Identification Of Critical Quality Attributes Research Articles

Advancing Extracellular Vesicle Therapeutics into Clinical Trials for Central Nervous System Disorders

In December 2023, the US Food and Drug Administration released a draft guidance document titled “Potency Assurance for Cellular and Gene Therapy Products Draft Guidance for Industry” for public comment [1]. Potency assays are arguably the most problematic analytic release assay to develop for cell and cell derivate products, including Extracellular Vesicles (EV). EVs are produced by many cell types and harbor parent cell-specific bioactive cargoes including proteins and nucleic acids. They are unique intercellular signaling particles that can act as both the messenger and/or effector in recipient cells. We and others have shown that Neural Stem Cell EVs (NSC EVs) derived in bioreactors have therapeutic potential for treating neurological disease and Acute Ischemic Stroke (AIS). New FDA Investigational New Drug (IND) applications are being filed and specifically, we have an IND application for AIS. As the field grows, new INDs will be filed for various other therapeutic indications. In order for EV therapeutics to move efficiently through the regulatory process to approval, there is a need for more emphasis on and development of analytical assays directly related to complex and likely multimodal, mechanisms of action. Research focused on this area will lead to new disease-specific potency assays and identification of critical quality attributes.

Four critical engineering and technical problems in manufacturing measurement of traditional Chinese medicine

Focusing on the development and quality improvement strategy of the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) industry, the scientific and technological innovation of the new engineering of TCM should be paid attention to solve the "stuck neck" dilemma. Under the background of the ecological and industrial revolution of the scientific and technological innovation system, the super-scale information interaction and multi-dimensional integration will inevitably lead to profound changes in the manufacturing mode of TCM. Manufacturing measurement of TCM is formed on the basis of the reliability engineering theory of process control of TCM production. It is the development extension of system theory and system science ideas and a cross-fertilization discipline that combines theory with practice and adheres to the "four-oriented" re-epistemology improvement of the TCM discipline. In response to the problems of complex raw material sources, coarse process technology, unclear material basis, and poor applicability of equipment and technology in the manufacture of TCM, the transformation research mode of "aiming at the integration of pharmaceutical industry-developing intelligent production line-enabling industrial transformation" has been developed. This paper proposed the four key engineering technical problems, i.e., the identification of critical quality attributes(CQA) in the manufacture of TCM, the quality by design(QbD) and product development of the manufacturing process of TCM, the quality transfer principle and multivariate process capability index of TCM manufacturing, and the development of measurement technology and equipment of the manufacturing measurement of TCM, to achieve the systematization of quality control indicators, real-time process control, digitalization of manufacturing process, transparency of quality transfer, and intelligent whole-process control. In this paper, the new concepts, new theories, and new technologies provide a reference for the industrialization of TCM.

Impact of O-Acetylation on S. flexneri 1b and 2a O-Antigen Immunogenicity in Mice.

Shigellosis is a diarrheal disease caused prevalently by Shigella flexneri and S. sonnei and representing a major global health risk, particularly in developing countries. Bacterial O-antigen (OAg) is the primary target of the host immune response and modifications of its oligosaccharide units, including O-acetylation, are responsible for the variability among the circulating S. flexneri serotypes. No vaccines are widely available against shigellosis and the understanding of the immunogenicity induced by the OAg is fundamental for the design of a vaccine that could cover the most prevalent Shigella serotypes. To understand whether a different O-acetylation pattern could influence the immune response elicited by S. flexneri OAg, we employed as a vaccine technology GMMA purified from S. flexneri 2a and 1b strains that were easily engineered to obtain differently O-acetylated OAg. Resulting GMMA were tested in mice, demonstrating not only no major impact of O-acetyl decorations on the immune response elicited by the two OAg against the homologous strains, but also that the O-acetylation of the Rhamnose III residue (O-factor 9), shared among serotypes 1b, 2a and 6, does not induce cross-reactive antibodies against these serotypes. This work contributes to the optimization of vaccine design against Shigella, providing indication about the ability of shared epitopes to elicit broad protection against S. flexneri serotypes and supporting the identification of critical quality attributes of OAg-based vaccines.

Stress Factors in Protein Drug Product Manufacturing and Their Impact on Product Quality

Injectable protein-based medicinal products (drug products, or DPs) must be produced by using sterile manufacturing processes to ensure product safety. In DP manufacturing the protein drug substance, in a suitable final formulation, is combined with the desired primary packaging (e.g., syringe, cartridge, or vial) that guarantees product integrity and enables transportation, storage, handling and clinical administration. The protein DP is exposed to several stress conditions during each of the unit operations in DP manufacturing, some of which can be detrimental to product quality. For example, particles, aggregates and chemically-modified proteins can form during manufacturing, and excessive amounts of these undesired variants might cause an impact on potency or immunogenicity. Therefore, DP manufacturing process development should include identification of critical quality attributes (CQAs) and comprehensive risk assessment of potential protein modifications in process steps, and the relevant steps must be characterized and controlled. In this commentary article we focus on the major unit operations in protein DP manufacturing, and critically evaluate each process step for stress factors involved and their potential effects on DP CQAs. Moreover, we discuss the current industry trends for risk mitigation, process control including analytical monitoring, and recommendations for formulation and process development studies, including scaled-down runs.

Multi-attribute method performance profile for quality control of monoclonal antibody therapeutics

Multi-attribute method (MAM) using peptide map analysis with high resolution mass spectrometry is increasingly common in product characterization and the identification of critical quality attributes (CQAs) of biotherapeutic proteins. Capable of providing structural information specific to amino acid residues, quantifying relative abundance of product variants or degradants, and detecting profile changes between product lots, a robust MAM can replace multiple traditional methods that generate profile-based information for product release and stability testing. In an effort to provide informative and efficient analytical monitoring for monoclonal antibody (mAb) products, from early development to manufacturing quality control, we describe the desired MAM performance profile and address the major scientific challenges in MAM method validation. Furthermore, to support fast speed investigational product development, we describe a platform method validation strategy and results of an optimized MAM workflow. This strategy is applied to support the use of MAM for multiple mAb products with similar structures and physicochemical properties, requiring minimal product-specific method validation activities. Three mAb products were used to demonstrate MAM performance for common and representative product quality attributes. Method validation design and acceptance criteria were guided by the Analytical Target Profile concept, as well as relevant regulatory guidelines to ensure the method is fit-for-purpose. A comprehensive system suitability control strategy was developed, and reported here, to ensure adequate performance of the method including sample preparation, instrument operation, and data analysis. Our results demonstrated sufficient method performance for the characteristics required for quantitative measurement of product variants and degradants.

An Approach to Bioactivity Assessment for Critical Quality Attribute Identification Based on Antibody-Antigen Complex Structure.

Identification of critical quality attributes (CQAs) is an important step for development of biopharmaceuticals with intended performance. An accurate CQA assessment is needed to ensure product quality and focusing on development efforts where control is needed. The assignment of criticality is based on safety and efficacy. Efficacy is related to PK and bioactivity. Here, we developed a novel approach based on antibody-antigen complex structure and modeling as a complementary method for bioactivity assessment. To validate this approach, common product related quality attributes and mutagenesis data from several IgGs were assessed using available antibody-antigen complex structures, and results were compared with experimental data from bioactivity or binding affinity measurements. A stepwise evaluation scheme for structural based analysis is proposed; based on systematic assessment following the scheme, good correlation has been observed between structural analysis and experimental data. This demonstrates that such an approach can be applied as a complementary tool for bioactivity assessment. Main applications are 1) To decouple multiple attributes to achieve amino acid resolution for bioactivity assessment, 2) To assess bioactivity of attributes that cannot be experimentally generated, 3) To provide molecular mechanism for experimental observation and understand structure function relationship. Examples are provided to illustrate these applications.

Optimization of the quality by design approach for gene therapy products: A case study for adeno-associated viral vectors

The development of gene therapy products has been expanding globally, and among them, the recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vector is one of the most promising vectors for gene transfer. For efficient and rapid development of the manufacturing process and quality control strategy, the quality by design (QbD) approach can be as effective for gene therapy products as it is for gene recombinant proteins, which have been developed for decades. However, prior available knowledge required for the QbD approach is limited in the field of gene therapy. Here, we comprehensively review rAAV study results that can form the basis of QbD-based development and propose a critical quality attribute identification method suitable for gene therapy development. As a case study for rAAV, we propose a series of practical development steps, including a quality target product profile (QTPP) setting, identification of critical quality attributes (CQAs), repetitive risk assessment associated with process optimization, design space (DS) establishment, and control strategy using the QbD method. Our case study, which was based on publicly available literature, is a basic model that can be augmented by unique data pertaining to specific products. An improvement in rAAV development is expected using this model as the first step.

Quality-by-Design Concepts to Improve Nanotechnology-Based Drug Development.

The purpose of this review is to discuss the challenges associated with the development of nanoparticle-based quality drug products in adhering to the principles of quality by design (QbD) and defining appropriate quality parameters towards successful product development. With the advent of nanotechnology into the pharmaceutical field, the novel field of nanomedicine was born. Due to their unique properties in terms of size, conformation and targeted delivery, nanomedicines are able to overcome many drawbacks of conventional medicine. As nano-sized formulations have made their way into more and more therapies, it has became clear that these very unique properties create hurdles for nanomedicines in successfully traversing the regulatory pathways and there is a need to develop nanomedicines in a more controlled and consistent fashion. The elements of a QbD methodology explained in this review enable the development of nano-based formulations in a way that maximizes the possibility of success. The identification of critical quality attributes (CQA) of the drug product and its intermediates are discussed in detail with a focus on nanomaterial-based formulations. In conclusion, QbD and the identification and specification of CQAs at its core are critical to the design, development and growth of nanomaterials in pharmaceuticals.

Towards Closed Loop Control of Cell Production: Analysis of Volatile Organic Profiles in Stem Cells By Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography with Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

Personalized cell therapies have demonstrated clinical benefits and have shown great promise in solving monogenetic diseases. Despite these documented benefits, commercialization has been limited due to challenges including manufacturing, characterization, quality control, and stability. Previous work has demonstrated the potential of gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry to evaluate the volatile organic profiles of cell cultures. However, due to the complexity of the medium and the intensity of the identified peaks, the data has been limited. This work reports on the development of a method to investigate the volatile organic compound (VOC) profiles of stem cells using the increased resolution of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GCxGC/TOF MS) for the purpose of stem cell characterization, growth status analysis, and identification of critical quality attributes. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), from a variety of sources, were cultured and analyzed throughout their growth process. Samples of spent cell culture media were collected during cell passaging and incubated prior to analyzing the headspace above the media. Solid phase microectraction (SPME) was used as to concentrate the VOCs present in the sample headspace. The use of SPME, in conjunction with GCxGC/TOF MS allowed for an expanded understanding of the MSC volatilome and the development of relevant VOC profiles. The effect of growth media, cell source, growth status, and confluency on the chemicals identified in the VOC profiles was studied. Non-targeted analysis revealed more than 100 compounds of potential interest identified through spectral deconvolution and the NIST library of electron impact spectra. The identities of the compounds of interest was validated through the use of analytical standards. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to reduce dimensionally and visualize variance in the data. Hierarchical clustering analysis was employed to assess relatedness between samples based on their volatile organic profiles. The distinct variations between the volatilomes is able to distinguish different cell sources and growth statuses. While this work is in its preliminary stage, it lays the foundation for closed loop control of cell manufacturing. The identification of critical quality attributes and their associated VOC profiles, using powerful laboratory equipment is the first step in closing the manufacturing loop. With the newfound knowledge, miniaturized in-line sensors can be developed to allow for complete control of the cell manufacturing process, assuring not only a high quality product, but an efficient manufacturing process as well. Figure 1

The Identification of Critical Quality Attributes (CQAs) for the Development of Antibody Drugs

In the development of quality biopharmaceutical drugs, it is the level of knowledge gained, not the volume of data, which provides the basis for science-based submissions and their regulatory evaluation [International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) Q8 (R2)]. The identification of critical quality attributes (CQAs) is important as the initial step for quality by design (QbD) strategies. The impact of each potential critical attribute (pCQA) is assessed by using a systematic and scientific approach with respect to bioactivity, pharmacokinetics (PK)/pharmacodynamics (PD), immunogenicity, and safety of the biopharmaceutical drugs. The purpose of this section is to introduce a strategy for identifying CQA, and new analytical methods for CQA assessment.

Application of quality by design in granulation process for ginkgo leaf tablet (Ⅱ)： identification of critical quality attributes

Quality by design (QbD) highlights the concept of "begin with the end", which means to thoroughly understand the target product quality first, and then guide pharmaceutical process development and quality control throughout the whole manufacturing process. In this paper, the Ginkgo biloba granules intermediates were taken as the research object, and the requirements of the tensile strength of tablets were treated as the goals to establish the methods for identification of granules' critical quality attributes (CQAs) and establishment of CQAs' limits. Firstly, the orthogonal partial least square (OPLS) model was adopted to build the relationship between the micromeritic properties of 29 batches of granules and the tensile strength of ginkgo leaf tablets, and thereby the potential critical quality attributes (pCQAs) were screened by variable importance in the projection (VIP) indexes. Then, a series of OPLS models were rebuilt by reducing pCQAs variables one by one in view of the rule of VIP values from low to high in sequence. The model performance results demonstrated that calibration and predictive performance of the model had no decreasing trend after variables reduction. In consideration of the results from variables selection as well as the collinearity test and testability of the pCQAs, the median particle size (D₅₀) and the bulk density (Da) were identified as critical quality attributes (CQAs). The design space of CQAs was developed based on a multiple linear regression model established between the CQAs (D₅₀ and Da) and the tensile strength. The control constraints of the CQAs were determined as 170 μm< D₅₀<500 μm and 0.30 g•cm⁻³<Da<0.44 g•cm⁻³ according to the design space, which provided a basis for controlling and optimizing the wet granulation process of the ginkgo leaf tablet..

Qualitative Process Understanding Tools within Bioprocessing: A Case Study

Biotechnology is a key area of industrial interest and the importance of effective knowledge management for rapid bioprocess development, optimisation and operation is widely recognised as an important driver of biomanufacturing excellence. The Britest suite of tools and methodologies, designed to highlight knowledge gaps within chemical and physical processes, is explored as an approach to bioprocess knowledge acquisition and management. These tools can help identify where optimisation may be most beneficial, and also increase understanding of the process as a whole across a range of disciplines. This research identifies areas where Britest tools are not directly transferable into biotechnological applications, and formulates a whole bioprocess development methodology. The Britest tools have been considered using SuperPro Designer in relation to production of insulin using E. coli. Some of the existing Britest tools have been found to be directly applicable to biological processes, although adaptations were required in some cases, to account for differences between chemical and biological processing. A gap was identified relating to considering the process as a whole, and so a new tool (the Reaction/Reagent/Transformation Tracker, R2T2) was developed to address this. The Britest tools show promise within the context of a bioprocess, although further work is required to fully realise their potential in this exciting field. It is anticipated that the tools can be applied to aid in the identification of Critical Quality Attributes (CQAs) and Critical Process Parameters (CPPs), constructing a robust design space, and facilitating the development of a Quality by Design (QbD) approach to bioprocessing.

Determination of critical quality attributes for monoclonal antibodies using quality by design principles

Quality by design (QbD) is a global regulatory initiative with the goal of enhancing pharmaceutical development through the proactive design of pharmaceutical manufacturing process and controls to consistently deliver the intended performance of the product. The principles of pharmaceutical development relevant to QbD are described in the ICH guidance documents (ICHQ8-11). An integrated set of risk assessments and their related elements developed at Roche/Genentech were designed to provide an overview of product and process knowledge for the production of a recombinant monoclonal antibody. This chapter describes the identification of critical quality attributes (CQAs) as an important first step for QbD development of biopharmaceuticals. A systematic scientific based risk ranking and filtering approach allows a thorough understanding of quality attributes and an assignment of criticality for their impact on drug safety and efficacy. To illustrate the application of the approach and tools, a few examples from monoclonal antibodies are shown. The identification of CQAs is a continuous process and will further drive the structure and function characterization of therapeutic proteins.

A New Level A Type IVIVC for the Rational Design of Clinical Trials Toward Regulatory Approval of Generic Polymeric Long-Acting Injectables.

Chronic neuropsychiatric disorders and diabetes mellitus affect millions of patients and require long-term supervision and expensive medical care. Although repeated drug administration can help manage these diseases, relapses and re-hospitalization owing to patient non-adherence and reduced therapeutic efficacy remain challenging. In response, long-acting injectables, which provide sustained drug release over longer periods at concentrations close to therapeutic ranges, have been proposed. Recent advancements include polymeric long-acting injectables (pLAIs), in which the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) is encapsulated within U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved biocompatible polymers, such as poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid), or PLGA. Despite significant progress and development in the global pLAI market, FDA guidance for the approval of complex drug products, such as generic pLAIs, is not clearly defined. Although in vitro to in vivo correlation (IVIVC) can facilitate the identification of critical quality attributes (CQAs), drug formulations, and in vitro test platforms for evaluating drug performance in vivo, the application of IVIVC in order to shortlist time- and resource-intensive clinical trials for generic pLAIs has not been reported. Here, we propose a new Level A Type IVIVC that directly correlates the in vitro outcomes, such as drug dissolution, of candidate generic formulations with the clinical characteristics, such as drug absorption, of a reference listed drug (RLD), to help identify the specific generic pLAI formulations with clinical absorptions that are likely to be similar to that of the RLD, thereby reducing the number of clinical trials required for evaluation of clinical bioequivalence (BE). Therefore, the scope of the proposed method is intended only for the rational design of clinical trials, i.e., to shortlist the specific pLAI generic formulations for clinical BE evaluation, and not necessarily to analyze drug performances (i.e., drug safety and effectiveness) in the shortlisted clinical trials or post-approval. Once validated, this method will be of great value to developers of generic pLAIs and regulatory bodies to accelerate their approval of these generic pLAIs.

Analytical Similarity Assessment in Biosimilar Studies.

For assessment of biosimilarity, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends a stepwise approach for obtaining the totality-of-the-evidence for demonstrating biosimilarity between a proposed biosimilar product and an innovative (reference) biological product. The stepwise approach starts with analytical studies for functional and structural characterization at various stages of manufacturing process of the proposed biosimilar product. Analytical similarity assessment involves identification of critical quality attributes (CQAs) that are relevant to clinical outcomes. FDA proposes first classifying the identified CQAs into three tiers according to their criticality or risking ranking relevant to clinical outcomes and then performing equivalence test (for CQAs in Tier 1), quality range approach (for CQAs in Tier 2), and raw data or graphical presentation (for CQAs in Tier 3) for obtaining totality-of-the-evidence for demonstrating biosimilarity between the proposed biosimilar product with the reference product. In practice, some debatable issues are evitably raised due to this complicated process of analytical similarity assessment. In this article, these debatable are described and discussed.