Boggiano-Ayo Tammy, Palacios-Oliva Julio, Lozada-Chang Sumlai, Relova-Hernandez Ernesto, Gomez-Perez Jose, Oliva Gonzalo, Hernandez Lourdes, Bueno-Soler Alexi, Montes de Oca Daidee, Mora Osvaldo, Machado-Santisteban Roberto, Perez-Martinez Dayana, Perez-Masson Beatriz, Cabrera Infante Yanelys, Calzadilla-Rosado Lisandra, Ramirez Yaima, Aymed-Garcia Judey, Ruiz-Ramirez Ingrid, Romero Yamile, Gomez Tania, Espinosa Luis A, Gonzalez Luis Javier, Cabrales Annia, Guirola Osmany, de la Luz Kathya Rashida, Pi-Estopiñan Franciscary, Sanchez-Ramirez Belinda, Garcia-Rivera Dagmar, Valdes-Balbin Yuri, Rojas Gertrudis, Leon-Monzon Kalet, Ojito-Magaz Eduardo, Hardy Eugenio
Process Development Direction, Center of Molecular Immunology, Havana, Cuba.
Immunology and Immunobiology Direction, Center of Molecular Immunology, Havana, Cuba.
Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2023 Nov 17;11:1287551. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1287551. eCollection 2023.
We have developed a single process for producing two key COVID-19 vaccine antigens: SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) monomer and dimer. These antigens are featured in various COVID-19 vaccine formats, including SOBERANA 01 and the licensed SOBERANA 02, and SOBERANA Plus. Our approach involves expressing RBD (319-541)-His6 in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)-K1 cells, generating and characterizing oligoclones, and selecting the best RBD-producing clones. Critical parameters such as copper supplementation in the culture medium and cell viability influenced the yield of RBD dimer. The purification of RBD involved standard immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC), ion exchange chromatography, and size exclusion chromatography. Our findings suggest that copper can improve IMAC performance. Efficient RBD production was achieved using small-scale bioreactor cell culture (2 L). The two RBD forms - monomeric and dimeric RBD - were also produced on a large scale (500 L). This study represents the first large-scale application of perfusion culture for the production of RBD antigens. We conducted a thorough analysis of the purified RBD antigens, which encompassed primary structure, protein integrity, N-glycosylation, size, purity, secondary and tertiary structures, isoform composition, hydrophobicity, and long-term stability. Additionally, we investigated RBD-ACE2 interactions, ACE2 recognition of RBD, and the immunogenicity of RBD antigens in mice. We have determined that both the monomeric and dimeric RBD antigens possess the necessary quality attributes for vaccine production. By enabling the customizable production of both RBD forms, this unified manufacturing process provides the required flexibility to adapt rapidly to the ever-changing demands of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants and different COVID-19 vaccine platforms.
严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2(SARS-CoV-2)受体结合域(RBD)单体和二聚体。这些抗原存在于多种新冠病毒疫苗剂型中,包括SOBERANA 01和已获许可的SOBERANA 02以及SOBERANA Plus。我们的方法包括在中国仓鼠卵巢(CHO)-K1细胞中表达RBD(319-541)-His6,生成并鉴定寡克隆,然后选择产生RBD能力最强的克隆。诸如培养基中铜的添加量和细胞活力等关键参数会影响RBD二聚体的产量。RBD的纯化涉及标准的固定化金属离子亲和色谱(IMAC)、离子交换色谱和尺寸排阻色谱。我们的研究结果表明铜可以提高IMAC的性能。使用小型生物反应器细胞培养(2升)实现了RBD的高效生产。两种RBD形式——单体RBD和二聚体RBD——也实现了大规模(500升)生产。这项研究代表了灌注培养在RBD抗原生产中的首次大规模应用。我们对纯化后的RBD抗原进行了全面分析,包括一级结构、蛋白质完整性、N-糖基化、大小、纯度、二级和三级结构、异构体组成、疏水性以及长期稳定性。此外,我们研究了RBD与血管紧张素转换酶2(ACE2)的相互作用、ACE2对RBD的识别以及RBD抗原在小鼠体内的免疫原性。我们已经确定单体和二聚体RBD抗原都具备疫苗生产所需的质量属性。通过能够定制生产两种RBD形式,这种统一的制造工艺提供了所需的灵活性,以便迅速适应不断变化的新型SARS-CoV-2变体需求和不同的新冠病毒疫苗平台。