Reactive aqueous two-phase systems for the production and purification of PEGylated proteins

Abstract

PEGylation, defined as the covalent attachment of polyethylene glycol, allows the synthesis of PEGylated therapeutic proteins with enhanced physicochemical properties. Traditional alkylating N-terminal PEGylation reactions on amine groups involve the use of modified linear mono-methoxy polyethylene glycol (mPEG) molecules looking for the synthesis of mono-PEGylated products. However, this approach requires different purification steps since inevitably undesired cross-linked products are synthesized. Herein, we propose the use of reactive aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) to produce and purify PEGylated therapeutic conjugates using Ribonuclease A (RNase A) as a model protein.