Post-translational modifications of protein biopharmaceuticals

The majority of therapeutic proteins display one or more post-translational modifications (PTMs). These modifications normally influence the biochemical and therapeutic properties of such proteins. Choosing an expression system capable of generating an appropriate product PTM profile remains one of the most crucial decisions a drug developer must make. This review considers the PTMs most often associated with therapeutic proteins and focuses upon more recent advances in engineering PTMs with the aim of improving the application-relevant functional characteristics of these drugs.