Oxidative stress in cell culture: getting the most from your growth factors

Andrew D. Schaefer, MBA, Manager of Analytical Method Development & Validation, Biopharmaceutical Raw Materials, Eurofins BioPharma Product Testing, Andrew.Schaefer@bpt.eurofinsus.com

Cell and gene therapies (CGT) are one of the fastest growing modalities, and the Eurofins BioPharma Product Testing (EBPT) Raw Materials network of laboratories is acutely aware of the challenges our customers face in this area. In support of industry efforts, the EBPT Raw Materials CGT team has dedicated its expertise and time to collaborating with our partners and the Pharmacopeia to develop new testing standards and innovative approaches to solve unique problems. Beyond supporting new Compendial chapters, the Raw Materials team has published work on cell culture applications of Interleukin-2 Stability in the American Journal of Analytical Chemistry and N-acetyl-L-cysteine and N,N’-diacetyl-L-cystine Stability in Cell & Gene Therapy Insights. A third installment in this effort, titled The Impact of EDTA and Selenite on the Stability of Insulin in Cell Culture Media, was recently published in the International Journal of Biochemistry Advances.

This latest work investigated two common cell culture supplements, disodium edetate (EDTA) and sodium selenite (Se), and their impact on the stability of a ubiquitous peptide hormone, Insulin. Modeled in the classical Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium and Roswell Park Memorial Institute 1640, it explored whether the antioxidant and radical-scavenger properties of EDTA and Se would decrease the levels of peroxide in media. Curiously, this work found that Se did not improve peroxide levels in media despite previous literature reporting antioxidative properties. Mechanisms were hypothesised for this phenomenon, and the work presents proposed supplementation levels for users to reduce peroxides in source media and subsequently oxidative stress on their cells.

The Eurofins BPT Raw Materials laboratory in Lancaster, PA, is one of the largest single raw materials laboratories in the world, with a network of companion laboratories in North America and abroad designed to deliver fast and reliable quality control testing to CGT clients and traditional manufacturers. Eurofins BPT provides a one-stop-shop for full GMP raw materials testing, covering chemistry, biochemistry, microbiological and viral services. Eurofins BPT’s Compendial monograph testing services offer the largest array of turnkey QC testing in the industry, with multiple shifts of staff ready for samples, day or night. A dedicated cohort of scientists can support a variety of method development and validation needs, and implementation of methods for non-Compendial materials is complemented by over 80 platform methods designed to get clients’ materials ready for GMP QC testing as fast as possible. Contact us to learn more. Or visit EBPTRawMaterialsTestingForCGT.