Removal Of Leaked Affinity Purification Ligand
Patent No. US11192919 (titled "Removal Of Leaked Affinity Purification Ligand") was filed by Amgen Inc on Jul 23, 2018.
What is this patent about?
’919 is related to the field of protein purification, specifically the removal of contaminants from protein preparations. A common problem in therapeutic protein production is contamination by affinity ligands, such as Protein A or Protein G, which leach from affinity chromatography columns used in initial purification steps. These ligands bind to the target protein and are difficult to remove without also losing the desired product. Traditional methods like ion exchange chromatography and hydroxyapatite chromatography have limitations in achieving both high recovery and effective contaminant removal.
The underlying idea behind ’919 is to use a tentacle anion exchange matrix to selectively bind the recombinant protein while allowing the contaminating Protein A or G to be washed away. The 'tentacle' structure of the anion exchange resin, with its extended polymer chains bearing the functional groups, is believed to provide unexpectedly better results than other types of anion exchange resins. This allows for efficient binding of the recombinant protein and subsequent elution with high recovery, while simultaneously achieving significant removal of the contaminating ligand.
The claims of ’919 focus on a method for purifying a recombinant protein from a sample containing the recombinant protein and a second protein that binds to the protein. The method involves using a tentacle anion exchange matrix chromatography medium under conditions that allow the recombinant protein to bind. The recombinant protein is then eluted, with the process achieving at least 85% recovery of the recombinant protein and at least 75% removal of the second protein. The recombinant protein must contain a CH2/CH3 region of an antibody , and the second protein must be Protein A or Protein G.
In practice, the method involves loading a sample containing the recombinant protein and the Protein A or G contaminant onto a column packed with the tentacle anion exchange resin. The column is then washed to remove unbound contaminants, including the Protein A or G. Finally, the recombinant protein is eluted by adjusting the buffer conditions, such as increasing the salt concentration or changing the pH. The key is to optimize these conditions to ensure strong binding of the recombinant protein to the anion exchange resin while minimizing the binding of the Protein A or G contaminant.
The differentiation from prior approaches lies in the use of the tentacle anion exchange matrix. While other ion exchange resins might achieve similar levels of protein recovery, they often fall short in effectively removing the leached affinity ligands. The tentacle structure is thought to provide better accessibility to the binding sites on the recombinant protein, leading to more efficient binding and separation from the contaminants. This results in a purified protein preparation with reduced levels of Protein A or G, which is crucial for therapeutic applications.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical landscape at the time
In the early 2010s when ’919 was filed, affinity chromatography was a widely used technique for purifying proteins, especially antibodies and Fc-fusion proteins, at a time when manufacturers of chromatography resins commonly recommended using ion exchange chromatography to remove residual contaminants such as protein A. At that time, anion exchange chromatography was typically operated in a flow-through mode to remove host cell proteins and protein A, while cation exchange chromatography was more typically used in a bind and elute mode.
Novelty and Inventive Step
The examiner allowed the claims because the applicant demonstrated an unexpected advantage to using tentacle anion exchange (AEX) in the bind and elute mode for purifying a recombinant protein containing a CH2/CH3 region. Specifically, the specification showed that using Fractogel EMD TMAE HiCap resin (a tentacle AEX resin) in bind and elute mode was particularly effective in reducing leached protein A while also effectively recovering the TNF receptor F fusion protein.
Claims
This patent contains 18 claims, with claim 1 being the only independent claim. Independent claim 1 is directed to a method for purifying a recombinant protein using tentacle anion exchange chromatography. The dependent claims generally specify particular conditions, components, or steps of the method described in the independent claim.
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Date
Description
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US11192919
- Application Number
- US16042965
- Filing Date
- Jul 23, 2018
- Status
- Granted
- Expiry Date
- Nov 13, 2035
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO, Google Patents