Recombinant glycoprotein product quality in proliferation-controlled BHK-21 cells

We analyzed product quality to determine the applicability of proliferation-controlled mammalian cells for recombinant pharmaceutical protein production. Baby hamster kidney (BHK)-21 cells were engineered to express a dicistronic, stabilized, self-selecting growth control system consisting of a beta-estradiol-activatable transcription factor IRF-1 fusion protein. IRF-1 activity led to a reduced growth rate, whereas productivity, protein integrity, and glycosylation pattern of the industrially relevant secreted pharmaceutical glycoprotein erythropoietin remained consistent, showing that this technique has the potential for improving the consistency of high-quality pharmaceutical products and thus warrants further development.