Monoclonal antibodies are revolutionising the treatment of many illnesses and have become one of the main indicators of the direction drug treatments are shaping towards. Latest estimates of the European monoclonal antibody therapeutics market arrive at a figure of $11.4 billion (€8.7 billion) by 2011.
GE's new chromatography media - called MabSelect Xtra and MabSelect SuRe - are claimed to offer customers the highest purity and most time and cost efficient chromatography media for the industrial purification of MAbs on the market.
"The success of monoclonal antibodies as therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and immunological diseases has driven the need for more time efficient and cost effective tools for the development and manufacturing of these antibodies on an industrial scale," said Peter Ehrenheim, president of protein separations at GE Healthcare. He added that the new product could help facilities handle larger volumes of higher titre feedstock, while increasing yield to help reduce the overall cost of production.
MabSelect Xtra (eXtra capacity) is a new recombinant protein A-based chromatography medium that captures antibodies with improved efficiency and economy. It is engineered to give 30 per cent higher dynamic binding capacity than other commercially available protein A-based media, according to GE. This higher capacity translates directly into lower cost of production, it maintains, especially when capturing antibodies from high-expression feedstocks.
MabSelect SuRe (Superior Resistance) is a chromatography medium based on a novel alkali-stabilised protein A-derived ligand engineered to provide greater stability than conventional protein A-based media in the alkaline conditions used in cleaning-in-place (CIP) protocols. The use of sodium hydroxide with MabSelect SuRe means lower costs for cleaning and fewer failed batches, says the firm, which believes the medium is ideal for regular production or in early clinical phases/process development.