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378 M. Karlberg et al.
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ligand binding of peptides, and Obrezanova et al. [3] used several amino acid scales to predict mAb aggregation propensity based on the primary sequence. However, even though amino acid descriptors explain the differences in the primary sequence, they do not take into consideration potential interactions between the amino acids in or between primary chains. It has been argued that this simplification can lead to a loss of information concerning properties of secondary and tertiary structure in larger proteins [25].
Descriptors can also be generated by using empirical equations on the entire pri­mary sequence to infer protein properties such as the isoelectric point, hydrophobic­ity, molecular weight, physicochemical properties and secondary structure content, to name a few. Many such tools and applications are available on bioinformatics sites, such as Expert Protein Analysis System (ExPASy) [36] and European Bioinformatics Institute at European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL-EBI) [37].
2.3 Homology Modelling and Molecular Dynamics for
Descriptor Generation
Descriptors capturing structural and surface properties can be generated by using existing crystal or Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) structures or by building models using homology modelling. The latter is performed by finding proteins with existing 3D structures that have a high level of similarity to the primary sequence of the protein of interest. These proteins are then used as templates to predict the likely structure of the queried protein [38]. This has been successfully used in many studies where information such as surface areas, angles and surface properties was extracted [39–41]. The method is especially useful when no crystal structure exists. Caution needs to be exercised, however, as the homology models are only predicted structures. Breneman et al. [42] introduced a methodology for generating 2D surface descriptors, also called transferable atom equivalent (TAE) descriptors, by reconstructing the electronic surface properties of the molecular structures from a library of atomic charge density components. This has the advantage of representing surface variations such as hydrophobicity and charge distributions numerically, which is of great importance when studying, for example, protein binding to an anion exchange chromatographic column packing using different salts [43]. Robinson et al. [44] used the TAE descriptors to relate the structural differences between several Fab fragments to predict column performance between different chromatographic systems. It has been argued, however, that caution needs to be exercised when using library-based descriptors as these are usually directly related to a specific state of a compound that was measured in a unique environment. This means that these descriptors should only be applied if experiments were carried out in an identical or in a similar environment. Otherwise, this might cause the descriptors to be biased [24]. Other structural properties, such as molecular angles
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and solvent accessible surface areas extracted from homology models, were used by Sydow et al. [41] to determine the risk of degradation of asparagine and aspartate in mAbs as PTMs. Similarly, Sharma et al. [40] investigated the risk of oxidation of surface accessible tryptophans.
Due to the flexibility and size of the mAbs, it is very difficult to produce good 3D structures based on X-ray crystallography and NMR. Instead, homology modelling has proven to be a good alternative to circumvent this problem. However, due to the size and the many flexible parts in the mAbs, pure homology models might not give a sufficiently accurate representation of the reality. Molecular dynamics (MD) is a useful tool that can be used to minimise the energy of the entire protein and to simulate the dynamics of the protein of interest in different environments [45]. MD simulations have also shown very high similarities in the internal dynamics of mAbs when comparing the simulated results to those observed in reality [46]. It is therefore recommended to apply MD simulation to all homology models before descriptors are generated in order to mimic the environment of the samples that are used in QSAR studies. However, implementation of MD simulations is still computationally expensive and time-consuming, and its practical use is therefore still limited. Alternatives, such as coarse-grained MD might therefore be preferable where computational power is lacking, but it is computationally cheaper. In coarse­grained MD, groups of atoms, e.g. residue side chains, are simulated as a single static structure or point. This in turn aids in drastically reducing the number of atoms in the system that needs to be simulated [47]. It should be noted that smaller structural fluctuations and dynamics will be lost when using coarse-grained MD, which needs to be considered prior to developing the descriptors.
2.4 QSAR for Protein Behaviour Prediction
The QSAR framework has been applied to a diverse range of challenges where structural properties of pharmaceuticals have been used directly for the prediction of different process-related aspects such as the prediction of isotherm parameters in ion-exchange chromatography [48], ligand-binding in ion-exchange chromatog­raphy under high salt concentrations [49], binding of proteins in ion-exchange chromatography under different pH conditions [50], protein surface patch analysis for the choice of purification methods [51], chromatographic separation of target proteins from Host Cell Proteins (HCPs) [39], viscosity, clearance and stability prediction for mAbs [40] and degradation prediction of asparagine and aspartate in mAbs [41], to mention a few. This also showcases one of the main strengths of the QSAR/QSAM framework with its ability to link structural features to many different forms of prediction outputs. It is important to note, however, that identical experiments must have been performed on different mAbs to compare the differences in structure and their effect on the output. Equally important is that sufficient excitation is present in the output data in order for the effects to be linked to the corresponding structural feature [52].
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3 Model-Based Prediction of Developability
There have been significant advances in computational prediction methods, and they are starting to become more common in process development [53]. As mentioned by Zurdo et al. [4], the ability to predict product-related characteristics that strongly relate to the QTPP and/or CQAs can greatly simplify process development, especially in the early stages when the product or process knowledge is limited. The implementation of QSAR in process-related areas, such as protein purification, has been researched extensively [2, 44, 48–50, 54–57]. Though not all the mentioned examples concern mAbs specifically, the outlined methodology used in the different research articles is still applicable. Given the significant proportion of mAb develop­ment cost that is incurred during downstream processing, considerable advantages can be gained by being able to predict the performance of chromatographic columns and their effect on product quality early in the process development. In the case of mAbs, much of the cost is incurred during the purification due to the strict regulations surrounding clinical safety of the end product [58, 59]. Examples of regulations for mAbs include the removal of harmful structural variants while retaining the desired structure based on evidence from clinical trials. The removal of contaminants, such as HCPs, DNA and viruses, is also necessary in order to avoid undesired immune responses in patients. Thus, for therapeutic use, a mAb purity of >99% is required in the final formulation [60]. Therefore, the integration of QSAR into QbD is proposed based on the valuable insight that QSAR can provide in early process development and is illustrated in Fig. 2, which also shows how the QbD framework can add to and improve the QSAR modelling with addition of new data.
Two main approaches of integrating the QSAR framework into the QbD paradigm can be considered. The first approach is by only using generated structural descriptors for development of models able to predict protein behaviours [56]. The method is, however, more constrained as it requires data generated from identical experimental setups, and therefore identical PP settings, in order to satisfy the assumption that the observed effect is caused only by the differences in structure between the proteins. Therefore, models developed this way are better for assessing the manufacturing feasibility and/or potential CQAs before starting the process development.
The second approach is to use the PPs of interest, taken from previous mAb processes to use directly in the model development by either (1) adding the PPs together with the generated structural descriptors as inputs [61] or (2) structural descriptors are calculated to be dependent on the PPs, meaning that the values of the descriptors will change with changing values of the PPs [50]. The latter is easiest done by generating descriptors from MD simulations where changes in the soluble environment can be implemented. This, however, requires that data is gathered from similar experimental setups where only the PPs of interest have been varied. This would usually not be a problem when gathering historic data generated from the
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Fig. 2 Proposed integration of QSAR into QbD where the upper half illustrates the simplified framework of QbD (red circles) and the lower half illustrates a simplified version of the QSAR framework (black circles). Transfer of characterisation data from previous mAb processes can be used directly for model development using QSAR. Depending on the purpose of the developed QSAR model, it can be used to directly aid in assessing CQAs or provide insight into PPs and ranges
QbD paradigm as it will often conform to experimental designs based on DoEs where the experimental environment is strictly controlled. The added benefit of this approach is that the developed model will be able to account for both the structural differences and the impact from the studied PPs when predicting protein behaviour. This can potentially have great value in process development of new mAbs as PP ranges can be assessed in silico and therefore greatly aid in reducing the number of needed experiments, seen as grey arrows in Fig. 2.
The methods described above provide a reference for further risk assessment and characterisation to be performed in the QbD framework, as they provide information such as the behaviour of the product in different scenarios and increase the product understanding. As additional information from new mAb processes becomes available, models can be improved by expanding the data sets used in the model development. This in turn will aid in providing more accurate predictions due to lowering the sparsity by incorporating more protein structures. Available characterisation research studies can also be used as additional sources of data in order to improve the models by expanding the data set for model development.
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4 Case Studies
In line with the approaches described above, we have developed a model identifica­tion and parametrisation workflow (see Fig. 3) in order to explore the capabilities of advanced modelling approaches in predicting the behaviour of various mAbs during purification.
The development of a hybrid QSAR-based model with a structured workflow and clear evaluation metrics, with several optimisation steps, was described in detail in Kizhedath et al. [2]. Furthermore, using cross reactivity (from CIC data) or solubility/aggregation (from HIC data) as responses and physicochemical characteristics (primary sequence and 3D structure) of mAbs as descriptors, the QSAR models generated for different applicability domains allow for rapid early­stage screening and developability as summarised in the case studies below and detailed in Kizhedath et al. [2] and Karlberg et al. [56].
4.1 Cross-Interaction Chromatography as CQA Screening
Method
As indicated earlier, the success of a new mAb product depends not only on its efficacy and manufacturability but also on the lack of undesirable side effects and interactions. Bailly et al. [1] provide a useful overview of a range of analytical meth­ods that can be used during the sequence selection and product/process development in order to evaluate important CQAs. One such method is the cross-interaction chromatography used in early screening to detect undesirable interactions with other mAbs [62].
Kizhedath et al. [2] detailed the development of a hybrid QSAR-based model with a structured workflow and clear evaluation metrics, with several optimisation steps, that could be beneficial for broader and more generic PLS modelling. Based on the results and observations from this study, a structured selection of data sets and variables demonstrated increased model performance and allowed for further optimisation of these hybrid models. Furthermore, using cross reactivity (from CIC data) as responses and physicochemical characteristics of mAbs as descriptors, the QSAR models generated for different applicability domains allow for rapid early­stage screening and developability [2].
The generated descriptors captured the physicochemical properties of mAbs with varying degrees of resolution (local to global; singular to cluster). These descriptors from different data blocks were subjected to an exploratory analysis to study any separation based on intrinsic properties such as light and heavy chain isotypes as well as species type of mAbs that would then allow for selection of descriptor sets that could be used for QSAR model development. Exploratory analysis of the descriptor data was carried out using unsupervised pattern recognition methods such as principal component analysis (PCA) to visualise any intrinsic property-
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Fig. 3 Hybrid model development workflow outlining the different steps involved in descriptor generation, pre-treatment and variable reduction; model development followed by model evalua­tion and optimisation. PCA principal component analysis, GA genetic algorithm, RMSECV root mean square error of cross-validation, RMSEP RMSE of prediction. (Adapted from Ref. [2])
based separation or clustering. The descriptor sets were assessed for the influence of intrinsic properties that could hamper with predictive model development that facilitates mAb developability. Based on the results, the descriptors of the
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hypervariable region were chosen for further model development. Furthermore, the samples were divided into appropriate heavy chain, light chain and species type for developing models that have a better-defined applicability domain.
These descriptors were then used for developing a QSAR model for the prediction of cross-interaction chromatographic retention times. Primary sequence­based descriptors do not take into account interactions between amino acid residues or the antibody-antigen and antibody-receptor interaction space. To address this, 3D structures of mAbs werefirst generated via homology modelling and MDsimulation upon which structural descriptors were generated for QSAR model development. Similar to the primary descriptors, resolution and type of descriptors selected were similar, i.e. local and cluster-based substructure data set with electronic and charge-based descriptors were identified to be important. Most of these descriptors of importance arise from the hypervariable regions of mAbs similar to primary sequence-based descriptors [63].
A combination of sequence-based and structural descriptors was also utilised for model development. The structural descriptors outweighed the primary sequence­based ones; however, the overall model performance was of lower quality than that of the models developed individually using primary sequence-based descriptors and structural descriptors, respectively. This implies that careful selection of variables based on expert knowledge should be performed such that the descriptors selected capture both structural and sequence-based aspects of functional characterisation [63].
Modelling techniques, such as those that use categorical responses (partial least squares discriminant analysis, PLS-DA), as well as nonlinear modelling methods, such as support vector machines(SVM), were also briefly investigated in this project (data not shown). The performance of PLS-DA models was poor mainly due to class imbalance. Furthermore, the influence of expert knowledge is greater for these models as defining the classes is arbitrary. With regard to the SVM-based models with non-linear kernels, the increase in model complexity only led to similar model performance as that of the PLS models. Interpretability is lower for complex models such as those generated by such SVM for similar model performance.
4.2 Hydrophobic Interaction Chromatography Retention Time
Prediction
Another important experimental assay, highlighted by Bailly et al. [1], is hydropho­bic interaction chromatography (HIC), which is used in the assessment of mAb aggregation and solubility. HIC is also a common polishing step in downstream purification of mAbs [62]. Thus, successful prediction of HIC retention times can yield important information for risk assessment of the feasibility of a mAb candidate to be manufactured. It can also provide insight into process characterisation of the HIC polishing step.
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In a study of Karlberg et al. [56], a QSAR modelling workflow linking mAb structures to corresponding HIC retention times was implemented where the nec­essary level of intramolecular interactions for successful prediction was explored. More specifically, descriptors were generated from three potential sources: (1) primary sequence, (2) 3D structure from homology modelling and (3) 3D structure from 50 ns MD simulations. This in order to compare the predictive performance of a model based on descriptors sets that containing residue-to-residue interactions (3D structures) with a model based on descriptor sets without residue-to-residue interactions (primary sequence). As described previously in the CIC case study, the three descriptors sets were subjected to an exploratory data analysis with PCA prior to model development to investigate the presence of intrinsic structural variation originating from the light and heavy chains as well as the species type that could potentially impact model performance.
All QSAR models were fitted according to the workflow outlined in Fig. 3. Here, an SVM algorithm for regression was used with a linear kernel to allow for high model interpretability [64]. The QSAR model developed on primary sequence- based descriptors yielded suboptimal predictions of HIC retention times. This resulted from a high model bias (under-fitting), meaning that critical information was either missing or confounded in the generated descriptors and the resulting model was therefore unable to correlate the mAb structure to the HIC retention time. On the contrary, the QSAR model developed on descriptors generated from 3D homology structures was found to suffer from high variance (over-fitting). This resulted from the fitting of non-informative noise present in the descriptor set which resulted in poor model generalisation when evaluated on an external test set. The main source for this was identified to be biased 3D structures originating from the structure generation step with homology modelling. More specifically, the generated 3D structures were found to be in unfavourable structural conformations which resulted in biased descriptors that were unable to represent the true structural properties of the mAbs. Instead, MD simulations were applied in order to allow residue side chains and domains in the mAb homology structures to relax and attain more energetically favourable conformations as seen in Fig. 4 [56].
The QSAR model developed using the resulting MD descriptors achieved much higher performance in the evaluation of the external test set (R the homology model-based descriptors (R
2
=−0.08). It was found that descriptors
2
=0.63) compared to
generated from the hypervariable regions, or more specifically the CDR loops column binding where properties such as surface charge and hydrophobicity, were especially important. This is consistent with previous research [65].
5 Conclusions
This chapter reviewed the opportunities and the challenges in model-based risk assessment of mAb developability. A structured workflow was proposed for hybrid
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Fig. 4 Displacement of the VHdomain (blue arrow) and loops during the MD simulation of eldelumab. The heavy chain and light chain are represented in blue and red, respectively
QSAR model development to assist in the evaluation of important mAb developa­bility characteristics.
Two case studies highlighted the benefits of such a workflow and the use of PLS and SVM models in predicting Cross Interaction Chromatography (CIC) and Hydrophobic Interaction Chromatography (HIC) retention times as important mAb characteristics related to risks of aggregation and non-specific binding. While some positive observations were reported, further work exploring non-linear modelling techniques, applying the modelling framework on larger and/or more industrial data sets as well as newer types of mAbs such as bispecifics, and developing QSAR models around other substructural and species-related applicability domains of MAbs, including glycoform conformation as a feature for model development, to name a few would provide robust basis for evaluation of this workflow. For example, further investigation to ascertain the applicability of complex modelling techniques such as artificial neural networks, random forests, and Bayesian models for early stage screening of mAb therapeutics would be beneficial. Model predictability and utility can be further improved with the inclusion of better mAb features such as glycoform conformation and distribution, which are linked to mAb efficacy and safety. Increasing the sample sizes within each substructure and specifying appli­cability domain could expand the applicability of this QSAR modelling framework. Furthermore, this methodology could then extend to different therapeutic types such as fusion proteins, bispecifics, single chain fragment variable and other novel mAb­based therapeutics.
There is a need for carefully designed predictive models to assess the efficacy as well as toxicity of potential drug candidates at an early stage. A more effective, high-throughput rapid screening of candidates based on adverse effects is required at an early stage to filter out the number of candidates proceeding to clinical trials.
From a safety perspective, animal models are not representative of human systems for assessing the efficacy and safety of biopharmaceuticals in specialised
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therapy areas like oncology and immunology. In this regard, computational tox­icology tools like expert/hybrid systems provide a powerful complement during design phases as they will allow for development of automated and reliable models for predicting toxicity or adverse effect of monoclonal antibody therapeutics. To make these predictive platforms more robust, descriptor calculation, feature extraction, inclusion of pharmacokinetics and bioavailability characteristics, mech­anistic understanding and multidisciplinary expert knowledge will be of paramount importance. This could aid in reducing the number of lead candidates that could go forward into the bioprocessing /manufacturing pipeline.
Thus, this would tackle two of the main setbacks biopharmaceutical industries face today: manufacturing failure and attrition. This will pave the way for the advancement of rapid bioprocess development strategies for faster development of effective and safe biopharmaceuticals and may in fact change the face of biopharmaceutical manufacturing as we see today.
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