Native Mass Spectrometry Unravels Glycoform Heterogeneity in Biopharmaceuticals

T. Wohlschlager, K. Scheffler, I. C. Forstenlehner, W. Skala, S. Senn, E. Damoc, J. Holzmann & C. G. Huber, Native mass spectrometry combined with enzymatic dissection unravels glycoform heterogeneity of biopharmaceuticals. Nature Communications, 9, 1713 (2018)

This new open-access publication in Nature Communications from researchers at the Christian Doppler Laboratory (CDL) for Innovative Tools for Biosimilar Characterization, University of Salzburg, Sandoz GmbH (Novartis) and Thermo Fisher Scientific is a must-read for anyone working in the world of biopharmaceutical characterization.

Read the full paper online at Nature Communications

The team applied high-resolution native mass spectrometry (MS) for the characterization of the therapeutic fusion protein Etanercept. When combined with enzymatic dissection using a set of proteases and glycosidases, the team were able to fully unravel the glycoform heterogeneity of this complex biotherapeutic - in conditions of unmatched mass spectral complexity.

"Higher spatial resolution at lower charge states, an inherent characteristic of native MS, represents a key component for the successful revelation of glycan heterogeneity."