Antibody aggregation can lead to reduced Protein A binding capacity and low step yield

Protein A affinity chromatography has been widely used for antibody capture and initial purification. In general, the yield of this step is relatively high (i.e., >90%). However, recently while purifying a bispecific antibody (bsAb) in appended IgG format, the Protein A capture step experienced low yield (i.e., ∼80%). It was found that the target bsAb started appearing in flow-through at a relatively low load density, suggesting that a portion of the expressed bsAb has compromised Protein A binding capability. Further studies indicated that the bsAb in flow-through was mainly in aggregate form. In addition, normal Protein A step yield was restored when the column was loaded with bsAb monomer. Thus, all the evidence pointed to the fact that aggregate with compromised binding capacity was the cause of low Protein A step yield in this case.