Analytical

Posttranslational Modifications and Their Control in CHO Culture

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The Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line was first established by Theodore Puck in the 1950s and was used mainly for cytogenetics studies (1). Since the 1990s, CHO cells have increased in popularity as expression host cells because they can be adapted easily into suspension culture and genetically modified. The CHO cell line also has a human-like glycosylation profile (2–4). Therapeutic proteins undergo different posttranslational modifications (PTMs) during manufacturing. Some modifications can lead to undesired effects such as decreased stability,…

February 4, 2022

Analyzing Single-Use Polymers for Cell Culture Processes: Comparison of Cell Growth and Viability Test Procedures

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The acceptance and implementation of single-use systems (SUS) or “disposables” has increased strongly in bioprocess development and biopharmaceutical manufacturing over the past two decades. Typically, suppliers provide SUS presterilized and ready to use. Using SUS eliminates time-consuming and expensive cleaning procedures (which often require corrosive chemicals and a large amounts of water) and removes the need to perform cleaning validation between batches. The application of SUS reduces the risk of product cross-contamination and increases product and patient safety (1–5). Polypropylene…

February 4, 2022

eBook: Diagnostics — Developing Rapid and Accessible Testing Solutions

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The COVID-19 pandemic has brought myriad economic disruptions, social complications, and public-health calamities to the world. They have understandably overshadowed the silver lining of boosting biomedical science and technology in the realms of infectious disease, oncology, and more. But alongside the much-publicized commercial debut of novel vaccine technologies have come promising advances in medical diagnostics. In this eBook, BPI’s senior technical editor brings together perspectives from industry, academia, and expert organizations to highlight some of the latest diagnostic methods and…

December 16, 2021

Automated Process Control Based on In Situ Measured Glucose Concentration

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A process analytical technology (PAT) strategy involves defining critical process parameters (CPPs) of a biomanufacturing process that influence critical quality attributes (CQAs) and controlling those CPPs within defined limits. Doing that enables consistent product quality and helps companies reduce waste and costs. Glucose is an important CPP in bioprocessing and cell therapy. Glucose often is fed as a bolus addition based on daily off-line measurements, but that can lead to high glucose fluctuations and to excessive glucose feeding, which can…

December 14, 2021

Finding the Right Partner for Outsourced Cell-Line Development

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The successful commercialization of a biopharmaceutical product begins with a robust and productive cell line. Inefficient cell-line development (CLD) can lead to costly delays and roadblocks. For that reason, small, new, and virtual companies — and even established and mid-size companies — often seek the support of outsourcing partners to develop their cell lines. Outsourcing CLD activities can ease many pressures associated with manufacturing new biotherapeutics. The benefits of outsourcing CLD and associated processes include access to specialized expertise and…

December 8, 2021

Seamless Integration of Glucose Control: Using Raman Spectroscopy in CHO Cell Culture

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The process analytical technology (PAT) and quality by design (QbD) guidelines promoted by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) support the idea that quality cannot be “tested into” a biologic product but must instead be part of its process design. Seamless integration of analytical data with bioprocess monitoring and control is crucial to understanding a process and overcoming manufacturing challenges that arise in the course of development. Monitoring of product quality attributes (PQAs)…

December 8, 2021

Multivariate Data-Driven Modeling for Continued Process Verification

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Continued process verification (CPV) is an integral part of process validation for the manufacture of human and animal drugs and biological products (1). It is designed to meet three primary goals: maintain a validated state of products, their processes, and related systems; enable continuous process improvements; and meet regulatory requirements for life-cycle validation. A CPV program for a biologic product entails regular collection of data related to critical process parameters (CPPs) and critical quality attributes (CQAs) and the preprocessing, analysis,…

October 28, 2021

Analysis of Trace-Level, High-Risk HCPs: Proteomics Advances for Preventing Degradation of Polysorbates in Biotherapeutic Formulations

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Polysorbate-80 (PS-80) and polysorbate-20 (PS-20) are used widely in formulation of biotherapeutic products for preventing surface adsorption and as stabilizers against protein aggregation (1). Degradation of polysorbates can cause turbidity and potential formation of subvisible particles mainly consisting of poorly soluble hydrophobic free fatty acids (1). Polysorbate degradation is an industry-wide challenge both in biotherapeutics processing and formulation development. The risk of such degradation increases with higher cell densities and greater expression titers in bioprocessing, as well as with higher…

September 30, 2021

Tools to Support COVID-19 Patient Testing

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To prepare adequate healthcare measures in the case of a pandemic, vast numbers of people must be tested in order to understand the dynamics and behavior of the infection cycle. The medical staff working under extreme circumstances need basic but reliable laboratory supplies to help contain the pandemic. Read this special report to discover two solutions for COVID-19 patient testing that comply with guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO). The…

September 15, 2021

Accelerating the Development and Manufacture of Therapeutics Using the Octet Platform

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The high costs of therapeutic discovery, development, and manufacture require improved process efficiencies and economics. Analytical tools that eliminate the need for reagent labeling and enable real-time data visualization save development time and improve efficiencies during process development. The Octet biolayer interferometry (BLI) platform and assays can be used throughout process development and manufacturing, including cell-line development, clone selection, and dynamic binding capacity (DBC) determination for affinity purification columns. The ability of the Octet BLI platform to monitor binding interactions…

September 15, 2021