These impurities need to be effectively cleared through chromatographic steps in the downstream purification process to produce safe and efficacious protein biopharmaceuticals. A variety of strategies to demonstrate robust host cell protein clearance using scale-down studies are highlighted and compared. A common strategy is the "spiking" approach, which is widely employed in clearance studies for well-defined impurities. For HCPs this approach involves spiking cell culture harvest, which is rich in host cell proteins, into the load material for all chromatographic steps to assess their clearance ability. However, for studying HCP clearance, this approach suffers from the significant disadvantage that the vast majority of host cell protein impurities in a cell culture harvest sample are not relevant for a chromatographic step that is downstream of the capture step in the process. Two alternative strategies are presented here to study HCP clearance such that relevance of those species for a given chromatographic step is taken into consideration. These include a "bypass" strategy, which assumes that some of the load material for a chromatographic step bypasses that step and makes it into the load for the subsequent step. The second is a "worst-case" strategy, which utilizes information obtained from process characterization studies. This involves operating steps at a combination of their operating parameters within operating ranges that yield the poorest clearance of HCPs over that step. The eluate from the worst case run is carried forward to the next chromatographic step to assess its ability to clear HCPs. Both the bypass and worst-case approaches offer significant advantages over the spiking approach with respect to process relevance of the HCP impurity species being studied. A combination of these small-scale validation approaches with large-scale HCP clearance data from clinical manufacturing and manufacturing consistency runs is used to demonstrate robust HCP clearance for the downstream purification process of an Fc fusion protein. The demonstration of robust HCP clearance through this comprehensive strategy can potentially be used to eliminate the need for routine analytical testing or for establishing acceptance criteria for these impurities as well as to demonstrate robust operation of the entire downstream purification process.