Cambridge Healthtech Institute’s Sixth Annual
High-Concentration Protein Formulations:
Analytics, High Viscosity, Aggregation, Devices and Delivery
Part of CHI's Ninth Annual The Bioprocessing Summit
August 23-24, 2017 | Westin Copley Place | Boston, MA
At higher concentrations, proteins or antibodies exhibit characteristic problems including aggregation, precipitation, gelation, and increased viscosity. Development of these high-concentration protein formulations results in several manufacturing, stability,
analytical, and delivery challenges. The popular High-Concentration Protein Formulations conference will feature informative, high quality case studies and successful strategies to overcome the problems you are facing with development and delivery
of high-concentration protein formulations.
Final Agenda
Wednesday, August 23
7:00 am Registration Open and Morning Coffee
8:05 Chairperson’s Opening Remarks
Tom Laue, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Biochemistry, University of New Hampshire
8:15 KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: Considerations of Protein Solubility for High Concentration Formulation Development
Jifeng Zhang, Ph.D., Senior Director, Global Head of Device-ability, Global Pharmaceutical Development Biologics, Sanofi
Low protein solubility and high viscosity of solution are some of the major challenges in development, manufacturing and delivery of high concentration protein formulation. In this presentation, we will discuss various considerations and strategies
to overcome the protein solubility issue for high concentration protein formulation development.
9:00 Probing Complex Protein-Protein Interactions at High Concentrations
Tom Laue, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Biochemistry, University of New Hampshire
There are several methods for detecting and characterizing high-concentration, protein-protein interactions when there is only one protein component. However, high-concentration formulations may contain several components and species. Furthermore,
high-concentration formulations will be introduced into complex, concentrated solutions, such as serum. Fluorescence-detected analytical ultracentrifugation (AU-FDS) provides a first-principle method for characterizing the behavior of a single
component in a complex mixture. Insights provided by AU-FDS for both single-component formulations and serum will be presented and discussed.
9:30 Predicting High-Concentration Behavior from Low-Concentration Data: Need for Caution
Atul Saluja, Ph.D., Associate Director, Global Pharmaceutical Development Biologics, Sanofi
Prediction of aggregation behavior (rates or trends per se) many times becomes necessary either as a function of temperature or protein concentration. Such approaches routinely rely on linear analysis wherein trends at lower protein concentration
are projected to hold at higher protein concentrations. In this talk, data will be presented to emphasize the need for caution in employing such a linear predictive approach. Potential pitfalls in predicting optimal formulation conditions for
concentrated solutions from dilute solution data will also be highlighted.
10:00 Coffee Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing
10:45 Innovative Approaches to Achieving Stable High-Concentration Protein Compositions
Jan Jezek, Ph.D., CSO, Research & Development, Arecor, Ltd.
The need to develop stable, low-viscosity formulations of therapeutic proteins is greater than ever, and new approaches to formulation are needed to overcome associated stability and viscosity challenges. The talk will describe several novel compositions
of concentrated proteins allowing development of liquid high-concentration protein products with superior stability profiles, with a focus on the control of aggregation as well as other quality attributes such as viscosity and fragmentation.
11:15 PANEL DISCUSSION: Opportunities and Challenges in Adoption and Implementation of Disruptive Technologies for High-Concentration Protein Formulations
Moderator:
Tom Laue, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Biochemistry, University of New Hampshire
Panelists:
Atul Saluja, Ph.D., Associate Director, Global Pharmaceutical Development Biologics, Sanofi
Jan Jezek, Ph.D., CSO, Research & Development, Arecor, Ltd.
Jifeng Zhang, Ph.D., Senior Director, Global Head of Device-ability, Global Pharmaceutical Development Biologics, Sanofi
Michael S. Marlow, Ph.D., Senior Staff Scientist, Protein Biochemistry, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
11:45 Particle
Engineering Platform for High-Concentration Protein Suspensions
Deborah Bitterfield, Ph.D., CEO and Founder, Lindy Biosciences, LLC
Suspension formulations can alleviate the viscosity and stability challenges associated with subcutaneous delivery of biologics. We will present a novel dehydration technology, Microglassification, which combines the stability of solid formulations
with particle-engineering expertise. The resulting dense protein particles are ideal for high-concentration, injectable suspensions.
12:15 pm Luncheon Presentation (Sponsorship
Opportunity Available) or Enjoy Lunch on Your Own
1:00 Session Break
1:45 Chairperson’s Remarks
Jan Jezek, Ph.D., CSO, Research & Development, Arecor, Ltd.
1:50 FEATURED PRESENTATION: Mechanistic Investigation on Grinding-Induced Subvisible Particle Formation during Mixing and Filling of Monoclonal Antibody Formulations
Yuh-Fun Maa, Ph.D., Senior Principal Engineer, Pharmaceutical Processing & Technology Development,
Genentech, Inc. - A Member of the Roche Group
Monoclonal antibody (mAb) particle formation observed during bottom mounted mixing and filling by piston pump was investigated to understand the root-cause mechanisms leading to subvisible particle formation. The design of the mixer and the
pump plays a critical role and any designs with contacting moving parts may grind the mAb molecules to immediately form subvisible particles. Stress types associated with grinding action have been assessed in various stress models.
2:20 Formulation and Process Strategies to Improve TFF Performance
Steven Geng, Ph.D., Research Scientist, Bioproduct Pharma Design, Eli Lilly and Company
Desire for higher doses of biologics has driven a need to formulate at higher concentrations. Tangential flow filtration (TFF) is a commonly used unit operation to concentrate protein. Here we have identified and studied how to overcome
factors that limit TFF performance.
2:50 Upstream/Downstream Processing Impact on High-Concentration Formulation Stability: A Case Study
Steve Lantz, Scientist I, Protein Pharmaceutical Development, Biogen
Changes to cell culture and purification processes impacted the aggregation stability of a high-concentration mAb formulation. This case study details the process controls established to maintain product quality and how formulation
optimization inhibited aggregation related to certain chemical modifications.
3:20 Use of First-Principles to Guide Process Development for High Concentration Protein Drug Product
Zhao Yu, Ph.D., Associate Senior Consultant Engineer, Bioproduct Research and Development, Eli Lilly and Company
High concentration protein drug products often have higher viscosity and density, which may result in challenges in process development and manufacturing. This talk presents a case study where engineering principles and computational
fluid dynamics modeling were used to achieve mechanistic understanding of the controlling parameters in a mixing operation. They also guided the design of experiments using surrogate fluids or drug product, which gave further validation
of the process knowledge and provided scale-up rationale.
3:50 Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing
4:45 PLENARY KEYNOTE PRESENTATION
6:00 Networking Reception in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing
7:00 Close of Day
Day 1 | Day 2 | Short Courses | Download Brochure
Thursday, August 24
8:00 am Registration Open and Morning Coffee
8:25 Chairperson’s Remarks
Atul Saluja, Ph.D., Associate Director, Global Pharmaceutical Development Biologics, Sanofi
8:30 Screening Formulation Conditions with High Concentration Self-Interaction Nanoparticle Spectroscopy (HC-SINS)
Michael S. Marlow, Ph.D., Senior Staff Scientist, Protein Biochemistry, Regeneron
Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Manufacturing and dosing of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies frequently call for high protein concentration solutions and the non-ideality that follows complicates reliable extrapolation of critical properties from measurements made
under dilute conditions. This talk will illustrate the utility of a novel implementation of SINS in bridging the dilute-high concentration gap by assessing the concentration dependence of protein-protein interactions and the effect
various formulation strategies have on colloidal behavior.
9:00 Preferential Interactions of Formulation Excipients with High-Concentration IgG1 Monoclonal Antibody Solutions
Chaitanya Sudrik, Postdoctoral Associate, Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology
The aggregation and viscosity behavior of high concentration mAb formulations is impacted by the addition of weakly interacting excipients. Here, we present the data for the preferential interaction of commonly used excipients like
trehalose, L-arginine HCl and sodium chloride with three therapeutically relevant IgG1 antibody molecules. We also present data for the impact of excipient addition on protein stability and derive further insight on the underlying
molecular mechanisms.
9:30Selected Poster Presentation: A Modeling Approach For Excipient Selection in High-Concentration Protein Formulations
Christoph Brandenbusch, Ph.D., Group Leader, Department of Biochemical and Chemical Engineering, Laboratory of Thermodynamics, Technical Univ. of Dortmund
HCPFs are commonly achieved by addition of suitable FDA approved excipients (e.g. salts, sugars, amino acids, surfactants) to aqueous protein solution based on heuristic approaches/decisions. This approach does not account for negative
influences induced by the excipients (e.g. agglomeration) in early stage development. In this work, we present first results on a novel method to identify suitable excipients/excipient combinations based on their intermolecular
interactions with the protein in solution.
10:00 Coffee Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing
10:45 Pre-Formulation Approaches to Understand Instabilities in Protein Solution
Ashlesha S. Raut, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, Biologics and Vaccine Formulation,
Merck
The aim of formulation development of protein therapeutics is to produce efficacious products wherein the protein remains in the solution and maintains stability across its shelf life. With the ever-growing biologics pipeline, continual
efforts are directed towards the implementation of high throughput approaches to select robust candidate and formulation. This presentation discusses the impact of formulation and key process parameters on the protein stabilities
and formulation selection strategies in the early stages of development.
11:15 High Concentration Relative to What? Some Case Studies
Zahra Shahrokh, Ph.D., CMC Consultant and Chief Development Officer, STC Biologics
For each protein, a high concentration is a relative term, where even 10 mg/ml might be a challenge, for example for a non-Mab entity, and achieving 10x higher concentration requires scientific and empirical development approaches.
Meeting the toxicology delivery requirements of protein therapeutics can sometimes be a higher hurdle than the clinical program in terms of product concentration and compositions. This talk with provide case examples of different
types of proteins and delivery routes that necessitated creative approaches to formulation design.
11:45 Challenges of High Protein Concentration Formulations for Ocular Drug Delivery
Meike Irngartinger, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, Early Stage Pharmaceutical
and Process Development, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.
Formulation development for ocular drug delivery is a highly challenging area when it must deal with high concentrations aiming on less frequent dosing schemes. Results of a case study on high concentration formulation development
for ocular application will be presented. Further on, the challenge of high concentration combined with low fill volume on drug product manufacturing and administration is discussed.
12:15 pm Enjoy Lunch on Your Own
1:15 Dessert Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall and Last Chance for Poster Viewing
1:55 Close of Conference