Interfacial dilatational deformation accelerates particle formation in monoclonal antibody solutions.

Protein molecules are amphiphilic moieties that spontaneously adsorb at the air/solution (A/S) interface to lower the surface energy. Previous studies have shown that hydrodynamic disruptions to these A/S interfaces can result in the formation of protein aggregates that are of concern to the pharmaceutical industry. Interfacial hydrodynamic stresses encountered by protein therapeutic solutions under typical manufacturing, filling, and shipping conditions will impact protein stability, prompting a need to characterize the contribution of basic fluid kinematics to monoclonal antibody (mAb) destabilization. We demonstrate that dilatational surface deformations are more important to antibody stability when compared to constant-area shear of the A/S interface. We have constructed a dilatational interfacial rheometer that utilizes simultaneous pressure and bubble shape measurements to study the mechanical stability of mAbs under interfacial aging. It has a distinct advantage over methods utilizing the Young-Laplace equation, which incorrectly describes viscoelastic interfaces. We provide visual evidence of particle ejection from dilatated A/S interfaces and spectroscopic data of ejected mAb particles. These rheological studies frame a molecular understanding of the protein-protein interactions at the complex-fluid interface.

Multiplexed Fluid Flow Device to Study Cellular Response to Tunable Shear Stress Gradients.

Endothelial cells (ECs) line the interior of blood and lymphatic vessels and experience spatially varying wall shear stress (WSS) as an intrinsic part of their physiological function. How ECs, and mammalian cells generally, sense spatially varying WSS remains poorly understood, due in part to a lack of convenient tools for exposing cells to spatially varying flow patterns. We built a multiplexed device, termed a 6-well impinging flow chamber, that imparts controlled WSS gradients to a six-well tissue culture plate. Using this device, we investigated the migratory response of lymphatic microvascular ECs, umbilical vein ECs, primary fibroblasts, and epithelial cells to WSS gradients on hours to days timescales. We observed that lymphatic microvascular ECs migrate upstream, against the direction of flow, a response that was unique among all the cells types investigated here. Time-lapse, live cell imaging revealed that the microtubule organizing center relocated to the upstream side of the nucleus in response to the applied WSS gradient. To further demonstrate the utility of our device, we screened for the involvement of canonical signaling pathways in mediating this upstream migratory response. These data highlight the importance of WSS magnitude and WSS spatial gradients in dictating the cellular response to fluid flow.