Hybrid Mass Spectrometry Applied across the Production of Antibody Biotherapeutics

Post expression from the host cells, biotherapeutics undergo downstream processing steps before final formulation. Mass spectrometry and biophysical characterization methods are valuable for examining conformational and stoichiometric changes at these stages, although typically not used in biomanufacturing, where stability is assessed via bulk property studies. Here we apply hybrid MS methods to understand how solution condition changes impact the structural integrity of a biopharmaceutical across the processing pipeline. As an exemplar product, we use the model IgG1 antibody, mAb4. Flexibility, stability, aggregation propensity, and bulk properties are evaluated in relation to perfusion media, purification stages, and formulation solutions. Comparisons with Herceptin, an extensively studied IgG1 antibody, were conducted in a mass spectrometry-compatible solution. Despite presenting similar charge state distributions (CSD) in native MS, mAb4, and Herceptin show distinct unfolding patterns in activated ion mobility mass spectrometry (aIM-MS) and differential scanning fluorimetry (DSF). Herceptin's greater structural stability and aggregation onset temperature (<i>T</i>_agg) are attributed to heavier glycosylation and kappa-class light chains, unlike the lambda-class light chains in mAb4. Hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) revealed that mAb4 undergoes substantial structural changes during purification, marked by high flexibility, low melting temperature (Tm), and prevalent repulsive protein-protein interactions but transitions to a compact and stable structure in high-salt and formulated environments. Notably, in formulation, the third constant domain (CH3) of the heavy chain retains flexibility and is a region of interest for aggregation. Future work could translate features of interest from comprehensive studies like this to targeted approaches that could be utilized early in the development stage to aid in decision-making regarding targeted mutations or to guide the design space of bioprocesses and formulation choices.