Two-Step Purification of L-Asparaginase from Acrylaway® L

Author(s)

Louise Lacalendola Tundisi ^[1] ; Diego de Freitas Coêlho ^[2] ; Alessandra Valéria de Sousa Faria ^[3] ; Adalberto Pessoa Junior ^[4] ; Elias Basile Tambourgi ^[5] ; Laura de Oliveira Nascimento ^[6] ; Edgar Silveira ^[7] ; Priscila Gava Mazzola ^[8]

Affiliation

^[1] University of Campinas. Institute of Biology. Graduate Program in Biosciences and Technology of Bioactive Products - Brasil

^[2] University of Campinas. Chemical Engineering School - Brasil

^[3] University of Campinas. Institute of Biology. Department of Biochemistry and Tissue Biology - Brasil

^[4] University of São Paulo. Pharmaceutical Sciences School - Brasil

^[5] University of Campinas. Chemical Engineering School - Brasil

^[6] University of Campinas. Pharmaceutical Sciences School - Brasil

^[7] Federal University of Uberlândia. Genetics and Biochemistry Institute - Brasil

^[8] University of Campinas. Pharmaceutical Sciences School - Brasil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Brazilian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences; v. 58, 2022-08-08.

Abstract

Abstract L-Asparaginase (L-ASNase) is a biopharmaceutical used for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) treatment, dramatically increasing the patients’ chance of cure. However, its production and distribution in developing countries were disrupted because of its low profitability, which caused great concern among patients. This study evaluates the feasibility of combining fractional precipitation and aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) to purify L-ASNase from a low-grade product, commercially known as Acrylaway® L. The ATPS purification results were not particularly expressive compared to the two-step purification process composed of ethanol precipitation and gel filtration, which was able to recover the target molecule with a purification factor over 5 fold. Thus, we studied a purification process capable of manufacturing pharmaceutical grade L-ASNase from a commercially available low-grade raw material; however, improvements regarding its throughput must be achieved, and high purity is the first step to apply it as a new biopharmaceutical product. The proposed process could pose as a short-time solution to mitigate its shortage while a cost-effective production plant is being developed. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 13/08617-7 - Production of extracellular L-asparaginase: from bioprospecting to the engineering of an antileukemic biopharmaceutical
• Grantee: Adalberto Pessoa Junior
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 16/01869-9 - Therapeutic l-asp for LLA purification employing alternative bioprocess
• Grantee: Louise Lacalendola Tundisi
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master