SummaryThe EU Sixth Framework Programme Integrated Project 'Pharma-Planta' developed an approved manufacturing process for recombinant plant-made pharmaceutical proteins (PMPs) using the human HIV-neutralizing monoclonal antibody 2G12 as a case study. In contrast to the wellestablished Chinese hamster ovary platform, which has been used for the production of therapeutic antibodies for nearly 30 years, only draft regulations were initially available covering the production of recombinant proteins in transgenic tobacco plants. Whereas recombinant proteins produced in animal cells are secreted into the culture medium during fermentation in bioreactors, intact plants grown under nonsterile conditions in a glasshouse environment provide various 'plant-specific' regulatory and technical challenges for the development of a process suitable for the acquisition of a manufacturing licence for clinical phase I trials. During upstream process development, several generic steps were addressed (e.g. plant transformation and screening, seed bank generation, genetic stability, host plant uniformity) as well as productspecific aspects (e.g. product quantity). This report summarizes the efforts undertaken to analyse and define the procedures for the GMP/GACP-compliant upstream production of 2G12 in transgenic tobacco plants from gene to harvest, including the design of expression constructs, plant transformation, the generation of production lines, master and working seed banks and the detailed investigation of cultivation and harvesting parameters and their impact on biomass, product yield and intra/interbatch variability. The resulting procedures were successfully translated into a prototypic manufacturing process that has been approved by the German competent authority.

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Plants have emerged as low-cost production platforms suitable for vaccines targeting poverty-related diseases. Besides functional efficacy, the stability, yield, and purification process determine the production costs of a vaccine and thereby the feasibility of plant-based production. We describe high-level plant production and functional characterization of a malaria vaccine candidate targeting the pre-erythrocytic stage of Plasmodium falciparum. CCT, a fusion protein composed of three sporozoite antigens (P. falciparum cell traversal protein for ookinetes and sporozoites [PfCelTOS], P. falciparum circumsporozoite protein [PfCSP], and P. falciparum thrombospondin-related adhesive protein [PfTRAP]), was transiently expressed by agroinfiltration in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves, accumulated to levels up to 2 mg/g fresh leaf weight (FLW), was thermostable up to 80°C and could be purified to >95% using a simple two-step procedure. Reactivity of sera from malaria semi-immune donors indicated the immunogenic conformation of the purified fusion protein consisting of PfCelTOS, PfCSP_TSR, PfTRAP_TSR domains (CCT) protein. Total IgG from the CCT-specific mouse immune sera specifically recognized P. falciparum sporozoites in immunofluorescence assays and induced up to 35% inhibition in hepatocyte invasion assays. Featuring domains from three promising sporozoite antigens with different roles (attachment and cell traversal) in the hepatocyte invasion process, CCT has the potential to elicit broader immune responses against the pre-erythrocytic stage of P. falciparum and represents an interesting new candidate, also as a component of multi-stage, multi-subunit malaria vaccine cocktails.

Summary One of the most promising malaria vaccine candidate antigens is the Plasmodium falciparum apical membrane antigen 1 (PfAMA1). Several studies have shown that this blood‐stage antigen can induce strong parasite growth inhibitory antibody responses. PfAMA1 contains up to six recognition sites for N‐linked glycosylation, a post‐translational modification that is absent in P. falciparum. To prevent any potential negative impact of N‐glycosylation, the recognition sites have been knocked out in most PfAMA1 variants expressed in eukaryotic hosts. However, N‐linked glycosylation may increase efficacy by improving immunogenicity and/or focusing the response towards relevant epitopes by glycan masking. We describe the production of glycosylated and nonglycosylated PfAMA1 in Nicotiana benthamiana and its detailed characterization in terms of yield, integrity and protective efficacy. Both PfAMA1 variants accumulated to high levels (>510 μg/g fresh leaf weight) after transient expression, and high‐mannose‐type N‐glycans were confirmed for the glycosylated variant. No significant differences between the N. benthamiana and Pichia pastoris PfAMA1 variants were detected in conformation‐sensitive ligand‐binding studies. Specific titres of >2 × 106 were induced in rabbits, and strong reactivity with P. falciparum schizonts was observed in immunofluorescence assays, as well as up to 100% parasite growth inhibition for both variants, with IC50 values of ~35 μg/mL. Competition assays indicated that a number of epitopes were shielded from immune recognition by N‐glycans, warranting further studies to determine how glycosylation can be used for the directed targeting of immune responses. These results highlight the potential of plant transient expression systems as a production platform for vaccine candidates.

SummaryPlant cell suspension cultures can be used for the production of recombinant pharmaceutical proteins, but their potential is limited by modest production levels that may be unstable over long culture periods, reflecting initial culture heterogeneity and subsequent genetic and epigenetic changes. We used flow sorting to generate highly productive monoclonal cell lines from a heterogeneous population of tobacco BY-2 cells expressing the human antibody M12 by selecting the co-expressed fluorescent marker protein DsRed located on the same T-DNA. Separation yielded 35% wells containing single protoplasts and 15% wells with monoclonal microcolonies that formed within 2 weeks. Thus, enriching the population of fluorescent cells from initially 24% to 90-96% in the six monoclonal lines resulted in an up to 13-fold increase in M12 production that remained stable for 10-12 months. This is the first straightforward procedure allowing the generation of monoclonal plant cell suspension cultures by flow sorting, greatly increasing the potential of plant cells as an economical platform for the manufacture of recombinant pharmaceutical proteins.