Efficient capture of monoclonal antibody from cell culture supernatant using protein A media contained in a cuboid packed-bed device
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Published on: August 16, 2019
Guoqiang Chen1, Alisha Gerrior1, Yves Durocher2
1Department of Chemical Engineering, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4L7, Canada.
Insights
A novel cuboid packed-bed device enhances monoclonal antibody (mAb) purification using protein A affinity chromatography. This device offers improved separation efficiency and faster processing compared to traditional columns.
Area of Science:
- Biotechnology
- Chemical Engineering
- Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing
Background:
- Protein A affinity chromatography is a key method for monoclonal antibody (mAb) purification.
- Traditional column chromatography can face limitations in efficiency and throughput.
- Optimizing packed-bed device design is crucial for biopharmaceutical process development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the separation efficiency of a cuboid packed-bed device for mAb purification.
- To compare the performance of the cuboid device against a conventional column.
- To assess the impact of the cuboid device on purification speed, buffer consumption, and product concentration.
Main Methods:
- Monoclonal antibody separation using a cuboid packed-bed device with protein A resin.
- Comparative analysis against an equivalent cylindrical column chromatography system.
- Measurement of theoretical plates, peak sharpness, and elution profiles at various flow rates.
Main Results:
- The cuboid device demonstrated significantly higher theoretical plates (8750/m) compared to the column (~4700/m) at 0.5 mL/min.
- Sharper impurity flow-through and eluted mAb peaks were observed with the cuboid device.
- Reduced effective separation time, lower buffer consumption, smaller pooled mAb volume, and higher mAb concentration were achieved.
Conclusions:
- The cuboid packed-bed device offers superior performance for mAb purification via protein A affinity chromatography.
- This novel device design has the potential to significantly improve the efficiency and economics of biopharmaceutical manufacturing.
- Higher flow rates can be employed with the cuboid device without compromising separation efficiency, leading to faster processing times.
Abstract:
A box-shaped or cuboid packed-bed device was used for monoclonal antibody (mAb) separation using protein A affinity chromatography. The separation efficiency of the device was compared with an equivalent column i.e. packed with same resin, and having identical bed height and bed volume. The protein A media packed cuboid device had a larger number of theoretical plates than its equivalent column, e.g. 8750/m as opposed to about 4700/m at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min. In mAb purification experiments, the impurity flow-through and eluted mAb peaks were shaper with the cuboid device. This implied that the effective separation time and buffer consumption with this device was lower, the purified mAb pooled volume was smaller, and the mAb concentration in the pooled volume was greater. Equivalent separation efficiency could be obtained with the cuboid device using higher flow rates than that used with the column. For instance, elution peaks equivalent to those obtainable by the column could be obtained at a 5 times greater flow rate using the cuboid device. The results discussed in this paper clearly demonstrate the potential for improving the efficiency of protein A affinity chromatography based mAb purification by using a cuboid packed-bed device.
