Understand the Chinese Z Generation consumers' Green hotel visit intention: An Extended Theory of Planned Behavior Model.

In the context of growing environmental concerns and a shift towards sustainable tourism, understanding the behaviors of younger generations, particularly Generation Z, becomes crucial for the hotel industry. This study investigates the intentions of Chinese Generation Z consumers to visit green hotels, using an extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) model incorporating multi-dimensional green perceived value. A questionnaire survey with 436 participants was conducted, and structural equation modeling was employed for data analysis. The study reveals that Functional value significantly shapes the inclination towards green hotels among Chinese Generation Z. Emotional value and Subjective norms also positively influence visit intentions, whereas social value, although not a significant driver, provides insights into the distinct nature of green consumption behaviors. This study's findings offer strategic insights for green hotel operators and policymakers to attract this demographic segment, emphasizing Chinese Generation Z consumers' unique preferences and values.

pH and excipient profiles during formulation of highly concentrated biotherapeutics using bufferless media.

Several models have been developed to describe the shifts in pH and excipient concentrations seen during diafiltration of monoclonal antibody (mAb) products accounting for both Donnan equilibrium and electroneutrality constraints. However, these models have assumed that the mAb charge is either constant or only a function of pH, assumptions that will not be valid when formulating highly concentrated mAbs using bufferless or low-buffered media due to the change in local H+ concentration at the protein surface. The objective of this study was to incorporate the effects of both pH and ionic strength on the mAb charge, through the use of a charge regulation model based on the amino acid sequence of the mAb, into an appropriate mass balance model to describe the pH and excipient profiles during diafiltration. The model involves no adjustable parameters, with the protein charge evaluated directly from the protonation/deprotonation of the ionizable amino acids accounting for the electrostatic interactions between the charged mAb and the H+ ions. Model predictions are in excellent agreement with experimental data for the pH and ion concentrations during diafiltration of a mAb and fusion protein with different isoelectric points and different formulation conditions. Model simulations are then used to obtain fundamental insights into the factors controlling the diafiltration behavior as well as guidelines for development of diafiltration processes to achieve target bufferless formulation conditions.

Evaluation of eco-friendly zwitterionic detergents for enveloped virus inactivation.

Inclusion of a detergent in protein biotherapeutic purification processes is a simple and very robust method for inactivating enveloped viruses. The detergent Triton X-100 has been used for many years and is part of the production process of several commercial therapeutic proteins. However, recent ecological studies have suggested that Triton X-100 and its break-down products can potentially behave as endocrine disrupters in aquatic organisms, raising concerns from an environmental impact perspective. As such, discharge of Triton X-100 into the waste water treatment plants is regulated in some jurisdictions, and alternative detergents for viral inactivation are required. In this work, we report on the identification and evaluation of more eco-friendly detergents as viable replacements for Triton X-100. Five detergent candidates with low to moderate environmental impact were initially identified and evaluated with respect to protein stability, followed by proof-of-concept virus inactivation studies using a model enveloped virus. From the set of candidates lauryldimethylamine N-oxide (LDAO) was identified as the most promising detergent due to its low ecotoxicity, robust anti-viral activity (LRV >4 at validation set-point conditions with X-MuLX), and absence of any negative impact on protein function. This detergent exhibited effective and robust virus inactivation in a broad range of protein concentrations, solution conductivities, pHs, and in several different cell culture fluid matrices. The only process parameter which correlated with reduced virus inactivation potency was LDAO concentration, and then only when the concentration was reduced to below the detergent's critical micelle concentration (CMC). Additionally, this work also demonstrated that LDAO was cleared to below detectable levels after Protein A affinity chromatography, making it suitable for use in a platform process that utilizes this chromatographic mode for protein capture. All these findings suggest that LDAO may be a practical alternative to Triton X-100 for use in protein therapeutic production processes for inactivating enveloped viruses. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 813-820. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Evaluation of high-capacity cation exchange chromatography for direct capture of monoclonal antibodies from high-titer cell culture processes.

Advances in molecular biology and cell culture technology have led to monoclonal antibody titers in excess of 10 g/L. Such an increase can pose concern to traditional antibody purification processes due to limitations in column hardware and binding capacity of Protein A resins. Recent development of high capacity cation exchangers can make cation exchange chromatography (CEX) a promising and economic alternative to Protein A capture. This work investigates the feasibility of using CEX for direct capture of monoclonal antibodies from high titer cell culture fluids. Two resin candidates were selected from seven newer generation cation exchangers for their higher binding capacity and selectivity. Two monoclonal antibodies with widely differing pI values were used to evaluate the capability of CEX as a platform capture step. Screening of loading pH and conductivity showed both resins to be capable of directly capturing both antibodies from undiluted cell culture fluid. At appropriate acidic pH range, product loading of over 65 g/L resin was achieved for both antibodies. A systematic design of experiment (DOE) approach was used to optimize the elution conditions for the CEX step. Elution pH showed the most significant impact on clearance of host cell proteins (HCPs). Under optimal conditions, HCP reduction factors in the range of 9-44 were achieved on the CEX step based on the pI of the antibody. Apart from comparing CEX directly to Protein A as the capture method, material from either modality was also processed through the subsequent polishing steps to compare product quality at the drug substance level. Process performance and product quality was found to be acceptable using the non-affinity based process scheme. The results shown here present a cheaper and higher capacity generic capture method for high-titer antibody processes.

Purification of monoclonal antibodies by hydrophobic interaction chromatography under no-salt conditions.

Hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) is commonly used as a polishing step in monoclonal antibody purification processes. HIC offers an orthogonal selectivity to ion exchange chromatography and can be an effective step for aggregate clearance and host cell protein reduction. HIC, however, suffers from the limitation of use of high concentrations of kosmotropic salts to achieve the desired separation. These salts often pose a disposal concern in manufacturing facilities and at times can cause precipitation of the product. Here, we report an unconventional way of operating HIC in the flowthrough (FT) mode with no kosmotropic salt in the mobile phase. A very hydrophobic resin is selected as the stationary phase and the pH of the mobile phase is modulated to achieve the required selectivity. Under the pH conditions tested (pH 6.0 and below), antibodies typically become positively charged, which has an effect on its polarity and overall surface hydrophobicity. Optimum pH conditions were chosen under which the antibody product of interest flowed through while impurities such as aggregates and host cell proteins bound to the column. This strategy was tested with a panel of antibodies with varying pI and surface hydrophobicity. Performance was comparable to that observed using conventional HIC conditions with high salt.

Adsorption kinetics of deamidated antibody variants on macroporous and dextran-grafted cation exchangers. III. Microscopic studies.

The kinetics of single and multicomponent adsorption of deamidated monoclonal antibody (mAb) charge variants is investigated using confocal laser scanning microscopy for two commercial cation exchangers, one with an open macroporous structure--UNOsphere S--and the other with charged dextran grafts--Capto S. Markedly different intraparticle concentration profiles are obtained, being very sharp for UNOsphere S, indicating pore diffusion control, but much more diffuse for Capto S, consistent with a solid or surface diffusion mechanism. For single-component adsorption, the mAb effective pore diffusivities for UNOsphere S are approximately D(e)=4.5×10(-8) and 8.3×10(-8) cm(2)/s at pH 5 and 7.5, respectively, while effective solid diffusivities for Capto S are D(s)=0.98×10(-9) and 5.0×10(-9) cm(2)/s at pH 5 and 7.5, respectively. Two-component adsorption at pH 7.5, where the deamidated variants are bound selectively also showed markedly different profiles for the two matrices. UNOsphere S showed distinct adsorption zones within the particles indicating that multicomponent transport occurs with continuous displacement of the more deamidated variant by the less deamidated one. Capto S, however, showed no spatial resolution of the variants within the particle during co-adsorption and very slow mass transfer during sequential adsorption suggesting that protein counter-diffusion is severely hindered in this material.

Protein adsorption and transport in cation exchangers with a rigid backbone matrix with and without polymeric surface extenders.

We compare the properties and protein adsorption characteristics of two polymeric cation exchangers: UNOsphere S, which has an open macroporous architecture, and Nuvia S, which is based on a very similar backbone matrix but contains sulfonated polymeric surface extenders. A monoclonal IgG and lysozyme were used as model adsorbates. The characteristic pore sizes, determined by inverse size exclusion chromatography, were about 140 nm for UNOsphere S, and only about 10 nm for Nuvia S, indicating that the polymeric extenders occupy a substantial portion of the base matrix pores. Greater exclusion limits were found for Nuvia S in 1 M NaCl and for a similar matrix containing uncharged surface extenders, suggesting that the polymeric extenders collapse partially at high ionic strength or when they are uncharged. Large equilibrium binding capacities were obtained for Nuvia S, approaching 320 ± 10 mg/mL of particle volume for both proteins in comparison with the UNOsphere S values of 170 ± 10 and 120 ± 10 mg/mL for lysozyme and IgG, respectively. Much higher adsorption rates were also found for Nuvia S, and the rate was nearly independent of protein concentration in solution. Confocal laser scanning microscopy showed very sharp intraparticle protein concentration profiles for UNOsphere S, consistent with a pore diffusion mechanism but diffuse concentration profiles for Nuvia S, consistent with a solid diffusion mechanism. The improved capacity and transport afforded by the polymeric extenders provide substantial potential benefits for bioprocess applications without sacrificing the desirable flow properties of the backbone matrix.

Adsorption of deamidated antibody variants on macroporous and dextran-grafted cation exchangers: I. Adsorption equilibrium.

Single and multicomponent adsorption isotherms were obtained for deamidated variants of a monoclonal antibody on two cation exchangers with different pore structures, one with a macroporous architecture--UNOsphere S, and the other with charged dextran grafts--Capto S. No selectivity between the different deamidated forms was seen at pH 5 for either stationary phase. However, although the binding strength was lower, both media exhibited substantial selectivity at pH 7.5. The effective binding charge, determined from linear gradient elution experiments and from the steric mass action model, was different for the two different media, but remained nearly the same for the different variants suggesting that the selectivity is determined by the strength of binding, rather than by the binding charge. This result agrees with the higher binding constants determined for the less deamidated forms. At low ionic strength, the binding capacity of the dextran grafted media was much higher than that of the macroporous matrix at either pH. However, similar capacities were obtained for the two stationary phases at ∼140 mM Na+ for pH 5 and at 50 mM Na+ for pH 7.5. For both materials, predictions of multicomponent adsorption based on the steric mass action model were in good agreement with experimental results indicating that the different variants bind in competition with each other. In general, this work demonstrates the utility of modeling adsorption equilibrium allowing an accurate description of competitive binding, which is a necessary step for a complete description of a chromatographic separation process.

Adsorption of deamidated antibody variants on macroporous and dextran-grafted cation exchangers: II. Adsorption kinetics.

Single and multicomponent batch adsorption kinetics were obtained for deamidated mAb variants on two commercial cation exchangers, one with an open macroporous structure--UNOsphere S--and the other with charged dextran grafts--Capto S. The adsorption kinetics for the macroporous matrix was found to be controlled largely by pore diffusion. The effective diffusivity estimated from single component data was a fraction of the mAb free solution diffusivity, and its value could be used to accurately predict the adsorption kinetics for two- and three-component systems. In this case, when two or more variants were adsorbed simultaneously, both experimental and predicted results showed a temporary overshoot of the amount adsorbed above the equilibrium value for the more deamidated variant followed by a gradual approach to equilibrium. Adsorption rates on the dextran grafted material were much faster than those observed for the macroporous matrix for both single component and simultaneous adsorption cases. In this case, no significant overshoot was observed for the more deamidated forms. The Capto S adsorption kinetics could be described well by a diffusion model with an adsorbed phase driving force for single component adsorption and for the simultaneous adsorption of multiple variants. However, this model failed to predict the adsorption kinetics when more deamidated forms pre-adsorbed on the resin were displaced by less deamidated ones. In this case, the kinetics of the displacement process was much slower indicating that the pre-adsorbed components severely hindered transport of the more strongly bound variants. Overall, the results indicate that despite the lower capacity, the macroporous resin may be more efficient in process applications where displacement of one variant by another takes place as a result of the faster and more predictable kinetics.

Protein adsorption and transport in agarose and dextran-grafted agarose media for ion exchange chromatography: Effect of ionic strength and protein characteristics.

This work investigates the effects of ionic strength and protein characteristics on adsorption and transport of lysozyme, BSA, and IgG in agarose-based cation exchangers with short ligand chemistry and with charged dextran grafts. In all cases, the adsorption equilibrium capacity decreased with increasing salt. However, the adsorption kinetics was strongly influenced by the adsorbent structure and protein characteristics. For the smaller and positively charged lysozyme, the effective pore diffusivity was only weakly dependent on salt for the dextran-free media, but declined sharply with salt for the dextran-grafted materials. For this protein, the dextran grafts enhanced the adsorption kinetics at low salt, but the enhancement vanished at higher salt concentrations. For BSA, which was near its isoelectric point for the experimental conditions studied, the effective diffusivity was low for all materials and almost independent of salt. Finally, for the larger and positively charged IgG, the effective diffusivity varied with salt, reaching an apparent maximum at intermediate concentrations for both dextran-free and dextran-grafted media with the kinetics substantially enhanced by the dextran grafts for these conditions. Microscopic observations of the particles during protein adsorption at low ionic strengths showed transient patterns characterized by sharp adsorption fronts for all materials. A theory taking into account surface or adsorbed phase diffusion with electrostatic coupling of diffusion fluxes is introduced to explain the mechanism for the enhanced adsorption kinetics observed for the positively charged proteins.

Rapid monoclonal antibody adsorption on dextran-grafted agarose media for ion-exchange chromatography.

The binding capacity and adsorption kinetics of a monoclonal antibody (mAb) are measured for experimental cation exchangers obtained by grafting dextran polymers to agarose beads and compared with measurements for two commercial agarose-based cation exchangers with and without dextran grafts. Introduction of charged dextran polymers results in enhanced adsorption kinetics despite a dramatic reduction of the accessible pore size as determined by inverse size-exclusion chromatography. Incorporation of neutral dextran polymers in a charged agarose bead results instead in substantially lower binding capacities. The effective pore diffusivities obtained from batch uptake curves increase substantially as the protein concentration is reduced for the resins containing charged dextran grafts, but are much less dependent on protein concentration for the resins with no dextran or uncharged dextran grafts. The batch uptake results are corroborated by microscopic observations of transient adsorption in individual particles. In all cases studied, the adsorption kinetics is characterized by a sharp adsorption front consistent with a shell-progressive, diffusion limited mechanism. Greatly enhanced transport rates are obtained with an experimental resin containing charged dextran grafts with effective pore diffusivities that are 1-9 times larger than the free solution diffusivity and adsorption capacity approaching 300 mg/cm3 of particle volume.