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Production of recombinant protein therapeutics in cultivated mammalian cells

Nature Biotechnology volume 22, pages 1393–1398 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

Cultivated mammalian cells have become the dominant system for the production of recombinant proteins for clinical applications because of their capacity for proper protein folding, assembly and post-translational modification. Thus, the quality and efficacy of a protein can be superior when expressed in mammalian cells versus other hosts such as bacteria, plants and yeast. Recently, the productivity of mammalian cells cultivated in bioreactors has reached the gram per liter range in a number of cases, a more than 100-fold yield improvement over titers seen for similar processes in the mid-1980s. This increase in volumetric productivity has resulted mainly from improvements in media composition and process control. Opportunities still exist for improving mammalian cell systems through further advancements in production systems as well as through vector and host cell engineering.

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Figure 1: Cell line generation and development for cell culture processes for the generation of recombinant proteins of interest (o.i.).

Bob Crimi

Figure 2: Comparison of cell culture processes from 1986 and 2004.

Bob Crimi

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Acknowledgements

I am very grateful to my colleagues David Hacker and Martin Jordan for discussions and extensive editing in the context of the writing of this review.

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  1. Laboratory of Cellular Biotechnology, Institute of Biological Engineering and Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland

    Florian M Wurm

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Correspondence to Florian M Wurm.

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Wurm, F. Production of recombinant protein therapeutics in cultivated mammalian cells. Nat Biotechnol 22, 1393–1398 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt1026

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