Cation-exchange chromatography of monoclonal antibodies: Characterisation of a novel stationary phase designed for production-scale purification

A novel cation-exchange resin, Eshmuno™ S, was compared to Fractogel® SO3- (M) and Toyopearl GigaCap S-650M. The stationary phases have different base matrices, and carry specific types of polymeric surface modifications. Three monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were used as model proteins to characterize these chromatographic resins. Results from gradient elutions, stirred batch adsorptions and confocal laser scanning microscopic investigations were used to elucidate binding behaviour of mAbs onto Eshmuno™ S and Fractogel® SO3- and the corresponding transport mechanisms on these two resins. The number of charges involved in mAb binding for Eshmuno™ S is lower than for Fractogel® SO3-, indicating a slightly weaker electrostatic interaction. Kinetics from batch uptake experiments are compared to kinetic data obtained from confocal laser scanning microscopy images. Both experimental approaches show an accelerated protein adsorption for the novel stationary phase. The influence of pH, salt concentrations and resid...