On-Line Ion Exchange Liquid Chromatography as a Process Analytical Technology for Monoclonal Antibody Characterization in Continuous Bioprocessing.

Combining process analytical technology (PAT) with continuous production provides a powerful tool to observe and control monoclonal antibody (mAb) fermentation and purification processes. This work demonstrates on-line liquid chromatography (on-line LC) as a PAT tool for monitoring a continuous biologics process and forced degradation studies. Specifically, this work focused on ion exchange chromatography (IEX), which is a critical separation technique to detect charge variants. Product-related impurities, including charge variants, that impact function are classified as critical quality attributes (CQAs). First, we confirmed no significant differences were observed in the charge heterogeneity profile of a mAb through both at-line and on-line sampling and that the on-line method has the ability to rapidly detect changes in protein quality over time. The robustness and versatility of the PAT methods were tested by sampling from two purification locations in a continuous mAb process. The PAT IEX methods used with on-line LC were a weak cation exchange (WCX) separation and a newly developed shorter strong cation exchange (SCX) assay. Both methods provided similar results with the distribution of percent acidic, main, and basic species remaining unchanged over a 2 week period. Second, a forced degradation study showed an increase in acidic species and a decrease in basic species when sampled on-line over 7 days. These applications further strengthen the use of on-line LC to monitor CQAs of a mAb continuously with various PAT IEX analytical methods. Implementation of on-line IEX will enable faster decision making during process development and could potentially be applied to control in biomanufacturing.

Simultaneous monitoring of oxidation, deamidation, isomerization, and glycosylation of monoclonal antibodies by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry method with ultrafast tryptic digestion.

Monoclonal antibodies are subjected to a wide variety of post-translational modifications (PTMs) that cause structural heterogeneity. Characterization and control of these modifications or quality attributes are critical to ensure antibody quality and to define any potential effects on the ultimate safety and potency of antibody therapeutics. The biopharmaceutical industry currently uses numerous tools to analyze these quality attributes individually, which requires substantial time and resources. Here, we report a simple and ultrafast bottom-up liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (uLC-MS) method with 5 min tryptic digestion to simultaneously analyze multiple modifications, including oxidation, deamidation, isomerization, glycation, glycosylation, and N-terminal pyro-glutamate formation, which can occur during antibody production in mammalian cell culture, during purification and/or on storage. Compared to commonly used preparation procedures, this uLC-MS method eliminates assay artifacts of falsely-increased Met oxidation, Asp isomerization, and Asn deamidation, a problem associated with long digestion times in conventional LC-MS methods. This simple, low artifact multi-attribute uLC-MS method can be used to quickly and accurately analyze samples at any stage of antibody drug development, in particular for clone and media selection during cell culture development.

High throughput peptide mapping method for analysis of site specific monoclonal antibody oxidation.

Oxidation of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) often occurs on surface exposed methionine and tryptophan residues during their production in cell culture, purification, and storage, and can potentially impact the binding to their targets. Characterization of site specific oxidation is critical for antibody quality control. Antibody oxidation is commonly determined by peptide mapping/LC-MS methods, which normally require a long (up to 24h) digestion step. The prolonged sample preparation procedure could result in oxidation artifacts of susceptible methionine and tryptophan residues. In this paper, we developed a rapid and simple UV based peptide mapping method that incorporates an 8-min trypsin in-solution digestion protocol for analysis of oxidation. This method is able to determine oxidation levels at specific residues of a mAb based on the peptide UV traces within <1h, from either TBHP treated or UV light stressed samples. This is the simplest and fastest method reported thus far for site specific oxidation analysis, and can be applied for routine or high throughput analysis of mAb oxidation during various stability and degradation studies. By using the UV trace, the method allows more accurate measurement than mass spectrometry and can be potentially implemented as a release assay. It has been successfully used to monitor antibody oxidation in real time stability studies.

Ultrafast and high-throughput N-glycan analysis for monoclonal antibodies.

Glycosylation is a critical attribute for development and manufacturing of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in the pharmaceutical industry. Conventional antibody glycan analysis is usually achieved by the 2-aminobenzamide (2-AB) hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) method following the release of glycans. Although this method produces satisfactory results, it has limited use for screening a large number of samples because it requires expensive reagents and takes several hours or even days for the sample preparation. A simple and rapid glycan analysis method was not available. To overcome these constraints, we developed and compared 2 ultrafast methods for antibody glycan analysis (UMAG) that involve the rapid generation and purification of glycopeptides in either organic solvent or aqueous buffer followed by label-free quantification using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. Both methods quickly yield N-glycan profiles of test antibodies similar to those obtained by the 2-AB HILIC-HPLC method. In addition, the UMAG method performed in aqueous buffer has a shorter assay time of less than 15 min, and enables high throughput analysis in 96-well PCR plates with minimal sample handling. This method, the fastest, and simplest as reported thus far, has been evaluated for glycoprofiling of mAbs expressed under various cell culture conditions, as well as for the evaluation of antibody culture clones and various production batches. Importantly the method sensitively captured changes in glycoprofiles detected by traditional 2-AB HILIC-HPLC or HILIC-UPLC. The simplicity, high speed, and low cost of this method may facilitate basic research and process development for novel mAbs and biosimilar products.

Analysis of monoclonal antibody oxidation by simple mixed mode chromatography.

Analysis of oxidation of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in most cases relies on peptide mapping and LC-MS, which is time consuming and labor-intensive. A robust chromatography based method that is able to resolve and quantitate mAb oxidation variants due to oxidized methionine or tryptophan is highly desired. Here we developed a novel mixed mode chromatography method using the unique property of Sepax Zenix SEC-300MK column to analyze mAb oxidation levels. The separation of oxidized species relied upon the mixed mode of size exclusion and hydrophobic interaction between the resin and antibodies. The chromatography was performed in a regular SEC mobile phase, PBS, containing NaCl at a concentration (0-2.4M) specific for individual antibodies. This method was able to resolve and quantitate the oxidized antibodies as prepeaks, of either methionine-oxidized species induced by the common oxidants TBHP, tryptophan-oxidized species triggered by AAPH, or oxidized species by UV photo-irradiation. The prepeaks were further characterized by SEC-MALLS as monomers and confirmed by LC-MS as oxidized antibody variants with a mass increase of 16 or 32Da. This method has been successfully applied to monitor multiple monoclonal antibodies of IgG1, IgG2, and IgG4 subclasses.

Comprehensive Analysis of the Therapeutic IgG4 Antibody Pembrolizumab: Hinge Modification Blocks Half Molecule Exchange In Vitro and In Vivo.

IgG4 antibodies are evolving as an important class of cancer immunotherapies. However, human IgG4 can undergo Fab arm (half molecule) exchange with other IgG4 molecules in vivo. The hinge modification by a point mutation (S228P) prevents half molecule exchange of IgG4. However, the experimental confirmation is still expected by regulatory agencies. Here, we report for the first time the extensive analysis of half molecule exchange for a hinge-modified therapeutic IgG4 molecule, pembrolizumab (Keytruda) targeting programmed death 1 (PD1) receptor that was approved for advanced melanoma. Studies were performed in buffer or human serum using multiple exchange partners including natalizumab (Tysabri) and human IgG4 pool. Formation of bispecific antibodies was monitored by fluorescence resonance energy transfer, exchange with Fc fragments, mixed mode chromatography, immunoassays, and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The half molecule exchange was also examined in vivo in SCID (severe combined immunodeficiency) mice. Both in vitro and in vivo results indicate that the hinge modification in pembrolizumab prevented half molecule exchange, whereas the unmodified counterpart anti-PD1 wt showed active exchange activity with other IgG4 antibodies or self-exchange activity with its own molecules. Our work, as an example expected for meeting regulatory requirements, contributes to establish without ambiguity that hinge-modified IgG4 antibodies are suitable for biotherapeutic applications.

Analysis and purification of IgG4 bispecific antibodies by a mixed-mode chromatography.

Therapeutic non-hinge-modified IgG4 molecules form bispecific hybrid antibodies with endogenous human IgG4 molecules via a process known as Fab-arm exchange (or called half molecule exchange). Analysis of the bispecific hybrids is critical for studies of half molecule exchange. A number of analytical methods are available to detect IgG4 hybrids. These methods mostly necessitate labeling or alteration of the model IgG4 molecules, or rely on time-consuming immunoassays and mass spectrometry. In addition, these methods do not allow isolation of hybrid antibodies. We report here the only analytical method to date that relies on chromatographic separation for detection of hybrids formed from intact antibodies in their native forms using pembrolizumab as an example. This method employs a mixed-mode chromatography using a Sepax Zenix SEC-300 column to separate a bispecific hybrid from the parental antibodies. The simultaneous quantitative monitoring of the newly formed hybrid and parental antibodies was achieved by UV absorption and/or protein fluorescence. The bispecific hybrid antibodies were purified with the same method for further biochemical characterization. The method has allowed monitoring of half molecule exchange between a human serum IgG4 and a tested IgG4 molecule, and has been implemented for the analysis of in vitro as well as in vivo samples.

Application of a high-throughput relative chemical stability assay to screen therapeutic protein formulations by assessment of conformational stability and correlation to aggregation propensity.

In this study, an automated high-throughput relative chemical stability (RCS) assay was developed in which various therapeutic proteins were assessed to determine stability based on the resistance to denaturation post introduction to a chaotrope titration. Detection mechanisms of both intrinsic fluorescence and near UV circular dichroism (near-UV CD) are demonstrated. Assay robustness was investigated by comparing multiple independent assays and achieving r(2) values >0.95 for curve overlays. The complete reversibility of the assay was demonstrated by intrinsic fluorescence, near-UV CD, and biologic potency. To highlight the method utility, we compared the RCS assay with differential scanning calorimetry and dynamic scanning fluorimetry methodologies. Utilizing C1/2 values obtained from the RCS assay, formulation rank-ordering of 12 different mAb formulations was performed. The prediction of long-term stability on protein aggregation is obtained by demonstrating a good correlation with an r(2) of 0.83 between RCS and empirical aggregation propensity data. RCS promises to be an extremely useful tool to aid in candidate formulation development efforts based on the complete reversibility of the method to allow for multiple assessments without protein loss and the strong correlation between the C1/2 data obtained and accelerated stability under stressed conditions.

Developability studies before initiation of process development: improving manufacturability of monoclonal antibodies.

Monoclonal antibodies constitute a robust class of therapeutic proteins. Their stability, resistance to stress conditions and high solubility have allowed the successful development and commercialization of over 40 antibody-based drugs. Although mAbs enjoy a relatively high probability of success compared with other therapeutic proteins, examples of projects that are suspended due to the instability of the molecule are not uncommon. Developability assessment studies have therefore been devised to identify early during process development problems associated with stability, solubility that is insufficient to meet expected dosing or sensitivity to stress. This set of experiments includes short-term stability studies at 2-8 þC, 25 þC and 40 þC, freeze-thaw studies, limited forced degradation studies and determination of the viscosity of high concentration samples. We present here three case studies reflecting three typical outcomes: (1) no major or unexpected degradation is found and the study results are used to inform early identification of degradation pathways and potential critical quality attributes within the Quality by Design framework defined by US Food and Drug Administration guidance documents; (2) identification of specific degradation pathway(s) that do not affect potency of the molecule, with subsequent definition of proper process control and formulation strategies; and (3) identification of degradation that affects potency, resulting in program termination and reallocation of resources.

Liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry with post-column partial reduction for the analysis of native and scrambled disulfide bonds.

A method capable of detecting both native and scrambled disulfide bonds has been established. Nonreduced protein digests were separated using a reversed-phase C18 column, partially reduced by post-column addition of a reducing reagent, and then analyzed by mass spectrometry. Disulfide bond linkage was established by matching the retention times of cysteine-containing peptides and confirmed by the detection of the molecular weight of the disulfide-linked peptides. The application of this method was demonstrated by determination of the disulfide bond structures of an immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) molecule and lysozyme and by the detection of four scrambled disulfide bonds in the IgG1 molecule.

Disulfide bond assignment of an IgG1 monoclonal antibody by LC-MS with post-column partial reduction.

Confirmation of the correct disulfide linkage and demonstration of the lack of a significant level of scrambled disulfide bonds are critical to ensure the appropriate folding and structure of recombinant monoclonal antibodies. Currently these are typically achieved by carrying out multiple experiments, most commonly via the comparison of the samples before and after reduction by LC-MS and MS/MS. The data are then analyzed by searching across all the possible disulfide linkages manually or with the aid of computer algorithms. To eliminate the need of multiple experiments and complicated data analysis, a simple LC-MS-based method coupled with post-column partial reduction was developed. Using a recombinant monoclonal IgG1 antibody as an example, this method demonstrates the ability to confirm the correct disulfide linkage and the ability to detect scrambled disulfide bonds from a single experiment with a simple data analysis strategy.

Method to convert N-terminal glutamine to pyroglutamate for characterization of recombinant monoclonal antibodies.

Cyclization of N-terminal glutamine to pyroglutamate is a common modification of recombinant monoclonal antibodies that has often been identified by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis using separated fractions. An alternative approach of using glutaminyl-peptide cyclotransferase to convert the N-terminal glutamine to pyroglutamate was developed in the current study. Enzymatic conversion of the N-terminal glutamine to pyroglutamate not only provides an identification of the N-terminal amino acids without fraction collection but also can significantly simplify the chromatograms to assist fraction collections for the characterization of other antibody variants.

Quantitation of asparagine deamidation by isotope labeling and liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry analysis.

Nonenzymatic asparagine (Asn) deamidation is one of the commonly observed posttranslational modifications of proteins. Recent development of several specific analytical methods has allowed for efficient identification and differentiation of the deamidation products (i.e., isoaspartate [isoAsp] and aspartate [Asp]). Isotope labeling of isoAsp and Asp that are generated during sample preparation by 18O has been developed and can differentiate isoAsp and Asp as analytical artifacts from those present in the samples prior to sample preparation for an accurate quantitation. However, the 18O labeling procedure has a limitation due to the additional incorporation of up to two 18O atoms into the peptide C-terminal carboxyl groups. Variability in the incorporation of 18O atoms into the peptide C-terminal carboxyl groups results in complicated mass spectra and hinders data interpretation. This limitation can be overcome by the dissection of the complicated mass spectra using a calculation method presented in the current study. The multiple-step calculation procedure has been successfully employed to determine the levels of isoAsp and Asp that are present in the sample prior to sample treatment.