Targeted Host Cell Protein Quantification by LC-MRM Enables Biologics Processing and Product Characterization

Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) is a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) based quantification platform with high sensitivity, specificity, and throughput. It is extensively used across the pharmaceutical industry for the quantitative analysis of therapeutic molecules. The potential of MRM analysis for the quantification of specific host cell proteins (HCPs) in bioprocess, however, has yet to be well established. In this work, we introduce a multiplex LC-MRM assay that simultaneously monitors two high risk lipases known to impact biologics product quality, Phospholipase B-like 2 protein (PLBL2) and Group XV lysosomal phospholipase A2 (LPLA2). Quantitative data generated from the LC-MRM assay were used to monitor the clearance of these lipases during biologics process development. The method is linear over a dynamic range of 1 to 500 ng/mg. To demonstrate the fitness for use and robustness of this assay, we evaluate a comprehensive method qualification package that includes intra- and inter-run precision and accuracy across all evaluated concentrations, selectivity, recovery and matrix effect, dilution linearity, and carryover. Additionally, we illustrate that this assay provides a rapid and accurate means of monitoring high risk HCP clearance for in-process support and can actively guide process improvement and optimization. Lastly, we compare direct digestion platforms and affinity depletion platforms to demonstrate the impact of HCP-mAb interaction on lipase quantification.