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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

A Comprehensive Scientific Survey of Excipients Used in Currently Marketed, Therapeutic Biological Drug Products

The steady development of biotechnology-derived therapeutic biologics over the last few decades has generated drugs that are now standard medical treatments for a range of indications. While the development of protein products has surged in recent years, the formulation and delivery of these complex molecules have relied on drug-specific studies and, in some instances, data from non-proteinaceous drug products. The commonalities, trends, and gaps in excipient technologies used to support the development of therapeutic proteins largely remain unexplored due to the drug-specific nature of many formulations. Using a comprehensive and relational database approach, we aimed to provide a scientific survey of all approved or licensed biotechnology-derived drug products with the goal of providing evidence-based information on common attributes and trending features in protein product excipients. We examined 665 formulations, and 395 unique formulations based on having unique excipients within them, that supported 211 therapeutic proteins as of June 2020. We report the prevalence of each excipient class and excipient chemical used in eight different drug types including monoclonal antibodies, antibody conjugates, cytokines and growth factors, enzymes, polypeptide hormones, pulmonary surfactants, recombinant fusion proteins, and toxins. We also report the prevalence by excipient type among all therapeutic proteins, in the context of each drug’s recommended pH range, concentration ranges for excipients, and route of administration. The results of our analyses indicate certain excipients common to monoclonal antibodies, cytokines, and polypeptide hormones. We also report on excipients unique to protein drug products, such as amino acids, solubilizers, and lyoprotectants. Overall, our report summarizes the current landscape of excipients used in marketed biotechnology-derived therapeutic biologic products.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Excipient screening by lyophilization provides insights into spray drying formulations for nanoparticle vaccines

Nanoparticles have shown great promise as delivery platforms in the development of tunable and safe vaccines. Nanolipoprotein particles (NLPs), also known as nanodiscs, are discoidal nanoparticles composed of a lipid bilayer stabilized at their periphery by apolipoproteins. Under the right conditions, the NLP self-assembly process is highly customizable in terms of lipids and apolipoprotein constituents, allowing for tunable physical and chemical characteristics. This flexibility allows a wide range of vaccine antigens and adjuvants to be incorporated onto the NLP platform for tailored vaccine design. The stability of NLPs during long term storage is a very important factor in developing a vaccine delivery platform suitable for widespread global use. When stored in a solution for extended periods of time, NLPs dissociate into their corresponding lipids and protein constituents, leading to particle degradation. Proper stabilization of NLPs can often be achieved by lyophilization (i.e. freeze-drying), a method widely used for various applications including pharmaceuticals. This process, however, can be damaging to particles without the presence of lyoprotectants or excipients that help maintain particle stability during lyophilization. Another method used to stabilize vaccines and pharmaceuticals is spray drying, a process that converts liquid formulations into dry powders through controlled heating and airflow. While spray drying is rapid, scalable, and cost-effective, lyophilization is typically a gentler process that better retains biomolecule structure and function. Both processes use excipients for particle stabilization, so lyophilization can be used as a surrogate to test stability of NLPs, to down-select formulations that may withstand the harsher conditions of spray drying. To screen different formulations, NLPs were synthesized and purified to homogeneity by size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and samples were prepared with a wide range of lyoprotectants and/or excipients. To assess the protective effects of excipients on NLPs upon spray drying, both pre- and post-lyophilized samples were analyzed by SEC. To assess the protective effects upon heating (encountered during the spray drying process), NLP samples were incubated at elevated temperatures prior to SEC analysis. The lyoprotectants and excipients evaluated in this study had different efficiencies in protecting NLPs during lyophilization and heating tests. Trehalose, for example, exhibits stabilization on NLPs both upon lyophilization and heating whereas leucine accelerated NLP dissociation. Although some lyoprotectants are effective by themselves, different combinations can decrease the stabilization of NLPs. Shelf-stable vaccines that do not require cold-chain storage are essential for global accessibility and our findings provide fundamental insight into how to advance NLP-based vaccines for these applications.

Serrano, Litzay J [Lawrence Livermore National Lab↗
DOE OSTI2022

Detection of innate immune response modulating impurities (IIRMI) in therapeutic peptides and proteins: Impact of excipients

Unintended immunogenicity can affect the safety and efficacy of therapeutic proteins and peptides, so accurate assessments of immunogenicity risk can aid in the selection, development, and regulation of biologics. Product- and process- related impurities can act as adjuvants that activate the local or systemic innate immune response increasing the likelihood of product immunogenicity. Thus, assessing whether products have innate immune response modulating impurities (IIRMI) is a key component of immunogenicity risk assessments. Identifying trace levels of individual IIRMI can be difficult and testing individually for all potential impurities is not feasible. Therefore, to mitigate the risk, cell-based assays that use human blood cells or monocyte-macrophage reporter cell lines are being developed to detect minute quantities of impurities capable of eliciting innate immune activation. As these are cell-based assays, there is concern that excipients could blunt the cell responses, masking the presence of immunogenic IIRMI. Here, we explore the impact of frequently used excipients (non-ionic detergents, sugars, amino acids, bulking agents) on the sensitivity of reporter cell lines (THP-1- and RAW-Blue cells) and fresh human blood cells to detect purified TLR agonists as model IIRMI. We show that while excipients do not modulate the innate immune response elicited by TLR agonists in vivo, they can impact on the sensitivity of cell-based IIRMI assays. Reduced sensitivity to detect LPS, FSL-1, and other model IIRMI was also evident when testing 3 different recombinant drug products, product A (a representative mAb), B (a representative growth factor), C (a representative peptide), and their corresponding formulations. These results indicate that product formulations need to be considered when developing and validating cell-based assays for assessing clinically relevant levels of IIRMI in therapeutic proteins. Optimization of reporter cells, culture conditions and drug product concentration appear to be critical to minimize the impact of excipients and attain sensitive and reproducible assays.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Studying the effect of drug-to-excipient ratio on drug release profile for drug coated balloons

Drug-coated balloons (DCB) have emerged as the alternative procedure for restenosis because of their ability to treat a variety of occlusion types with a uniform dose of anti-proliferative drugs. DCB are balloons coated with antiproliferative drugs encapsulated in a polymer matrix. There are several types of coating matrices used to produce DCB. In this study, the relationship between coating composition and drug release under physiologically relevant conditions was examined to understand how differences in coating composition impacts the drug transfer from the balloon surface to the simulated body fluids. To conduct the experiments, the balloons were coated with different paclitaxel (drug)-to-iopromide (excipient) ratios (3:1, 3:2 and 1:2) using an in-house developed micro-pipetting method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed that the 3:1 PTX:IOP ratio produced a more uniform, crystalline microstructure with a thinner coating throughout the balloon surface compared to the other drug-to-excipient ratios. The 1:2 PTX:IOP ratio showed the least crystalline microstructure among the three ratios evaluated in this study. Three different drug elution conditions were tested. The amount of drug released to the medium was quantified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Our soaking study and submerge & deploy study showed that ~20% of the drug transferred to the target site under physiological conditions. A track and deploy method was performed using a “mock” artery, to simulate an in vitro environment. Coated balloons were passed through the mock artery to mimic tracking turns the balloon within the arteries during the angioplasty procedures. Seven elution samples were collected at different stages of the procedure. Finally, drug release results suggest that the higher excipient ratio helps to deliver the lipophilic drug to the target site under simulated conditions but causes higher drug loss during the balloon transfer process.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Determining critical overlap concentration of polyethylene oxide to support excipient safety assessment of opioid products

Intravenous administration of abuse-deterrent opioid products poses high safety risks, in part due to the presence of high molecular weight polymeric excipients. Previous in vivo studies in animal models have shown that the higher molecular weight (Mw) polymeric excipients like polyethylene oxide (PEO) were directly linked to such adverse responses as intravenous hemolysis and kidney damage. PEO polymers have been widely used in abuse-deterrent formulations (ADF) of opioid products, adding to concerns over the general safety of the opioid category due to the unknown safety risk from abuse via unintended routes. Here, the current study focused on the determination of the critical overlap concentration (c*) at various PEO molecular weights to aid in explaining differences in observed adverse responses from previous animal studies on the intravenous administration of PEO solutions. Adverse in vivo responses may be related to the viscoelastic regime of the polymer solution, which depends not only on Mw but also on concentration. Having a localized polymer concentration in the blood above the c*, i.e., the transition from the dilute to semi-dilute entangled viscoelastic regime, may influence the flow behavior and interactions of cells in the blood. The relationship of c* to this combination of physical, chemical, and rheological effects is a possible driving force behind adverse in vivo responses.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Frozen storage of proteins: Use of mannitol to generate a homogenous freeze-concentrate

Therapeutic proteins may be subjected to several freeze–thaw cycles throughout manufacturing and storage. The protein solution composition and the freezing conditions may lead to incomplete ice crystallization in the frozen state. This can also result in freeze-concentrate heterogeneity characterized by multiple glass transition temperatures and protein destabilization. The overall objective was to investigate the potential advantages of including a crystallizing excipient (mannitol) along with a sugar (sucrose or trehalose) for frozen storage. Here, this study showed that the addition of mannitol, a readily crystallizing excipient, facilitated ice crystallization. Inclusion of an isothermal hold during cooling (annealing) maximized the mannitol crystallization and resulted in a homogenous freeze-concentrate of a constant composition characterized by a single glass transition temperature. The role of freezing rate and annealing on both mannitol and ice crystallization were discerned using high intensity synchrotron radiation. The addition of sucrose or trehalose, at an appropriate concentration, stabilized the protein. The mannitol to sugar ratio (3:1 or 1:1, 5 % w/v) was optimized to selectively cause maximal crystallization of mannitol while retaining the sugar amorphous. Human serum albumin (1 mg/mL) in these optimized and annealed compositions did not show any meaningful aggregation, even after multiple freeze–thaw cycles. Thus, in addition to a sugar as a stabilizer, the use of a crystallizing excipient coupled with an annealing step can provide an avenue for frozen storage of proteins.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Characterizing the Solvation Characteristics of Deep Eutectic Solvents Composed of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients as a Hydrogen Bond Donor and/or Acceptor

The formation of eutectic mixtures from active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) has emerged as an effective technique to develop liquid pharmaceutical formulations. API-based deep eutectic solvents (DESs) enhance the water solubility of APIs and avoid their recrystallization. The physico-chemical properties of API-DESs can be easily modulated by judicious selection of a hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA) or hydrogen bond donor (HBD) excipient that is mixed with the API. Solvation properties of API-DESs can help in understanding the role of ionic and non-ionic excipients towards the overall solvation interactions of these DESs. In this study, the solvation characteristics of three subclasses of API-DESs containing API-HBAs, API-HBDs, or API-HBAs and API-HBDs are investigated. Inverse gas chromatography is employed to study solute-solvent interactions of a variety of probe molecules for twenty different API-DESs. Among the API-DESs comprised of API-HBAs and carboxylic acid or diol-based HBDs, DESs containing diol-based HBDs exhibited stronger dipolar, hydrogen bond basicity, and hydrogen bond acidity interactions compared to carboxylic acid-based HBDs. No significant differences were observed in the solvation properties of DESs comprised of API HBAs and API HBDs. API-DESs comprised of the choline chloride HBA and API-HBDs exhibited stronger hydrogen bond acidity and dipolarity and weaker dispersive-type interactions among the DESs evaluated in this study. An in-depth evaluation of solvation properties for these DESs is important to completely exploit their potential in separation science as well as the fields of biomaterial science, pharmaceutical chemistry, and biotechnology.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Trends in Light and Temperature Sensitivity Recommendations among Licensed Biotechnology Drug Products

Inherent structural and functional properties of biotechnology-derived therapeutic biologics make them susceptible to light- and temperature-induced degradation and consequently can influence their quality. Photosensitivity of therapeutic proteins continues to be examined, but the commonalities and trends of storage conditions and information about light and temperature sensitivity among currently licensed therapeutic proteins has not been previously surveyed. Using a comprehensive and relational database approach, we conducted a scientific survey of all licensed biotechnology-derived drug products with the goal of providing evidence-based information about recommended storage conditions of formulations sorted by light- and temperature-related attributes as described for each product at licensure. We report the prevalence of indications for light and temperature sensitivity in formulations categorized by their presentation type, number of doses, container type, dosage form and active molecule type. We also report the storage temperature range across formulations and diluents for reconstitution and dilution. Formulations with excipients that potentially facilitate light-induced and thermal degradation were also noted. The result of our analysis indicates that light and temperature sensitivity are prevalent across therapeutic protein formulations. However, when a formulation is reconstituted or diluted, both light and temperature sensitivity are less clear. In addition, light and temperature sensitivity are more well defined in liquid formulations than lyophilized powder formulations, and more well defined in products manufactured in autoinjectors, prefilled-syringes, and pens than products in vials. Overall, our report provides a data-driven summary of storage conditions among therapeutic protein formulations to support the development of future biologic drug products.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Hot-melt extrudability of amorphous solid dispersions of flubendazole-copovidone: An exploratory study of the effect of drug loading and the balance of adjuvants on extrudability and dissolution

The FDA-approved anthelmintic flubendazole has shown potential to be repositioned to treat cancer and dry macular degeneration; however, its poor water solubility limits its use. Amorphous solid dispersions may overcome this challenge, but the balance of excipients may impact the preparation method and drug release. Here, we evaluate the influence of adjuvants and drug loading on the development of an amorphous solid dispersion of flubendazole-copovidone by hot-melt extrusion. The drug, copovidone, and adjuvants (magnesium stearate and hydroxypropyl cellulose) mixtures were statistically designed, and the process was performed in a twin-screw extruder. The study showed that flubendazole and copovidone mixtures were highly extrudable, except when drug loading was high (>40%). Furthermore, magnesium stearate positively impacted the extrusion and was more effective than hydroxypropyl cellulose. The extruded materials were evaluated by modulated differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray powder diffraction, obtaining positive amorphization and physical stability results. Pair distribution function analysis indicated the presence of drug rich domains with medium-range order structure and no evidence of polymer-drug interaction. All extrudates presented faster dissolution (HCl, pH 1.2) than pure flubendazole, and both adjuvants had a notable influence on the dissolution rate. In conclusion, hot-melt extrusion may be a viable option to obtain stable flubendazole: copovidone amorphous dispersions.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

X-ray Diffraction of Water in Polyvinylpyrrolidone

PVP is a hydrophilic polymer commonly used as an excipient in pharmaceutical formulations. Here we have performed time-resolved high-energy X-ray scattering experiments on pellets of PVP at different humidity conditions for 1-2 days. A two-phase exponential decay in water sorption is found with a peak in the differential pair distribution function at 2.85 Å, which is attributed to the average (hydrogen bonded) carbonyl oxygen-water oxygen distance. Additional scattering measurements on powders with fixed compositions ranging from 2 to 12.3 wt % H 2 O were modeled with Empirical Potential Structure Refinement (EPSR). Further, the models reveal approximately linear relations between the carbonyl oxygen-water oxygen coordination number (nO C - O W ) and the water oxygen-water oxygen coordination number (nO W - O W ) versus water content in PVP. A stronger preference for water-water hydrogen bonding over carbonyl-water bonding is found. At all the concentrations studied the majority of water molecules were found to be randomly isolated, but a wide distribution of coordination environments of water molecules is found within the PVP polymer strands at the highest concentrations. Overall, the EPSR models indicate a continuous evolution in structure versus water content with nO W - O W =1 occurring at similar to 12 wt % H 2 O, i.e., the composition where, on average, each watermolecule is surrounded by one other water molecule.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

Detection and imaging of chemicals and hidden explosives using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy and deep learning

Detecting concealed chemicals and explosives remains a critical challenge in global security. Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) offers a promising non-invasive and stand-off detection technique owing to its ability to penetrate optically opaque materials without causing ionization damage. While many chemicals exhibit distinct spectral features in the terahertz range, conventional terahertz-based detection methods often struggle in real-world environments, where variations in sample geometry, thickness, and packaging can lead to inconsistent spectral responses. In this study, we present a chemical imaging system that integrates THz-TDS with deep learning to enable accurate pixel-level identification and classification of different explosives. Operating in reflection mode and enhanced with plasmonic nanoantenna arrays, our THz-TDS system achieves a peak dynamic range of 96 dB and a detection bandwidth of 4.5 THz, supporting practical, stand-off operation. By analyzing individual time-domain pulses with deep neural networks, the system exhibits strong resilience to environmental variations and sample inconsistencies. Blind testing across eight chemicals—including pharmaceutical excipients and explosive compounds—resulted in an average classification accuracy of 99.42% at the pixel level. Notably, the system maintained an average accuracy of 88.83% when detecting explosives concealed under opaque paper coverings, demonstrating its robust generalization capability. These results highlight the potential of combining advanced terahertz spectroscopy with neural networks for highly sensitive and specific chemical and explosive detection in diverse and operationally relevant scenarios.

Imaging and sensing↗
DOE OSTI2024

Glycerol-based sustainably sourced resin for volumetric printing

Volumetric Additive Manufacturing (VAM) represents a revolutionary advancement in the field of Additive Manufacturing, as it allows for the creation of objects in a single, cohesive process, rather than in a layer-by-layer approach. This innovative technique offers unparalleled design freedom and significantly reduces printing times. A current limitation of VAM is the availability of suitable resins with the required photoreactive chemistry and from sustainable sources. To support the application of this technology, we have developed a sustainable resin based on polyglycerol, a bioderived (e.g., vegetable origin), colourless, and easily functionisable oligomer produced from glycerol. To transform polyglycerol-6 into an acrylate photo-printable resin we adopted a simple, one-step, and scalable synthesis route. Polyglycerol-6-acrylate fulfils all the necessary criteria for volumetric printing (transparency, photo-reactivity, viscosity) and was successfully used to print a variety of models with intricate geometries and good resolution. The waste resin was found to be reusable with minimal performance issues, improving resin utilisation and minimising waste material. Furthermore, by incorporating dopants such as poly(glycerol) adipate acrylate (PGA-A) and 10,12-pentacosadyinoic acid (PCDA), we demonstrated the ability to print objects with a diverse range of functionalities, including temperature sensing probes and a polyester excipient, highlighting the potential applications of these new resins.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

Zinc Oxide–Graphene Nanocomposite-Based Sensor for the Electrochemical Determination of Cetirizine

A nanocomposite electrode of graphene (Gr) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles was fabricated to study the electrochemical oxidation behavior of an anti-inflammatory drug, i.e., cetirizine (CET). The voltametric response of CET for bare CPE, Gr/CPE, ZnO/CPE, and the ZnO-Gr nanocomposite electrode was studied. The modifier materials were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) to comprehend the surface morphology of the utilized modifiers. The influence of pH, scan rate, and accumulation time on the electrooxidation of CET was examined. It was found that the electrochemical oxidation of CET was diffusion-controlled, in which two protons and two electrons participated. The detection limit was found to be 2.8 × 10 -8 M in a linearity range of 0.05–4.0 µM. Study of excipients was also performed, and it was found that they had negligible interference with the peak potential of CET. The validation and utility of the fabricated nanocomposite sensor material were examined by analyzing clinical and biological samples. Stability testing of the nanocomposite electrode was conducted to assess the reproducibility, determining that the developed biosensor has good stability and high efficiency in producing reproducible results.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗