A targeted liquid chromatography mass spectrometry method for routine monitoring of cell culture media components for bioprocess development

The analysis of cell culture media (CCM) components is critical for understanding cell growth kinetics and overall product quality during biomanufacturing. Given the diverse physical and chemical nature of CCM compounds present at a wide range of concentrations, there is an increasing demand for single-platform analytical assays with exceptional specificity and sensitivity. This study presents a targeted LC-MS/MS method for the identification and quantitation of 110 CCM analytes is presented, where target metabolites are monitored over an 20-min gradient. The analyte panel constitutes amino acids, vitamins, organic acids, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and lipids. The method employs isotopically labeled standards to enable specific and accurate relative quantitation of CCM compounds based on physicochemical properties and retention time. Quantitation is performed on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer operated in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The method demonstrates strong linearity with an R2 of ≥0.99 with three orders of linear dynamic range and inter-day and intra-day precision with a%CV of <10% for spiked-in quality control samples. We also present three case studies to demonstrate method applicability in the bioprocessing space for developing vaccines and biologics.