High-performance countercurrent membrane purification for host cell protein removal from monoclonal antibody products

The transition to continuous biomanufacturing has led to renewed interest in alternative approaches for downstream processing of monoclonal antibody (mAb) products. In this study, we examined the potential of using high-performance countercurrent membrane purification (HPCMP) for the removal of host cell proteins (HCPs) derived from Chinese Hamster Ovary cells in the purification of a mAb. Initial studies used several model proteins to identify appropriate operating conditions for the hollow fiber membrane modules. HPCMP was then used for mAb purification, with mAb yield >95% and more than 100-fold reduction in HCP. Stable operation was maintained for 48 h for feeds that were first prefiltered through the 3M^TM Harvest RC chromatographic clarifier to remove DNA and other foulants. In addition, the Process Mass Intensity for HPCMP can be much less than that for alternative HCP separation processes. These results highlight the potential of using HPCMP as part of a fully continuous mAb production process.