Manufacture of biopharmaceutical proteins by mammalian cell culture systems

In the last several years, dramatic advances have been in the development of new biopharmaceuticals including monoclonal antibodies for diagnosis and treatment and such genetically engineered proteins as tPA, Factor VIIIc, erythropoietin and soluble CD4, an anti-AIDS protein. Currently, there are several hundred such candidate drugs in human clinical trials. In most cases, these protein-based drugs will require manufacture by mammalian cell culture due to the inability of lower organisms to properly glycosylate, fold, make correct disulfide bonds and secrete active biomolecular forms. The need for large scale production from cell culture will greatly increase as more of the products in clinical trials are approved for commercial production. This will require significant reduction in manufacturing costs per gram, concomitant with increased capacity to hundreds or perhaps even thousands of kilograms annually. As an example, Invitron's multi-reactor manufacturing facility has operated at greater than one-half million liters per year and has experience with more than 250 mammalian cell lines for producing protein drug products.