Book Review: Aggregation of Therapeutic Proteins

As Editor of American Laboratory, I responded to our subscribers for help in detecting and controlling aggregation of therapeutic proteins. On the one hand, I was amazed at the complexity and importance and, on the other, the inadequacy of analytical technology. Please see recent meeting reports.1

I attended IBC’s Next Generation Protein Therapeutics Summit at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in San Francisco, CA, June 4‒6, 2014. One track focused on Protein Aggregation, Stability, and Solubility. The session chair’s introduction of Dr. Wei Wang (Pfizer, Groton, CT) referenced Aggregation of Therapeutic Proteins,2 which he co-edited. At the subsequent refreshment break, I looked through the book. It provided a more thorough explanation of work reported on in the meeting program. It was very useful in preparing the American Laboratory meeting review on IBC’s Next Generation Protein Therapeutics Summit.1

Some may question the relevancy of a four-year-old book. However, despite the importance and hard work of many scientists around the world on aggregation and immunogenicity, progress has been very slow. Even the FDA is still in the information-gathering mode.

While I’m not an expert in protein aggregation, I do have decades of experience in separation science, including HPLC in general and SEC in particular. SEC is used for measuring the size of molecules in the low nanometer range in dilute solutions. The description was spot on. With a critical eye, I read the sections on field flow fractionation and capillary electrophoresis. Again, no nits to pick. At the risk of extrapolating broadly from a small sampling, I expect that the technical content of the book is high quality.

As expected from a focused technology review, individual chapters have long lists of references, which should help individuals quickly access the primary literature. If you are involved in protein aggregation, I’m sure that you will frequently find yourself reaching for this book.

References

  1. https://www.americanlaboratory.com/913-Technical-Articles/158757-Protein- Aggregation-at-PepTalk-2014/ and https://www.americanlaboratory.com/164342-Immunology-and-Particulates-in-Therapeutics-A-Modern-Gordian-Knot/.
  2. Wang, W.; Roberts, C.J. Aggregation of Therapeutic Proteins. Wiley, 2010 ISBN 978-0-470-41196-4.

Robert L. Stevenson, Ph.D., is Editor, American Laboratory/Labcompare; e-mail: [email protected].

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