This work presents a microfluidic device that has the unique capability of automating combinatorial processes such as protein refolding and bioconjugate synthesis. Conventionally, these processes are done by hand-pipetting or using robotic systems. The microfluidic approach offers the advantages of automation, cost-effectiveness, compatibility with optical detection, and a million-fold reductio...

Since ancient times plant and animal tissues have been used as medicines. In the 20th century growth hormone as a purified extraction from human pituitaries was still used to treat growth disorders. Since the genetic engineering of host cells became possible, a new generation of medicines obtained using recombinant DNA (rDNA) technology has emerged. These medicines have been named ‘biopharmaceu...

The complete sequencing of the human genome has significantly increased the number of pharmaceutically important proteins (“biopharmaceuticals”) to be produced at large scale. As this tendency is expected to continue, production capacity of biopharmaceuticals has become a strategic issue for the pharmaceutical industry. Mammalian cells such as those of baby hamster kidney and Chinese hamster ov...

Mammalian cell expression systems are currently essential for production of glycosylated biopharmaceuticals such as monoclonal antibodies or molecules requiring even more complex glycan structures. Various host cell and vector systems aimed at improving expression levels and quality have been established (1, 2). Development of biopharmaceutical product candidates from genes to clinical trials s...

Nearly a century ago, Paul Ehrlich proposed his lock and key theory that has remained one of the cornerstones of rational drug development. Disrupting or enhancing the interaction between a ligand and its substrate is the basis for numerous drugs targeting signal transduction processes. Much of drug discovery is based on finding molecular mimics that resemble either the lock or key of a given l...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this report was to review issues associated with the introduction of alternative versions of biosimilars used in the oncology setting. DESIGN Data were obtained by searches of MEDLINE, PubMed, references from relevant English-language articles, and guidelines from the European Medicines Agency. RESULTS When biosimilars are approved in EU, they will be considered 'c...

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are widely used as cell factories for the production of biopharmaceuticals. In contrast to the highly optimized production processes for monoclonal antibody (mAb)-based biopharmaceuticals, improving productivity of non-mAb therapeutic glycoproteins is more likely to reduce production costs significantly. The aim of this study was to establish a versatile target...