A Delphi consensus statement for digital surgery.

The use of digital technology is increasing rapidly across surgical specialities, yet there is no consensus for the term 'digital surgery'. This is critical as digital health technologies present technical, governance, and legal challenges which are unique to the surgeon and surgical patient. We aim to define the term digital surgery and the ethical issues surrounding its clinical application, and to identify barriers and research goals for future practice. 38 international experts, across the fields of surgery, AI, industry, law, ethics and policy, participated in a four-round Delphi exercise. Issues were generated by an expert panel and public panel through a scoping questionnaire around key themes identified from the literature and voted upon in two subsequent questionnaire rounds. Consensus was defined if >70% of the panel deemed the statement important and <30% unimportant. A final online meeting was held to discuss consensus statements. The definition of digital surgery as the use of technology for the enhancement of preoperative planning, surgical performance, therapeutic support, or training, to improve outcomes and reduce harm achieved 100% consensus agreement. We highlight key ethical issues concerning data, privacy, confidentiality and public trust, consent, law, litigation and liability, and commercial partnerships within digital surgery and identify barriers and research goals for future practice. Developers and users of digital surgery must not only have an awareness of the ethical issues surrounding digital applications in healthcare, but also the ethical considerations unique to digital surgery. Future research into these issues must involve all digital surgery stakeholders including patients.

The Impact of the Metal Interface on the Stability and Quality of a Therapeutic Fusion Protein.

Subvisible particle formation, which occurs after the sterile filtration step of the fill/finish process, is a challenge that may occur during the development of biotherapeutics with complex molecular structures. Here, we show that a stainless steel pump head from a rotary piston pump produces more protein aggregates, past the limit of the acceptable quality range for subvisible particle counts, in comparison to a ceramic pump head. The quartz crystal microbalance was used to quantify the primary layer, proteins irreversibly adsorbed at the solid-liquid interface, and the secondary diffuse gel-like layer interacting on top of the primary layer. The results showed that the mass of protein irreversibly adsorbed onto stainless steel sensors is greater than on an aluminum oxide surface (ceramic pump mimic). This suggests that the amount of adsorbed protein plays a role in surface-induced protein aggregation at the solid-liquid interface.

Interfacial Adsorption of a Monoclonal Antibody and Its Fab and Fc Fragments at the Oil/Water Interface.

The physical stability of a monoclonal antibody (mAb) solution for injection in a prefilled syringe may in part depend on its behavior at the silicone oil/water interface. Here, the adsorption of a mAb (termed COE-3) and its fragment antigen-binding (Fab) and crystallizable (Fc) at the oil/water interface was measured using neutron reflection. A 1.4 ± 0.1 µm hexadecane oil film was formed on a sapphire block by a spin-freeze-thaw process, retaining its integrity upon contact with the protein solutions. Measurements revealed that adsorbed COE-3 and its Fab and Fc fragments retained their globular structure, forming layers that did not penetrate substantially into the oil phase. COE-3 and Fc were found to adsorb flat-on to the interface, with denser 45 and 42 Å inner layers, respectively, in contact with the oil and a more diffuse 17-21 Å outer layer caused by fragments adsorbing in a tilted manner. In contrast, Fab fragments formed a uniform 60 Å monolayer. Monolayers were formed under all conditions studied (10-200 ppm, using three isotopic contrasts), although changes in packing density across the COE-3 and Fc layers were observed. COE-3 had a higher affinity to the interface than either of its constituent fragments, while Fab had a lower interfacial affinity consistent with its higher net surface charge. This study extends the application of high-resolution neutron reflection measurements to the study of protein adsorption at the oil/water interface using an experimental setup mimicking the protein drug product in a siliconized prefilled syringe.

Application of Magnetic Resonance to Assess Lyophilized Drug Product Reconstitution.

PURPOSE: Dynamic in-situ proton (1H) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 1H T2-relaxometry experiments are described in an attempt to: (i) understand the physical processes, that occur during the reconstitution of lyophilized bovine serum albumin (BSA) and monoclonal antibody (mAb) proteins; and (ii) objectify the reconstitution time. METHODS: Rapid two-dimensional 1H MRI and diffusion weighted MRI were used to study the temporal changes in solids dissolution and characterise water mass transport characteristics. One-shot T2 relaxation time measurements were also acquired in an attempt to quantify the reconstitution time. Both MRI data and T2-relaxation data were compared to standard visual observations currently adopted by industry. The 1H images were further referenced to MRI calibration data to give quantitative values of protein concentration and, percentage of remaining undissolved solids. RESULTS: An algorithmic analysis of the 1H T2-relaxation data shows it is possible to classify the reconstitution event into three regimes (undissolved, transitional and dissolved). Moreover, a combined analysis of the 2D 1H MRI and 1H T2-relaxation data gives a unique time point that characterises the onset of a reconstituted protein solution within well-defined error bars. These values compared favourably with those from visual observations. Diffusion weighted MRI showed that low concentration BSA and mAb samples showed distinct liquid-liquid phase separation attributed to two liquid layers with significant density differences. CONCLUSIONS: T2 relaxation time distributions (whose interpretation is validated from the 2D 1H MR images) provides a quick and effective framework to build objective, quantitative descriptors of the reconstitution process that facilitate the interpretation of subjective visual observations currently adopted as the standard practice industry.

19F Dark-State Exchange Saturation Transfer NMR Reveals Reversible Formation of Protein-Specific Large Clusters in High-Concentration Protein Mixtures.

Proteins frequently exist as high-concentration mixtures, both in biological environments and increasingly in biopharmaceutical co-formulations. Such crowded conditions promote protein-protein interactions, potentially leading to formation of protein clusters, aggregation, and phase separation. Characterizing these interactions and processes in situ in high-concentration mixtures is challenging due to the complexity and heterogeneity of such systems. Here we demonstrate the application of the dark-state exchange saturation transfer (DEST) NMR technique to a mixture of two differentially 19F-labeled 145 kDa monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to assess reversible temperature-dependent formation of small and large protein-specific clusters at concentrations up to 400 mg/mL. 19F DEST allowed quantitative protein-specific characterization of the cluster populations and sizes for both mAbs in the mixture under a range of conditions. Additives such as arginine glutamate and NaCl also had protein-specific effects on the dark-state populations and cluster characteristics. Notably, both mAbs appear to largely exist as separate self-associated clusters, which mechanistically respond differently to changes in solution conditions. We show that for mixtures of differentially 19F-labeled proteins DEST NMR can characterize clustering in a protein-specific manner, offering unique tracking of clustering pathways and a means to understand and control them.

Understanding how charge and hydrophobicity influence globular protein adsorption to alkanethiol and material surfaces.

Every biosensor, bioengineered scaffold or biomedical implant depends crucially on an ability to control protein adsorption at the material surface. Yet the adsorption of proteins to solid surfaces in aqueous media is a complex and poorly understood phenomenon. To gain further insights we study protein adsorption using the quartz crystal microbalance for 10 model globular proteins interacting with positive, negative, neutral, hydrophobic and mixed alkanethiol monolayers as well as silica, polystyrene and Teflon, equating to approximately 200 protein-surface combinations. The charge state of the materials in liquid was measured with atomic force microscopy using a colloidal probe and numerically solving the full non-linear Poisson-Boltzmann equation. This approach has allowed us to address some of the important questions surrounding the basic principles that govern protein adsorption including the relative importance of net charge and hydrophobicity and why some materials are protein resistant. With our set of mixed monolayer surfaces, we can modulate charge over a wide range whilst eliminating hydrophobic interactions and vice versa- thus permitting determination of the functional dependence of adsorption on these parameters. This has led us to develop two empirical predictive models with up to 90% accuracy that together encompass most materials relevant to biotechnological and biomedical applications.

Coadsorption of a Monoclonal Antibody and Nonionic Surfactant at the SiO2/Water Interface.

During the formulation of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), nonionic surfactants are commonly added to attenuate structural rearrangement caused by adsorption/desorption at interfaces during processing, shipping, and storage. We examined the adsorption of a mAb (COE-3) at the SiO2/water interface in the presence of pentaethylene glycol monododecyl ether (C12E5), polysorbate 80 (PS80-20EO), and a polysorbate 80 analogue with seven ethoxylates (PS80-7EO). Spectroscopic ellipsometry was used to follow COE-3 dynamic adsorption, and neutron reflection was used to determine interfacial structure and composition. Neither PS80-20EO nor C12E5 had a notable affinity for COE-3 or the interface under the conditions studied and thus did not prevent COE-3 adsorption. In contrast, PS80-7EO did coadsorb but did not influence the dynamic process or the equilibrated amount of absorbed COE-3. Near equilibration, COE-3 underwent structural rearrangement and PS80-7EO started to bind the COE-3 interfacial layer and subsequently formed a well-defined surfactant bilayer via self-assembly. The resultant interfacial layer comprised an inner mAb layer of about 70 Å thickness and an outer surfactant layer of a further 70 Å, with distinct transitional regions across the mAb-surfactant and surfactant-bulk water boundaries. Once formed, such interfacial layers were very robust and worked to prevent further mAb adsorption, desorption, and structural rearrangement. Such robust interfacial layers could be anticipated to exist for formulated mAbs stored in type II glass vials; further research is required to understand the behavior of these layers for siliconized glass syringes.

Multi-Scale Peak and Trough Detection Optimised for Periodic and Quasi-Periodic Neuroscience Data.

OBJECTIVES: The reliable detection of peaks and troughs in physiological signals is essential to many investigative techniques in medicine and computational biology. Analysis of the intracranial pressure (ICP) waveform is a particular challenge due to multi-scale features, a changing morphology over time and signal-to-noise limitations. Here we present an efficient peak and trough detection algorithm that extends the scalogram approach of Scholkmann et al., and results in greatly improved algorithm runtime performance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our improved algorithm (modified Scholkmann) was developed and analysed in MATLAB R2015b. Synthesised waveforms (periodic, quasi-periodic and chirp sinusoids) were degraded with white Gaussian noise to achieve signal-to-noise ratios down to 5 dB and were used to compare the performance of the original Scholkmann and modified Scholkmann algorithms. RESULTS: The modified Scholkmann algorithm has false-positive (0%) and false-negative (0%) detection rates identical to the original Scholkmann when applied to our test suite. Actual compute time for a 200-run Monte Carlo simulation over a multicomponent noisy test signal was 40.96 ± 0.020 s (mean ± 95%CI) for the original Scholkmann and 1.81 ± 0.003 s (mean ± 95%CI) for the modified Scholkmann, demonstrating the expected improvement in runtime complexity from [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text]. CONCLUSIONS: The accurate interpretation of waveform data to identify peaks and troughs is crucial in signal parameterisation, feature extraction and waveform identification tasks. Modification of a standard scalogram technique has produced a robust algorithm with linear computational complexity that is particularly suited to the challenges presented by large, noisy physiological datasets. The algorithm is optimised through a single parameter and can identify sub-waveform features with minimal additional overhead, and is easily adapted to run in real time on commodity hardware.

Statistical Signal Properties of the Pressure-Reactivity Index (PRx).

OBJECTIVES: The pressure-reactivity index (PRx) is defined in terms of the moving correlation coefficient between intracranial pressure (ICP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) and is a measure of cerebral autoregulation ability. Plots of PRx against cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) show a U-shaped behaviour: the minimum reflecting optimal cerebral autoregulation (CPPopt). However U-shaped behaviour may also occur by chance. To date there has been no evaluation of the statistical properties of these signals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We simulated PRx/CPP distributions using synthetic ICP and MAP signals from Gaussian noise with known cross-correlation and calculated the statistical distribution of extrema in the PRx/CPP relationship. RESULTS: The calculation of PRx on random data is statistically biased to show a U-shaped behaviour when the signals are positively cross-correlated (equivalent to PRx > 0). For PRx < 0, the bias is towards an inverse U-shaped behaviour. We demonstrate that this bias is eliminated by Fisher transforming the PRx data before CPPopt analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Cross-correlated signals are biased to show a U-shaped distribution. A CPPopt-like behaviour will be observed more often than not even from random ICP and MAP signals that do not exhibit autoregulation, unless PRx is Fisher transformed. Care must be taken in interpreting CPPopt in terms of physiology calculated from untransformed data.

Interfacial Adsorption of Monoclonal Antibody COE-3 at the Solid/Water Interface.

Spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) and neutron reflection (NR) data for the adsorption of a monoclonal antibody (mAb, termed COE-3, pI 8.44) at the bare SiO2/water interface are compared here to the simulations based on Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek theory. COE-3 adsorption was characterized by an initial rapid increase in the surface-adsorbed amount (Γ) followed by a plateau. Only the initial rate of the increase in Γ was strongly correlated with the bulk concentration (0.002-0.2 mg/mL), with Γ at the plateau being about 2.2 mg/m2 (pH 5.5). Simulations captured COE-3 adsorption at equilibrium most accurately, the point at which the outgoing flux of molecules within the adsorbed plane matched the adsorption flux. Increasing the buffer pH from 5.5 to 9 increased Γ at equilibrium to ∼3 mg/m2 (0.02 mg/mL COE-3), revealing a dominant role for lateral repulsion between adsorbed mAb molecules. In contrast, increasing the buffer ionic strength (pH 6) reduced Γ, which was captured by simulations accounting for electrostatic screening by ions, in addition to mAb/SiO2 attractive forces and lateral repulsion. NR data at the same bulk concentrations corroborated the SE data, albeit with slightly higher Γ due to longer adsorption times for data acquisition; for example, at pH 9, Γ was 3.6 mg/m2 (0.02 mg/mL COE-3), equivalent to a relatively high volume fraction of 0.5. An adsorbed monolayer with a thickness of 50-52 Å was consistently determined by NR, corresponding to the short axial lengths of fragment antigen-binding and fragment crystallization and implying minimal structural perturbation. Thus, the simulations enabled a mechanistic interpretation of the experimental data of mAb adsorption at the SiO2/water interface.

The Use of a GroEL-BLI Biosensor to Rapidly Assess Preaggregate Populations for Antibody Solutions Exhibiting Different Stability Profiles.

An automated method using biotinylated GroEL-streptavidin biosensors with biolayer interferometry (GroEL-BLI) was evaluated to detect the formation of transiently formed, preaggregate species in various pharmaceutically relevant monoclonal antibody (mAb) samples. The relative aggregation propensity of various IgG1 and IgG4 mAbs was rank ordered using the GroEL-BLI biosensor method, and the least stable IgG4 mAb was subjected to different stresses including elevated temperatures, acidic pH, and addition of guanidine HCl. The GroEL-BLI biosensor detects mAb preaggregate formation mostly before, or sometimes concomitantly with, observing soluble aggregates and subvisible particles using size-exclusion chromatography and microflow imaging, respectively. A relatively unstable bispecific antibody (Bis-3) was shown to bind the GroEL biosensor even at low temperatures (25°C). During thermal stress (50°C, 1 h), increased Bis-3 binding to GroEL-biosensors was observed prior to aggregation by size-exclusion chromatography or microflow imaging. Transmission electron microscopy analysis of Bis-3 preaggregate GroEL complexes revealed, in some cases, potential hydrophobic interaction sites between the Fc domain of the Bis-3 and GroEL protein. The automated BLI method not only enables detection of transiently formed preaggregate species that initiate protein aggregation pathways but also permits rapid mAb formulation stability assessments at low volumes and low protein concentrations.

Empirical Correction for Differences in Chemical Exchange Rates in Hydrogen Exchange-Mass Spectrometry Measurements.

A barrier to the use of hydrogen exchange-mass spectrometry (HX-MS) in many contexts, especially analytical characterization of various protein therapeutic candidates, is that differences in temperature, pH, ionic strength, buffering agent, or other additives can alter chemical exchange rates, making HX data gathered under differing solution conditions difficult to compare. Here, we present data demonstrating that HX chemical exchange rates can be substantially altered not only by the well-established variables of temperature and pH but also by additives including arginine, guanidine, methionine, and thiocyanate. To compensate for these additive effects, we have developed an empirical method to correct the hydrogen-exchange data for these differences. First, differences in chemical exchange rates are measured by use of an unstructured reporter peptide, YPI. An empirical chemical exchange correction factor, determined by use of the HX data from the reporter peptide, is then applied to the HX measurements obtained from a protein of interest under different solution conditions. We demonstrate that the correction is experimentally sound through simulation and in a proof-of-concept experiment using unstructured peptides under slow-exchange conditions (pD 4.5 at ambient temperature). To illustrate its utility, we applied the correction to HX-MS excipient screening data collected for a pharmaceutically relevant IgG4 mAb being characterized to determine the effects of different formulations on backbone dynamics.

Both Reversible Self-Association and Structural Changes Underpin Molecular Viscoelasticity of mAb Solutions.

The role of antibody structure (conformation) in solution rheology is probed. It is demonstrated here that pH-dependent changes in the tertiary structure of 2 mAb solutions lead to viscoelasticity and not merely a shear viscosity (η) increase. Steady shear flow curves on mAb solutions are reported over broad pH (3.0 ≤ pH ≤ 8.7) and concentration (2 mg/mL ≤ c ≤ 120 mg/mL) ranges to comprehensively characterize their rheology. Results are interpreted using size exclusion chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry, analytical ultracentrifugation, near-UV circular dichroism, and dynamic light scattering. Changes in tertiary structure with concentration lead to elastic yield stress and increased solution viscosity in solution of "mAb1." These findings are supported by dynamic light scattering and differential scanning calorimetry, which show increased hydrodynamic radius of mAb1 at low pH and a reduced melting temperature Tm, respectively. Conversely, another molecule at 120 mg/mL solution concentration is a strong viscoelastic gel due to perturbed tertiary structure (seen in circular dichroism) at pH 3.0, but the same molecule responds as a viscous liquid due to reversible self-association at pH 7.4 (verified by analytical ultracentrifugation). Both protein-protein interactions and structural perturbations govern pH-dependent viscoelasticity of mAb solutions.

Charge-mediated Fab-Fc interactions in an IgG1 antibody induce reversible self-association, cluster formation, and elevated viscosity.

Concentration-dependent reversible self-association (RSA) of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) poses a challenge to their pharmaceutical development as viable candidates for subcutaneous delivery. While the role of the antigen-binding fragment (Fab) in initiating RSA is well-established, little evidence supports the involvement of the crystallizable fragment (Fc). In this report, a variety of biophysical tools, including hydrogen exchange mass spectrometry, are used to elucidate the protein interface of such non-covalent protein-protein interactions. Using dynamic and static light scattering combined with viscosity measurements, we find that an IgG1 mAb (mAb-J) undergoes RSA primarily through electrostatic interactions and forms a monomer-dimer-tetramer equilibrium. We provide the first direct experimental mapping of the interface formed between the Fab and Fc domains of an antibody at high protein concentrations. Charge distribution heterogeneity between the positively charged interface spanning complementarity-determining regions CDR3H and CDR2L in the Fab and a negatively charged region in CH3/Fc domain mediates the RSA of mAb-J. When arginine and NaCl are added, they disrupt RSA of mAb-J and decrease the solution viscosity. Fab-Fc domain interactions between mAb monomers may promote the formation of large transient antibody complexes that ultimately cause increases in solution viscosity. Our findings illustrate how limited specific arrangements of amino-acid residues can cause mAbs to undergo RSA at high protein concentrations and how conserved regions in the Fc portion of the antibody can also play an important role in initiating weak and transient protein-protein interactions.

Mitigation of reversible self-association and viscosity in a human IgG1 monoclonal antibody by rational, structure-guided Fv engineering.

Undesired solution behaviors such as reversible self-association (RSA), high viscosity, and liquid-liquid phase separation can introduce substantial challenges during development of monoclonal antibody formulations. Although a global mechanistic understanding of RSA (i.e., native and reversible protein-protein interactions) is sufficient to develop robust formulation controls, its mitigation via protein engineering requires knowledge of the sites of protein-protein interactions. In the study reported here, we coupled our previous hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry findings with structural modeling and in vitro screening to identify the residues responsible for RSA of a model IgG1 monoclonal antibody (mAb-C), and rationally engineered variants with improved solution properties (i.e., reduced RSA and viscosity). Our data show that mutation of either solvent-exposed aromatic residues within the heavy and light chain variable regions or buried residues within the heavy chain/light chain interface can significantly mitigate RSA and viscosity by reducing the IgG's surface hydrophobicity. The engineering strategy described here highlights the utility of integrating complementary experimental and in silico methods to identify mutations that can improve developability, in particular, high concentration solution properties, of candidate therapeutic antibodies.

Fate of Multimeric Oligomers, Submicron, and Micron Size Aggregates of Monoclonal Antibodies Upon Subcutaneous Injection in Mice.

The aim of this study was to examine the fate of differently sized protein aggregates upon subcutaneous injection in mice. A murine and a human monoclonal immunoglobulin G 1 (IgG1) antibody were labeled with a fluorescent dye and subjected to stress conditions to create aggregates. Aggregates fractionated by centrifugation or gel permeation chromatography were administered subcutaneously into SKH1 mice. The biodistribution was measured by in vivo fluorescence imaging for up to 1 week post injection. At several time points, mice were sacrificed and selected organs and tissues were collected for ex vivo analysis. Part of injected aggregated IgGs persisted much longer at the injection site than unstressed controls. Aggregate fractions containing submicron (0.1-1 µm) or micron (1-100 µm) particles were retained to a similar extent. Highly fluorescent "hot-spots" were detected 24 h post injection in spleens of mice injected with submicron aggregates of murine IgG. Submicron aggregates of human IgG showed higher accumulation in draining lymph nodes 1 h post injection than unstressed controls or micron size aggregates. For both tested proteins, aggregated fractions seemed to be eliminated from circulation more rapidly than monomeric fractions. The biodistribution of monomers isolated from solutions subjected to stress conditions was similar to that of unstressed control.

Improved Comparative Signature Diagrams to Evaluate Similarity of Storage Stability Profiles of Different IgG1 mAbs.

For therapeutic protein analytical studies related to evaluating lot-to-lot variability, different processes and/or formulations, or biosimilars, there is growing interest in applying novel data visualization tools for fingerprint analysis to identify statistically significant differences between 2 samples. Comparative Signature Diagrams (CSDs) were previously developed to display such differences as colored contour plots using a variety of biophysical data sets. In this study, several improvements are proposed to enhance readability and quantitative determinations of CSDs using protein stability data from more commonly used analytical methods such as size exclusion chromatography and capillary isoelectric focusing. To demonstrate the effectiveness of improved CSDs for data visualization, an accelerated and real-time stability study was set up for an IgG1 mAb (mAb A) and its corresponding triple mutant (mAb E). The stability profiles of both mAbs were compared for differences in aggregation (size exclusion chromatography) and charge heterogeneity (capillary isoelectric focusing) profiles over time. Both traditional data analysis and the improved CSDs conclude that the triple mutant mAb E is more susceptible to physicochemical degradation than mAb A under accelerated conditions. The current abilities and limitations of CSDs to provide fingerprint analysis of protein stability profiles to facilitate the determination of similarity versus nonsimilarity between samples is discussed.

Hydrogen exchange mass spectrometry reveals protein interfaces and distant dynamic coupling effects during the reversible self-association of an IgG1 monoclonal antibody.

There is a need for new analytical approaches to better characterize the nature of the concentration-dependent, reversible self-association (RSA) of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) directly, and with high resolution, when these proteins are formulated as highly concentrated solutions. In the work reported here, hydrogen exchange mass spectrometry (HX-MS) was used to define the concentration-dependent RSA interface, and to characterize the effects of association on the backbone dynamics of an IgG1 mAb (mAb-C). Dynamic light scattering, chemical cross-linking, and solution viscosity measurements were used to determine conditions that caused the RSA of mAb-C. A novel HX-MS experimental approach was then applied to directly monitor differences in local flexibility of mAb-C due to RSA at different protein concentrations in deuterated buffers. First, a stable formulation containing lyoprotectants that permitted freeze-drying of mAb-C at both 5 and 60 mg/mL was identified. Upon reconstitution with RSA-promoting deuterated solutions, the low vs. high protein concentration samples displayed different levels of solution viscosity (i.e., approx. 1 to 75 mPa.s). The reconstituted mAb-C samples were then analyzed by HX-MS. Two specific sequences covering complementarity-determining regions CDR2H and CDR2L (in the variable heavy and light chains, respectively) showed significant protection against deuterium uptake (i.e., decreased hydrogen exchange). These results define the major protein-protein interfaces associated with the concentration-dependent RSA of mAb-C. Surprisingly, certain peptide segments in the VH domain, the constant domain (CH2), and the hinge region (CH1-CH2 interface) concomitantly showed significant increases in local flexibility at high vs. low protein concentrations. These results indicate the presence of longer-range, distant dynamic coupling effects within mAb-C occurring upon RSA.

Correlations between changes in conformational dynamics and physical stability in a mutant IgG1 mAb engineered for extended serum half-life.

This study compares the local conformational dynamics and physical stability of an IgG1 mAb (mAb-A) with its corresponding YTE (M255Y/S257T/T259E) mutant (mAb-E), which was engineered for extended half-life in vivo. Structural dynamics was measured using hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) exchange mass spectrometry while protein stability was measured with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and size exclusion chromatography (SEC). The YTE mutation induced differences in H/D exchange kinetics at both pH 6.0 and 7.4. Segments covering the YTE mutation sites and the FcRn binding epitopes showed either subtle or no observable differences in local flexibility. Surprisingly, several adjacent segments in the CH2 and distant segments in the VH, CH1, and VL domains had significantly increased flexibility in the YTE mutant. Most notable among the observed differences is increased flexibility of the 244-254 segment of the CH2 domain, where increased flexibility has been shown previously to correlate with decreased conformational stability and increased aggregation propensity in other IgG1 mAbs (e.g., presence of destabilizing additives as well as upon de-glycosylation or methionine oxidation). DSC analysis showed decreases in both thermal onset (Tonset) and unfolding (Tm1) temperatures of 7°C and 6.7°C, respectively, for the CH2 domain of the YTE mutant. In addition, mAb-E aggregated faster than mAb-A under accelerated stability conditions as measured by SEC analysis. Hence, the relatively lower physical stability of the YTE mutant correlates with increased local flexibility of the 244-254 segment, providing a site-directed mutant example that this segment of the CH2 domain is an aggregation hot spot in IgG1 mAbs.