The studies in the present thesis explored the feasibility of using nanocellulose-based filters in virus removal filtration of plasma-derived proteins.   In Paper I, two-step nanofiltration of commercially available human serum albumin (HSA) product, which was diluted to 10 g L-1 by phosphate buffer saline (PBS) and adjusted pH to 7.4, was performed to remove soluble protein aggregates and reduce filter fouling. The two-step filtration of HSA employed nanocellulose-based filters of varying thickness, i.e. 11 μm and 22 μm filters.  The removal of HSA aggregates during filtration through 11 μm pre-filters dramatically improves the flow properties of the 22 μm filter, enabling high protein throughput and high virus clearance. A distribution of pore sizes between 50 nm and 80 nm, which is present in the 11 μm filter and is absent in the 22 μm filter, plays a crucial part in removing the HSA aggregates. With respect to virus filtration, 1 bar constant trans-membrane pressure filtration shows poor removal ability of ΦX174 bacteriophage (28 nm), i.e., log10 reduction value (LRV) ≤ 3.75, while that at 3 bar and 5 bar achieves LRV[MOU1] [LW2]  > 5 model virus clearance and overall rapid filtration. Removal of protein aggregates during bioprocessing of HSA products is key to improving the filtration flux, which makes it possible to apply virus removal filtration for HSA to ensure its virus safety.   In Paper II, nanofiltration of human plasma-derived intravenous immuno-globulin (IVIG) intermediate (11.26 g L-1, pH 4.9) was carried out to demonstrate high product recovery and high model virus clearance. Virus removal filtration of industrial-grade human IVIG was achieved using 33μm filters at both low (60 Lm-2) and high (288 Lm-2) volumetric load. No changes in IVIG structure were detected and high product recovery was recorded. High virus clearance (LRV ≥ 5-6) was achieved for the small-size model viruses (ΦX174 and MS2 bacteriophages) during the load volume of 60 Lm-2. Side-by-side comparisons with commercial virus removal filters suggest that the nanocellulose-based filter paper presents great potential for industrial bioprocessing of plasma-derived IVIG.   In Paper III, process analytical technology (PAT) approach was employed to identify the critical filter parameters, e.g. thickness, basis weight, pore size, and flux, affecting model virus removal efficiency using filters produced by different hot presses.  The quality parameters were analyzed with ANOVA and Shewhart charts. Compared with other studied parameters, the hydraulic flux appears as the most relevant final product quality attribute of the nanocellulose-based filter paper to reflect the virus removal efficiency. In particular, a 15% higher flux may be associated with a 0.5-1.0 log10 reduced virus clearance (p=0.007). The results are highlight the importance of continued systematic studies in quality assurance using statistical process control tools  [MOU1]Define LRV  [LW2]Defined in the line above

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Schwefellost (SM) ist ein verbotener chemischer Kampfstoff. Nach Aufnahme über die Haut führt SM zu einer Reihe von Symptomen. Auf der molekularen Ebene beruht die Toxizität von SM auf der Reaktion mit DNA und Proteinen. Diese kovalenten Addukte eignen sich zum forensischen Nachweis und können über Flüssigkeitschromatographie gekoppelte Massenspektrometrie (LC-MS) detektiert werden. Ein Hauptziel war es in vitro zu untersuchen ob chemisches Scavenging von N-Acetylcystein (NAC) und Glutathion (GSH) Einfluss in der Behandlung von SM-Vergiftungen hat. Es konnte geklärt werden, dass NAC und GSH a) die Alkylierung von Cys34 in humanen Serum Albumin (HSA) durch SM nicht unterbinden kann und b) den Abbau von SM in gepufferter Lösung nicht beschleunigt. Somit ist Scavenging von SM durch NAC und GSH vernachlässigbar. Trotzdem konnte die Stabilität und die Zuverlässigkeit des Testsystems gezeigt werden. Das zweite Hauptziel war es neue peptidische Biomarker für den Nachweis von SM-Vergiftungen zu finden. Es wurde eine Methode entwickelt, um SM-alkylierte Aminosäurereste in HSA zu finden. Somit konnten 42 SM-alkylierte Peptide gefunden werden. Insgesamt wurden 27 Alkylierungsstellen identifiziert, von denen 24 noch nicht in der Literatur beschrieben wurden. Die vielversprechendste der neue Alkylierungsstellen war das Met329 in HSA. Durch Proteolyse mittels Pepsin wurde das LGM(-HETE)F Tetrapeptid freigeschnitten. Probenvorbereitung und LC-MS Bedingungen wurden optimiert. Allerdings gelang der Nachweis von LGM(-HETE)F in Patientenplasma nicht, was möglicherweise an einer geringeren Stabilität der SM-Alkylierung von Met329 lag. Trotzdem kann sich LGM(-HETE)F als Kurzzeitmarker eignen. Der beobachtete Transfer der HETE-Modifikation vom Met329 zu Glu und Cys Seitenketten stellt einen neuen Einblick in den molekularen Wirkmechanismus von SM dar. Basierend auf diesen Erkenntnissen konnte in Nachfolgestudien die Hemmung von Enzymen durch Alkylierung von Met durch SM gezeigt werden. / Sulfur mustard (SM) is a banned chemical warfare agent. After incorporation, SM may cause tremendous symptoms. On the molecular level, SM reacts with DNA and proteins. These covalent adducts may be useful for forensic or analytical purposes. After adducting SM, proteins can be proteolyzed forming peptides with a SM-modified amino acid residue. These peptide biomarkers can be detected using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). One major aim was to develop an in vitro assay to clarify the impact of chemical scavenging of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and glutathione (GSH) in the treatment of SM. It was found that NAC and GSH had no relevant influence on a) the extent of alkylation of Cys34 in human serum albumin (HSA) and b) the degradation velocity of SM in buffered solution. Accordingly, it was concluded that chemical scavenging of SM by NAC or GSH is negligible. Nevertheless, the robustness and reliability of the developed in vitro assay was shown. The second major aim was to identify novel peptide biomarkers of SM poisoning. An untargeted method to identify SM-alkylated amino acid residues in HSA was developed. Application of this method revealed 42 SM-modified peptides alkylated at 27 different positions. 24 of these positions were not described in the literature so far. A highly interesting target, Met329 in HSA, was investigated in more detail. After pepsin mediated proteolysis, the covalently modified tetrapeptide LGM( HETE)F was generated. Sample preparation and LC-MS conditions were optimized. However, when applying this novel marker to real samples, it could not be detected likely due to its limited stability. Nevertheless, LGM( HETE)F still represents a suitable short term biomarker. The observed transfer of the HETE-moiety from Met329 to Glu and Cys side chains represents a novel insight into the molecular toxicology of SM. Based on these results follow-up studies proved the enzyme inhibitory effect of SM-alkylation of Met residues in keratin kinase.

Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide and claims hundreds of thousands of lives annually. Currently the most common treatment for prostate cancer is external beam radiotherapy, however, this treatment comes with serious side effects since it lacks selectivity for the cancer cells. Therefore, less harmful treatments are needed and sought for, such as targeted treatments that are intended to only affect cancer cells and thereby reduce the side effects. Targeted treatments require a target that differentiates the cancer cells from healthy cells. A promising target candidate that has gained attention in recent years is gastrin releasing peptide receptor (GRPR), a protein commonly overexpressed in prostate cancer cells. Furthermore, a targeting molecule intended to bind to the target is also required. For this purpose, the bombesin analogue RM26, a high affinity GRPR binder, shows promise. Previous studies have led to the development of RM26-conjugates for the purpose of targeted prostate cancer radiotherapy. In these conjugates RM26 has been linked to a DOTA-chelator for radiolabeling, and an albumin binding domain (ABD) to prolong the conjugate’s half-life in vivo by binding to human serum albumin (HSA). The idea is that the RM26-conjugate will bind to both HSA in the blood and to GRPR on the prostate cancer cells and eliminate the cancer cells with the radiation from the radionuclide attached to the DOTA-chelator. Although these earlier studied conjugates have been very promising some improvements of certain aspects need to be achieved, mainly to improve the biodistribution with retained GRPR binding affinity. Therefor the purpose of this project was to produce three new versions of previous RM26- conjugates and evaluate if they are suitable for further prostate cancer therapy studies. The three RM26-conjugates were developed with primarily recombinant expression in E. coli cells and solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS). The characterization phase in this project was carried out with mainly five different methods: matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time- of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), electrospray ionization- mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), circular dichroism (CD), surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and flow cytometry. The results showed that all three new RM26-conjugates were possible to produce and yielded final products corresponding to the expected molecular weights. Furthermore, the results indicate that all three RM26-conjuagtes are stable and maintain their structural properties under in vivo- temperatures and that they have high binding affinity for HSA. Further studies need to be conducted before drawing any certain conclusions regarding GRPR binding affinity. / Prostatacancer är en av de mest vanligt förekommande cancertyperna världen över och skördar hundratusentals liv årligen. I nuläget är extern strålbehandling det vanligaste terapialternativet mot prostatacancer, men denna behandling kommer med allvarliga biverkningar på grund av att den saknar selektivitet för cancerceller. Därför finns ett stort behov av mindre skadliga behandlingsformer, såsom riktade behandlingar som endast är avsedda att påverka cancerceller och därigenom minska biverkningarna. Riktade behandlingar kräver ett mål som skiljer cancercellerna från friska celler. En lovande målkandidat som har uppmärksammats de senaste åren är gastrinfrisättande peptidreceptor (GRPR), ett protein som vanligtvis överuttrycks i prostatacancerceller. I tillägg så krävs också en målsökande molekyl avsedd att binda till målet. För detta ändamål visar bombesinanalogen RM26, en GRPR-bindare med hög affinitet, sig vara lovande. Tidigare studier har utvecklat RM26-konjugat för målinriktad strålbehandling av prostatacancer. Dessa konjugat består av en RM26-peptid bunden till en DOTA-kelator för radioinmärkning och en albuminbindande domän (ABD) för att förlänga konjugatens halveringstid in vivo genom att binda till humant serumalbumin (HSA). Syftet med RM26- konjugaten är att de ska binda till både HSA i blodet och GRPR på prostatacancercellerna, och därmed eliminera cancercellerna med strålning från den radioinmärkta DOTA-kelatorn. Även om de tidigare RM26-konjugaten har varit mycket lovande krävs det att vissa förbättringar av några aspekter uppnås, främst affiniteten för GRPR. Syftet med detta projekt var därför att producera tre nya versioner av tidigare RM26-konjugat och utvärdera ifall de uppvisar tillfredsställande egenskaper. De tre RM26-konjugaten utvecklades primärt rekombinant i E. coli-celler och fastfas- peptidsyntes (SPPS). Karaktäriseringsfasen i detta projekt genomfördes med huvudsakligen fem olika metoder: MALDI-TOF-MS, elektrosprejjonisering-masspektrometri (ESI-MS), cirkulär dikroism (CD), ytplasmonresonans (SPR) och flödescytometri. Resultaten visade att alla tre nya RM26-konjugat var möjliga att producera och gav slutprodukter motsvarande de förväntade molekylvikterna. Vidare indikerar resultaten att alla tre RM26-konjugat är stabila och bibehåller sina strukturella egenskaper under in vivo-temperaturer och att de har hög affinitet för HSA. Ytterligare studier bör utföras innan säkrare slutsatser kan dras angående GRPR-bindningsaffinitet.

Marknaden för proteinbaserade läkemedel, de så kallade biologiska läkemedlen, är idag en industri som omsätter miljarder. Ett vanligt sätt att utveckla dessa läkemedel på är med hjälp av monoklonala antikroppar då de kan binda till sitt mål med hög specificitet. Däremot begränsas denna teknik av en lång och dyr produktion som dessutom kräver däggdjursbaserade uttrycksystem. En alternativ teknik till de monoklonala antikropparna är att använda små proteiner som enkelt kan produceras i bakterier till en låg kostnad. Dock begränsas denna metod av de små proteinernas korta cirkuleringstid i blodet. I ett tidigare projekt, har ett litet protein vid namnet ABDderived affinity ProTein (ADAPT) på cirka 7 kDa, utvecklats för att kunna binda till både humant serumalbumin (HSA) för att förlänga cirkulationstiden i blodet och Interleukin 17c (IL17c) som är ett pro-inflammatorisk cytokin. Studien visade dock att ADAPT proteinet inte samtidigt kunde binda till de båda molekylerna tillräckligt effektivt. Syftet med denna uppsats är därför att undersöka om det nämnda proteinet kan optimeras genom så kallad multimering och/eller manipulering av bindningssätet för HSA i syfte att åstadkomma en effektiv och mer långvarig cirkulationstid i blodet samtidigt som det binder sig till sitt mål, IL17c. Tio nya versioner av ADAPT proteinet har utvecklats genom att klona och transformera proteiner till en högt producerande Escherichia coli (E. coli) stam. Proteinerna har sedan producerats och renats fram. Det kunde observeras att proteinerna hade den önskade renheten för att kunna karaktäriseras. Vidare var det möjligt att se att proteinerna hade sin önskade molekylvikt och erhöll sin förväntade struktur som en alfahelix. Proteinernas smältpunkter hade förbättrats eller var liknande jämfört med det ursprungliga proteinet. Dessutom kunde alla proteiner återgå till sin ursprungliga struktur efter upphettning. Utvärderingen av proteinernas bindningskapacitet, med original proteinet som referens, visade på en ökad affinitet till sitt mål, IL17c, för två dimerer och trimeren samt en jämförbar affinitet för två av monomererna med ett manipulerat bindingssäte till HSA. Interaktion till HSA var jämförbar med den ursprungliga ADAPT molekylen för alla nya varianter förutom monomererna med ett manipulerat bindingssäte och dimeren med två manipulerat bindingssäten till HSA. Evaluering av de nya proteinernas kapacitet att binda samtidigt till HSA och IL17c visade att det var gynnsamt med en dimereiserad molekyl då det skapade en distans mellan molekylerna och dess bindningssäten. Vidare kunde det också visas att ordningen som molekylerna interagerade med varandra påverkade proteinernas simultana bindning. / The market for protein-based drugs, or the so-called biopharmaceuticals, is a multibillion-dollar industry today. In the development of protein-based drugs it is common to use monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) due to their ability to bind to its target with high specificity. However, therapeutical development of mAbs is limited by its long and expensive production in mammalian expression system. An alternative to mAbs are the so-called alternative scaffolds which are small proteins that can be produced in bacteria at lower costs. Although a drawback with the latter proteins is their short serum half-life. A small scaffold protein, ABD-Derived Affinity ProTein (ADAPT) of approximate 7 kDa was earlier engineered to obtain bispecific affinity, to Human Serum Albumin (HSA), to extend its half-life, as well as to the pro-inflammatory cytokine, Interleukin 17c (IL17c). Unfortunately, it was shown that the simultaneous binding was not efficient enough for its desired purpose. The aim with this project was therefore to investigate if the previous mentioned binder could be optimized by multimerization and/or manipulation of the HSA binding site for an efficient half-life extension. By generating ten new designs of the ADAPT variants, it was observed that the new variants had stable alpha helical structures and an improved or similar melting temperature as the original variant. The evaluation of the target binding displayed an improved affinity to the target, IL17c, for two of the dimeric versions as well as for the trimer and a comparable affinity for two of the monomers with a manipulated HAS binding site. The interaction to HSA was comparable to the original ADAPT for all binders except from the monomers with impaired HSA binding and the dimer with two impaired HSA binding sites. The evaluation of the simultaneous binding showed that it was favored by dimerization when a distance between the two molecule and their binding surfaces was added. Moreover, it could also be seen that the order of binding events had an impact on the simultaneous binding.

Immobilization of proteins by covalent coupling to polymeric materials offers numerous excellent advantages for various applications, however, it is usually limited by coupling strategies, which are often too expensive or complex. In this study, an electron-beambased process for covalent coupling of the model protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) onto polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) flat sheet membranes was investigated. Immobilization can be performed in a clean, fast, and continuous mode of operation without any additional chemicals involved. Using the Design of Experiments (DoE) approach, nine process factors were investigated for their influence on graft yield and homogeneity. The parameters could be reduced to only four highly significant factors: BSA concentration, impregnation method, impregnation time, and electron beam irradiation dose. Subsequently, optimization of the process was performed using the Response Surface Methodology (RSM). A one-step method was developed, resulting in a high BSA grafting yield of 955 mgm−2 and a relative standard deviation of 3.6%. High efficiency was demonstrated by reusing the impregnation solution five times consecutively without reducing the final BSA grafting yield. Comprehensive characterization was conducted by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and measurements of zeta potential, contact angle and surface free energy, as well as filtration performance. In addition, mechanical properties and morphology were examined using mercury porosimetry, tensile testing, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

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To address the challenge of accurate, low cost and robust biosensors for diabetes management and early detection of diabetes complications, we have developed novel, robust sensing chemistry (or receptors) for electrochemical POC biosensors. The biosensors have been developed for the bio-markers associated with diabetes management such as glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), glycated albumin, glucose, biomarkers associated with diabetes complications such as microalbuminuria, urine creatinine and albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) and biomarkers associated with anaemia and malnutrition conditions such as haemoglobin and serum albumin. For haemoglobin detection, a new POC bio sensing technique has been developed based on Aza-heterocyclic chemicals. The repeatability and accuracy of the biosensor have been tested on real pathology samples. The glycated form of haemoglobin, called glycated haemoglobin or HbA1c, is the gold standard test in diabetes management as it gives the 90-days average blood glucose value. We demonstrate a simple method for electrochemical detection of HbA1c by combining bosonic affinity principle along with aza-heterocyclic receptors. The technique has been verified on the real clinical patient samples. Albumin is the most abundant protein in the human blood. Human serum albumin (HSA) is either alone or an associative biomarker in several chronic diseases like necrosis, nephrosis, hepatitis, malnutrition, arthritis, immune disorders, cancer, diabetes and in some severe infections. In pathology laboratories, the serum albumin is usually tested on serum samples and not in whole blood samples. Since albumin is not a metalloproteinase, it is very difficult to develop electrochemical POC biosensor. We have developed a novel technique for the electrochemical detection of serum albumin in whole blood samples, by exploiting its binding property with redox active copper salts. The accuracy of technique has been verified on both real human blood plasma as well as whole blood samples. Glycated albumin, which is the glycated form of serum albumin, is emerging as a novel biomarker for diabetes management, as it gives the average blood glucose value of 15-20 days. It is also extremely useful in chronic kidney disease patients and patients with hemoglobinopathies where HbA1c can give the erroneous results. By combining the copper chemistry along with bosonic affinity principle, we present the first ever demonstration of glycated albumin sensing. Instant blood glucose monitoring is an integral part of diabetes management. Most of the glucometers available in the market are based on glucose oxidase enzyme. We have demonstrated a low cost non-enzymatic electrochemical technique for blood glucose detection using alkaline methylene blue chemistry. The accuracy of the technique has been verified on real human blood plasma samples. Glucometer is one of the most easily available POC biosensor and a useful tool for diabetes population. India has second largest diabetes population in the world. To analyse the accuracy of the POC glucometers which are available in Indian market, a comprehensive study was conducted. The results were compared with clinical accuracy guidelines using exhaustive statistical analysis techniques. The shortcomings of the commercial glucometers are elucidated, regarding different international standards. Diabetic nephropathy is one of the major diabetes complications and is the primary cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The presence of albumin in urine is a well-established biomarker for the early detection of diabetic nephropathy. We have developed a technique for electrochemical detection of microalbuminuria for point of care applications by exploring the binding property of human albumin with electrochemically active molecules like copper and hemin. Methylene blue mediated sensing technique has also been proposed. Urine Albumin-to creatinine ratio (ACR) is another variant of the microalbumuria test that can be done any time and does not suffer from the dilution factor of urine. Iron binding property of creatinine is exploited to develop creatinine biosensor, thus enabling POC ACR tests.