Publications
2013
D. A. Ribeiro, D. F. Passos, H. C. Ferraz, L. R. Castilho
Journal of Chromatography B, 938 (2013) 111-118
Both recombinant and plasma-derived factor IX concentrates are used in replacement therapies for the treatment of haemophilia B. In the present work, the capture step for a recombinant FIX (rFIX) purification process was investigated. Different strong anion-exchange chromatography media (the resins Q Sepharose® FF and Fractogel® TMAE, the monolith CIM® QA and the membrane adsorber Sartobind® Q) were tested for their rFIX binding capacity under dynamic conditions. In these experiments, crude supernatant from CHO cells was used, thus in the presence of supernatant contaminants and mimicking process conditions. The highest dynamic binding capacity was obtained for the monolith, which was then further investigated. To study pseudoaffinity elution of functional rFIX with Ca2+ ions, a design of experiments to evaluate the effects of pH, NaCl and CaCl2 on yield and purification factor was carried out. The effect of pH was not statistically significant, and a combination of no NaCl and 45 mM CaCl2 yielded a good purification factor combined with a high yield of active rFIX. Under these conditions, activity yield of rFIX was higher than the mass yield, confirming selective elution of functional, γ-carboxylated rFIX. Scaling-up of this process 8 fold resulted in very similar process performance. Monitoring of the undesired activated FIX (FIXa) revealed that the FIXa/FIX ratio (1.94%) was higher in the eluate than in the loaded sample, but was still within an acceptable range. HCP and DNA clearances were high (1256 and 7182 fold, respectively), indicating that the proposed process is adequate for the intended rFIX capture step.
J. A. Martin, P. Parekh, Y. Kim, T. E. Morey, K. Sefah, N. Gravenstein, D. M. Dennis, W. Tan
PLOS ONE, March 2013, Volume 8, Issue 3, e57341
Adverse drug reactions, including severe patient bleeding, may occur following the administration of anticoagulant drugs. Bivalirudin is a synthetic anticoagulant drug sometimes employed as a substitute for heparin, a commonly used anticoagulant that can cause a condition called heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). Although bivalrudin has the advantage of not causing HIT, a major concern is lack of an antidote for this drug. In contrast, medical professionals can quickly reverse the effects of heparin using protamine. This report details the selection of an aptamer to bivalirudin that functions as an antidote in buffer. This was accomplished by immobilizing the drug on a monolithic column to partition binding sequences from nonbinding sequences using a low-pressure chromatography system and salt gradient elution. The elution profile of binding sequences was compared to that of a blank column (no drug), and fractions with a chromatographic difference were analyzed via real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and used for further selection. Sequences were identified by 454 sequencing and demonstrated low micromolar dissociation constants through fluorescence anisotropy after only two rounds of selection. One aptamer, JPB5, displayed a dose-dependent reduction of the clotting time in buffer, with a 20 µM aptamer achieving a nearly complete antidote effect. This work is expected to result in a superior safety profile for bivalirudin, resulting in enhanced patient care.
2012
C. Scott
BioProcess International, November 2012, pg. 31-42
Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) remain the largest segment of the biopharmaceutical market, but they are not the only recombinant proteins in development. Remember that the first biopharmaceutical approved for sale was recombinant insulin — a hormone — back in the 1980s. And proteins aren't the only recombinant biologics. The sector has expanded since then to include gene therapies and viral vectors, vaccines, and even cells and tissues. Companies around the world are developing such products for cancer, neurological, infectious disease, metabolic, autoimmune, and cardiovascular disorders, to name just the most prominent. And although MAbs are finally fulfilling their “magic bullet” promise, many other approaches are becoming available to drug developers targeting those markets — and others.
Meanwhile, funding challenges are increasing emphasis on manufacturing and development efficiencies. Even though total funding of the biotechnology industry has rebounded since the 2008 recession — from about US$13 billion for the United States industry in 2008 to about $21 billion in 2010, for example — a growing share of that money is going to the less risky investments. According to Ernst & Young's 2011 Beyond Borders report, that means mature and already-profitable companies are taking a larger portion of the financial pie.
At the same time, the average number of drug approvals per year has decreased: from about three dozen in the United States from 1996 to 2004 to under two dozen for the years since. And even though markets are opening up in China, India, and other countries, the cost of doing business on a global scale makes it no easy task to reach them. So biopharmaceutical companies need to curb the rise of development and manufacturing costs. Single-use technologies are helping with the latter in large part. And platform technologies have helped antibody makers shorten development times by starting out with certain rules of thumb — rather than trying out hundreds of available purification technologies, for example, in many different combinations to find what works best for every new product candidate.
Do nonantibody makers have similar options when it comes to their own process development work? As is so often the case in bioprocessing, the answer to that question is “It depends. ..” on the product class; on the expression system; and on the regulatory history of the company, process, and type of molecule.
K. Sushma, C. J. Bilgimol, M. A. Vijayalakshmi, P. K. Satheeshkumar
Journal of Chromatography B, 891 - 892 (2012) 90 - 93(2012) 90 - 93
Anti TNF-α molecules are important as therapeutic agents for many of the autoimmune diseases in chronic stage. Here we report the expression and purification of a recombinant single chain variable fragment (ScFv) specific to TNF-α from inclusion bodies. In contrast to the conventional on column refolding using the soft gel supports, an efficient methodology using monolithic matrix has been employed. Nickel (II) coupled to convective interaction media (CIM) support was utilized for this purpose with 6 M guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl) as the chaotropic agent. The protein purified after solubilization and refolding proved to be biologically active with an IC50.
M. Srajer Gajdosik, J. Clifton, D. Josić,
Journal of Chromatography A, 1239 (2012) 1- 9
Sample displacement chromatography (SDC) in reversed-phase and ion-exchange modes was introduced approximately twenty years ago. This method takes advantage of relative binding affinities of components in a sample mixture. During loading, there is a competition among different sample components for the sorption on the surface of the stationary phase. SDC was first used for the preparative purification of proteins. Later, it was demonstrated that this kind of chromatography can also be performed in ion-exchange, affinity and hydrophobic-interaction mode. It has also been shown that SDC can be performed on monoliths and membrane-based supports in both analytical and preparative scale. Recently, SDC in ion-exchange and hydrophobic interaction mode was also employed successfully for the removal of trace proteins from monoclonal antibody preparations and for the enrichment of low abundance proteins from human plasma. In this review, the principals of SDC are introduced, and the potential for separation of proteins and peptides in micro-analytical, analytical and preparative scale is discussed.
A. Albreht, I. Vovk
Journal of Chromatography A, 1227 (2012) 210-218
The separation and isolation of major whey proteins is already extensively covered in the literature although no study has been published in which monolithic columns were used. In our research we present, for the first time, the use of short convective interaction media (CIM) monolithic columns for the separation of all major whey proteins and isolation of β-lactoglobulin variant A and B (β-LgA and β-LgB) from a commercial product whey isolate (WI). Although our primary interest was directed towards finding a proper monolithic column and chromatographic conditions for the purification and isolation of β-LgA and β-LgB, three additional analytical LC methods, each having its own potential application target, were also developed in the course of our research. On the monolithic diethylaminoethyl convective interaction media analytical column (CIMac DEAE), the separation of major whey proteins was achieved by gradually lowering the pH of the mobile phase. The ever-so-hard obtainable linear external pH gradient was very linear in the range of pH 5.5–3 and the developed ion-exchange (IE) high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was amenable to mass spectrometry (MS). A very fast baseline separation, with UV detection, of all major whey proteins was achieved on a prototype CIMac reversed-phase styrene-divinylbenzene (RP-SDVB) monolithic column in only 4 min and the performance of this column proved superior in comparison with the packed particle POROS perfusion column. The developed RP-HPLC–MS method is fast and, due to the MS detector, can offer low limits of detection and quantitation. Finally, in order to fulfill our primary interest, a scale-up method was developed, using a prototype 8 mL analogue of the CIMac RP-SDVB column, for the isolation of native and chemically unmodified β-LgA and β-LgB from WI with purities higher than 90% and 81%, respectively. The proteins were to be used in further protein–ligand binding studies. The developed methods excel in speed of the analysis, sensitivity, resolution, and simplicity. Thus, it is shown for the first time that short monolithic columns are applicable to the separation and isolation of major whey proteins and that their use has some obvious benefits.
P. Gagnon
Journal of Chromatography A, 1221 (2012) 57-70(2012) 57-70
This article reviews technology trends in antibody purification. Section 1 discusses non-chromatography methods, including precipitation, liquid–liquid extraction, and high performance tangential flow filtration. The second addresses chromatography methods. It begins with discussion of fluidized and fixed bed formats. It continues with stationary phase architecture: diffusive particles, perfusive particles, membranes and monoliths. The remainder of the section reviews recent innovations in size exclusion, anion exchange, cation exchange, hydrophobic interaction, immobilized metal affinity, mixed-mode, and bioaffinity chromatography. Section 3 addresses an emerging trend of formulating process buffers to prevent or correct anomalies in the antibodies being purified. Methods are discussed for preventing aggregate formation, dissociating antibody-contaminant complexes, restoring native antibody from aggregates, and conserving or restoring native disulfide pairing.
E. S. Sinitsyna, J. G. Walter, E. G. Vlakh, F. Stahl, C. Kasper, T. B. Tennikova
Talanta 93 (2012) 139-146
Macroporous monoliths with different surface functionalization (reactive groups) were utilized as platforms for DNA analysis in microarray format. The slides based on a copolymer glycidyl methacrylate-co- ethylene dimethacrylate (GMA-EDMA) have been chosen as well known and thoroughly studied standard. In particular, this material has been used at optimization of DNA microanalytical procedure.
The concentration and pH of spotting solution, immobilization temperature and time, blocking agent and coupling reaction duration were selected as varied parameters. The efficiency of analysis performed on 3-D monolithic platforms was compared to that established for commercially available glass slides. As a practical example, a diagnostic test for detection of CFTR gene mutation was carried out. Additionally, the part of presented work was devoted to preparation of aptamer-based test-system that allowed successful and highly sensitive detection both of DNA and protein.
2011
M. Pucic, A. Knezevic, J. Vidic, B. Adamczyk, M. Novokmet, O. Polasek, O. Gornik, S. Supraha-Goreta, M. R. Wormald, I. Redzic, H. Campbell, A. Wright, N. D. Hastie, J. F. Wilson, I. Rudan, M. Wuhrer, P. M. Rudd, Dj. Josic, and G. Lauc
Mol Cell Proteomics. Oct 2011; published online Jun 8, 2011
All immunoglobulin G molecules carry N-glycans, which modulate their biological activity. Changes in N-glycosylation of IgG associate with various diseases and affect the activity of therapeutic antibodies and intravenous immunoglobulins. We have developed a novel 96-well protein G monolithic plate and used it to rapidly isolate IgG from plasma of 2298 individuals from three isolated human populations. N-glycans were released by PNGase F, labeled with 2-aminobenzamide and analyzed by hydrophilic interaction chromatography with fluorescence detection. The majority of the structural features of the IgG glycome were consistent with previous studies, but sialylation was somewhat higher than reported previously.
Sialylation was particularly prominent in core fucosylated glycans containing two galactose residues and bisecting GlcNAc where median sialylation level was nearly 80%. Very high variability between individuals was observed, approximately three times higher than in the total plasma glycome. For example, neutral IgG glycans without core fucose varied between 1.3 and 19%, a difference that significantly affects the effector functions of natural antibodies, predisposing or protecting individuals from particular diseases. Heritability of IgG glycans was generally between 30 and 50%. The individual's age was associated with a significant decrease in galactose and increase of bisecting GlcNAc, whereas other functional elements of IgG glycosylation did not change much with age. Gender was not an important predictor for any IgG glycan. An important observation is that competition between glycosyltransferases, which occurs in vitro, did not appear to be relevant in vivo, indicating that the final glycan structures are not a simple result of competing enzymatic activities, but a carefully regulated outcome designed to meet the prevailing physiological needs.
M. R. Etzel, T. Bund
Journal of Chromatography A, 1218 (2011) 2445-2450
Proteins conjugated to neutral biopolymers are of keen interest to the food and pharmaceutical industries. Conjugated proteins are larger and more charge shielded than un-reacted proteins, making purification difficult using conventional beaded chromatographic supports because of slow mass transfer rates, weak binding, and viscous solutions. Past methods developed for pharmaceuticals are unsuitable for foods. In this work, a food-grade whey protein–dextran conjugate was purified from a feed solution also containing un-reacted protein and dextran using either a column packed with 800 mL of a beaded support that was specifically designed for purification of conjugated proteins or an 8 mL tube monolith. The monolith gave a similar dynamic binding capacity as the beaded support (4–6 g/L), at a 42-fold greater mass productivity, and 48-fold higher flow rate, albeit at somewhat lower conjugate purity. Performance of the monolith did not depend on flow rate. In conclusion, monoliths were found to be well suited for the purification of whey protein–dextran conjugates.
I. Pulko, V. Smrekar, A. Podgornik, P. Krajnc
Journal of Chromatography A, 1218 (2011) 2396-2401
Approximately 25 cm × 25 cm large sheets of crosslinked highly porous poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate-co-ethylhexyl methacrylate) membranes with an average thicknesses between 285 and 565 μm were prepared by casting a high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) containing monomers onto glass substrates and subsequent polymerisation. Open cellular porous polyHIPE type membranes were obtained with large pores (cavity) sizes between 3 and 10 μm while interconnecting pores were between 1 and 3 μm. The percentage of ethylhexyl acrylate and ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate influenced the flexibility and morphology of the resulting membranes. Porous membranes were chemically modified with diethylamine to yield functionalised supports for ion exchange chromatography. Cylindrical housings were used for positioning of the membranes and allowing flow of the mobile phase. Pulse experiments were used to study the flow characteristics and a homogeneous flow through the entire area of the membrane was found. Bovine serum albumin was purified by a 8 ml column containing functional membrane in modular shape; dynamic binding capacity was measured to be as high as 45 mg/ml.
C. Valasek, J. Cole, F. Hensel, P. Ye, M. A. Conner, M. E. Ultee
BioProcess International, Vol. 9, No. 11, December 2011, pp. 28–37
Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies have been used to treat cancer for many years (1). Another class of antibodies—immunoglobulin M (IgM)—has been overlooked in spite of offering unique advantages that make them highly desirable as cancer therapeutics. Serving a valuable function in our innate immune system, IgM antibodies are the first to be secreted when an abnormal cell is present (2). These antibodies play a critical role in recognition and elimination of infectious particles (3,4), in removal of intracellular components, and in immunosurveillance mechanisms against malignant cells (5,6). IgMs also can bind to multiple copies of a target on a cancer cell surface. Such high avidity leads to cross-linking and more effective cell killing (7).
P. Gagnon, F. Hensel, S. Lee, S. Zaidi
Journal of Chromatography A, 1218 (2011) 2405-2412
This study documents the presence of stable complexes between monoclonal IgM and genomic DNA in freshly harvested mammalian cell culture supernatants. 75% of the complex population elutes from size exclusion chromatography with the same retention volume as IgM. DNA comprises 24% of the complex mass, corresponding to an average of 347 base pairs per IgM molecule, distributed among fragments smaller than about 115 base pairs. Electrostatic interactions appear to provide most of the binding energy, with secondary stabilization by hydrogen bonding and metal affinity. DNA-dominant complexes are unretained by bioaffinity chromatography, while IgM-dominant complexes are retained and coelute with IgM. DNA-dominant complexes are repelled from cation exchangers, while IgM-dominant complexes are retained and partially dissociated. Partially dissociated forms elute in order of decreasing DNA content. The same pattern is observed with hydrophobic interaction chromatography. All complex compositions bind to anion exchangers and elute in order of increasing DNA content. A porous particle anion exchanger was unable to dissociate DNA from IgM. Monolithic anion exchangers, offering up to15-fold higher charge density, achieved nearly complete complex dissociation. The charge-dense monolith surface appears to outcompete IgM for the DNA. Monoliths also exhibit more than double the IgM dynamic binding capacity of the porous particle anion exchanger, apparently due to better surface accessibility and more efficient mass transfer.
P. Gagnon, G. Rodriquez, S. Zaidi
Journal of Chromatography A, 1218 (2011) 2402-2404
A basic method for dissociation and fractionation of monoclonal IgG heavy and light chain is described. It employs less noxious and hazardous reagents than the classical mercaptoethanol/propionic acid process and replaces size exclusion chromatography with cation exchange on a monolith to improve productivity. Significant scope remains to refine the conditions. The method can be applied to other disulfide bonded proteins with significant affinity for cation exchangers.
S. Neff, A. Jungbauer
Journal of Chromatography A, 1218 (2011) 2374-2380
We have developed a method for quantification of a specific monoclonal IgM directed toward embryonic stem cells based on a peptide affinity monolith. A peptide affinity ligand with the sequence C–C–H–Q–R–L–S–Q–R–K was obtained by epitope mapping using peptide SPOT synthesis. The peptide ligand was covalently immobilized by coupling the N-terminal cysteine to a monolithic disk that was previously modified with iodated spacer molecules. The monolithic disc was used for quantification of purified IgM and for IgM present in mammalian cell culture supernatant. We observed 17% unspecific binding of IgM to the monolithic disk and additionally a product loss in the flow through of 20%. Nevertheless, calibration curves had high correlation coefficients and inter/intra-assay variability experiments proved sufficient precision of the method. A limit of quantification of 51.69 μg/mL for purified IgM and 48.40 μg/mL for IgM in cell culture supernatant could be calculated. The binding capacity was consistent within the period of the study which included more than 200 cycles. The analysis time of less than 2 min is an advantage over existing chromatographic methods that rely on pore diffusion.
A. Mönster, O. Hiller, D. Grüger, R. Blasczyk, C. Kasper
Journal of Chromatography A, 1218 (2011) 706–710
Monolithic columns have gained increasing attention as stationary phases for the separation of biomolecules and biopharmaceuticals. In the present work the performance of monolithic convective interaction media (CIM®) chromatography for the purification of blood group antigens was established. The proteins employed in this study are derived from blood group antigens Knops, JMH and Scianna, equipped both with a His-tag and with a V5-tag by which they can be purified. In a first step a monoclonal antibody directed against the V5-tag was immobilized on a CIM® Disk with epoxy chemistry. After this, the immobilized CIM® Disk was used in immuno-affinity chromatography to purify the three blood group antigens from cell culture supernatant. Up-scaling of the applied technology was carried out using CIM® Tubes. In comparison to conventional affinity chromatography, blood group antigens were also purified via His-tag using a HiTrap® metal-affinity column. The two purifications have been compared regarding purity, yield and purification speed. Using the monolithic support, it was possible to isolate the blood group antigens with a higher flow rate than using the conventional bed-packed column.
S. Neff, A. Jungbauer
Journal of Chromatography A, 1218 (2011) 2374–2380
We have developed a method for quantification of a specific monoclonal IgM directed toward embryonic stem cells based on a peptide affinity monolith. A peptide affinity ligand with the sequence C–C–H–Q–R–L–S–Q–R–K was obtained by epitope mapping using peptide SPOT synthesis. The peptide ligand was covalently immobilized by coupling the N-terminal cysteine to a monolithic disk that was previously modified with iodated spacer molecules. The monolithic disc was used for quantification of purified IgM and for IgM present in mammalian cell culture supernatant. We observed 17% unspecific binding of IgM to the monolithic disk and additionally a product loss in the flow through of 20%. Nevertheless, calibration curves had high correlation coefficients and inter/intra-assay variability experiments proved sufficient precision of the method. A limit of quantification of 51.69 μg/mL for purified IgM and 48.40 μg/mL for IgM in cell culture supernatant could be calculated. The binding capacity was consistent within the period of the study which included more than 200 cycles. The analysis time of less than 2 min is an advantage over existing chromatographic methods that rely on pore diffusion.
2010
M. Abe, P. Akbarzaderaleh, M. Hamachi, N. Yoshimoto, S.Yamamoto
Biotechnol. J. 2010, 5, 477-483
The retention and binding mechanisms in electrostatic interaction-based chromatography (ion-exchange chromatography) of PEGylated proteins (covalent attachment of polyethylene glycol chains to protein) were investigated using our previously developed model. Lysozyme and bovine serum albumin were chosen as model proteins. The retention volume of PEGylated proteins shifted to lower elution volumes with increasing PEG molecular weight compared with the non-modified (native) protein retention volume. However, PEGylation did not affect the number of binding sites appreciably. The enzyme activity of PEGylated lysozyme measured with a standard insoluble substrate in suspension decreased considerably, whereas the activity with a soluble small-molecule substrate did not drop significantly. These findings indicate that when a protein is mono-PEG-ylated, the binding site is not affected and the elution volume reduces due to the steric hindrance between PEGylated protein and ion-exchange ligand.
R. Nian, D. S. Kim, T. Nguyen, L. Tan, C.-W. Kim, I.-K. Yoo, W. S. Choe
Journal of Chromatography A, 1217 (2010) 5910-5949
Toxic heavy metal pollution is a global problem occurring in air, soil as well as water. There is a need for a more cost effective, renewable remediation technique, but most importantly, for a recovery method that is selective for one specific metal of concern. Phage display technology has been used as a powerful tool in the discovery of peptides capable of exhibiting specific affinity to various metals or metal ions. However, traditional phage display is mainly conducted in batch mode, resulting in only one equilibrium state hence low-efficiency selection. It is also unable to monitor the selection process in real time mode. In this study, phage display technique was incorporated with chromatography procedure with the use of a monolithic column, facilitating multiple phage-binding equilibrium states and online monitoring of the selection process in search of affinity peptides to Pb2+. In total, 17 candidate peptides were found and their specificity toward Pb2+ was further investigated with bead-based enzyme immunoassay (EIA). A highly specific Pb2+ binding peptide ThrAsnThrLeuSerAsnAsn (TNTLSNN) was obtained. Based on our knowledge, this is the first report on a new chromatographic biopanning method coupled with monolithic column for the selection of metal ion specific binding peptides. It is expected that this monolith-based chromatographic biopanning will provide a promising approach for a high throughput screening of affinity peptides cognitive of a wide range of target species.
R. R. Prasanna, M. A. Vijayalakshmi
Journal of Chromatography A, 1217 (2010) 3660–3667
Dynamic binding capacity (DBC) of commercial metal-chelate methacrylate monolith-convective interaction media (CIM) was performed with commercial human immunoglobulin G (IgG) (Cohn fraction II, III). Monoliths are an attractive stationary phase for purification of large biomolecules because they exhibit very low back pressure even at high flow rates and flow-unaffected binding properties. Adsorption of IgG onto CIM-IDA disk immobilized with Cu2+, Ni2+ and Zn2+ were studied with Tris-acetate (TA), phosphate-acetate (PA) and MMA (MES, MOPS and acetate) buffer systems at different flow rates. Adsorption and elution of IgG varied with different buffers and adsorption of IgG was maximum with MMA buffer. Adsorption of human IgG from Cohn fractions (II, III) was high when Cu2+ was used as ligand. CIM-IDA disk showed dynamic binding capacity in the range of 14–16 mg/ml with Cu2+ and 7–9 mg/ml with Ni2+ for human IgG with MMA buffer. In the case of CIM-IDA-Zn2+ column, the binding capacity was only about 0.5 mg/ml of support. Different desorption strategies like lowering of pH and increasing of competitive agent were also studied to achieve maximum recovery. Chromatographic runs with human serum and mouse ascites fluid were also carried out with metal chelate methacrylate monolithic disk and the results indicate the potential of this technique for polyclonal human IgG and monoclonal IgG purification from complex biological samples.