Chemical Engineering Seminar

Abstract: Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are the preferred platform for biotherapeutic protein production. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) alone reached global sales of 125 billion USD in 2020 and are used to treat many oncological, immunological and cardiovascular diseases. During the production of therapeutic proteins by CHO cells, host cell proteins (HCPs) are also secreted by the cells. Certain HCPs, if not removed during subsequent purification processes, have been shown to cause immunogenic responses in patients. In this presentation, we will discuss the identification and characterization of HCPs including the identification and characterization of particularly problematic HCPs that are difficult to remove and can impact product stability in antibody and adenoassociated viral vector biomanufacturing. We will also discuss how a large-scale public-private partnership, the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals, brings together academic scientists to work with colleagues from government and industry to tackle biopharmaceutical manufacturing technology innovation.

Biography: Kelvin H. Lee is Gore Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Delaware and is Director of NIIMBL: the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals, one of 18 Manufacturing USA Institutes. He received a BSE in Chemical Engineering from Princeton and PhD in Chemical Engineering from Caltech. He spent several years in the Biotechnology Institute at the ETH in Zurich, Switzerland and also completed a postdoc in Caltech's Biology Division. Prior to his current appointment, he was on the faculty at Cornell University where he held the titles of: Samuel C. and Nancy M. Fleming Chair Professor, Professor in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Director of the Cornell Institute for Biotechnology, and Director of the New York State Center for Life Science Enterprise. He has been recognized with a number of awards including: AIMBE Fellow, AAAS Fellow, Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, AIChE Professional Progress Award, Biotechnology and Bioengineering Elmer Gaden Award, and the ACS BIOT Marvin Johnson Award.

Lab website: https://leelab.org/