Webinar – The Power of Heat – 16th August 2016
Digging Deeper with Differential Scanning Calorimetry to Study Key Protein Characteristics
Please join us for a webinar presented by Dr Katherine Bowers (Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies USA Inc.) for an informative webinar on how Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) is used in protein characterization.
DSC has a long history of playing a vital role in protein biophysical studies as well as in biopharmaceutical development. From candidate selection, formulation development, stability monitoring and bio-similarity assessment, DSC still remains one of the top assays utilized in the pharmaceutical industry during the development and approval of protein-based therapeutics. There is familiarity in the biopharmaceutical industry with the basic concept of DSC as it relates to protein stability. As a protein is heated in a DSC experiment, the midpoint of thermal denaturation transition(s) (termed TM) is/are measured and ranking of stability based on higher TM values is performed (whether different constructs or different formulations of a protein, etc.).
Although extremely useful for protein stability assessment, TM values alone may not always reveal some of the characteristics of a protein molecule that can be highly dependent on the solution environment. DSC analyses can be taken even deeper when other parameters obtained from the assay are also used (onset temperature of unfolding, peak width and peak area), even when it appears that a TM does not shift. In this presentation, real-life examples of taking DSC analysis “deeper” will be presented. These examples will include monitoring the binding of a metal ion to an enzyme, high(er) throughput formulation development using a design of experiment (DOE) approach for a monoclonal antibody and using DSC to assist in the development of a complex purification process for a fusion protein.
Dr. Bowers received her B.S. in Chemistry from Shepherd University in Shepherdstown WV, followed by her PhD in Chemistry at the Pennsylvania State University. After Postdoctoral training, Dr. Bowers worked as a Formulation Development Scientist at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in Tarrytown NY. Katherine Bowers is currently employed at Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies as a Formulation and Analytical Development Scientist for this contract manufacturer of protein-based therapeutics. In this role, Dr. Bowers works with a wide variety of protein molecules, using biophysical techniques to support manufacturing process development and the development of stable parenteral formulations.
Dr. Bowers on use of DSC to assess thermostability
Video – What is DSC? Uses of Differential Scanning Calorimetry within Biopharmaceutical Development
Application note on how Dr. Bowers used DSC to characterize the stability of an antibody during initial pH and buffer screening for preformulation development and for optimization of the low pH viral inactivation used in the manufacturing process.