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Updated: Mar 24, 2026

Laboratory Scale Production and Purification of a Therapeutic Antibody
Published on: January 24, 2017
Advances in recombinant antibody manufacturing
Renate Kunert1, David Reinhart2
1Vienna Institute of BioTechnology, Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Muthgasse 11, 1190, Vienna, Austria. renate.kunert@boku.ac.at.
Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells are the leading choice for producing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). This review highlights key advancements and strategies for improving CHO cell productivity and quality in recombinant protein expression.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Bioprocessing
- Recombinant Protein Expression
Background:
- Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells have been instrumental in recombinant protein production since their inception.
- Continuous advancements have significantly improved the efficiency of CHO cell-based manufacturing processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review key milestones in the evolution of CHO cell technology for monoclonal antibody (mAb) production.
- To analyze factors influencing yield, including biomass accumulation, process duration, and specific productivity.
- To compare different expression systems and discuss methods for host cell line improvement and quality assessment.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of maximum cell densities and specific growth rates across various expression systems.
- Evaluation of scientific approaches for enhancing host cell line performance.
- Analysis of post-translational modifications (PTMs) as critical quality attributes.
Main Results:
- CHO cells remain the predominant host for mAb production due to consistent improvements.
- Key parameters influencing production yield have been identified and addressed through technological advancements.
- PTMs in CHO cells were analyzed and compared to human polyclonal immunoglobulin fractions.
Conclusions:
- Despite the availability of diverse mAb expression systems, CHO cells continue to be the industry standard.
- Ongoing research focuses on further optimizing CHO cell lines for enhanced productivity and product quality.
- Technological progress has solidified the role of CHO cells as the workhorse for mAb manufacturing.
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