Mechanistic Modeling Based PAT Implementation for Ion-Exchange Process Chromatography of Charge Variants of...

Process chromatography is typically used to remove product related impurities and variants that have very similar physicochemical properties to the product. Baseline separation may not be achieved in most cases due to high protein loading and thus, pooling of the elution peak can be challenging for maximizing yield and achieving consistency in product quality. Batch-to-batch variability in quality of the feed material also occurs in commercial manufacturing. Mechanistic modeling of process chromatography, though non-trivial, can be an enabler for implementation of Process Analytical Technology. This paper presents one such application involving prediction of the impact of variability in feed quality and in gradient shape on separation of charge variants by cation exchange process chromatography and thereby facilitating feed forward control. Five batches having different compositions of charge variants have been used to demonstrate the proposed pooling strategy based on simulated chromatograms and the outcome has been compared to offline pooling based on fractionation. For all the conditions examined and for the desired target of main product (67%), the proposed approach resulted in remarkable consistency in product quality (67 ± 2%) while delivering a yield of greater than 90%.