Anticorpos monoclonais (AcMos) para uso terapêutico correspondem a uma área importante na indústria de biofármacos, em especial os AcMos humanos, que apresentam menor probabilidade de elicitar imunogenicidade. O objetivo deste trabalho consistiu em obter AcMos humanos antitetânicos através da separação de linfócitos B produtores de anticorpos específicos utilizando o antígeno ou de plasmablastos. As células foram coletadas de doadores após vacinação e separadas por equipamento de cell sorter. As regiões variáveis dos anticorpos foram amplificadas e clonadas em vetores de expressão, que foram usados para transfectar transitoriamente células HEK293-F. O uso da toxina tetânica conjugada independentemente com dois marcadores, biotina e Alexa Fluor® 647, possibilitou a separação específica de linfócitos B produtores de AcMos antitetânicos, que foram avaliados por ELISA, western blotting e pela inibição da ligação da toxina ao gangliosídio GT1b. O ensaio in vivo mostrou proteção total dos animais contra a toxina tetânica quando três AcMos foram usados em conjunto. / Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for therapeutic use correspond to a major area of the biopharmaceutical industry, especially human mAbs that are less prone to elicit immunogenicity. The objective of this work was to obtain anti-tetanus human mAbs through separation of memory B lymphocytes producing specific antibodies stained with the antigen or plasmablasts. Cells were collected from peripheral blood of donors after vaccination and separated through cell sorting. The variable regions of the antibodies were amplified and cloned in expression vectors for transient transfection of HEK293-F cells. The staining with the tetanus toxin labeled independently with two markers, biotin and Alexa Fluor® 647 allowed the separation of specific B lymphocytes producing anti-tetanus mAbs. The antibodies expressed were evaluated by ELISA, western blotting and the inhibition of the binding of the tetanus toxin to the ganglioside GT1b. The in vivo neutralization assay showed that a pool of three different mAbs were able to protect mice against the tetanus toxin.

O projeto de obtenção de huAcMos (Anticorpos Monoclonais Humanizados) tinha como escopo a humanização de anticorpos murinos com potencial terapêutico, inserção das sequências em vetores de expressão e transfecção em células CHO (do inglês, Chinese Hamster Ovary). A expressão do huAcMo Anti-CD18 resultou em baixos níveis da proteína recombinante e inciamos o processo de expressão de isoformas do huAcMo Anti-CD3. As células foram transfectadas com seqüências codificadoras do fragmento FvFc Anti-CD3 e clonadas pelo equipamento ClonePix FL. O fragmento foi caracterizado e demonstrou uma menor afinidade quando comparada com a molécula murina original. Ulizamos o sistema de recombinação homóloga (CHO Flp-In, Invitrogen) para expressão da molécula inteira do huAcMo Anti-CD3. Os clones foram caracterizados e demonstrou, assim como o fragmento FvFc, uma menor afinidade pelo alvo. As diferenças nas propriedades de ligação são freqüentemente encontradas após processos de humanização; dependendo da função efetora esta diminuição de afinidade não é negativa para a molécula. / The humanized antibodies (huMab) project intent to use murine antibodies with therapeutic potencial to obtain more human sequences with maintened specificity. The sequences were inserted in expression vectors and transfected in CHO (Chinese Hamster Ovary) cells. Anti-CD18 huMab expression results in low levels of recombinant protein and lead us to try the expression of Anti-CD3 isoforms. The cells were transfected for the expression of a FvFc antibody fragment and cloned using ClonePix FL equipment. The fragment characterization demonstrate a lower affinity when compared with the murine molecule. We use the homologous recombination system (CHO Flp-In) for the expression of the whole molecule of huMab Anti-CD3; like the FvFc fragment, the whole molecule demonstrate a lower affinity for the target. The differences in the affinity properties are frequently found after humanization process and depending on the expected efector functions is not negatively characterized.

<p>Liquid chromatography coupling with mass spectrometry (LC/MS) plays an important role in pharmaceutical characterization because of its ability to separate, identify, and quantify individual compounds from the mixture. Polymer brush layer bonded to the silica surface is designed as a novel stationary phase to improve the LC resolution and MS compatibility. The polymer thickness can be controlled to shield the analyte from interacting with the active silanol on the surface and reduce peak tailing. The functional group of the polymer can be changed to tune the selectivity in different separation modes. </p><p> </p><p>Two projects on LC/MS method development for biomolecule characterization using polymer-shell column are discussed in this work. In the first project, a polymer-shell column is used for disulfide bonds and free thiol subspecies identification, which is a major type of structural heterogeneities in IgG1. Compared with commercial columns, the polymer-shell column is able to resolve the free thiol variants without the presence of trifluoroacetic acid and greatly improve the MS signal. In the second project, a polymer-shell column is used for characterizing the drug-loading profile for antibody-drug-conjugates (ADC) via online LC/MS. The separation employs a mobile phase of 50 mM ammonium acetate to keep the ADC intact, and a gradient of water/isopropanol for ADC elution. MS data show that all ADC species remained intact and native on the column. Positional isomers can be separated and identified with the new method as well. Furthermore, to understand the surface chemistry and protein separation behavior quantitatively, a chromatographic simulation study is performed. The result shows that protein separation in RPLC can be described by a bi-Langmuir adsorption isotherm with mixed-mode retention of strong and weak sites. Smaller fractions and lower equilibrium constant of the strong site, which is the active silanol, give less tailing for protein separation.</p>

1. The effect of urotensin II (U-II) on spontaneous transmitter release was examined in the frog to see if the biological activity of this vasoactive peptide extended to neural tissues. 2. In normal Ringer solution, frog and human U-II (fU-II and hU-II, respectively) caused concentration-dependent, reversible increases in miniature endplate potential (MEPP) frequency, with hU-II about 22 times more potent than fU-II. hU-II caused a dose-dependent increase in MEPP amplitude, whereas fU-II caused an increase, followed by a decrease with higher concentrations. 3. Increasing extracellular Ca 2+ three-fold had no effect on the MEPP frequency increase to 25 μM hU-II. Pretreatment with thapsigargin to deplete endoplasmic reticulum Ca 2+ caused a 61% reduction in the MEPP frequency increase to 25 μM hU-II. 4. Pretreatment with the phospholipase C inhibitor U-73122 caused a 93% reduction in the MEPP frequency increase to 25 μM hU-II and a 15% reduction in the increase in MEPP amplitude. Pretreating with antibodies against the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP 3) type 1 receptor using liposomal techniques reduced the MEPP frequency increase by 83% but had no effect on MEPP amplitude. 5. Pretreating with protein kinase C inhibitors (bisindolylmaleimide I and III) had no effect on the response to 25 μM hU-II, but pretreating with protein kinase A inhibitors (H-89 and KT5720) reduced the MEPP frequency increase by 88% and completely abolished the increase in MEPP amplitude. 6. Our results show that hU-II is a potent stimulator of spontaneous transmitter release in the frog and that the effect is mediated by IP 3 and cyclic AMP/protein kinase A.

No description available.

<p>The overall time and cost for a drug to go from the drug discovery to the consumer market is  significant,  showing  a  need  for  improved  drug  testing  and  discovery  methods.    Work  on nonlinear  optical  methods  for  both  small  active  pharmaceutical  ingredient  drug  formulation analysis and large biological therapeutic stability testing has been shown to improve testing times for formulation, stability and dissolution testing.  Herein, we review the existing and conventional approaches to address stability testing that the pharmaceutical industry uses, and how leveraging nonlinear optical (NLO) methods can improve the current challenges.  The specificity, sensitivity and low limit of detection of second harmonic generation is discussed in application to crystal formation in small-molecule active pharmaceutical ingredients.  The nonlinear optical methods second harmonic generation and two-photon excited ultraviolet fluorescence are directly compared to  ‘gold  standard’  powder  X-ray  diffraction,  which  is  commonly  used  for  measuring  crystal formation and growth of active pharmaceutical ingredients in amorphous solid dispersions.  In addition, the existing FRAP method (with multiple limitations) is improved upon with the ability to  perform  recovered  diffusion  coefficient  data  analysis  in  the  spatial  Fourier  domain.    The collective results discussed in this thesis are just a small subset of the total breadth of investigations marrying the new challenges in the pharmaceutical industry with the new NLO tools tailored to meet them</p>

<p dir="ltr">Biopharmaceuticals, such as insulin, monoclonal antibodies, growth hormones, and vaccines, have emerged as a major class of therapeutic molecules. Subcutaneous administration of biotherapeutics is a convenient drug delivery method that is less invasive, requires shorter clinic times, improves patient compliance, and reduces cost to the healthcare system compared to intravenous administration. The mass transport of a therapeutic injected into the subcutaneous tissue is dictated by physiochemical properties of the molecule such as size and electrostatic charge. The bioavailability and efficacy of the therapeutic formulation depend on efficient transport of the molecule from the injection site to lymphatic or blood vessels. The injected biotherapeutic needs to traverse complex structures of the subcutis and the extracellular matrix (ECM) before it arrives at the uptake site. In vitro transport screening platforms provide insights into the effects of tissue and therapeutic properties on macromolecular transport through biological barriers.</p><p dir="ltr">In this work, we develop an in vitro Transwell macromolecular recovery platform, an economical and high-throughput method that can be used to systematically evaluate effects of ECM components on mass transport properties of macromolecules. In Chapters 2-3, we engineer subcutaneous tissue models based on collagen type I ((Col I), the most abundant fibrillar protein in the subcutaneous ECM) and hyaluronic acid ((HA), an anionic and highly viscous polysaccharide). In Chapter 2, we optimize protocols to reproducibly fabricate Col I and combined Col I and HA (ColHA) hydrogels. In Chapter 3, we establish a workflow to characterize collagen material from different sources (animal sources, different vendors, and between batches of identical material) since inherent variabilities can occur.</p><p dir="ltr">Next, we develop and optimize a high throughput Transwell platform, and we screen the transport of macromolecules, which are representative of current therapeutics used in subcutaneous injections. We demonstrate that macromolecular transport within Col type I (Col I), blended collagen I and II (Col I/II), blended Col I and III (Col I/III), and combined Col I and HA hydrogels (ColHA) hydrogels is inversely related to the hydrodynamic radius of the diffusing macromolecules. Blending col I/II and I/III gels results in altered fibril morphologies (smaller fibrils), which decrease mass recovery rates. Increasing HA concentration within the Col I hydrogels decreases macromolecular recovery. This decrease is mainly a consequence of increased viscosity within the matrix. Recovery rates of large molecules such as immunoglobulin G (IgG), a molecule similar in size to therapeutic antibodies, were highly sensitive to HA concentration in col hydrogels. Smaller molecules, such as myoglobin and lysozyme, that are similar in size to insulin experience electrostatic effects as HA concentration increases within col gels. Recovery of macromolecules in an HA solution was a function of both electrostatic and steric interactions. The results from these studies were highly reproducible and highlighted the robustness of the optimized assay.</p><p dir="ltr">Our results thus demonstrate that the Transwell platform can be utilized for systematic evaluation of therapeutic transport as a function of molecular characteristics. The results presented can inform desirable physiochemical properties for efficient biotherapeutic transport within the subcutaneous tissue. </p><p dir="ltr">In the last main portion of the thesis, we work with elastin, another biologically derived material. In this portion, we developed an optimized method for expression and purification of elastin-like polypeptide proteins. We then present a method to chemically alter the material to introduce underwater adhesive properties to the material.</p>

No description available.

Ce travail étudie l'intérêt de l'ajout d'hydrolysats de levure dans un procédé de culture de cellules CHO productrices d'anticorps en vue, d'une part, de déterminer leur condition d'utilisation et leur rôle, et, d'autre part, de caractériser les composés actifs. Pour répondre à ces objectifs, une démarche intégrant des études cinétiques, des stratégies de fractionnement et l'analyse biochimique des hydrolysats et de leurs fractions a été développée. En premier lieu, il a été montré que les hydrolysats de levure présentent des effets significatifs sur les cultures selon leur composition et les conditions d'ajout. De même, des effets synergiques ont été mis en évidence par le mélange d'hydrolysats générés à partir de différents procédés. D'autre part, des études cinétiques ont permis de corréler l'influence positive des hydrolysats sur la croissance cellulaire à l'amélioration du métabolisme énergétique. Dans un deuxième temps, la nature biochimique et le rôle des composés actifs ont été étudiés par la mise en oeuvre d'un procédé de nanofiltration membranaire et la reconstitution de mélanges de molécules contenues dans un extrait de levure (EXL). Ces résultats ont mis en évidence l'intérêt des di- et tri-peptides pour approvisionner le métabolisme énergétique et de molécules non nutritives, de poids moléculaire supérieur à 500 Da, pour stimuler la vitesse spécifique de croissance des cellules. Finalement, le rétentat issu de la nanofiltration de l'EXL a été fractionné à l'aide de divers procédés chromatographiques, unitaires ou associés, pour caractériser les propriétés physico-chimiques des composés actifs. L'effet des fractions sur la culture de cellules a alors souligné l'intérêt des molécules chargées positivement, et plus particulièrement, des peptides hydrophiles et cationiques pour stimuler la croissance des cellules. Ainsi, nos travaux permettent de mieux appréhender les mécanismes d'action des hydrolysats de levure sur les cellules CHO productrices d'anticorps et proposent des voies d'optimisation pour la simplification d'additifs complexes dans les milieux de culture dédiés à la culture de cellules animales / This work studies the interest of the addition of yeast hydrolysates in culture medium of CHO cell producing antibody, to determine the operating conditions and their role, but also to improve the characterization of active compounds. In this way, an integrated approach including kinetic studies, fractionation strategies and biochemical analysis of hydrolysates and of their fractions was developed. First, we showed that yeast hydrolysates exhibited various properties depending on their composition and the operating conditions. In addition, synergistic effects were observed with different hydrolysate mixtures. Besides, kinetic studies underlined that the positive influence of hydrolysates on cell growth is correlated with energetic metabolism improvement. Then, the biochemical nature and the role of active compounds were studied by the implementation of a nanofiltration process and the reconstitution of mixtures of molecules contained in a yeast extract (YE). The results highlighted the interest of di- and tri-peptides to supply energetic metabolism, and of non-nutritive molecules, exhibiting a molecular weight greater than 500 Da, to stimulate the specific cell growth rate. Finally, the retentate fraction of nanofiltrated YE was fractionated by various chromatographic processes to characterize the physico-chemical properties of active compounds. The effect of fractions on cell culture emphasized the positive effect of positively charged molecules, especially hydrophilic and cationic peptides, to stimulate the cell growth. Thus, our work provides important insights in yeast hydrolysate mechanisms on CHO cells and suggests procedures to simplify such a complex additive of media dedicated to mammalian cell culture

Globalmente ocorrem cerca de 800.000 mortes de crianças menores de cinco anos associadas à diarreia, principalmente na África subsaariana, sul da Ásia e América Latina. Dentre os patógenos causadores de diarreia, Escherichia coli diarreiogênica (DEC) é o agente etiológico bacteriano mais comum, incluindo E. coli enteropatogênica (EPEC) e E. coli produtora da toxina de Shiga e seu subgrupo enterohemorrágica (STEC/EHEC). Os dados epidemiológicos indicam a importância do diagnóstico precoce e sua realização em locais com pouca infraestrutura. Desta forma o objetivo deste trabalho foi o desenvolvimento de um teste rápido, sensível e específico para o diagnóstico de EPEC e STEC/EHEC. Primeiramente, foram definidas diferentes condições do cultivo bacteriano: Dulbecco\'s modified Eagle\'s (DMEM), DMEM contendo 1% de triptona e DMEM pré-condicionado para o cultivo dos isolados de EPEC/EHEC e avaliação da produção/secreção das proteínas secretadas EspA e EspB, utilizando anticorpos monoclonais (MAb) e policlonais (PAb) anti-EspA ou anti-EspB por ELISA indireto. Para a avaliação da liberação das toxinas de Shiga para o sobrenadante do cultivo bacteriano de STEC/EHEC, foram testados diferentes condições de tratamento, o cultivo bacteriano foi tratado com Triton X-100 e o sedimento foi tratado com tampão de lise B-PER utilizando MAb e PAb anti-Stx1 ou anti-Stx2 por ELISA de captura. Subsequentemente, foi desenvolvido e avaliado o teste de aglutinação em látex para a detecção de EspB em isolados de EPEC/EHEC, e Stx1 e Stx2 em isolados de STEC/EHEC. EspB foi definida como biomarcador, o MAb anti-EspB como ferramenta para o diagnóstico de EPEC/EHEC, e a condição ideal para a produção/secreção de EspB foi o cultivo em DMEM. Para o diagnóstico de STEC/EHEC a condição ideal para liberação das toxinas Stx foi o tratamento do cultivo com Triton X-100. Tanto o ELISA, como a aglutinação em látex apresentaram sensibilidades e especificidades exigidas para testes diagnósticos de doenças negligenciadas em países em desenvolvimento e os testes de aglutinação em látex para a detecção destes patógenos foram precisos, rápidos e fáceis de executar, sendo portanto promissores para a utilização em laboratórios com mínima infraestrutura. / There are 800,000 deaths associated with diarrhea worldwide in children under five, and these are mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America. Among the causative pathogens of diarrhea, diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) is the most common bacterial etiological agent, including enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli and its subgroup enterohemorrhagic E. coli (STEC/EHEC). Epidemiological data indicate the importance of early diagnosis and its realization in places with limited resources. Therefore, the objective of this work was to develop a rapid, sensitive and specific test for the diagnosis of EPEC and STEC/EHEC. First, different bacterial growth conditions were evaluated: Dulbecco\'s modified Eagle\'s medium (DMEM) or DMEM containing 1% tryptone, and DMEM pre-conditioned with EPEC/EHEC isolates. The production/secretion of the secreted proteins EspA and EspB was determined by indirect ELISA utilizing anti-EspA or anti-EspB monoclonal (MAb) and polyclonal (PAb) antibodies. Different treatments were tested for their effect on the release of Shiga toxins into the medium of STEC/EHEC bacterial cultures. The bacterial culture supernatant was treated with Triton X-100, and the sediment was treated with B-PER lysis buffer. The toxins release was determined by capture ELISA using anti-Stx1 or anti-Stx2 MAb and PAb. Subsequently, a latex agglutination test was developed and evaluated for the detection of EspB in EPEC/EHEC isolates and of Stx1 and Stx2 in STEC/EHEC isolates. EspB was defined as the biomarker and anti-EspB MAb as the tool for the diagnosis of EPEC/EHEC. The ideal conditions for the production/secretion of EspB were cultivation in DMEM. For the diagnosis of STEC/EHEC, the ideal conditions for the release of Stx were Triton X-100 treatment. ELISA as well as latex agglutination showed the sensitivities and specificities required for diagnostic tests of neglected diseases in developing countries. The latex agglutination test for the detection of these pathogens was precise, rapid and easy to perform, thereby being promising for their utilization in laboratories with limited resources.