Cambridge Healthtech Institute’s 6th Annual

Advances in Recovery and Purification

Optimizing DSP, Reducing Costs, Accelerating Development

14 - 15 March 2023 ALL TIMES CET

Cambridge Healthtech Institute’s Advances in Recovery and Purification meeting brings together industry and academia to discuss the latest developments in the sustainable capture, recovery, and purification of biotherapeutics— mAb and non-mAb – with data-driven case studies on next-generation technologies and strategies in affinity chromatography, clarification, depth filtration, automation, HTPD, new membranes, flocculation, as well as DSP strategies for emerging modalities, such as fragments, bispecifics, ADCs, gene therapies, mRNA therapeutics, and vaccines. How do your strategies compare?

Tuesday, 14 March

Registration and Morning Coffee (Garden Room)07:00

ROOM LOCATION: Rossini 2

PLATFORMING COMPLEX BIOLOGICS

08:25

Chairperson's Opening Remarks

David O’Connell, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Biomolecular & Biomedical Science, University College Dublin

08:30 KEYNOTE PRESENTATION

Precision Medicine for Cancer Treatment Leveraging Industrialized, Robust and Simple Bispecific Antibody Platform: Learnings from a 10-Year Journey

James Reilly, Associate Director, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for almost 10 million deaths in 2020. Regeneron has a bispecific immuno-oncology platform technology, where the patient's immune system is activated to recognize and eliminate cancer cells, that has shown substantial potential across cancer types. This presentation outlines key learnings from a 10-year journey whereby these bispecific antibodies have become readily available industrialized therapeutics amenable to meeting a global demand.

09:00 FEATURED PRESENTATION

Implementation of Purification Platform for Nanobody Molecules – Lessons Learned

Kaihui Hu He, PhD, Laboratory Head, Microbial Platform DSP, Global CMC Development, Sanofi

Nanobody molecules, a type of single-domain antibody, are an attractive drug class thanks to their therapeutic versatility and production advantages. In our Microbial Platform Downstream Processing team, Nanobody molecules from microbial fermentation extracts are handled by a classical multi-step process entailing Capture, Intermediate, Polishing Purification, and Ultrafiltration-Diafiltration steps. Tailored processes and adaptations have been made to reduce impurities and multimerizations to accommodate demands in clinical development.

09:30 Trehalose, Sucrose and Amino Acids: Essential Components of Platform Biopharma Formulations Applications, Related Functionalities and Performance in Biologic Drug Product Formulations and m-RNA Technologies

Thomas Nsenda, Director, Business Development, Pfanstiehl GmbH

Biotherapeutics Stabilized with Trehalose / Sucrose

Platform Biopharma Formulation

Advantages of Trehalose over Sucrose

From Liposome to m-RNA vaccines –importance of highly purified and characterized stabilizing Excipients

Components in mRNA-LNP vaccine / Stability Enhancing Excipients in mRNA Vaccines / Technology

Utilizations and functionalities of Sucrose and Trehalose in Covid 19 related formulations & applications

AA Buffers : utilization of highly characterized AAs as Excipients

AAs as viscosity lowering Excipients

Methionine as Stabilizer and Antioxidant

Grand Opening Coffee Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing (Verdi/Vivaldi)10:00

DOWNSTREAM PROCESSING FOR COMPLEX BIOLOGICS

10:45

Downstream Processing of DuoBody and HexaBody Antibody Formats

Rick Hibbert, PhD, Senior Director, Head of CMC Science and Technologies, Genmab BV

Genmab’s DuoBody platform is a versatile technology for generating bispecific antibodies via a post-production exchange process. The HexaBody platform allows for the creation of potent therapeutics by promoting hexamer formation on the cell surface for enhanced complement-mediated cytotoxicity. These platforms are used to create next-generation antibody therapeutics. Case studies describe the downstream processing strategies that are utilized to control the process at research and manufacturing scale.

11:15

Development of a High-Throughput Purification Workflow within the Constraints of a Containment Facility

Daniel Melotte, PhD, Scientist II, Downstream Development, IPSEN Biopharm Ltd.

Developing commercial Upstream and Downstream processes for potent molecules can be highly challenging due to processes requiring containment facilities to isolate the product from the operator. Standard high-throughput screening platforms are not viable due to the limited space within these highly controlled containment facilities. This project aimed to configure and program an ÄKTA Pure to establish an automated method to process multiple bioreactor samples through multiple purifications and buffer conditioning steps in containment to enable better decision-making for Upstream development.

11:45

Real-Time Aggregate Detection during Cation Exchange Bind-and-Elute Chromatography for Optimised Pooling: A BioPhorum Proof-of-Concept Collaboration

Matthias Wiendahl, Principal Scientist, Biopharm API Support, Novo Nordisk AS

An industry-wide team consisting of 18 companies from pharmaceutical manufacturers and suppliers organised by BioPhorum is working on a proof of concept for controlling product collection during bind-and-elute cation exchange chromatography of monoclonal antibodies. The analytical technique of choice is real-time multi-angle light scattering (RT-MALS) which is used for aggregate monitoring. This talk will summarize the project setup, the challenges encountered and the experimental design developed by the team. Initial results from experiments performed will be also highlighted.

12:15 Process Development Considerations for mAb Purification using Mixed-Mode Resins

Artur Stanczak, Field Application Specialist, EMEA, Process Chromatography, Bio-Rad Laboratories

Process intensification focuses on improving the mAb workflow, and one focus area is to reduce the downstream processing steps. This study presents a comparison of two mixed-mode (MM) resin alternatives for the polishing step after the Protein A capture reducing the number of purification steps. Data will show the behavior of different mAbs with different MM resins and DOE. The results of both studies will show the ability to achieve high-purity product while enhancing process efficiencies.

Networking Lunch (Sponsor Opportunity Available)12:45

ADVANCING RECOVERY AND PURIFICATION

13:45

Chairperson's Remarks

David O’Connell, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Biomolecular & Biomedical Science, University College Dublin

13:50

Digital UF-DF-UF Twin: How to Successfully Design This Crucial Bioprocess Step

Maximilian Krippl, PhD, Head of Bioprocess Modeling Consulting, Novasign GmbH

Ultra- and diafiltration is a critical step in virtually every bioprocess. Due to various membrane interactions, it can be difficult to fully recover the product which leads to low yields and higher overall process costs. By introducing controlled process variations, hybrid modeling helps to identify the best suited process conditions with few experiments. We present a UF-DF-UF model to predict and describe product and membrane specific filtration processes.

14:20

3D Visualization and Characterization of Chromatographic Packed Bed and Individual Bead Structure

Thomas F. Johnson, PhD, Senior Research Fellow, Biochemical Engineering, University College London

In this study, high resolution X-ray computed tomography is applied to visualise and characterise internal geometry of packed beds and individual beads made of agarose, cellulose and ceramics. Pixel sizes from 3 µm to 32 nm enabled resolution of detailed features to analyse properties including porosity and available surface area, with positional based analysis able to identify physical phenomena such as wall effects.

14:50 Scalability of a Protein A Membrane Chromatography

Jessica Chow-Hubbertz, Lab Head DSP, Bioprocess Engineering, SANOFI

Protein A chromatography is widely used for the capture step of antibodies and Fc-containing molecules. Protein A membrane could be an alternative to resin-based column with the advantage of a higher productivity and lower CoGs especially with low batch number. The scalability of the Gore Protein A membrane from 1 mL to 1 L device will be shown.

Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing (Verdi/Vivaldi)15:20

IMPROVING RECOVERY AND PROCESS UNDERSTANDING

15:40

Development of Purification Procedures for Engineered 10kDa Scaffolds from a Novel Selection Platform

David O’Connell, PhD, Associate Professor, School of Biomolecular & Biomedical Science, University College Dublin

This talk describes two directions toward therapeutic developments: 1) the design and production of proprietary protein libraries based on a small and stable scaffold with a screening procedure that has identified specific binders against difficult-to-drug targets, and 2) approaches to (a) producing a candidate drug-protein at scale and (b) high-throughput production method development for candidates from selections for functional screening rounds are described using tagless, affinity tag-based, and twin IEX approaches.

16:10

Multi-Product Protein A Resin Reuse for Biopharmaceutical Products

Stanislas Helle, PhD, Postdoc Researcher, Chemical Sciences, University of Limerick

The overall purpose is to compare the performance of a resin reused to process a single product stream with the same mAb select Sure protein A resin type reused to process two product streams. The specific objectives of the project are to conduct a proof of concept study using protein A resin, 2 IgG product streams produced by a platform CHO cell lines and advanced analytical methodology using LC-MS. Here, we developed the experimental design to determine if the same yield and quality of product can be obtained compared to keeping the resin dedicated to the one product stream only.

16:40

CSL112 Process Characterization: A Modern Process Development Approach Implementing QbD Principles

Jonathan Eras, PhD, Senior Manager, Process Development R&D, CSL Behring

A modern process development approach implementing QbD principles will be presented which is very relevant to ensure process understanding

17:10 Sartobind Rapid A Is a Novel mAb Capture Solution from Early Development with Streamlink to Commercial Manufacturing

Ricarda Busse, Product Manager, Product Management Chromatography Consumables, Sartorius

Rayan Mattamir, Market Entry Strategy Manager, Market Entry Strategy Seperations, Sartorius

The mAb capture step represents a bottleneck in DSP. Protein A resins are diffusion-limited chromatography materials requiring low flow rates, resulting in low productivity. Here, we present a novel chromatography membrane combining superior binding capacities with high flow rates for high productivity while achieving comparable product quality as state-of-the art protein A resins. StreamLink® incorporates Sartobind® Rapid A nano for automated, high throughput and efficient Sample Prep.

Welcome Reception in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing (Verdi/Vivaldi)17:40

Close of Day18:45

Wednesday, 15 March

Registration and Morning Coffee (Garden Room)08:00

ROOM LOCATION: Rossini 2

CONTINUOUS DOWNSTREAM PROCESSING

08:25

Chairperson's Remarks

Margit Holzer, PhD, Owner, Ulysse Consult

08:30

Cell-Tolerant Radial Affinity Chromatography

Michel H.M. Eppink, PhD, Senior Director, Downstream Processing, Byondis BV

Biopharmaceutical proteins (e.g. monoclonal antibodies) are important therapeutic medicines for different human diseases such as oncology. In this presentation, the USP bioreactor will be directly integrated into the DSP capture column so that the expressed monoclonal antibody can be directly purified on the capture step consisting of a disposable cell Tolerant Radial Affinity Chromatography (cTRAC) column and the cells efficiently removed as waste in closed disposable bags.

09:00

Production Processes of Different Modalities

Margit Holzer, PhD, Owner, Ulysse Consult

09:30

Latest Developments in Continuous Downstream Processing: Updates from CODOBIO

Raquel Aires-Barros, PhD, Professor, Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico

The CODOBIO consortium consists of nine industry partners, eight universities, one research organisation, a regulatory institution and a business consultancy, and has developed a research and training programme including relevant scientific/technical and transferable skills trainings. This presentation will review the cutting-edge science and future industrial applications of the findings.

10:00 Advances in Protein A Chromatography Resins

William Bowen, Field Application Specialist, Purolite

Jetting technology is a continuous emulsification technology by which all Praesto® chromatography resins are produced. This proprietary technology results in resins with a narrow, almost uniform particle size distribution, with excellent mass transfer properties. Herein, we present advances which utilize Jetting technology, including process intensification models and a novel Protein A resin designed specifically for elution of Fc-containing molecules at higher pH levels.

Coffee Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing (Verdi/Vivaldi)10:30

ROOM LOCATION: Rossini 1 + 2

PLENARY SESSION: EMERGING MODALITIES, PLATFORMS, AND TECHNOLOGIES – FROM mRNA TO PROTEINS

11:15

Chairperson's Opening Remarks

Margit Holzer, PhD, Owner, Ulysse Consult

11:20 PLENARY PRESENTATION:

Overcoming CMC and Supply Chain Challenges for mRNA Technologies

Gregory Troiano, Chief Manufacturing Officer, mRNA Center of Excellence, sanofi

Thanks to the rapid development of mRNA vaccines for COVID-19, the industry now has the momentum and resources to overcome many of the early CMC challenges and realize its enormous potential. This presentation will discuss the strategies in place to overcome CMC and supply chain challenges for mRNA technologies already and future innovations primed to take it to the next level.

11:50 PLENARY PRESENTATION:

Affinity Proteins for Biotechnological and Medical Purposes

Sophia Hober, PhD, Professor, School of Biotechnology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology

Affinity proteins are crucial for life, for building structures, performing reactions, and for signaling purposes. In life sciences and medicine, affinity proteins are used to generate knowledge, but also for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. This talk will cover how antibodies and small affinity molecules can be used to map the human proteome, develop diagnostic tools for in vivo visualization as well as efficiently purify therapeutics based on antibodies.

Transition to Sessions12:20

ROOM LOCATION: Rossini 1

12:30 Designing Purification Strategies for Bispecific Antibodies Based on Molecule Design

Jakob Liderfelt, Global Product Manager - Antibody Polishing, Cytiva

Developing purification protocols for multispecific antibodies present extra challenges compared to conventional therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Strategies for efficient capture and polishing are discussed already in antibody engineering. Strategies include available resins and methods and need to give sufficient separation of product and process related impurities. This presentation covers different aspects of designing a GMP purification process for bispecific antibodies.

Networking Lunch (Sponsor Opportunity Available)13:00

Close of Advances in Recovery and Purification Conference14:00