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The 2019 13th Workshop on Recent Issues in Bioanalysis (WRIB) took place in New Orleans, LA on 1–5 April 2019 with an attendance of over 1000 representatives from pharmaceutical/biopharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, contract research organizations and regulatory agencies worldwide. WRIB was once again a 5-day, week-long event – a full immersion week of bioanalysis, biomarkers, immunogenicity and gene therapy. As usual, it was specifically designed to facilitate sharing, reviewing, discussing and agreeing on approaches to address the most current issues of interest including both small- and large-molecule bioanalysis involving LCMS, hybrid LBA/LCMS, LBA cell-based/flow cytometry assays and qPCR approaches. This 2019 White Paper encompasses recommendations emerging from the extensive discussions held during the workshop, and is aimed to provide the bioanalytical community with key information and practical solutions on topics and issues addressed, in an effort to enable advances in scientific excellence, improved quality and better regulatory compliance. Due to its length, the 2019 edition of this comprehensive White Paper has been divided into three parts for editorial reasons. This publication (Part 2) covers the recommendations on the 2018 FDA BMV guidance, 2019 ICH M10 BMV draft guideline and regulatory agencies' input on bioanalysis, biomarkers, immunogenicity and gene therapy. Part 1 (Innovation in small molecules and oligonucleotides and mass spectrometry method development strategies for large molecules bioanalysis) and Part 3 (New insights in biomarker assay validation, current and effective strategies for critical reagent management, flow cytometry validation in drug discovery and development and CLSI H62, interpretation of the 2019 FDA immunogenicity guidance and gene therapy bioanalytical challenges) are published in volume 10 of Bioanalysis, issues 22 and 24 (2019), respectively.

The 2019 13th Workshop on Recent Issues in Bioanalysis (WRIB) took place in New Orleans, LA, USA on April 1–5, 2019 with an attendance of over 1000 representatives from pharmaceutical/biopharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, contract research organizations and regulatory agencies worldwide. WRIB was once again a 5-day, week-long event – a full immersion week of bioanalysis, biomarkers, immunogenicity and gene therapy. As usual, it was specifically designed to facilitate sharing, reviewing, discussing and agreeing on approaches to address the most current issues of interest including both small- and large-molecule bioanalysis involving LCMS, hybrid LBA/LCMS, LBA cell-based/flow cytometry assays and qPCR approaches. This 2019 White Paper encompasses recommendations emerging from the extensive discussions held during the workshop and is aimed to provide the bioanalytical community with key information and practical solutions on topics and issues addressed, in an effort to enable advances in scientific excellence, improved quality and better regulatory compliance. Due to its length, the 2019 edition of this comprehensive White Paper has been divided into three parts for editorial reasons. This publication (Part 3) covers New Insights in Biomarker Assay Validation, Current & Effective Strategies for Critical Reagent Management, Flow Cytometry Validation in Drug Discovery & Development & CLSI H62, Interpretation of the 2019 FDA Immunogenicity Guidance and Gene Therapy Bioanalytical Challenges. Part 1 (Innovation in Small Molecules and Oligonucleotides & Mass Spectrometry Method Development Strategies for Large Molecule Bioanalysis) and Part 2 (Recommendations on the 2018 FDA BMV Guidance, 2019 ICH M10 BMV Draft Guideline and regulatory agencies' input on bioanalysis, biomarkers, immunogenicity and gene therapy) are published in volume 11 of Bioanalysis, issues 22 and 23 (2019), respectively.

European Bioanalysis Forum Workshop, Lisbon, Portugal, September 2016: At the recent European Bioanalysis Forum Focus Workshop, ‘current analysis of immunogenicity: best practices and regulatory hurdles’, several important challenges facing the bioanalytical community in relation to immunogenicity assays were discussed through a mixture of presentations and panel sessions. The main areas of focus were the evolving regulatory landscape, challenges of assay interferences from either drug or target, cut-point setting and whether alternative assays can be used to replace neutralizing antibody assays. This workshop report captures discussions and potential solutions and/or recommendations made by the speakers and delegates.

Many of the best-selling 'blockbuster' biological medicinal products are, or will soon be, facing competition from similar biological medicinal products (biosimilars) in the EU. Biosimilarity is based on the comparability concept, which has been used successfully for several decades to ensure close similarity of a biological product before and after a manufacturing change. Over the last 10 years, experience with biosimilars has shown that even complex biotechnology-derived proteins can be copied successfully. Most best-selling biologicals are used for chronic treatment. This has triggered intensive discussion on the interchangeability of a biosimilar with its reference product, with the main concern being immunogenicity. We explore the theoretical basis of the presumed risks of switching between a biosimilar and its reference product and the available data on switches. Our conclusion is that a switch between comparable versions of the same active substance approved in accordance with EU legislation is not expected to trigger or enhance immunogenicity. On the basis of current knowledge, it is unlikely and very difficult to substantiate that two products, comparable on a population level, would have different safety or efficacy in individual patients upon a switch. Our conclusion is that biosimilars licensed in the EU are interchangeable.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T-cell therapy is becoming one of the most promising approaches in the treatment of cancer. On June 28, 2018, the Committee for Advanced Therapies (CAT) and the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency adopted a positive opinion, recommending the granting of a marketing authorization for the medicinal product Kymriah for pediatric and young adult patients up to 25 years of age with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) that is refractory, in relapse after transplant, or in second or later relapse and for adult patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) after two or more lines of systemic therapy. Kymriah became one of the first European Union-approved CAR T therapies. The active substance of Kymriah is tisagenlecleucel, an autologous, immunocellular cancer therapy that involves reprogramming the patient's own T cells to identify and eliminate CD19-expressing cells. This is achieved by addition of a transgene encoding a CAR. The benefit of Kymriah was its ability to achieve remission with a significant duration in patients with ALL and an objective response with a significant duration in patients with DLBCL. The most common hematological toxicity was cytopenia in both patients with ALL and those with DLBCL. Nonhematological side effects in patients with ALL were cytokine release syndrome (CRS), infections, secondary hypogammaglobulinemia due to B-cell aplasia, pyrexia, and decreased appetite. The most common nonhematological side effects in patients with DLBCL were CRS, infections, pyrexia, diarrhea, nausea, hypotension, and fatigue. Kymriah also received an orphan designation on April 29, 2014, following a positive recommendation by the Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP). Maintenance of the orphan designation was recommended at the time of marketing authorization as the COMP considered the product was of significant benefit for patients with both conditions. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T-cell therapy is becoming the most promising approach in cancer treatment, involving reprogramming the patient's own T cells with a CAR-encoding transgene to identify and eliminate cancer-specific surface antigen-expressing cells. On June 28, 2018, Kymriah became one of the first EMA approved CAR T therapies. CAR T technology seems highly promising for diseases with single genetic/protein alterations; however, for more complex diseases there will be challenges to target clonal variability within the tumor type or clonal evolution during disease progression. Products with a lesser toxicity profile or more risk-minimization tools are also anticipated.

Axitinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (VEGFR-1), VEGFR-2, and VEGFR-3. Based on the positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), a marketing authorization valid throughout the European Union (EU) was issued for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) after failure of prior treatment with sunitinib or a cytokine. The demonstration of clinical benefit for axitinib was based on a phase III, randomized, open-label, multicenter study of axitinib compared with sorafenib in patients with advanced RCC after failure of a prior systemic first-line regimen containing one or more of the following agents: sunitinib, bevacizumab plus interferon-α, temsirolimus, or cytokines. In the primary analysis, a 2-month increase in median progression-free survival (PFS) was observed for axitinib compared with sorafenib (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.665; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.544–0.812; p < .0001). In the subgroup of patients with a prior cytokine-containing regimen, the increase in median PFS associated with axitinib was 5.4 months (updated analysis, HR: 0.519; 95% CI: 0.375–0.720; p < .0001). In the subgroup of patients with prior sunitinib treatment, the increase in median PFS was 1.4 months (updated analysis, HR: 0.736; 95% CI: 0.578–0.937; p = .0063). The analysis of overall survival showed no statistically significant survival benefit of axitinib over sorafenib in patients previously treated with cytokine-containing regimens (HR: 0.813; 95% CI: 0.556–1.191) or sunitinib (HR: 0.997; 95% CI: 0.782–1.270). The most common treatment-related adverse events associated with axitinib included diarrhea, hypertension, fatigue, nausea, decreased appetite, dysphonia, and palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia. Most of these events were mild or moderate in severity. This paper summarizes the scientific review of the application leading to approval in the EU. The detailed scientific assessment report and product information, including the summary of product characteristics, are available on the EMA website (http://www.ema.europa.eu).

Human Growth Hormone (hGH) is a monomeric 22 kilo Dalton (kDa), 191 amino acid protein with an isoelectric point (pI) close to pH 5, produced in the anterior pituitary gland. High level production of somatropin (recombinant hGH) is done in Escherichia coli (E. coli) to meet the demand and to avoid possible Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (CJD). The present study was initiated on the basis of results from post-marketing control of all somatropin preparations on the Norwegian market. The samples consisted of preparations presented as somatropin in solution, and some freeze-dried preparations were also included for comparison. The present study showed a significant degree of degradation of somatropin in solution. Deamidation increased over time for preparations in solution, as well as for freeze-dried preparations after dissolution. Preparations in solution showed high content of deamidated and cleaved forms. Freeze-dried preparations after dissolution and storage showed high content of deamidated forms, but low content of cleaved forms. Also, in one preparation, an unknown peak was detected in the electropherogram from capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE), eluting after the principal peak, in front of the Gln-18 somatropin peak.

Purpose The aim of the study was to demonstrate whether changes in the charge pattern of urinary human erythropoietin (u-hEPO) from well-trained athletes before, during and after controlled administration of recombinant human EPO (r-hEPO) could be related to altered levels of hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Hct), soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) and maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max). Methods Urinary samples from athletes in an EPO-receiving group and a control group were collected before, during and after r-hEPO administration. The samples were analyzed with respect to the charge pattern of hEPO by iso-electric focusing (IEF). Results The charge of the u-hEPO variants shifted from an acidic to a more basic pattern after initiating r-hEPO administration. This shift appeared together with increased levels of sTfR, and appeared before increased levels of Hb, Hct and VO2max. Until three days after the last injection, the IEF profiles were similar to the charge profile of r-hEPO. Thereafter the levels of sTfR decreased and the charge profiles of the hEPO variants gradually became more acidic. In contrast, the levels of Hb, Hct and VO2max remained elevated for an extended period of time. Conclusion A significant correlation was found between the relative amount of basic u-hEPO variants and the relative levels of sTfR, demonstrating that the relative levels of sTfR may be used as a marker to select urinary samples for further analysis of r-hEPO by IEF in routine doping control.

Tigecycline belongs to a new class of antimicrobial agents, the glycylcyclines, which are structurally derived from tetracyclines. It is effective against both gram positive and gram negative bacteria, aerobes and anaerobes and bacteria that have developed resistance against the classic tetracyclines. Although there is an increased risk for serious adverse events, tigecycline is important for treatment of patients with complicated infections of moderate severity where other antimicrobials cannot be used.

Tigecycline belongs to a new class of antimicrobial agents, the glycylcyclines, which are structurally derived from tetracyclines. It is effective against both gram positive and gram negative bacteria, aerobes and anaerobes and bacteria that have developed resistance against the classic tetracyclines. Although there is an increased risk for serious adverse events, tigecycline is important for treatment of patients with complicated infections of moderate severity where other antimicrobials cannot be used.

Serum prolactin (PRL), total estrogen and androgen levels were measured monthly from May to September in adult Atlantic salmon. The fish were kept in sea water with no significant osmotic changes throughout the sampling period. Serum PRL in sexually maturing males and females, which spawned in November, and three immature females reached maximum levels (mean 10.6 ng/ml) at the end of June and declined thereafter. A significant increase in total androgen and estrogen levels in the maturing fish was not found until August–September. The results did not indicate any primary role for PRL in the regulation of sexual maturation in Atlantic salmon. However, a permissive action of PRL should not be excluded. The possible participation of PRL in the preadaptation for fresh water migration is discussed.

Highly purified growth hormone (GH) has been isolated from Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) pituitaries by extraction with acid acetone, acidic precipitation, and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The yield was 2.5 mg/g wet tissue. The Atlantic salmon GH (sGH) emerged as a single symmetrical peak after HPLC on a reverse phase C18 column. SDS-gel electrophoresis revealed only one band with an estimated molecular weight of 23,000. Atlantic sGH showed a uniform molecular weight, but two-dimensional (2D) gel electrophoresis of the purified sGH revealed charge heterogeneity with pI's ranging from 6.5 to 8.2. Treatment of the purified sGH with alkaline phosphatase concentrated these different forms into a single more alkaline position (pI 8.2) indicating removal of acidic groups. These results were documented using both silver- and immunostaining of the 2D SDS gels. The purified sGH was phosphorylated in vitro by a calmodulin-dependent protein kinase. Phosphorylation of sGH may be a post-translational modification resulting in several molecular forms with variable acidity. Analysis of the amino acid composition of Atlantic sGH revealed homology with GHs isolated from other teleost species and the amino-terminal sequence showed only three different amino acids within the first 25 residues compared to GH isolated from chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) and coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) pituitaries. Atlantic sGH had a methionine as the amino-terminal residue. Antibodies against chum sGH cross-reacted with Atlantic sGH. Antibodies against either Atlantic or chinook (Oncorhynchus tschawytscha) salmon prolactin or human GH did not cross-react with Atlantic sGH. Atlantic sGH was shown to have a slight growth-promoting activity in the rat tibia assay.

We have grown polarized epithelial Madin-Darby canine kidney II (MDCK II) cells on filters in the presence of [(35)S]sulfate, [(3)H]glucosamine, or [(35)S]cysteine/[(35)S]methionine to study proteoglycan (PG) synthesis, sorting, and secretion to the apical and basolateral media. Whereas most of the [(35)S]sulfate label was recovered in basolateral PGs, the [(3)H]glucosamine label was predominantly incorporated into the glycosaminoglycan chains of apical PGs, indicating that basolateral PGs are more intensely sulfated than their apical counterparts. Expression of the PG serglycin with a green fluorescent protein tag (SG-GFP) in MDCK II cells produced a protein core secreted 85% apically, which was largely modified by chondroitin sulfate chains. Surprisingly, the 15% of secreted SG-GFP molecules recovered basolaterally were more heavily sulfated and displayed a different sulfation pattern than the apical counterpart. More detailed studies of the differential modification of apically and basolaterally secreted SG-GFP indicate that the protein cores have been designated to apical and basolateral transport platforms before pathway-specific, post-translational modifications have been completed.

Erythropoietin (EPO) from sera obtained from anemic patients was successfully isolated using magnetic beads coated with a human EPO (hEPO)–specific antibody. Human serum EPO emerged as a broad band after sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, with an apparent molecular weight slightly smaller than that of recombinant hEPO (rhEPO). The bandwidth corresponded with microheterogeneity because of extensive glycosylation. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis revealing several different glycoforms confirmed the heterogeneity of circulating hEPO. The immobilized anti-hEPO antibody was capable of binding a representative selection of rhEPO glycoforms. This was shown by comparing normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography profiles of oligosaccharides released from rhEPO with oligosaccharides released from rhEPO after isolation with hEPO-specific magnetic beads. Charge analysis demonstrated that human serum EPO contained only mono-, di-, and tri-acidic oligosaccharides and lacked the tetra-acidic structures present in the glycans from rhEPO. Determination of charge state after treatment of human serum EPO with Arthrobacter ureafaciens sialidase showed that the acidity of the oligosaccharide structures was caused by sialic acids. The sugar profiles of human serum EPO, describing both neutral and charged sugar, appeared significantly different from the profiles of rhEPO. The detection of glycan structural discrepancies between human serum EPO and rhEPO by sugar profiling may be significant for diagnosing pathologic conditions, maintaining pharmaceutical quality control, and establishing a direct method to detect the misuse of rhEPO in sports.

Prolactin was isolated from the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) pituitary gland by extraction with acid acetone, gel filtration, ion exchange-chromatography, and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The yield was 0.6 mg/g wet tissue. The hormone had a molecular weight of 23.5 kDa as determined by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Isoelectric focusing gave an isoelectric point of 9.2. The N-terminal sequence and the amino acid composition indicated extensive homology between Atlantic and Pacific salmon prolactin. Antiserum against Atlantic salmon prolactin cross-reacted with chum salmon prolactin, but not with human, rat, or sheep prolactin.