Monoclonal Antibody Production for Cancer Immunotherapy

Project goal: To design a facility for large-scale manufacture of cancer immunotherapy drug bevacizumab. Immunotherapy treats cancer by using the body’s immune system to attack cancerous cells. Monoclonal antibodies such as bevacizumab can stimulate this immune response. Bevacizumab treats glioblastoma as well as colorectal, lung, kidney, cervical and ovarian cancers by inhibiting the growth of new vascular tissue. In the United States, over half a million people are diagnosed with these types of cancer every year. Bevacizumab is produced in a cascade of bioreactors charged with recombinant Chinese hamster ovary cells that proliferate and produce the antibodies, which are secreted into the extracellular medium. The secreted antibodies are purified using a process that involves centrifugation, affinity chromatography, ion exchange chromatography, and ultra-filtration. The final purified antibodies are freeze-dried and packaged in vials for shipment to healthcare providers.