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ABSTRACTDespite the large number of existing bispecific antibody (bsAb) formats, the generation of novel bsAbs is still associated with development and bioprocessing challenges. Here, we present RUBY, a novel bispecific antibody format that allows rapid generation of bsAbs that fulfill key development criteria. The RUBYTMformat has a 2 + 2 geometry, where two Fab fragments are linked via their light chains to the C-termini of an IgG, and carries mutations for optimal chain pairing. The unique design enables generation of bsAbs with mAb-like attributes. Our data demonstrate that RUBY bsAbs are compatible with small-scale production systems for screening purposes and can be produced at high yields (>3 g/L) from stable cell lines. The bsAbs produced are shown to, in general, contain low amounts of aggregates and display favorable solubility and stress endurance profiles. Further, compatibility with various IgG isotypes is shown and tailored Fc gamma receptor binding confirmed. Also, retained interaction with FcRn is demonstrated to translate into a pharmacokinetic profile in mice and non-human primates that is comparable to mAb controls. Functionality of conditional active RUBY bsAbs is confirmed in vitro. Anti-tumor effects in vivo have previously been demonstrated, and shown to be superior to a comparable mAb, and here it is further shown that RUBY bsAbs penetrate and localize to tumor tissue in vivo. In all, the RUBY format has attractive mAb-like attributes and offers the possibility to mitigate many of the development challenges linked to other bsAb formats, facilitating both high functionality and developability.

Bioprocessing of the important Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines used for the production of biopharmaceuticals stands at the brink of several redefining events. In 2011, the field entered the genomics era, which has accelerated omics-based phenotyping of the cell lines. In this review we describe one possible application of this data: the generation of computational models for predictive and descriptive analysis of CHO cellular metabolism. We describe relevant advances in other organisms and how they can be applied to CHO cells. The immediate implications of the implementation of these methods will be accelerated development of the next generation of CHO cell lines and derived biopharmaceuticals.

The regulation of sexual reproduction in yeast constitutes the highest level of differentiation observed in these unicellular organisms. The various ramifications of this system involve DNA rearrangement, transcriptional control, post-translational modification (such as protein phosphorylation) and receptor/signal processing. A few basic similarities are common to both fission and budding yeasts. The wiring of the regulatory circuitry, however, varies considerably between these divergent yeast groups.