Development and validation of a platform reduced intact mass method for process monitoring of monoclonal antibody glycosylation during routine manufacturing

N-linked glycosylation is a primary source of heterogeneity associated with recombinant monoclonal antibodies and plays a key role in a myriad of drug properties associated with biological function. The glycosylation profile of recombinant monoclonal antibodies is influenced by an array of cell culture inputs which must be carefully controlled in order to engineer the desired glycan distribution. A platform reduced intact mass method applied to monoclonal antibodies has been validated as a quantitative method to monitor the relative mannose-5 level as a surrogate for overall high mannose content in cell culture as a control strategy to ensure product quality and process consistency. The method was shown to be linear, accurate, specific, and precise for an IgG1 and IgG4 mAb allowing relative quantitation of mannose-5 in the range 0.8–11.0% and 1.0–6.2%, respectively. The method can be applied at several stages of the production process from cell culture harvest to drug substance/drug product and is amenable to routine GMP batch testing in a quality control laboratory. Testing upstream during cell culture rather than for product release allows for an earlier assessment of product quality as the glycosylation profile remains unchanged during downstream purification.