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Verscheure L, Detremmerie S, Stals H, De Vos J, Sandra P, Lynen F, Borgions F, Sandra K. Multidimensional LC-MS with 1D multi-method option and parallel middle-up and bottom-up MS acquisition for in-depth characterization of antibodies. J Chromatogr A 2024; 1726:464947. [PMID: 38724406 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2024.464947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2024] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are large and highly heterogeneous species typically characterized using a plethora of analytical methodologies. There is a trend within the biopharmaceutical industry to combine several of these methods in one analytical platform to simultaneously assess multiple structural attributes. Here, a protein analyzer for the fully automated middle-up and bottom-up liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis of charge, size and hydrophobic variants is described. The multidimensional set-up combines a multi-method option in the first dimension (1D) (choice between size exclusion - SEC, cation exchange - CEX or hydrophobic interaction chromatography - HIC) with second dimension (2D) on-column reversed-phase (RPLC) based desalting, denaturation and reduction prior to middle-up LC-MS analysis of collected 1D peaks and parallel on-column trypsin digestion of denatured and reduced peaks in the third dimension (3D) followed by bottom-up LC-MS analysis in the fourth dimension (4D). The versatile and comprehensive workflow is applied to the characterization of charge, hydrophobic and size heterogeneities associated with an engineered Fc fragment and is complemented with hydrogen-deuterium exchange (HDX) MS and FcRn affinity chromatography - native MS to explain observations in a structural/functional context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liesa Verscheure
- RIC group, President Kennedypark 6, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium; Separation Science Group, Department of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281-S4, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Hilde Stals
- Argenx, Industriepark Zwijnaarde 7, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jelle De Vos
- RIC group, President Kennedypark 6, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium
| | - Pat Sandra
- RIC group, President Kennedypark 6, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium; Separation Science Group, Department of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281-S4, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Frederic Lynen
- Separation Science Group, Department of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281-S4, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Koen Sandra
- RIC group, President Kennedypark 6, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium; Separation Science Group, Department of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281-S4, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
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2
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Khalikova M, Jireš J, Horáček O, Douša M, Kučera R, Nováková L. What is the role of current mass spectrometry in pharmaceutical analysis? MASS SPECTROMETRY REVIEWS 2024; 43:560-609. [PMID: 37503656 DOI: 10.1002/mas.21858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
The role of mass spectrometry (MS) has become more important in most application domains in recent years. Pharmaceutical analysis is specific due to its stringent regulation procedures, the need for good laboratory/manufacturing practices, and a large number of routine quality control analyses to be carried out. The role of MS is, therefore, very different throughout the whole drug development cycle. While it dominates within the drug discovery and development phase, in routine quality control, the role of MS is minor and indispensable only for selected applications. Moreover, its role is very different in the case of analysis of small molecule pharmaceuticals and biopharmaceuticals. Our review explains the role of current MS in the analysis of both small-molecule chemical drugs and biopharmaceuticals. Important features of MS-based technologies being implemented, method requirements, and related challenges are discussed. The differences in analytical procedures for small molecule pharmaceuticals and biopharmaceuticals are pointed out. While a single method or a small set of methods is usually sufficient for quality control in the case of small molecule pharmaceuticals and MS is often not indispensable, a large panel of methods including extensive use of MS must be used for quality control of biopharmaceuticals. Finally, expected development and future trends are outlined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Khalikova
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Hradec Králové, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Jakub Jireš
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, UCT Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
- Department of Development, Zentiva, k. s., Praha, Praha, Czech Republic
| | - Ondřej Horáček
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Analysis, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Douša
- Department of Development, Zentiva, k. s., Praha, Praha, Czech Republic
| | - Radim Kučera
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Analysis, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Lucie Nováková
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové, Charles University, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
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3
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D'Atri V, Imiołek M, Quinn C, Finny A, Lauber M, Fekete S, Guillarme D. Size exclusion chromatography of biopharmaceutical products: From current practices for proteins to emerging trends for viral vectors, nucleic acids and lipid nanoparticles. J Chromatogr A 2024; 1722:464862. [PMID: 38581978 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2024.464862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2024] [Revised: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/31/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024]
Abstract
The 21st century has been particularly productive for the biopharmaceutical industry, with the introduction of several classes of innovative therapeutics, such as monoclonal antibodies and related compounds, gene therapy products, and RNA-based modalities. All these new molecules are susceptible to aggregation and fragmentation, which necessitates a size variant analysis for their comprehensive characterization. Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) is one of the reference techniques that can be applied. The analytical techniques for mAbs are now well established and some of them are now emerging for the newer modalities. In this context, the objective of this review article is: i) to provide a short historical background on SEC, ii) to suggest some clear guidelines on the selection of packing material and mobile phase for successful method development in modern SEC; and iii) to highlight recent advances in SEC, such as the use of narrow-bore and micro-bore columns, ultra-wide pore columns, and low-adsorption column hardware. Some important innovations, such as recycling SEC, the coupling of SEC with mass spectrometry, and the use of alternative detectors such as charge detection mass spectrometry and mass photometry are also described. In addition, this review discusses the use of SEC in multidimensional setups and shows some of the most recent advances at the preparative scale. In the third part of the article, the possibility of SEC for the characterization of new modalities is also reviewed. The final objective of this review is to provide a clear summary of opportunities and limitations of SEC for the analysis of different biopharmaceutical products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina D'Atri
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, CMU - Rue Michel Servet 1,4, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, CMU - Rue Michel Servet 1,4, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Abraham Finny
- Waters Corporation, Wyatt Technology, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Matthew Lauber
- Waters Corporation, Wyatt Technology, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | | | - Davy Guillarme
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, CMU - Rue Michel Servet 1,4, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, CMU - Rue Michel Servet 1,4, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
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4
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Wysor SK, Synoground BF, Harcum SW, Marcus RK. In-line buffer exchange in the coupling of Protein A chromatography with weak cation exchange chromatography for the determination of charge variants of immunoglobulin G derived from chinese hamster ovary cell cultures. J Chromatogr A 2024; 1718:464722. [PMID: 38359690 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2024.464722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Immunoglobulin G (IgG) is the most common monoclonal antibody (mAb) grown for therapeutic applications. While IgG is often selectively isolated from cell lines using protein A (ProA) chromatography, this is only a stepping stone for complete characterization. Further classification can be obtained from weak cation exchange chromatography (WCX) to determine IgG charge variant distributions. The charge variants of monoclonal antibodies can influence the stability and efficacy in vivo, and deviations in charge heterogeneity are often cell-specific and sensitive to upstream process variability. Current methods to characterize IgG charge variants are often performed off-line, meaning that the IgG eluate from the ProA separation is collected, diluted to adjust the pH, and then transferred to the WCX separation, adding time, complexity, and potential contamination to the sample analysis process. More recently, reports have appeared to streamline this separation using in-line two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC). Presented here is a novel, 2D-LC coupling of ProA in the first dimension (1D) and WCX in the second dimension (2D) chromatography. As anticipated, the initial direct column coupling proved to be challenging due to the pH incompatibility between the mobile phases for the two stages. To solve the solvent compatibility issue, a size exclusion column was placed in the switching valve loop of the 2D-LC instrument to act as a means for the on-line solvent exchange. The efficacy of the methodology presented was confirmed through a charge variant determination using the NIST monoclonal antibody standard (NIST mAb), yielding correct acidic, main, and basic variant compositions. The methodology was employed to determine the charge variant profile of IgG from an in-house cultured Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell supernatant. It is believed that this methodology can be easily implemented to provide higher-throughput assessment of IgG charge variants for process monitoring and cell line development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah K Wysor
- Department of Chemistry, Biosystems Research Complex, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634-0973, USA
| | - Benjamin F Synoground
- Department of Bioengineering, Biosystems Research Complex, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634-0973, USA
| | - Sarah W Harcum
- Department of Bioengineering, Biosystems Research Complex, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634-0973, USA
| | - R Kenneth Marcus
- Department of Chemistry, Biosystems Research Complex, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634-0973, USA.
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5
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Bouvarel T, Camperi J, Guillarme D. Multi-dimensional technology - Recent advances and applications for biotherapeutic characterization. J Sep Sci 2024; 47:e2300928. [PMID: 38471977 DOI: 10.1002/jssc.202300928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
This review provides an overview of the latest advancements and applications in multi-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (mD-LC-MS), covering aspects such as inter-laboratory studies, digestion strategy, trapping column, and multi-level analysis. The shift from an offline to an online workflow reduces sample processing artifacts, analytical variability, analysis time, and the labor required for data acquisition. Over the past few years, this technique has demonstrated sufficient maturity for application across a diverse range of complex products. Moreover, there is potential for this strategy to evolve into an integrated process analytical technology tool for the real-time monitoring of monoclonal antibody quality. This review also identifies emerging trends, including its application to new modalities, the possibility of evaluating biological activity within the mD-LC set-up, and the consideration of multi-dimensional capillary electrophoresis as an alternative to mD-LC. As mD-LC-MS continues to evolve and integrate emerging trends, it holds the potential to shape the next generation of analytical tools, offering exciting possibilities for enhanced characterization and monitoring of complex biopharmaceutical products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Bouvarel
- Protein Analytical Chemistry, Genentech, South San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Julien Camperi
- Cell Therapy Engineering and Development, Genentech, South San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Davy Guillarme
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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6
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Sadighi R, de Kleijne V, Wouters S, Lubbers K, Somsen GW, Gargano AFG, Haselberg R. Online multimethod platform for comprehensive characterization of monoclonal antibodies in cell culture fluid from a single sample injection - Intact protein workflow. Anal Chim Acta 2024; 1287:342074. [PMID: 38182339 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2023.342074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) comprise a large structural variability with respect to charge, size and post-translational modifications. These critical quality attributes (CQAs) need to be assessed during and after the production of mAbs. This normally requires off-line purification and sample preparation as well as several chromatographic selectivities, which makes the whole process time-consuming and error-prone. To improve on this, we developed an integrated and automated multi-dimensional analytical platform for the simultaneous assessment of multiple CQAs of mAbs in cell culture fluid (CCF) from upstream processes. RESULTS The on-line system allows mAb characterization at the intact level, combining protein A affinity chromatography (ProtA) with size-exclusion, ion-exchange, and reversed-phase liquid chromatographic modes with UV and mass spectrometric detection. Multiple heart cuts of a single mAb elution band from ProtA are stored in 20-μL loops and successively sent to the multimethod options in the second dimension. ProtA loading and elution conditions and their compatibility with second-dimension LC modes were studied and optimized. Subsequently, heart-cutting and valve-switching schemes were investigated to achieve effective and reproducible analyses. The applicability of the developed workflow was demonstrated by the direct analysis (i.e. not requiring off-line sample preparation) of a therapeutic mAb in CCF, obtaining useful information on accurate molecular mass, glycosylation, and charge and size variants of the mAb product at the same time and in just over 1 h. SIGNIFICANCE The developed multidimensional platform is the first system that allows for multiple fractions from a single ProtA band to be characterized using different chromatographic selectivities in a single run allowing direct correlation between CQAs. The performance of the system is comparable to established off-line methods, fully compatible with upstream process samples, and provides a significant time-reduction of the characterization procedure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raya Sadighi
- Division of BioAnalytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Centre for Analytical Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Vera de Kleijne
- Division of BioAnalytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Sam Wouters
- Agilent Technologies, Hewlett-Packard-Str. 8, Waldbronn, 76337, Germany
| | - Karin Lubbers
- Polpharma Biologics Utrecht B.V., Yalelaan 46, 3584 CM, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Govert W Somsen
- Division of BioAnalytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Centre for Analytical Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Andrea F G Gargano
- Centre for Analytical Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Analytical Chemistry Group, van't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, PO Box 94720, 1090 GE, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Rob Haselberg
- Division of BioAnalytical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1108, 1081 HZ, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Centre for Analytical Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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7
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Dunn ZD, Bohman P, Quinteros A, Sauerborn B, Milman F, Patel M, Kargupta R, Wu S, Hornshaw M, Barrientos R, Bones J, Tayi VS, Abaroa N, Patel B, Appiah-Amponsah E, Regalado EL. Automated Online-Sampling Multidimensional Liquid Chromatography with Feedback-Control Capability as a Framework for Real-Time Monitoring of mAb Critical Quality Attributes in Multiple Bioreactors. Anal Chem 2023; 95:18130-18138. [PMID: 38015205 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c03528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Real-time monitoring of biopharmaceutical reactors is becoming increasingly important as the processes become more complex. During the continuous manufacturing of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), the desired mAb product is continually created and collected over a 30 day process, where there can be changes in quality over that time. Liquid chromatography (LC) is the workhorse instrumentation capable of measuring mAb concentration as well as quality attributes such as aggregation, charge variants, oxidation, etc. However, traditional offline sampling is too infrequent to fully characterize bioprocesses, and the typical time from sample generation to data analysis and reporting can take weeks. To circumvent these limitations, an automated online sampling multidimensional workflow was developed to enable streamlined measurements of mAb concentration, aggregation, and charge variants. This analytical framework also facilitates automated data export for real-time analysis of up to six bioreactors, including feedback-controlling capability using readily available LC technology. This workflow increases the data points per bioreactor, improving the understanding of each experiment while also reducing the data turnaround time from weeks to hours. Examples of effective real-time analyses of mAb critical quality attributes are illustrated, showing substantial throughput improvements and accurate results while minimizing labor and manual intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary D Dunn
- Analytical Research and Development, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Patrick Bohman
- Thermo Fisher Scientific, 168 Third Avenue, Waltham, Massachusetts 02451, United States
| | - Alexis Quinteros
- Process Research and Development, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Brian Sauerborn
- Engineering, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Felix Milman
- Engineering, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Misaal Patel
- Process Research and Development, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Roli Kargupta
- Process Research and Development, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Suyang Wu
- Process Research and Development, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Martin Hornshaw
- Thermo Fisher Scientific, 168 Third Avenue, Waltham, Massachusetts 02451, United States
| | - Rodell Barrientos
- Analytical Research and Development, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Jonathan Bones
- The National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training, Foster Avenue, Mount Merrion, Blackrock, Co., Dublin A94 X099, Ireland
- School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4 D04 V1W8, Ireland
| | - Venkata S Tayi
- Process Research and Development, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Nicholas Abaroa
- Engineering, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Bhumit Patel
- Analytical Research and Development, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Emmanuel Appiah-Amponsah
- Analytical Research and Development, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Erik L Regalado
- Analytical Research and Development, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
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8
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Li X. Recent applications of quantitative mass spectrometry in biopharmaceutical process development and manufacturing. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2023; 234:115581. [PMID: 37494866 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpba.2023.115581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
Biopharmaceutical products have seen rapid growth over the past few decades and continue to dominate the global pharmaceutical market. Aligning with the quality by design (QbD) framework and realization, recent advances in liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) instrumentation and related techniques have enhanced biopharmaceutical characterization capabilities and have supported an increased development of biopharmaceutical products. Beyond its routine qualitative characterization, the quantitative feature of LC-MS has unique applications in biopharmaceutical process development and manufacturing. This review describes the recent applications and implications of the advancement of quantitative MS methods in biopharmaceutical process development, and characterization of biopharmaceutical product, product-related variants, and process-related impurities. We also provide insights on the emerging applications of quantitative MS in the lifecycle of biopharmaceutical product development including quality control in the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) environment and process analytical technology (PAT) practices during process development and manufacturing. Through collaboration with instrument and software vendors and regulatory agencies, we envision broader adoption of phase-appropriate quantitative MS-based methods for the analysis of biopharmaceutical products, which in turn has the potential to enable manufacture of higher quality products for patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuanwen Li
- Analytical Research and Development, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., 126 E. Lincoln Avenue, Rahway, NJ 07065, USA.
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9
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Kumar S, Savane TS, Rathore AS. Multiattribute Monitoring of Aggregates and Charge Variants of Monoclonal Antibody through Native 2D-SEC-MS-WCX-MS. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MASS SPECTROMETRY 2023. [PMID: 37327380 DOI: 10.1021/jasms.2c00325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Monitoring of critical quality attributes such as size and charge-related heterogeneities is essential for biopharmaceutical manufacturers. Size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) is the preferred analytical technique for the quantification of aggregates and fragments in the product, whereas weak-cation exchange chromatography (WCX) is widely used for the characterization of charge variants of biotherapeutic products, in particular monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Multiattribute monitoring offers the ability to monitor these attributes in a single run flow using two-dimensional liquid chromatography (2D-LC). Typically, in this approach, only the second-dimension samples are directly analyzed through mass spectrometry, as the first dimension has limitations concerning direct coupling with mass spectrometry. In the present study, a novel 2D-SEC-MS/WCX-MS workflow has been proposed, in which chromatography of both dimensions (D1 and D2) was directly coupled with mass spectrometry, through which size-related and charge-related variants of monoclonal antibody mAb A were analyzed simultaneously in their native form. In comparison to stand-alone SEC and WCX methods, this method enables simultaneous analysis of size and charge variants in a single workflow without manual intervention, allowing analysis of low abundant variants. Further, this method has 75% less sample requirement and a shorter analysis time (25 min vs 90 min) when size and charge variants were analyzed individually. The proposed native 2D-LC-MS workflow was used to analyze a stressed sample of mAb A, in which D1 analysis revealed the presence of aggregates (8-20%), which were primarily dimers, whereas D2 analysis showed an increment in acidic variants (9-21%).
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunil Kumar
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India
| | - Tushar Sharad Savane
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India
| | - Anurag S Rathore
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India
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10
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Bhattacharya S, Joshi S, Rathore AS. A native multi-dimensional monitoring workflow for at-line characterization of mAb titer, size, charge, and glycoform heterogeneities in cell culture supernatant. J Chromatogr A 2023; 1696:463983. [PMID: 37054641 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2023.463983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2022] [Revised: 03/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
With growing maturity of the biopharmaceutical industry, new modalities entering the therapeutic design space and increasing complexity of formulations such as combination therapy, the demands and requirements on analytical workflows have also increased. A recent evolution in newer analytical workflows is that of multi-attribute monitoring workflows designed on chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) platform. In comparison to traditional one attribute per workflow paradigm, multi-attribute workflows are designed to monitor multiple critical quality attributes through a single workflow, thus reducing the overall time to information and increasing efficiency and throughput. While the 1st generation multi-attribute workflows focused on bottom-up characterization following peptide digestion, the more recent workflows have been focussing on characterization of intact biologics, preferably in native state. So far intact multi-attribute monitoring workflows suitable for comparability, utilizing single dimension chromatography coupled with MS have been published. In this study, we describe a native multi-dimensional multi-attribute monitoring workflow for at-line characterization of monoclonal antibody (mAb) titer, size, charge, and glycoform heterogeneities directly in cell culture supernatant. This has been achieved through coupling ProA in series with size exclusion chromatography in 1st dimension followed by cation exchange chromatography in the 2nd dimension. Intact paired glycoform characterization has been achieved through coupling 2D-LC with q-ToF-MS. The workflow with a single heart cut can be completed in 25 mins and utilizes 2D-liquid chromatography (2D-LC) to maximize separation and monitoring of titer, size as well as charge variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanghati Bhattacharya
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, 110016, India
| | - Srishti Joshi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, 110016, India
| | - Anurag S Rathore
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, 110016, India.
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11
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Mayr K, Weindl T, Gärtner A, Camperi J, Maetzke T, Förster M, Nachtigall T, Steiner F, Vogt A, Hosp F, Mølhøj M. Novel Multidimensional Liquid Chromatography Workflow with In-Loop Enzymatic Digests of Multiple Heart-Cuts for Fast and Flexible Characterization of Biotherapeutic Protein Variants. Anal Chem 2023; 95:3629-3637. [PMID: 36745752 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c04467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Multidimensional liquid chromatography (mD-LC) is becoming a powerful tool for complete characterization of individual peaks and protein variants through separation methods such as nondenaturing ion exchange (IEC) or size-exclusion chromatography coupled to reversed-phase (RP) chromatography. The flexibility of commercially available and customized mD-LC systems is still limited in terms of enzymatic peak processing between chromatographic dimensions. In this regard, only a few column-immobilized proteases are available for detailed peak characterization by mD-LC coupled to mass spectrometry (mD-LC-MS). Here, we present a purpose-built and automated multiple heart-cutting mD-LC design with a novel analytical workflow involving in-loop enzymatic heart-cut digestion between the first-dimensional column and transfer to the second dimension before MS or MS/MS analyses. The setup facilitates the spike-in of any enzyme to multiple heart-cuts for multilevel analysis, for example, for peptide mapping, fragment generation, or deglycosylation, to reduce heterogeneity and provide maximum flexibility in terms of incubation time for optimal peak characterization. We demonstrate the application of IEC coupled to RP-LC-MS and automated in-loop deglycosylation and on-column reduction of an IgG antibody combined with upper hinge region cleavage for Fab generation. We further employ mD-LC-MS and mD-LC-MS/MS to assess post-translational modifications of a bispecific antibody and to support molecule selection by evaluating the best downstream purification strategy. The novel design and automated workflow of the mD-LC system described here offers enhanced flexibility for in-solution processing and real-time monitoring of multiple heart-cuts enabling streamlined characterization of unknown biotherapeutic charge and size variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kilian Mayr
- Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Munich, Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, 82377 Penzberg, Germany
| | - Thomas Weindl
- Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Munich, Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, 82377 Penzberg, Germany
| | - Achim Gärtner
- Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Munich, Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, 82377 Penzberg, Germany
| | - Julien Camperi
- Cell Therapy Engineering and Development, Genentech, 1 DNA Way, South San Francisco, California, 94080, United States
| | - Thomas Maetzke
- HPLConsult GmbH, Bergmattenweg 16, CH-4148 Pfeffingen, Switzerland
| | - Markus Förster
- Thermo Fisher Scientific GmbH, Im Steingrund 4-6, 63303 Dreieich, Germany
| | - Thomas Nachtigall
- Thermo Fisher Scientific GmbH, Im Steingrund 4-6, 63303 Dreieich, Germany
| | - Frank Steiner
- Thermo Fisher Scientific GmbH, Im Steingrund 4-6, 63303 Dreieich, Germany
| | - Annette Vogt
- Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Munich, Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, 82377 Penzberg, Germany
| | - Fabian Hosp
- Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Munich, Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, 82377 Penzberg, Germany
| | - Michael Mølhøj
- Large Molecule Research, Roche Innovation Center Munich, Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, 82377 Penzberg, Germany
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12
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Barrientos RC, Losacco GL, Azizi M, Wang H, Nguyen AN, Shchurik V, Singh A, Richardson D, Mangion I, Guillarme D, Regalado EL, Haidar Ahmad IA. Automated Hydrophobic Interaction Chromatography Screening Combined with In Silico Optimization as a Framework for Nondenaturing Analysis and Purification of Biopharmaceuticals. Anal Chem 2022; 94:17131-17141. [PMID: 36441925 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c03453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The mounting complexity of new modalities in the biopharmaceutical industry entails a commensurate level of analytical innovations to enable the rapid discovery and development of novel therapeutics and vaccines. Hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) has become one of the widely preferred separation techniques for the analysis and purification of biopharmaceuticals under nondenaturing conditions. Inarguably, HIC method development remains very challenging and labor-intensive owing to the numerous factors that are typically optimized by a "hit-or-miss" strategy (e.g., the nature of the salt, stationary phase chemistry, temperature, mobile phase additive, and ionic strength). Herein, we introduce a new HIC method development framework composed of a fully automated multicolumn and multieluent platform coupled with in silico multifactorial simulation and integrated fraction collection for streamlined method screening, optimization, and analytical-scale purification of biopharmaceutical targets. The power and versatility of this workflow are showcased by a wide range of applications including trivial proteins, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), oxidation variants, and denatured proteins. We also illustrate convenient and rapid HIC method development outcomes from the effective combination of this screening setup with computer-assisted simulations. HIC retention models were built using readily available LC simulator software outlining less than a 5% difference between experimental and simulated retention times with a correlation coefficient of >0.99 for pharmaceutically relevant multicomponent mixtures. In addition, we demonstrate how this approach paves the path for a straightforward identification of first-dimension HIC conditions that are combined with mass spectrometry (MS)-friendly reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) detection in the second dimension (heart-cutting two-dimensional (2D)-HIC-RPLC-diode array detector (DAD)-MS), enabling the analysis and purification of biopharmaceutical targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodell C Barrientos
- Analytical Research and Development, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., 126 E. Lincoln Avenue, Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Gioacchino Luca Losacco
- Analytical Research and Development, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., 126 E. Lincoln Avenue, Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Mohammadmehdi Azizi
- Analytical Research and Development, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., 126 E. Lincoln Avenue, Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Heather Wang
- Analytical Research and Development, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., 126 E. Lincoln Avenue, Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Anh Nguyet Nguyen
- Analytical Research and Development, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., 126 E. Lincoln Avenue, Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Vladimir Shchurik
- Analytical Research and Development, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., 126 E. Lincoln Avenue, Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Andrew Singh
- Analytical Research and Development, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., 126 E. Lincoln Avenue, Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Douglas Richardson
- Analytical Research and Development, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., 126 E. Lincoln Avenue, Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Ian Mangion
- Analytical Research and Development, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., 126 E. Lincoln Avenue, Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Davy Guillarme
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Geneva, CMU, Rue Michel-Servet 1, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland.,Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Western Switzerland, University of Geneva, CMU, 11 Rue Michel-Servet 1, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland
| | - Erik L Regalado
- Analytical Research and Development, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., 126 E. Lincoln Avenue, Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
| | - Imad A Haidar Ahmad
- Analytical Research and Development, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., 126 E. Lincoln Avenue, Rahway, New Jersey 07065, United States
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13
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Vanhoenacker G, Sandra P, Sandra K. Minimizing the Risk of Missing Critical Sample Information by Using Two-Dimensional Liquid Chromatography. LCGC NORTH AMERICA 2022. [DOI: 10.56530/lcgc.na.vg2884v4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Analytical requirements in the biopharmaceutical, pharmaceutical, and food industries, among several others, are more demanding than ever. Chromatographic techniques are great tools to acquire detailed information on a vast number of molecules and sample types. The present challenge in research and development (R&D), as well as in quality control (QC) laboratories, is to collect as much sample information as possible. However, even with the current one-dimensional (1D) analytical portfolio, it is not possible to fully ensure that all the relevant information from a sample has been captured. This article illustrates the power of an online two-dimensional liquid chromatographic (2D-LC) setup to unravel the complexity of biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical samples. This technology tremendously increases the resolving power in all areas where LC is applied and drastically reduces the risk of missing information about the sample.
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14
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Foster SW, Parker D, Kurre S, Boughton J, Stoll DR, Grinias JP. A review of two-dimensional liquid chromatography approaches using parallel column arrays in the second dimension. Anal Chim Acta 2022; 1228:340300. [DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2022.340300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 08/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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