Novel Dynamic Model to Predict the Glycosylation Pattern of Monoclonal Antibodies from Extracellular Cell Culture Conditions

Glycosylation is a critical protein post-translational modification with a profound impact on the therapeutic properties of Mab and research indicates that it depends on extracellular culture conditions. A novel dynamic model was developed to relate extracellular metabolites’ concentrations to a cumulative glycoprofile. The model has three components: dynamic evolution of extracellular metabolites, production of nucleotide sugars in the cytosol, and glycosylation inside the Golgi apparatus. Following comparisons with experimental data obtained from batch CHO cell cultures, the model was found capable of predicting the glycoform profile of Mab temporally, as well as the extent of galactosylation given in the form of galactosylation index. The model has the potential for use in controlling the glycoform profile by manipulating culture conditions.