Separation of mAbs molecular variants by analytical hydrophobic interaction chromatography HPLC: overview and applications.

Hydrophobic interaction chromatography-high performance liquid chromatography (HIC-HPLC) is a powerful analytical method used for the separation of molecular variants of therapeutic proteins. The method has been employed for monitoring various post-translational modifications, including proteolytic fragments and domain misfolding in etanercept (Enbrel®); tryptophan oxidation, aspartic acid isomerization, the formation of cyclic imide, and α amidated carboxy terminus in recombinant therapeutic monoclonal antibodies; and carboxy terminal heterogeneity and serine fucosylation in Fc and Fab fragments. HIC-HPLC is also a powerful analytical technique for the analysis of antibody-drug conjugates. Most current analytical columns, methods, and applications are described, and critical method parameters and suitability for operation in regulated environment are discussed, in this review.

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.

Characterization of antibody variants during process development: the tale of incomplete processing of N-terminal secretion peptide.

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have emerged as one of the most important classes of biotherapeutics, although development of these molecules is long and arduous. A production cell line must be established, and growth conditions for the cells and purification processes for the product must be optimized. Integration of the appropriate analytical strategies in these activities is the cornerstone of Quality by Design and in-process control approaches are encouraged by the Food and Drug Administration. We report here the development of a reversed phase-high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method to follow the presence of a mAb product-related variant observed during the purification process development. The variant eluted as a later peak on RP-HPLC, compared with the mAb control (3.25 min and 2.85 min, respectively). We isolated this hydrophobic variant and further analyzed it by mass spectrometry. We identified the variant as a mAb with an incompletely processed leader sequence attached to the N-terminus of one of the two heavy chains.