Recent Advances in Biologic Therapeutic N-Glycan Preparation Techniques and Analytical Methods for Facilitating Biomanufacturing Automation

N-glycosylation is a post-translational modification that occurs during the production of monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapeutics. During production of mAb based therapeutics the use of various hosts and cell culture additives attribute to glycan heterogeneity. The safety and efficacy of monoclonal antibodies with mechanism of actions that utilize Fc effector functions can be negatively impacted by glycan heterogeneity and thus is often considered a critical quality attribute (CQA). In this mini review, we discuss recent advances in mAb sample preparation specifically focused on denaturation, enzymatic processing, and released glycans derivatization methods. Additionally, we review the recent advances in characterization of released and intact N-glycans using chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, and mass spectrometry techniques with a focus on rapid, automated approaches that support analysis of glycosylation profiles of biopharmaceuticals. We delve into advances within sample preparation techniques that allow for rapid and robust sample preparation as well as how these techniques are being used for innovative at-line high-throughput screening and process analytical technology (PAT). The future of biomanufacturing is focused on decreasing process costs while increasing process understanding and quality for novel biologic candidates and biosimilars. Therefore, advances in PAT for biotherapeutics will positively influence current manufacturing practices and enable further bioprocess automation.