Customization of copolymers to optimize selectivity and yield in polymer-driven antibody purification processes

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Polymer Chemistry
• Bioprocessing

Background:

• Protein purification is critical in biopharmaceutical manufacturing.
• Existing methods often face challenges with efficiency and selectivity.
• Novel polymer-based strategies are needed for improved purification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the customization of copolymers for polymer-driven protein precipitation.
• To analyze the impact of copolymer composition and molecular weight (Mw) on antibody precipitation.
• To optimize purification conditions for target antibodies (mAbs) and model impurity proteins.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized and characterized copolymers of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid (AMPS) and 4-(acryloylamino)benzoic acid (ABZ).
• Evaluated precipitation yields and selectivity for five mAbs and BSA at high ionic strength.
• Varied copolymer Mw and composition to assess their influence on precipitation efficiency and contaminant removal.

Main Results:

• Customized AMPS-ABZ copolymers achieved antibody precipitation yields exceeding 90%.
• Copolymer composition was identified as the primary factor driving precipitation selectivity, influenced by protein hydrophobicity.
• Optimized conditions using specific ABZ content and Mw enabled high yield and selectivity for mAbs.

Conclusions:

• Copolymer customization provides a powerful tool for fine-tuning polymer-driven protein precipitation.
• This approach offers a promising strategy for efficient and selective antibody purification in bioprocessing.
• Tailored polymer design can overcome limitations of traditional purification methods.