Evaluating the influence of the initial high molecular weight level on monoclonal antibody particle formation kinetics using a short-term chemical stress study

Protein formulations may form proteinaceous particles that vary in size from nanometers to millimeters. Monitoring the kinetics of protein particle formation, e.g., through accelerated degradation studies, is an attempt to understand and assess the rate and progression of particle populations. Little is known about whether the initial level of high molecular weight (HMW) species, or initial HMW level (IHL), of a protein solution influences the propagation of protein particle formation, and thus affects the storage stability of proteins.

In this study, we have established a method to generate protein solutions of different IHLs by thermal stress. We have evaluated a 16-week thermal stability study at 40 °C of two monoclonal antibodies (mAb-A and mAb-B) at different IHLs using size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and sub-visible particle analysis. We have performed an isothermal stress study with guanidinium hydrochloride (GuaHCl) at room temperature for 300-min to evaluate the formation of HMWs analysed by SEC. The application of the Finke-Watzky (F-W) two-step nucleation model allowed us to mathematically describe the kinetics of HMW formation and to extract kinetic parameters of this process.

For mAb-A, the IHLs had a marginal influence on the loss of monomer rate; instead, mAb-A exhibited fragmentation at 40 °C, which was independent of the IHL. Nevertheless, above a threshold of ≥ 7 % IHL, existing trimers/tetramers undergo conversion into higher-order oligomers at 40 °C, which is not observed at lower IHLs. In contrast, mAb-B exhibited an increased HMW formation rate above a threshold of ≥ 4 % IHL, which was reflected in the monomer decay rates at 40 °C and the F-W kinetic parameters of the chemical stress study.

This case study shows that the initial level of HMWs exerts a differential influence on the progression of HMW formation. In one instance, there is a discernible acceleration in the formation of HMWs with rising IHLs. Conversely, in another example, the IHL exerts only a slight influence on HMW formation. Moreover, the results of our short-term chemical stress study are in accordance with those of a classical storage stability study conducted at 40 °C, which evaluated different IHLs. The analysis of HMW formation kinetics will enhance our understanding of the protein particle formation process and facilitate the formulation development of biotherapeutics.