MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY PRODUCTION FOR CANCER IMMUNOTHERAPY

Abstract

The goal of the proposed plant is to produce 8760 g of bevacizumab at a concentration of 25 mg/mL which yields 349 L of product per year. Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody that is used to treat six different types of cancer. It acts by binding to the growth factor which essentially starves the cancerous tumor. To mass produce the antibody, recombinant Chinese Hamster Ovary cells that produce the desired humanized antibody are grown in a cascade of bioreactors. The cell solution then goes through a series of purification steps to isolate the desired antibody. A centrifuge is used to remove cell mass and chromatography columns are used to rid the solution of the undesired proteins. Filtration removes the buffer salts and then the final product is freeze dried. While the startup cost of the proposed plant is high, the pharmaceutical market is very lucrative and the facility is expected to make a profit within the first year. After seven years the investment has an estimated net present value of over $120 million. Due to the high economic return, the proposed plant design should move on to further development and implementation.