Direct process integration of cell disruption and fluidised bed adsorption in the recovery of labile microbial enzymes

Quality Control and Downstream Processing of Therapeutic Enzymes

Therapeutic enzymes are a commercially minor but clinically important area of biopharmaceuticals. An array of therapeutic enzymes has been developed for a variety of human diseases, including leukaemia and enzyme-deficiency diseases such as Gaucher's disease. Production and testing of therapeutic enzymes is strictly governed by regulatory bodies in each country around the world, and batch-to-batch consistency is crucially important. Manufacture of a batch starts with the fermentation or cell culture stage. After expression of the therapeutic enzyme in a cell culture bioreactor, robust and reproducible protein purification, or downstream processing (DSP) of the target product, is critical to ensuring safe delivery of these medicines. Modern processing technology, including the use of disposable processing equipment, has greatly improved the DSP development pathway in terms of robustness and speed to clinic. Once purified, the drug substance undergoes rigorous quality control (QC) testing according to current regulatory guidance, to enable release to the clinic and patient. QC testing is conducted to ensure the safety, purity, identity, potency and strength of the medicinal product, requiring multiple analytical methods that are rigorously validated and monitored for robust performance. Several case studies, including L-asparaginase and asfotase alfa, are discussed to illustrate the methods described herein.

Assessing adsorbent-biomass interactions during expanded bed adsorption onto ion exchangers utilizing surface energetics

Biomass adhesion onto an adsorbent matrix or "interaction" as well as biological particle co-adhesion or "aggregation" can severely affect the overall performance of many direct-contact methods for downstream processing of bioproducts. Studies to quantitatively describe this biomass-adsorbent interaction were developed utilizing surface energetics. An indirect thermodynamic approach via contact angle and zeta potential measurements was utilized. Intact yeast cells, yeast homogenates, and disrupted bacterial paste were employed as model system. Various surfaces that are relevant to biochemical and environmental applications were characterized. The extended Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey, Overbeek (XDLVO) theory was found to appropriately predict biomass adhesion behaviour. It was observed that cell attachment onto anion-exchange supports is promoted by strong and close interaction within a secondary energy minimum followed by moderate multilayer cell aggregation. On the other hand, cell interaction with cation-exchange materials can take place within a reversible secondary energy minimum and at longer separation distance. The influence of particle charge and size, as well as the influence of the nature of the material under study were summarized in the form of energy vs. distance profiles. These investigations lead to many process-related conclusions: (a) process buffer conductivity windows can be recommended for anion-exchange chromatography (AEX) vs. cation-exchange chromatography (CEX) systems, (b) increased hydrodynamic shear is required to prevent biomass attachment onto AEX as compared to CEX, and (c) aggregation phenomena is a function of contact time and biomass concentration. Understanding biomass-adsorbent interaction at the particle (local) level is opening the pave for optimized operation of expanded bed adsorption methods at the process (macro) scale. A universal methodological approach is presented to guide both process and material design.

In situ extraction of intracellular l-asparaginase using thermoseparating aqueous two-phase systems

The feasibility and generic applicability of directly integrating conventional discrete operations of cell disruption by high pressure homogenizer and the product capture by aqueous two-phase extraction (ATPE) system have been demonstrated for the extraction of intracellular L-asparaginase from E. coli. In a side-by-side comparison with the conventional ATPE process, including cell disruption, centrifugal clarification and following ATPE, purification of L-asparaginase via this novel in situ ATPE process yielded a product of L-asparaginase with a higher specific activity of 94.8 U/(mg protein) and a higher yield of 73.3%, both of which in the conventional ATPE process were 78.6 U/(mg protein) and 52.1%, respectively. In the purification of L-asparaginase (pI=4.9), product-debris interactions commonly diminish its recovery. It was demonstrated that immediate extraction of L-asparaginase in ATPE systems when it is released at pH 5.0 during cell disruption effectively increased its recovery in the top phase due to the reduced interaction between L-asparaginase and cell debris and the reduced degradation by contaminated protease. In addition, no clarification step and/or disruptate storage are required in this in situ ATPE, which reduced the number of unit operations and thus shortened the overall process time. This novel process has a good potential for the separation of other intracellular biological products.

Operational intensification by direct product sequestration from cell disruptates: application of a pellicular adsorbent in a mechanically integrated disruption-fluidised bed adsorption process

A novel prototype adsorbent, designed for intensified fluidised bed adsorption processes, was assembled by the emulsification coating of 4% (w/v) porous agarose upon a zirconia-silica solid core. The adsorbent, designated ZSA (particle density 1.75 g/ml, maximum pellicle depth 40 microm), was subjected to physical and biochemical comparison with the performance of two commercial adsorbents (Streamline and Macrosorb K4AX). Bed expansion qualities and hydrodynamic characteristics (N, D(axl) and B(o)) of ZSA demonstrated a marked robustness in the face of elevated velocities (up to 550 cm/h) and biomass loading (up to 30% (ww/v)) disrupted yeast cells. Cibracron Blue derivatives of the pellicular prototype (ZSA-CB), evaluated in the batch and fluidised bed recovery of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH) from unclarified yeast disruptates, exhibited superior capacities and adsorption/desorption performance to the commercial derivatives. These advanced physical and biochemical properties facilitated a demonstration of the direct, mechanical coupling of bead-milling and fluidised bed adsorption in a fully integrated process for the accelerated recovery of G3PDH from yeast. The generic application of such pellicular adsorbents and integrated processes to the recovery of labile, intracellular products is discussed.

Process chromatography: current constraints and future options for the adsorptive recovery of bioproducts

A contemporary review of adsorption chromatography must embrace aspects of fixed-bed, batch suspension and fluidised-bed contacting of complex feedstocks with adsorbents chemically derivatised with ligands with binding specificities for target bioproducts. Advances in the design of adsorbents, ligands and contactors have facilitated opportunities for integrated processing of unclarified feedstocks to benefit purity and yield of macromolecular products. In the face of competition from apparently simpler, yet productive, technologies (e.g. precipitation, crystallisation and aqueous solvent extraction), further advances in chromatographic purification of macromolecules and nanoparticulates demand close collaboration between inventors and/or manufacturers of new products and the suppliers of chromatographic hardware and consumables.