Online monitoring and control of upstream cell culture process using 1D and 2D-LC with SegFlow interface.

The biopharmaceutical industry is transitioning from currently deployed batch-mode bioprocessing to a highly efficient and agile next-generation bioprocessing with the adaptation of continuous bioprocessing, which reduces capital investment and operational costs. Continuous bioprocessing, aligned with FDA's quality-by-design platform, is designed to develop robust processes to deliver safe and effective drugs. With the deployment of knowledge-based operations, product quality can be built into the process to achieve desired critical quality attributes (CQAs) with reduced variability. To facilitate next-generation continuous bioprocessing, it is essential to embrace a fundamental shift-in-paradigm from "quality-by-testing" to "quality-by-design," which requires the deployment of process analytical technologies (PAT). With the adaptation of PAT, a systematic approach of process and product understanding and timely process control are feasible. Deployment of PAT tools for real-time monitoring of CQAs and feedback control is critical for continuous bioprocessing. Given the current deficiency in PAT tools to support continuous bioprocessing, we have integrated Infinity 2D-LC with a post-flow-splitter in conjunction with the SegFlow autosampler to the bioreactors. With this integrated system, we have established a platform for online measurements of titer and CQAs of monoclonal antibodies as well as amino acid analysis of bioreactor cell culture.

Online/at-line measurement, analysis and control of product titer and critical product quality attributes (CQAs) during process development.

Process analytical technology (PAT) has been defined by the Food and Drug Administration as a system for designing, analyzing, and controlling manufacturing through timely measurements to ensure final product quality. Based on quality-by-design (QbD) principles, real-time or near-real-time data monitoring is essential for timely control of critical quality attributes (CQAs) to keep the process in a state of control. To facilitate next-generation continuous bioprocessing, deployment of PAT tools for real-time monitoring is integral for process understanding and control. Real-time monitoring and control of CQAs are essential to keep the process within the design space and align with the guiding principles of QbD. The contents of this manuscript are pertinent to the online/at-line monitoring of upstream titer and downstream product quality with timely process control. We demonstrated that an ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) system interfaced with a UPLC-process sample manager (UPLC-PSM) can be utilized to measure titer and CQAs directly from bioreactors and downstream unit operations, respectively. We established online titer measurements from fed-batch and perfusion-based alternating tangential flow bioreactors as well as product quality assessments of downstream operations for real-time peak collection. This integrated, fully automated system for online data monitoring with feedback control is designed to achieve desired product quality.