Novel spiking methods developed for anion exchange chromatography operating in a continuous process

• Published in: Biotechnology and bioengineering 2020-11, Vol.117 (11), p.3379-3389
• Main Authors: Li, Ying, Chang, Audrey, Beattie, David, Remington, Kathryn M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anion exchange; anion exchange chromatography; Anion exchanging; Antibodies, Monoclonal - analysis; Antibodies, Monoclonal - metabolism; Batch processing; Biological Products - analysis; Biological Products - metabolism; Biological Products - standards; Bioreactors; Cell Culture Techniques - methods; Chromatography; Chromatography, Ion Exchange - methods; Column chromatography; continuous processing; Manufacturing industry; Monoclonal antibodies; Spiking; viral clearance; virus spiking; Viruses; Viruses - isolation & purification
• ISSN: 0006-3592; 1097-0290
• DOI: 10.1002/bit.27500

Many manufacturers of biopharmaceuticals are moving from batch to continuous processing. While this approach offers advantages over batch processing, demonstration of viral clearance for continuous processes is challenging. Fluctuating output from a continuous process chromatography column results in a nonhomogeneous load for the subsequent column and must be considered when designing viral clearance studies. One approach to clearance studies is to downscale the connected unit operations and introduce virus by in‐line spiking. This is challenging to be implemented at the contract research organization performing the clearance study given the complexity of systems and level of expertise required. Alternately, each unit operation could be evaluated in traditional batch mode but the spiking and loading conditions be modified to mimic the variance introduced by the transition between two connected columns. Using a standard chromatography system, we evaluated a flow‐through anion exchange chromatography step in a monoclonal antibody (mAb) manufacturing process using five different methods to introduce the virus to the column. Our data show that whether the virus or the mAbs were introduced in concentrated peaks, or as a homogeneous batch, the clearance of mouse minute virus was similar. This study introduces an alternative way to evaluate viral clearance in a continuous process and demonstrates the robustness of anion exchange chromatography unit operating in continuous processing. The authors addressed the challenge of evaluating viral clearance by a chromatography column in a continuous process using a standard chromatography system and varying the way in which spiking virus and the product feed were introduced to the column. For an AEX column operated in a flow through mode, there was no difference in the overall clearance whether the virus and feed were introduced in a homogeneous batch mode or with concentrated pulses of virus and/or mAb feed.