CHO Cells in Antibody Production: Why They’re the Industry Standard

Applications of Recombinant Antibody Technology

Antibodies are essential reagents in biotechnology, with applications in therapeutic development, diagnostic testing, and vaccine production. Traditional monoclonal antibody (mAb) production relies on hybridoma technology, in which antigen-stimulated B-lymphocytes are fused with immortalized myeloma cells to produce stable antibody-secreting cell lines. While this method has been widely used, hybridomas are subject to genetic drift, potentially affecting antibody reproducibility.

Recombinant antibody production eliminates these limitations by using synthetic genes that encode antibody sequences, allowing for precise control over antibody structure and function. This approach ensures batch-to-batch consistency and enables the engineering of antibodies with optimized properties such as improved stability, specificity, or reduced immunogenicity.¹

The Use of Cultured Cells in Recombinant Antibody Production

Recombinant antibody production requires a host system that can efficiently express and process antibody proteins. Mammalian cells are the preferred expression system due to their ability to produce full-length antibodies with human-compatible post-translational modifications. Unlike bacterial or yeast systems, mammalian cells support proper glycosylation and folding, which are critical for antibody function.

Several mammalian cell lines are commonly used, including Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells, mouse myeloma NS0 and Sp2/0 cells, human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cells, and PER.C6 cells. Among these, CHO cells dominate the field, producing over 70% of all recombinant biopharmaceuticals, including monoclonal antibodies. Their widespread adoption stems from their adaptability to large-scale production and regulatory approval history.

Benefits of CHO Cells in Bioprocessing

CHO cells offer several advantages for recombinant antibody production:

• High adaptability to suspension culture: Unlike adherent cell lines, CHO cells can grow in suspension, making them suitable for large-scale bioreactor production.

• Compatibility with chemically defined and serum-free media (CD/SFM): CHO cells can be cultured in defined media without animal-derived components, improving reproducibility and reducing contamination risks.

• High protein yield in fed-batch and continuous processes: CHO cells achieve high antibody titers (1–10 g/L) in fed-batch culture, outperforming other mammalian cell lines.

• Human-like glycosylation: CHO cells produce glycosylation patterns similar to those in human proteins, reducing the risk of immunogenicity in therapeutic antibodies.

• Low susceptibility to human viruses: CHO cells are not permissive to most human pathogens, reducing biosafety concerns.

These characteristics have solidified CHO cells as the gold standard for commercial antibody production.

Related: Advanced Techniques for Optimizing Antibody Drug Production

How Are Recombinant Antibodies Produced in CHO Cells?

The process of recombinant antibody production in CHO cells involves several key steps:

1. Gene sequence identification and optimization: The desired antibody gene is synthesized and optimized for CHO cell expression.

2. Vector construction and transfection: The gene is inserted into an expression vector, which is then introduced into CHO cells.

3. Clonal selection and expansion: High-producing cell clones are identified and expanded under selective pressure.

4. Bioreactor cultivation: The selected CHO cells are scaled up in bioreactors using optimized culture conditions.

5. Antibody purification: The recombinant antibody is isolated and purified using chromatography techniques such as protein A affinity purification.

These steps ensure high-yield and high-quality antibody production for clinical and commercial applications.

Engineering CHO Cells for Optimized Antibody Production

Several strategies are employed to enhance CHO cell productivity:

• Gene amplification systems: CHO cells deficient in dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) or glutamine synthetase (GS) enable selective gene amplification using methotrexate (MTX) or methionine sulfoximine (MSX), respectively. This leads to increased antibody expression.

• Optimized metabolic pathways: CHO cells are engineered to reduce byproducts like lactate and ammonia, which can inhibit growth. Substituting glucose and glutamine with alternative carbon and nitrogen sources, such as galactose and glutamate, improves cell viability and productivity.

• Expression vector optimization: Strong promoters (e.g., CMV, EF-1α), codon optimization, and intron inclusion enhance gene expression efficiency. The use of bicistronic vectors, which co-express light and heavy chains from a single mRNA transcript, improves protein folding and assembly.

• Transient vs. stable expression: Transient expression systems allow rapid antibody production for research purposes, while stable CHO cell lines are used for large-scale commercial manufacturing. Stable clones are established using antibiotic selection (e.g., puromycin, blasticidin) or advanced integration systems like the piggyBac transposon system.

By leveraging these strategies, CHO cells can achieve antibody expression levels exceeding 1 g/L, meeting the demands of biopharmaceutical production.

Related: CHO-K1 Stable Cell Line Generation

Establishing Stable CHO Cell Lines for Antibody Production

The development of stable CHO cell lines involves extensive screening to identify high-yield clones. Several selection methods are commonly used:

• Antibiotic selection: Cells are transfected with vectors containing antibiotic resistance genes, enabling selective growth of transfected cells.

• Gene amplification: The use of DHFR or GS-deficient CHO cells allows gene amplification in the presence of MTX or MSX, increasing antibody production.

• Chromatin opening elements (UCOEs): UCOEs prevent gene silencing, ensuring stable and high-level antibody expression over time.

Emerging technologies such as artificial chromosome expression (ACE) systems further streamline stable cell line development, reducing the timeline to high-yield production.

A recent paper describes a newly developed Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line, CHO-MK, demonstrates high proliferative capacity and enhanced monoclonal antibody (mAb) production compared to conventional CHO cells.² In fed-batch cultures using a 2 L bioreactor, a CHO-MK cell line achieved an antibody titer of 12.6 g/L in 7 days, with a space–time yield of 1.80 g/L/day, surpassing typical CHO cell performance. Additional experiments with six CHO-MK-derived cell lines in ambr15 bioreactors produced antibody yields ranging from 5.1 to 10.8 g/L, highlighting the robustness of CHO-MK cells in chemically defined media. These findings suggest that CHO-MK cells, when paired with optimized culture conditions, could serve as a next-generation platform for mAb production, offering improved efficiency, reduced costs, and accelerated biopharmaceutical development.

Exploring Alternative Systems for rMAb Production

While CHO cells are the primary system for rMAb production, other expression platforms, including bacteria, yeast, and insect cells, have been employed for recombinant protein generation. Each system offers distinct advantages, but mammalian cells like CHO remain the gold standard due to their capacity for proper protein folding and glycosylation. However, exploring conditions and strategies used in other systems may provide insights that can be adapted to CHO cells, potentially enhancing productivity.

2-Aminopurine: A Potential Enhancer of Transient Expression

2-Aminopurine (2-AP), a purine analog, has demonstrated the ability to enhance transient gene expression in human cell lines by increasing RNA stability or promoting translation. Although the specific effect of 2-AP on rMAb production in CHO cells has not been well studied, its potential as an enhancer warrants investigation. If 2-AP proves to have a similar effect in CHO cells, it could be used to boost transient antibody expression for preclinical studies or small-scale production.

Influence of Protein Kinase R and Ribonuclease L on Transient Gene Expression

Protein kinase R (PKR) and 2’-5’ oligoadenylate-dependent ribonuclease L (RNase L) are critical components of the cellular antiviral response. These enzymes restrict gene expression by degrading RNA or inhibiting translation initiation, thereby limiting the expression of heterologous genes. In the context of CHO cells, the presence of PKR and RNase L could suppress transient rMAb expression. Knockout or inhibition of these enzymes may offer a strategy for increasing transient antibody yields, although careful evaluation of any potential impacts on cell health and protein quality is necessary.

Adenosine Deaminase Acting on RNA 1 (ADAR1): Enhancing Gene Expression Efficiency

ADAR1 is an enzyme that converts adenosine residues to inosine within RNA molecules, which can influence RNA stability and translation. Studies have shown that ADAR1 coexpression enhances gene expression in various cell types. This suggests that ADAR1 could play a similar role in CHO cells, potentially improving transient rMAb production by increasing mRNA stability. The effect of ADAR1 on antibody yield and protein quality in CHO-based production systems is a promising area for further exploration.

Optimizing Culture Temperature for Antibody Production

Temperature is a critical factor influencing rMAb production in CHO cells. Lowering the culture temperature from the standard 37°C to around 30–33°C has been shown to extend the duration of protein expression, leading to improved transient antibody yields. However, lower temperatures can also increase the formation of antibody aggregates in stable cell lines, potentially compromising product quality. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying these temperature-dependent effects could lead to more effective bioprocess optimization strategies.

Untranslated Regions (UTRs) and Their Impact on Antibody Expression

The untranslated regions (UTRs) of mRNA play a crucial role in regulating translation efficiency and stability.

Synthetic 5’-UTRs: High-throughput screening has identified synthetic 5’-UTRs that enhance protein expression from commonly used promoters like the cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter. Incorporating optimized 5’-UTRs into CHO cell expression systems could improve both transient and stable rMAb production by promoting more efficient translation initiation.

3’-UTRs and mRNA Stability: The 3’-UTR influences mRNA stability and translational efficiency, factors that are critical for consistent protein expression. Optimized 3’-UTRs have been used to improve mRNA stability and reduce immunogenicity in mRNA vaccines, suggesting that similar approaches could enhance rMAb production in CHO cells. Understanding how different UTR configurations affect rMAb yield could lead to more precise control over gene expression.

CHO Cell-Based Antibody Production in the Biotech Industry

CHO cells remain the preferred choice for commercial antibody manufacturing due to their scalability, regulatory acceptance, and ability to produce human-compatible antibodies. The pharmaceutical industry continues to refine CHO-based processes, optimizing yield and reducing production costs. Advances in cell line engineering, bioreactor design, and purification technologies are further enhancing the efficiency of CHO cell-based antibody production.

With the global monoclonal antibody market projected to exceed $300 billion by 2025, CHO cell expression systems will continue to play a critical role in the development of antibody therapeutics. Biopharmaceutical companies rely on CHO cell-based production platforms to meet the increasing demand for high-quality monoclonal antibodies, ensuring their widespread use in treating cancer, autoimmune diseases, and infectious diseases.

Related: Commercial License for CHOK1BN

At Biointron, we are dedicated to accelerating antibody discovery, optimization, and production. Our team of experts can provide customized solutions that meet your specific research needs, including CHO-K1 Stable Cell Line Generation and Commercial License for CHOK1BN. Contact us to learn more about our services and how we can help accelerate your research and drug development projects.

References:

1. Yang, H., Li, C., & Lo, Y. (2024). Enhancing recombinant antibody yield in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Tzu-Chi Medical Journal, 36(3), 240. https://doi.org/10.4103/tcmj.tcmj_315_23

2. Saeki, H., Kaori Fueki, & Maeda, N. (2024). Enhancing monoclonal antibody production efficiency using CHO-MK cells and specific media in a conventional fed-batch culture. Cytotechnology, 77(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10616-024-00669-4