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Armstrong GB, Shah V, Sanches P, Patel M, Casey R, Jamieson C, Burley GA, Lewis W, Rattray Z. A framework for the biophysical screening of antibody mutations targeting solvent-accessible hydrophobic and electrostatic patches for enhanced viscosity profiles. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2024; 23:2345-2357. [PMID: 38867721 PMCID: PMC11167247 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2024.05.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2024] [Revised: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The formulation of high-concentration monoclonal antibody (mAb) solutions in low dose volumes for autoinjector devices poses challenges in manufacturability and patient administration due to elevated solution viscosity. Often many therapeutically potent mAbs are discovered, but their commercial development is stalled by unfavourable developability challenges. In this work, we present a systematic experimental framework for the computational screening of molecular descriptors to guide the design of 24 mutants with modified viscosity profiles accompanied by experimental evaluation. Our experimental observations using a model anti-IL8 mAb and eight engineered mutant variants reveal that viscosity reduction is influenced by the location of hydrophobic interactions, while targeting positively charged patches significantly increases viscosity in comparison to wild-type anti-IL-8 mAb. We conclude that most predicted in silico physicochemical properties exhibit poor correlation with measured experimental parameters for antibodies with suboptimal developability characteristics, emphasizing the need for comprehensive case-by-case evaluation of mAbs. This framework combining molecular design and triage via computational predictions with experimental evaluation aids the agile and rational design of mAbs with tailored solution viscosities, ensuring improved manufacturability and patient convenience in self-administration scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgina B. Armstrong
- Drug Substance Development, GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, UK
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - Vidhi Shah
- Large Molecule Discovery, GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, UK
| | - Paula Sanches
- Drug Substance Development, GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, UK
| | - Mitul Patel
- Drug Substance Development, GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, UK
| | - Ricky Casey
- Drug Substance Development, GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, UK
| | - Craig Jamieson
- Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - Glenn A. Burley
- Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - William Lewis
- Drug Substance Development, GlaxoSmithKline, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, UK
| | - Zahra Rattray
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
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Prass T, Garidel P, Blech M, Schäfer LV. Viscosity Prediction of High-Concentration Antibody Solutions with Atomistic Simulations. J Chem Inf Model 2023; 63:6129-6140. [PMID: 37757589 PMCID: PMC10565822 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c00947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
The computational prediction of the viscosity of dense protein solutions is highly desirable, for example, in the early development phase of high-concentration biopharmaceutical formulations where the material needed for experimental determination is typically limited. Here, we use large-scale atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with explicit solvation to de novo predict the dynamic viscosities of solutions of a monoclonal IgG1 antibody (mAb) from the pressure fluctuations using a Green-Kubo approach. The viscosities at simulated mAb concentrations of 200 and 250 mg/mL are compared to the experimental values, which we measured with rotational rheometry. The computational viscosity of 24 mPa·s at the mAb concentration of 250 mg/mL matches the experimental value of 23 mPa·s obtained at a concentration of 213 mg/mL, indicating slightly different effective concentrations (or activities) in the MD simulations and in the experiments. This difference is assigned to a slight underestimation of the effective mAb-mAb interactions in the simulations, leading to a too loose dynamic mAb network that governs the viscosity. Taken together, this study demonstrates the feasibility of all-atom MD simulations for predicting the properties of dense mAb solutions and provides detailed microscopic insights into the underlying molecular interactions. At the same time, it also shows that there is room for further improvements and highlights challenges, such as the massive sampling required for computing collective properties of dense biomolecular solutions in the high-viscosity regime with reasonable statistical precision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias
M. Prass
- Center
for Theoretical Chemistry, Ruhr University
Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - Patrick Garidel
- Boehringer
Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Innovation Unit, PDB, D-88397 Biberach
an der Riss, Germany
| | - Michaela Blech
- Boehringer
Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Innovation Unit, PDB, D-88397 Biberach
an der Riss, Germany
| | - Lars V. Schäfer
- Center
for Theoretical Chemistry, Ruhr University
Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
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Current insights into protein solubility: A review of its importance for alternative proteins. Food Hydrocoll 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2022.108416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Abstract
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Water is essential
for the structure, dynamics, energetics, and
thus the function of biomolecules. It is a formidable challenge to
elicit, in microscopic detail, the role of the solvation-related driving
forces of biomolecular processes, such as the enthalpy and entropy
contributions to the underlying free-energy landscape. In this Perspective,
we discuss recent developments and applications of computational methods
that provide a spatially resolved map of hydration thermodynamics
in biomolecular systems and thus yield atomic-level insights to guide
the interpretation of experimental observations. An emphasis is on
the challenge of quantifying the hydration entropy, which requires
characterization of both the motions of the biomolecules and of the
water molecules in their surrounding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saumyak Mukherjee
- Theoretical Chemistry, Ruhr University Bochum, 44801 Bochum, Germany
| | - Lars V Schäfer
- Theoretical Chemistry, Ruhr University Bochum, 44801 Bochum, Germany
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