A nanowell platform to identify, sort and expand high antibody-producing cells

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Cell Biology
• Bioprocessing

Background:

• Therapeutic monoclonal antibodies are crucial but costly to produce.
• High manufacturing costs necessitate more efficient cell line production methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel, fast, robust, and safe platform for screening and isolating high-antibody-producing cell lines.
• To improve the efficiency of monoclonal antibody production using a nanowell chip and single-cell isolation.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a nanowell chip and innovative single-cell isolation for screening antibody-producing Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells.
• Ensured single-cell origin, detected individual cell antibody production, and isolated/expanded high-producing cells.
• Conducted screening under sterile conditions using animal-component-free reagents.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated a 1.8-4.5 fold increase in anti-Her2 antibody production in CHO cells screened and isolated via the nanowell platform.
• Achieved titers of 19-100 mg/L in Fed-Batch cultures from selected high-production clones.
• Low producer cells showed no detectable anti-Her2 IgG production.

Conclusions:

• The nanowell platform offers an efficient method for isolating high-yield antibody-producing cell lines.
• This technology can significantly enhance monoclonal antibody production and potentially reduce manufacturing costs.
• The entire process from single-cell seeding to expanded clones takes 4-6 weeks.