Rhobust® possesses some unique advantages for processing a group of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). It allows direct capture of MAbs from the bioreactor and saves process steps. Two ligand chemistries are available for Rhobust® – protein A and Upfront’s proprietary Rhobust® MabDirect MM (mixed mode) capture adsorbent.

A side-by-side comparison was made between this direct loading onto a mixed mode capture ligand and a traditional clarification scheme and processing on a protein A packed bed adsorbent. The yield by MabDirect MM capture was 10% higher than clarified capture, and the quantity of host cell protein contamination of the eluted MAb was 50ug/mg for the protein A adsorbent and 70ug/mg for the Rhobust® MabDirect MM (mixed mode) capture. This close similarity of host cell protein levels illustrates the effectiveness of clarification during capture on Rhobust® MabDirect MM. The data was presented on behalf of Upfront Chromatography and DSM Biologics at the Recovery XIII conference in Quebec during June 2008.