💰 Supported by a $3.1 million Gates Foundation grant, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is leading this effort to reduce mAb costs to $10 per gram.
⚗️ This approach uses zinc chloride and polyethylene glycol for selective precipitation, aiming for industrial scalability and reproducibility.
🌍 The research team plans to share findings to enhance global mAb accessibility.
Introduction:
The article discusses a novel approach to monoclonal antibody (mAb) purification that utilizes precipitation methods, backed by funding from the Gates Foundation. This initiative aims to simplify the manufacturing process of mAbs, potentially reducing their costs and enhancing accessibility for global health needs.
- A $3.1 million grant from the Gates Foundation supports research at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) to develop low-cost mAb purification methods.
- The research targets the substantial financial burden imposed by affinity-based purification techniques, which constitute 60-70% of the manufacturing costs.
- The RPI team employs a precipitation method using zinc chloride and polyethylene glycol 3350 to selectively precipitate mAbs from the production stream.
- This continuous process is designed for industrial application, focusing on reproducibility and rapid purification within 30 minutes.
- The research team intends to share their findings openly, rejecting intellectual property claims to promote accessibility to affordable mAbs globally.
Conclusion:
The development of precipitation-based purification processes for mAbs presents a significant opportunity to reduce manufacturing costs and improve access to therapeutics. The commitment to transparency in research outcomes indicates a progressive step towards addressing global health disparities, highlighting the importance of affordable healthcare solutions.
