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Summary Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) treated with a combination of fludarabine, cyclophosphamide and rituximab show a high response rate. However, only a poor response is observed following rituximab monotherapy. The use of chemo‐immunotherapy is often associated with haematological and infectious complications. Thus, an antibody with an enhanced ability to kill CLL cells could lead to better clinical responses to antibody monotherapy and the possibility of lowering drug doses during chemo‐immunotherapy. We generated a chimeric anti‐CD20 monoclonal antibody (mAb), EMAB‐6, which has a low fucose content. Apoptosis and complement activities for EMAB‐6 were similar to those seen for rituximab. By contrast, EMAB‐6 mAb showed improved Fcγ receptor IIIA (FcγRIIIA)/CD16 binding and FcγRIIIA‐dependent effector functions. It induced a higher in vitro antibody‐dependent cellular cytotoxicity against CLL cells and a higher FcγRIIIA‐mediated interleukin‐2 production by FcγRIIIA+ Jurkat cells in the presence of CLL cells at both low and maximally saturating concentrations. Comparative studies between CLL and lymphoma cells coated with EMAB‐6 or rituximab indicated that the difference of efficacy was more pronounced at low doses and when target cells expressed fewer CD20 molecules. Thus, EMAB‐6 mAb represents a promising drug candidate for the treatment of CLL by inducing a strong cytotoxicity against tumour cells that express low CD20 levels.

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Human complement factor H (CFH) is a plasma glycoprotein involved in the regulation of the alternative pathway of the complement system. A deficiency in CFH is a cause of severe pathologies like atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome (aHUS). CFH is a 155-kDa glycoprotein containing nine potential N-glycosylation sites. In the current study, we present a quantitative glycosylation analysis of CFH using capillary electrophoresis and a complete sitespecific N-glycan characterization using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) and liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESIMS/MS

Numerous putative post-translational modifications may induce variations of monoclonal antibodies charge distribution that can potentially affect their biological activity. The characterization and the monitoring of these charge variants are critical quality requirements to ensure stability and process consistency. Charge variants are usually characterized by preparative ion exchange chromatography, collection of fractions and subsequent reverse-phase liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry analysis. While this process can be automatized by on-line two-dimensional chromatography, it remains often complex and time consuming. For this reason, a straightforward on-line charge variant analysis method is highly desirable and analytical laboratories are actively pursuing efforts to overcome this challenge. In this study, a mixed mode ion exchange chromatographic method using volatile salts and coupled on-line to native mass spectrometry was developed in association with a middle-up approach for a detailed characterization of monoclonal antibodies charge variants. An aged monoclonal antibody, presenting a complex charge variant profile was successfully investigated by this methodology as a case study. Results demonstrate that deamidation of the heavy chain was the major degradation pathway after long-term storage at 5°C while oxidation was rather low. The method was also very useful to identify all the clipped forms of the antibody.