MAb

Evaluation of a Novel Peptide-Based Affinity Ligand for Human IgM Purification: Use of an Automated Liquid-Handling System for Rapid Assessment of Binding Kinetics and Capacity

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One-step affinity purification of antibodies is a powerful and widely used tool in the biopharmaceutical industry. Although different strategies can be used to purify immunoglobulin isotype G (IgG), the larger antibody isotype IgM has limited options. Human IgM is the largest antibody and primarily exists as a pentamer in the bloodstream (1). IgM molecules exhibit higher avidity than other antibodies do and serve as essential activators for the complement cascade (1–3). Approaches to IgM purification with hydroxyapatite and ion-exchange (IEX)…

February 4, 2021

Regeneron confident it can scale-up to meet US COVID MAb demands

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Regeneron has entered an agreement worth $2.625 billion with the US government and believes it can supply 1.25 million additional doses of its monoclonal antibody cocktail for COVID-19.   The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)and the Department of Defense (DOD) will purchase finished doses of the antibody cocktail, REGN-COV2, a combination of casirivimab and imdevimab by June as part of Operation Warp Speed (OWS). The new agreement comes after the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA)  granted Regeneron…

January 21, 2021

Making MAbs: Bioprocess Advancements Challenge Platform Assumptions

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Still the largest sector of the industry, monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) have dominated the biopharmaceutical stage for over 30 years. Some observers might think there’s nothing new to say about these molecules; others point to antibody derivatives as a more exciting alternative. But MAbs are far from an outdated technology. From biosimilar developments to cell-free synthesis to yeast display, immunogenicity improvements, and fully human antibodies — as well as improvements in process efficiency and cost reductions, as discussed herein — the…

October 30, 2020

Tracking Therapeutic Antibody Development in a Pandemic

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The COVID-19 pandemic has generated a significant and rapid response from scientists who aim to develop drugs and vaccines in the academic, government, and industrial sectors. Such interventions are essential to containing SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 disease. To inform and educate the public about global efforts to develop targeted therapies such as monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), The Antibody Society (TAS) and the Chinese Antibody Society (CAS) have designed and implemented a freely available online database called the COVID-19…

October 30, 2020

G-Protein–Coupled Receptors: Promising Targets for Antibody–Drug Conjugates

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G-protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) are a large and diverse family of seven-transmembrane–domain proteins expressed on the surface of human cells. These molecules respond to external stimuli by initiating signal-transduction pathways that affect the expression of a large family of genes — which, in turn, regulate a range of vital physiological processes and functions. Figure 1 illustrates the general pathways of GPCRs. Without these proteins, humans simply could not survive: Without β-adrenergic receptors, we could not regulate our blood sugar, for example;…

October 30, 2020

Reduce Downstream Processing Costs for MAbs By Switching to a Two-Step Platform

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Downstream processing operations make up to 80% of the total costs for processing biotherapeutics. Given the current drive to reduce downstream costs, chromatographers and process engineers will need to streamline processes. Herein, we describe the benefits offered by using Tosoh’s two-step process for purifying monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and compare that method with the standard industrial process. By combining high-performance protein A capture and a single polishing step on salt-tolerant anion-exchange resin, Tosoh’s approach can reduce downstream costs by 45% and…

June 10, 2020

Capture of CH1-Containing Bispecific Antibodies: Evaluating an Alternative to Protein A

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Bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) are designed to recognize and bind two different antigens, in many cases for the purpose of immune effector-cell activation to destroy cancer cells (1). Such BsAbs mediate cell killing by binding simultaneously to an antigen that is overexpressed on tumor cells and to the CD3 receptor, activating cytotoxic T lymphocytes (2). Using proprietary UniRat human heavy-chain technology combined with OmniFlic human fixed–light-chain antibody technology licensed from Ligand Pharmaceuticals, Teneobio has produced several bispecific antibodies, each targeting a…

May 24, 2020

eBook: A Light-Chain Platform for Developing Bispecific Antibodies

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Biopharmaceutical researchers are focusing on novel platforms to quickly develop bispecific antibody (BsAb) therapies for treating complex diseases such as cancer. BsAb therapies offer several advantages because they are designed to bind two unique epitopes. In this report, Bill Lundberg, president and chief executive officer at Merus, describes his company’s efficient approach to developing BsAbs using “common light chain†technology and other proprietary strategies. Lundberg also addresses the company’s approach to typical BsAb development and manufacturing challenges. Fill out the…

April 29, 2020

Upstream: Make the Right Decisions for Your mAb

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Bioprocess decisions made during upstream operations can be difficult to reverse at later, more costly stages of biologic manufacture. They even can require significant backtracking, wasting precious time, labor, and material. Read this Special Report to learn ways to optimize monoclonal antibody bioprocessing upstream. Specifically, you will learn about different tools that small and emerging biotechnology groups can use to ensure robust cell-line selection novel media formulations designed for intensified upstream processing in perfusion modes mixing and delivery solutions that…

January 27, 2020

Rapid Mammalian Cell Harvest Without Centrifugation for Antibody Purification: Using a Novel System for Cell Culture Media Clarification

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Monoclonal antibody (MAb) expression systems typically use signal peptides to ensure secretion of antibodies into cell culture media. Although that reduces the complexity of purification and prevents the need for cell disruption, it does require using expensive and time-consuming techniques to separate cells from antibody-containing cell culture fluids. In this study, we describe our tests of the novel Sartoclear Dynamics Lab V system (Sartorius S Lab Instruments GmbH and Co. KG) for rapid clarification of cell culture media without requiring…

October 21, 2019