The NISTmAb Reference Material 8671 value assignment, homogeneity, and stability

The NISTmAb Reference Material (RM) 8671 is intended to be an industry standard monoclonal antibody for pre-competitive harmonization of best practices and designing next generation characterization technologies for identity, quality, and stability testing. It must therefore embody the quality and characteristics of a typical biopharmaceutical product and be available long-term in a stable format with consistent product quality attributes. A stratified sampling and analysis plan using a series of qualified analytical and biophysical methods is described that assures RM 8671 meets these criteria. Results for the first three lots of RM 8671 highlight the consistency of material attributes with respect to size, charge, and identity. RM 8671 was verified to be homogeneous both within and between vialing lots, demonstrating the robustness of the lifecycle management plan. It was analyzed in concert with the in-house primary sample 8670 (PS 8670) to provide a historical link to this seminal material. RM 8671 was verified to be fit for its intended purpose as a technology innovation tool, external system suitability control, and cross-industry harmonization platform. Graphical abstract The NISTmAb Reference Material (RM) 8671 is intended to be an industry standard monoclonal antibody for pre-competitive harmonization of best practices and designing next generation characterization technologies for identity, quality, and stability testing.

Qualification of NISTmAb charge heterogeneity control assays

The NISTmAb is a monoclonal antibody Reference Material from the National Institute of Standards and Technology; it is a class-representative IgG1κ intended serve as a pre-competitive platform for harmonization and technology development in the biopharmaceutical industry. The publication series of which this paper is a part describes NIST's overall control strategy to ensure NISTmAb quality and availability over its lifecycle. In this paper, the development and qualification of methods for monitoring NISTmAb charge heterogeneity are described. Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and capillary isoelectric focusing (CIEF) assays were optimized and evaluated as candidate assays for NISTmAb quality control. CIEF was found to be suitable as a structural characterization assay yielding information on the apparent pI of the NISTmAb. CZE was found to be better suited for routine monitoring of NISTmAb charge heterogeneity and was qualified for this purpose. This paper is intended to provide relevant details of NIST's charge heterogeneity control strategy to facilitate implementation of the NISTmAb as a test molecule in the end user's laboratory. Graphical Abstract Representative capillary zone electropherogram of the NIST monoclonal antibody (NISTmAb). The NISTmAb is a publicly available research tool intended to facilitate advancement of biopharmaceutical analytics.