Continuous monitoring of a monoclonal antibody by size exclusion chromatography reveals a correlation between system suitability parameters and column aging

Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) is a foundational analytical method to assess product purity of biological molecules. To ensure accurate and reproducible data that meet regulatory agency standards, it is critical to monitor the chromatographic column with efficient and continuous approaches. In this study, 19 SEC columns (Waters Acquity BEH200) were evaluated using an in-house monoclonal antibody made at Regeneron. System suitability parameters (SSPs) were used to monitor the performance of the SEC assay, including USP resolution, USP plate count, USP tailing factor, asymmetry factor, elution time, peak width, and peak height. A general linear model was built and revealed that elution time, peak width, asymmetry factor, and tailing factor increased with injection number, while peak height, resolution, and plate count decreased. After 1000 injections, tailing factor and peak width increased by more than 10%, while resolution and plate count decreased by more than 10% from their respective starting values.