DATE: August 29th, 2017

TIME:  9:00am PT, 12:00pm ET

Antibodies are frequently produced from a cell line that has been screened to ensure the protein is expressed with the desired post-translational modifications, target specificity and affinity, and at relatively high levels. The identified cell line can be further developed to achieve higher titers and to increase cell growth and/or protein production through the optimization of the cell culture media. An ideal approach to media optimization is through the use of a factorial design of experiment (DOE), where a variety of media components are tested at different concentrations and in combination with one another. The challenge though, is that these factorial experiments rapidly increase the number of conditions that require testing. It is desirable therefore to use instrumentation that can minimize the time required for sample preparation and quantification during the optimization process.

Common ways of quantifying the production of IgG or other proteins are either labor-intensive (e.g. ELISAs) or prohibitively slow (e.g. HPLC), particularly at the throughput required for DOE studies. A rapid alternative for quantification and kinetics analysis of biologics is the high-throughput Octet HTX platform that utilizes Bio-Layer Interferometry to detect real-time binding of molecules.  Here we show how coupling this high-throughput analysis with the Biomek FX^P Automated Workstation enabled the DOE optimization of IgG expression in a CHO cell line. The Biomek FX^P Workstation was used to prepare 96 media combinations and plate cells in replicate conditions, generate sample and reagent plates for the Octet HTX system, and initiate XTT assays to better understand the effect of media components on CHO cell growth.

You’ll learn:

• How a statistical design of experiment approach can be automated to accelerate the optimization of media for protein production.
• How the Octet HTX can rapidly measure IgG concentrations in a high-throughput manner for screening applications.
• How integrating a liquid handler with additional instruments can enable the complete automation of complex workflows.