Multidimensional LC-MS with 1D multi-method option and parallel middle-up and bottom-up MS acquisition for in-depth characterization of antibodies

• Published in: Journal of Chromatography A 2024-07, Vol.1726, p.464947, Article 464947
• Main Authors: Verscheure, Liesa, Detremmerie, Shauni, Stals, Hilde, De Vos, Jelle, Sandra, Pat, Lynen, Frederic, Borgions, Filip, Sandra, Koen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antibodies; FcRn affinity chromatography; Hydrogen-deuterium exchange MS; Multi-attribute analysis; Multidimensional LC-MS
• ISSN: 0021-9673
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2024.464947

•Automated characterization of charge, size and hydrophobic variants by mD-LC-MS.•Incorporation of 1D multi-method option and parallel 2D middle-up and 4D bottom-up MS.•Efficient analysis of Fc fragment with limited sample consumption and manipulation.•Observations explained in structure/function context by HDX-MS and FcRn affinity-MS. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are large and highly heterogeneous species typically characterized using a plethora of analytical methodologies. There is a trend within the biopharmaceutical industry to combine several of these methods in one analytical platform to simultaneously assess multiple structural attributes. Here, a protein analyzer for the fully automated middle-up and bottom-up liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis of charge, size and hydrophobic variants is described. The multidimensional set-up combines a multi-method option in the first dimension (1D) (choice between size exclusion - SEC, cation exchange - CEX or hydrophobic interaction chromatography - HIC) with second dimension (2D) on-column reversed-phase (RPLC) based desalting, denaturation and reduction prior to middle-up LC-MS analysis of collected 1D peaks and parallel on-column trypsin digestion of denatured and reduced peaks in the third dimension (3D) followed by bottom-up LC-MS analysis in the fourth dimension (4D). The versatile and comprehensive workflow is applied to the characterization of charge, hydrophobic and size heterogeneities associated with an engineered Fc fragment and is complemented with hydrogen-deuterium exchange (HDX) MS and FcRn affinity chromatography – native MS to explain observations in a structural/functional context.