High throughput determination of cleaning solutions to prevent the fouling of an anion exchange resin.

Effective cleaning of chromatography resin is required to prevent fouling and maximize the number of processing cycles which can be achieved. Optimization of resin cleaning procedures, however, can lead to prohibitive material, labor, and time requirements, even when using milliliter scale chromatography columns. In this work, high throughput (HT) techniques were used to evaluate cleaning agents for a monoclonal antibody (mAb) polishing step utilizing Fractogel(®) EMD TMAE HiCap (M) anion exchange (AEX) resin. For this particular mAb feed stream, the AEX resin could not be fully restored with traditional NaCl and NaOH cleaning solutions, resulting in a loss of impurity capacity with resin cycling. Miniaturized microliter scale chromatography columns and an automated liquid handling system (LHS) were employed to evaluate various experimental cleaning conditions. Cleaning agents were monitored for their ability to maintain resin impurity capacity over multiple processing cycles by analyzing the flowthrough material for turbidity and high molecular weight (HMW) content. HT experiments indicated that a 167 mM acetic acid strip solution followed by a 0.5 M NaOH, 2 M NaCl sanitization provided approximately 90% cleaning improvement over solutions containing solely NaCl and/or NaOH. Results from the microliter scale HT experiments were confirmed in subsequent evaluations at the milliliter scale. These results identify cleaning agents which may restore resin performance for applications involving fouling species in ion exchange systems. In addition, this work demonstrates the use of miniaturized columns operated with an automated LHS for HT evaluation of chromatographic cleaning procedures, effectively decreasing material requirements while simultaneously increasing throughput. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2016;113: 1251-1259. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A tandem laboratory scale protein purification process using Protein A affinity and anion exchange chromatography operated in a weak partitioning mode.

A significant consequence of scaling up production of high titer monoclonal antibody (mAb) processes in existing facilities is the generation of in-process pools that exceed the capacity of storage vessels. A semi-continuous downstream process where columns and filters are linked and operated in tandem would eliminate the need for intermediate holding tanks. This study is a bench-scale demonstration of the feasibility of a tandem process for the purification of mAbs employing an affinity Protein A capture step, followed by a flow-through anion-exchange (AEX) step with the possibility of adding an in-line virus filtration step (VF). All three steps were linked sequentially and operated as one continuous process using an ÄKTA FPLC equipped with two pumps and a system of valves and bypasses that allowed the components to be engaged at different stages of the process. The AEX column was operated in a weak partitioning (WP) mode enabled by a precise in-line titration of Protein A effluent. In order to avoid complex control schemes and facilitate validation, quality and robustness were built into the system through selection of buffers based on thermodynamic and empirical models. The tandem system utilized the simplest possible combination of valves, pumps, controls, and automation, so that it could easily be implemented in a clinical or commercial production facility. Linking the purification steps in a tandem process is expected to generate savings in time and production costs and also reduce the size of quality systems due to reduced documentation requirements, microbial sampling, and elimination of hold time validation.

The effect of protein A cycle number on the performance and lifetime of an anion exchange polishing step.

Most mAb platform purification processes consist of an affinity capture step followed by one or two polishing steps. An understanding of the performance linkages between the unit operations can lead to robust manufacturing processes. In this study, a weak-partitioning anion-exchange chromatography polishing step used in a mAb purification process was characterized through high-throughput screening (HTS) experiments, small-scale experiments including a cycling study performed on qualified scale-down models, and large-scale manufacturing runs. When material from a Protein A column that had been cycled <10× was loaded on the AEX resin, early breakthrough of impurities and premature loss of capacity was observed. As the cycle number on the Protein A resin increased, the capacity of the subsequent AEX step increased. Different control strategies were considered for preventing impurity breakthrough and improving AEX resin lifetimes. Depth filtration of the Protein A peak pool significantly improved the AEX resin capacity, robustness, and lifetime. Further, the turbidity of the Protein A pool has the potential for use as an in-process control parameter for monitoring the performance of the AEX step.

Fouling of an anion exchange chromatography operation in a monoclonal antibody process: Visualization and kinetic studies.

Fouling of chromatographic resins over their operational lifetimes can be a significant problem for commercial bioseparations. In this article, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), batch uptake experiments, confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and small-scale column studies were applied to characterize a case study where fouling had been observed during process development. The fouling was found to occur on an anion exchange (AEX) polishing step following a protein A affinity capture step in a process for the purification of a monoclonal antibody. Fouled resin samples analyzed by SEM and batch uptake experiments indicated that after successive batch cycles, significant blockage of the pores at the resin surface occurred, thereby decreasing the protein uptake rate. Further studies were performed using CLSM to allow temporal and spatial measurements of protein adsorption within the resin, for clean, partially fouled and extensively fouled resin samples. These samples were packed within a miniaturized flowcell and challenged with fluorescently labeled albumin that enabled in situ measurements. The results indicated that the foulant has a significant impact on the kinetics of adsorption, severely decreasing the protein uptake rate, but only results in a minimal decrease in saturation capacity. The impact of the foulant on the kinetics of adsorption was further investigated by loading BSA onto fouled resin over an extended range of flow rates. By decreasing the flow rate during BSA loading, the capacity of the resin was recovered. These data support the hypothesis that the foulant is located on the particle surface, only penetrating the particle to a limited degree. The increased understanding into the nature of the fouling can help in the continued process development of this industrial example.

Weak partitioning chromatography for anion exchange purification of monoclonal antibodies.

Weak partitioning chromatography (WPC) is an isocratic chromatographic protein separation method performed under mobile phase conditions where a significant amount of the product protein binds to the resin, well in excess of typical flowthrough operations. The more stringent load and wash conditions lead to improved removal of more tightly binding impurities, although at the cost of a reduction in step yield. The step yield can be restored by extending the column load and incorporating a short wash at the end of the load stage. The use of WPC with anion exchange resins enables a two-column cGMP purification platform to be used for many different mAbs. The operating window for WPC can be easily established using high throughput batch-binding screens. Under conditions that favor very strong product binding, competitive effects from product binding can give rise to a reduction in column loading capacity. Robust performance of WPC anion exchange chromatography has been demonstrated in multiple cGMP mAb purification processes. Excellent clearance of host cell proteins, leached Protein A, DNA, high molecular weight species, and model virus has been achieved.

Development of a modular virus clearance package for anion exchange chromatography operated in weak partitioning mode.

Anion exchange chromatography (AEX) operated under weak partitioning mode has been proven to be a powerful polishing step as well as a robust viral clearance step in Pfizer's monoclonal antibody (mAb) platform purification process. A multivariate design of experiment (DoE) study was conducted to understand the impact of operating parameters and feedstream impurity levels on viral clearance by weak partitioning mode AEX. Bacteriophage was used initially as a surrogate for neutral and acidic isoelectric point mammalian viruses (e.g., retrovirus and parvovirus). Five different mAbs were used in the evaluation of process parameters such as load challenge (both product and impurities), load pH, load conductivity, and contact time (bed height and flow-rate). The operating ranges obtained from phage clearance studies and Pfizer's historical data were used to define an appropriate operating range for a subsequent clearance study with model retrovirus and parvovirus. Both phage and virus clearance evaluations included feedstreams containing different levels of impurities such as high molecular mass species (HMMS), host cell proteins (HCPs), and host cell DNA. For all the conditions tested, over 5 log10 of clearance for both retrovirus and parvovirus was achieved. The results demonstrated that weak partitioning mode AEX chromatography is a robust step for viral clearance and has the potential to be included as part of the modular viral clearance approach.

Structure and protein adsorption mechanisms of clean and fouled tentacle-type anion exchangers used in a monoclonal antibody polishing step.

The properties of Fractogel(®) EMD TMAE HiCap (M), a tentacle-type anion exchange resin used for a polishing step in a monoclonal antibody (mAb) purification process, were investigated for both virgin and used samples to determine the influence of process related fouling. Inverse size exclusion chromatography indicated a bimodal distribution of pore sizes consisting mostly of small pores, 4-5 nm in radius and likely associated with the grafted tentacles. Similar results were obtained for resin samples fouled by process use, indicating that the core structure of these particles is unchanged. Transmission electron micrographs showed that the resin backbone matrix has a microgranular structure. However, a dense skin layer, 0.2-0.5 µm thick, was also seen at the exterior surface of the fouled particles. The binding capacity attained for BSA after 90 min of contact was 165 ± 4 mg/mL for both virgin and fouled samples, close to the equilibrium capacity of 178 ± 2 mg/mL attained after 24h. On the other hand, the capacities attained at 90 min for the much larger thyroglobulin were only 90 ± 4 and 25 ± 2 mg/mL, respectively, for virgin and fouled samples. The BSA adsorption kinetics was also slower for the fouled resin, but much larger kinetic differences between virgin and fouled resin were seen for thyroglobulin. Based on the shape of intraparticle protein concentration profiles determined by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), the protein transport mechanism is consistent with solid diffusion for both virgin and fouled resin samples and proteins. However, transport is hindered by the foulant layer to a much greater extent for thyroglobulin as a result of its larger size. Additional measurements indicated that the foulant layer is consistent with mAb aggregates irreversibly bound at the particle exterior surface.