Liang-Kai Chu, Ehsan Espah Borujeni, Xuankuo Xu, Andrew L Zydney
{"title":"Use of LC-MS to characterize host cell protein removal during depth filtration.","authors":"Liang-Kai Chu, Ehsan Espah Borujeni, Xuankuo Xu, Andrew L Zydney","doi":"10.1002/btpr.70044","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/btpr.70044","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The removal of host cell proteins (HCPs) is crucial in biopharmaceutical production, as residual impurities can impact product safety and efficacy. While a number of studies have demonstrated that depth filtration can provide significant HCP removal, there is little information on its effectiveness in removing specific HCPs. This study examines the application of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) to track HCP removal during depth filtration, providing a detailed analysis of HCP behavior with two commercial depth filters. Our findings reveal significant variability in HCP breakthrough behavior, with transmission patterns showing minimal correlation with either the protein isoelectric point or hydrophobicity, highlighting the unique behavior of individual HCPs. Both the X0SP and X0HC depth filters achieved almost complete removal of Lipoprotein Lipase, and the X0SP filter also effectively removed Lysosomal Acid Lipase (LAL), both known to degrade polysorbate in monoclonal antibody formulations. However, neither filter provided significant removal of Alpha-enolase, Carboxypeptidase D, Glutathione S-transferase, or Phospholipase B-like 2. The X0SP filter showed equal or better removal for 18 out of 20 problematic HCPs, with greater HCP removal seen at lower conductivity. This work provides a detailed framework for understanding and optimizing depth filtration processes, offering insights into the effectiveness of depth filters for removal of problematic HCPs.</p>","PeriodicalId":8856,"journal":{"name":"Biotechnology Progress","volume":" ","pages":"e70044"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144126483","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effects of LEDs, macronutrients and culture conditions on biomass and artemisinin production using Artemisia annua L. suspension cultures.","authors":"Wei Heng Lim, Mei Lin Khaw, Oyunbileg Yungeree, Wei Heng Hew, Ankita Rajendra Parab, Bee Lynn Chew, Dwi Kusuma Wahyuni, Sreeramanan Subramaniam","doi":"10.1002/btpr.70041","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/btpr.70041","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Artemisinin is a sesquiterpene lactone extracted from the medicinal plant Artemisia annua L. (sweet wormwood). It has traditionally been utilized in artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) for the malarial parasite, including drug-resistant strains. Natural artemisinin extraction is costly with low yields. Due to its effectiveness, there is a significant rise in the demand for artemisinin production. In vitro cell suspension culture offers a cost-effective and viable technique for artemisinin production. Therefore, this study aimed to optimize a protocol for cell suspension culture of A. annua L. to enhance biomass and artemisinin production. A successful cell suspension culture was initiated from induced callus. The highest cell biomass was obtained in suspension cultures grown with an initial inoculum size of 0.1 g of mixed type cell aggregates, in media with a pH of 6.2 and a rotation speed of 90 rpm. Macronutrient concentrations influenced both biomass and artemisinin content, with optimal biomass achieved at 19 mM KNO<sub>3</sub> and 1.56 mM KH<sub>2</sub>PO<sub>4</sub>. The absence of these nutrients resulted in the highest artemisinin levels. Different LED wavelengths also significantly influenced biomass and artemisinin production. Red + blue LED increased cell biomass, while the highest artemisinin content was observed under red LED. The upscaling of the culture indicated a variation in biomass yield pattern, but the highest growth index was achieved in the 500 mL Erlenmeyer flask. This study successfully established a cell suspension culture for A. annua L., demonstrating the influence of macronutrients and red LED on biomass and artemisinin production, providing insights for potential large-scale production.</p>","PeriodicalId":8856,"journal":{"name":"Biotechnology Progress","volume":" ","pages":"e70041"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144131897","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Katherine Forrester, Thomas R Blanda, Marena Trauger, Rachel Thompson, Neil Templeton
{"title":"Minimizing batch-to-batch variability of a live virus vaccine by process analytical technologies.","authors":"Katherine Forrester, Thomas R Blanda, Marena Trauger, Rachel Thompson, Neil Templeton","doi":"10.1002/btpr.70037","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/btpr.70037","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>For bioprocesses producing live virus, such as enterovirus Coxsackievirus A21, viral titer (infectivity basis) decay rates can exceed 30% within a day. Consequently, harvest timing is paramount. To optimize titer at harvest, a continuous viral product titer model was generated to elucidate kinetics. The model leveraged experimentally determined viable cell density, cell-specific viral productivity, and viral specific decay rates. Next, three separate online process analytical technology (PAT) harvest triggers were developed to predict maximal viral titer. Finally, the PAT harvest triggers were tested alongside traditional time-based harvests. The harvest triggers utilized common bioprocessing tools - dissolved oxygen (DO) and capacitance probes - to track DO and viable cell volume (VCV) and derived a third parameter, cell-specific oxygen uptake rate. Harvesting with PAT triggers allowed for significantly improved batch-to-batch consistency. The standard deviation of harvest yield was reduced by 41% (DO), 56% (OUR) and 71% (capacitance) as compared to the industry standard time-based harvest. Even when a process deviation in inoculated cell density occurred, causing a significant shift in viral titer kinetics, the PAT harvest triggers yielded greater than 87% of peak titer. By comparison, the time-based harvest yielded 16%.</p>","PeriodicalId":8856,"journal":{"name":"Biotechnology Progress","volume":" ","pages":"e70037"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144118731","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Han-Jung Kuo, Prahalad Srinivasan, Yu-Chieh Lin, Min Lu, Carissa Rungkittikhun, Qi Zhang, Wei-Shou Hu
{"title":"Transcriptomic functional characterization of recombinant adeno-associated virus producing cell line adapted to suspension-growth.","authors":"Han-Jung Kuo, Prahalad Srinivasan, Yu-Chieh Lin, Min Lu, Carissa Rungkittikhun, Qi Zhang, Wei-Shou Hu","doi":"10.1002/btpr.70042","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/btpr.70042","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) is a widely used delivery vehicle in gene therapy. A scalable production technology is essential for its wide clinical applications. We have taken a synthetic biology approach to generate HEK293-based cell lines which harbor integrated genetic elements encoding essential AAV and adenoviral helper components and can be induced to produce rAAV. Through cycles of cell line enhancement, a high rAAV productivity could be achieved. The cell lines, like their parental HEK293, grew adherently. For scalable production, cell cultivation in suspension is highly desirable. A producer cell line GX6B was adapted to suspension growth in serum-free medium (named GX6Bs). However, it had substantially reduced virus titer. Returning GX6Bs cells to adherent culture conditions using adherent medium and cultured stationarily brought the productivity back to close to the level of adherent GX6B. A survey of the transcriptome revealed that induction and rAAV production elicited a wide range of cellular changes in various functional classes, including host immune defense response and nucleosome organization. The response was more subdued in suspension-growing GX6Bs. Upon reverting to adherent growth, the cellular transcriptome change regained its vigor to be more similar to that seen in GX6B. The GX6Bs maintained in suspension serum-free conditions were then reverted to the adherent culture medium but under an agitated culture environment to keep suspension growth for rAAV production. The productivity returned to within 25%-50% of GX6B. This work demonstrated the feasibility of the suspension culture of synthetic cell lines for the expansion and production of rAAV.</p>","PeriodicalId":8856,"journal":{"name":"Biotechnology Progress","volume":" ","pages":"e70042"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144109595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yiwen Jiang, Lingxi Jiang, Zhongwei Yang, Xiaolin Liu, Yaoyao Wang, Man Ying, He Huang, Yiren Xu, Hang Zhou, Jincui Huang, Xuejun Gu, Weichang Zhou, Ying Huang
{"title":"Accelerating IND-enabling toxicology studies using protein products from stable pools or pools of clones in Chinese hamster ovary cells.","authors":"Yiwen Jiang, Lingxi Jiang, Zhongwei Yang, Xiaolin Liu, Yaoyao Wang, Man Ying, He Huang, Yiren Xu, Hang Zhou, Jincui Huang, Xuejun Gu, Weichang Zhou, Ying Huang","doi":"10.1002/btpr.70040","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/btpr.70040","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In recent years, accelerating Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC) workflows for clinical entry has become a critical focus in biologics development. Advances in the development of cell lines, cell culture processes, and analytical technologies have enabled the generation of more homogeneous stable pool populations with increased productivity. Leveraging the experience gained from the COVID-19 product development, the strategic use of stable cell pools or a pool of clones for early-stage non-GMP material generation and process development has proven transformative in significantly reducing the CMC timeline to investigational new drug (IND). This study provides a comprehensive comparison of bioprocess performance and product quality attributes of materials produced from stable pools or a pool of clones (toxicology study materials) versus those from clonally derived cells (GMP clinical batches) across six First-in-Human (FIH) programs involving mAbs, bsAb, and Fc-fusion proteins. The results demonstrate a strong alignment and the feasibility of using protein materials from stable pools or a pool of clones in toxicology studies. In conclusion, utilizing non-clonal CHO cell-derived material for preclinical studies offers a strategic approach that can be broadly applied to complex molecules across various disease areas, even under standard regulatory filings, accelerating the path to clinical trials.</p>","PeriodicalId":8856,"journal":{"name":"Biotechnology Progress","volume":" ","pages":"e70040"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144092641","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Enhanced cell-specific productivity through delayed supplementation of antioxidants in intensified processes.","authors":"Suyang Wu, Yen-An Lu, Kyle Devenney, Erin Kotzbauer, Karen Lee, Venkata S Tayi","doi":"10.1002/btpr.70036","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/btpr.70036","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Antioxidant supplementation to serum-free culture media is a common strategy to enhance productivity through oxidative stress alleviation. In this study, it was hypothesized that certain antioxidants can improve the specific productivity of a CHO-GS cell line expressing a bi-specific antibody. A fed-batch (FB) screening study investigated several antioxidants and revealed rosmarinic acid (RoA) and retinyl acetate (RAc), to a lesser extent, improved cell productivity. Contrary to the previous literature reports, the addition of RoA and/or RAc resulted in slower cell growth and reduced peak viable cell density, counteracting the enhanced specific productivity. We hypothesized that supplementing RoA/RAc after the exponential growth phase would increase titer through enhanced specific productivity without substantially impeding cell growth. This hypothesis was tested in three different ways: (1) supplementing RoA/RAc to the feed, rather than the basal media, in the FB process; (2) implementing the intensified fed-batch (iFB) process mode which started with high seeding VCD, bypassing the exponential cell growth phase; (3) supplementing RoA/RAc to the production phase perfusion media, rather than the growth phase perfusion media, in the perfusion-based continuous manufacturing (CM) process. All three methods were proven effective in titer improvement, which supported the hypothesis. Additionally, RoA/RAc significantly impacted product quality, with variations depending on the process mode and components. Overall, their supplementation led to decreased N-glycan mannose percentage and increased product fragmentation and aggregation. These changes do not fully align with the previous reports, highlighting that the supplementation strategy needs to be evaluated carefully based on cell line and expressed molecule type.</p>","PeriodicalId":8856,"journal":{"name":"Biotechnology Progress","volume":" ","pages":"e70036"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143965134","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Juan J Romero, Eleanor W Jenkins, Marc R Birtwistle, Scott M Husson
{"title":"Techno-economic analysis of membrane-based continuous capture chromatography platforms for large-scale antibody production.","authors":"Juan J Romero, Eleanor W Jenkins, Marc R Birtwistle, Scott M Husson","doi":"10.1002/btpr.70033","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/btpr.70033","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Continuous manufacturing platforms and membrane chromatography are process technologies with the potential to reduce production costs and minimize process variability in monoclonal antibody production. This study presents a simulation and optimization framework to perform techno-economic analyses of these strategies. Multi-objective optimization was used to compare batch and continuous multicolumn operating modes and membrane and resin process alternatives, revealing performance differences in productivity and cost of goods attributed to variations in dynamic binding capacity, media geometry, and process residence time. From the set of optimal process configurations, we selected one membrane and one resin platform alternative yielding the highest net present values to undergo sensitivity analyses involving variations in batch cadence and product selling price. For the scenarios considered in this work, membrane continuous platforms showed benefits in the cost of goods and process mass intensity. Their shorter residence time compared to resins positions them as a viable alternative for single-use capture chromatography. Moreover, this low residence time makes membrane platforms more flexible to changes in throughput, an essential feature for integrating capture into fully continuous processes.</p>","PeriodicalId":8856,"journal":{"name":"Biotechnology Progress","volume":" ","pages":"e70033"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143953558","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A novel multiparameter sensor for shake flask cultivations: Online biomass, dissolved oxygen, and fluorescence monitoring for comprehensive bioprocess characterization.","authors":"Lara Strehl, Anna-Lena Kuhn, Kyra Hoffmann, Marcel Mann, Jørgen Barsett Magnus","doi":"10.1002/btpr.70035","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/btpr.70035","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Shake flasks are one of the most widely used cultivation vessels in biotechnological process development. To improve the process understanding, new technologies have been reported for online monitoring of different parameters like oxygen, pH, or biomass in the last couple of years. However, most reports address the monitoring of a single parameter per shake flask. This work evaluates the ability to measure dissolved oxygen (DO), biomass, and fluorescence in parallel with a new Multiparameter Sensor (MPS). Therefore, abiotic tests for reproducibility, sensitivity, and accuracy were performed. In biological tests, different microbial systems were used to evaluate if a wide range of applications is feasible. This work demonstrates that three different parameters: DO, biomass, and fluorescence can be monitored online, in parallel, for various biological systems. The online data obtained provide crucial process knowledge, such as the start of intracellular product formation. Abiotic and biological tests showed good reproducibility, resolution, and sensitivity to changing environmental conditions. Compared to other existing measurement systems for DO or oxygen transfer rate, similar or in the former case, more data points can be recorded, allowing a detailed overview and a better understanding of the process.</p>","PeriodicalId":8856,"journal":{"name":"Biotechnology Progress","volume":" ","pages":"e70035"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143973068","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Niklas Krämer, Kathrin Teschner, Alyssa Buve, Luisa Scheller, Pia Brinkert, Vera Ortseifen, Sandra Klausing
{"title":"Modulation of the cell cycle and inhibition of histone deacetylases by small molecules increase recombinant adeno-associated virus productivity across different HEK293 cell lines.","authors":"Niklas Krämer, Kathrin Teschner, Alyssa Buve, Luisa Scheller, Pia Brinkert, Vera Ortseifen, Sandra Klausing","doi":"10.1002/btpr.70030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/btpr.70030","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAV) are one of the most popular gene therapy vectors. To date, low-product yields are limiting a broader clinical application. To identify targets for improving productivity, two human embryonic kidney cell lines (HEK293) with varying productive profiles were transiently transfected for rAAV2 production and transcriptomes were compared at 18 h after transfection. As expected, high-producing cell lines exhibited elevated levels of plasmid-derived viral gene expression. Gene set enrichment analysis indicated that these cells demonstrated increased transcriptional activity and upregulation of mRNA-processing mechanisms. Furthermore, transcriptomic analysis suggested increased transcription of histone-coding genes and a modulated cell cycle under the influence of viral gene expression, with differences being more prominent in the high-producer cell line. Aiming to increase rAAV yield, cyclin-dependent kinases and histone deacetylases were targeted by treatment with the small molecule inhibitors Flavopiridol and M344, respectively. Without compromising biological activity, Flavopiridol increased rAAV titer by 2-fold, and M344 increased it up to 8-fold in a cell line-independent manner, while also enhancing the percentage of filled capsids. A DoE-based approach also revealed the potential for combining both molecules to enhance rAAV production, exhibiting an additive effect across three different HEK293 derivatives. Consequently, novel functions of M344 and Flavopiridol as enhancers of rAAV production were unraveled, which can be employed to enhance the accessibility of in vivo gene therapy applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":8856,"journal":{"name":"Biotechnology Progress","volume":" ","pages":"e70030"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143974129","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}