Summary

The advent of biopharmaceuticals in current medicine brought enormous benefits to the treatment of life-threatening human diseases (e.g., cancer, diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders), and improved the well-being of many people worldwide. The global portfolio of these therapeutic products include proteins and antibodies, nucleic acids, and cell-based products, and continues to expand at a rapid pace - approvals in the period 2015-2018 essentially double the typical five-yearly historical approval pace (G. Walsh, Nat. Biotechnol., 36:1136-1145, 2018) -, representing a significant share of the entire market of pharmaceuticals.

Innovation in the (bio)pharmaceutical industry has been driven towards the development of cost-effective manufacturing processes, envisaging the delivery of products in high quantity, with superior quality (purity), and high specificity, with the ultimate goal of benefiting patients. Progress in this direction have resulted from the application of novel technologies in the upstream stage (high-throughput, single-use devices, statistical optimization of media and fermentation conditions, QbD, and continuous processing), while at the downstream level, chromatography has evolved through the development of new resins and ligands, coupled with advances in process modelling, operating and control strategies.

An emerging trend is the application of alternative solvents such as ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents, in which their structure and physicochemical properties can be tuned to address unmet needs in (bio)pharmaceutical research. These compounds may be derived from natural and reneawable sources and hold great promise in the development of efficient, sustainable and cost-effective biopharmaceuticals purification processes.

This Entry Collection aims to provide the latest progresses achieved in pharmaceuticals bioprocessing. We welcome submissions of original research, comprehensive reviews and perspectives, including, but not limited, to the following fields:

- Upstream processing (genetic engineering, systems biology, difficult-to-express proteins, expression conditions, Quality by Design approaches, process analytical technologies);

- Chromatographic purification methods (process modelling and control, continuous bioprocessing, design and characterization of resins and ligands, new formats);

- Alternative purification methods (aqueous biphasic systems, filtration, crystallization, precipitation);

- Application of neoteric solvents in upstream and downstream stages;

- Analytical characterization of biopharmaceuticals (stability, post-translational modifications, biological activity, immunogenicity); 

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Entries
Topic Review
Bioactive Glasses in Periodontal Regeneration
Bioactive glasses (BGs) were discovered by Larry L. Hench in 1969; the original composition, named Bioglass® 45S5 (45S5 from here on), displayed outstanding properties such as bone regeneration capabilities and antibacterial activity. In fact, such BG is an amorphous and biocompatible silica oxide-based inorganic material able to induce surface property responses resulting in the formation of a bond between the bone and the glass itself. In general, the surface of BGs, when soaked in physiological fluids, undergoes a complex ion exchange mechanism with the medium, inducing the formation of precipitates and subsequently hydroxyapatite deposition. This mechanism could explain the effectiveness of these BGs to bind to bones and the wide number of studies on BGs as supporting materials for bone tissue engineering and tooth remineralization.
  • 690
  • 01 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Poly(Lactic-Co-Glycolic Acid)-Gold Nanoparticles
A composite system consisting of both organic and inorganic nanoparticles is an approach to prepare a new material exhibiting “the best of both worlds”. With the current clinically use of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-gold nanoparticles (PLGA-GNP), PLGA-based nanocarriers have promising pharmaceutical applications and can “extract and utilize” the fascinating optical and photothermal properties of encapsulated GNP. The resulting “golden polymeric nanocarrier” can be tracked, analyzed, and visualized using the encapsulated gold nanoprobes which facilitate a better understanding of the hosting nanocarrier’s pharmacokinetics and biological fate. In addition, the “golden polymeric nanocarrier” can reveal superior nanotherapeutics that combine both the photothermal effect of the encapsulated gold nanoparticles and co-loaded chemotherapeutics. 
  • 498
  • 07 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Architectures of Polyacrylic Acid
Polyacrylic acid (PAA) is a non-toxic, biocompatible, and biodegradable polymer that gained lots of interest in recent years. PAA nano-derivatives can be obtained by chemical modification of carboxyl groups with superior chemical properties in comparison to unmodified PAA.
  • 652
  • 01 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Recombinant Pichinde Virus-Vectored Turkey Arthritis Reovirus Subunit Vaccine
Turkey arthritis reovirus (TARV) causes lameness in turkeys, generally at 12–17 weeks of age. A recombinant live pichinde virus-vectored bivalent codon optimized subunit vaccine that expresses immunogenic Sigma C and Sigma B proteins of turkey arthritis reovirus was created. The vaccine virus could be transmitted horizontally immunizing the non-vaccinated pen mates. Comparison of virus gene copy numbers in intestine and histologic lesion scores in tendons of vaccinated and non-vaccinated birds showed a decrease in the replication of challenge viruses in the intestine and tendons of vaccinated birds. These results indicate the potential usefulness of this vaccine.
  • 400
  • 28 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Stability and Activity of L-ASNases
L-asparaginases (EC 3.5.1.1) are a family of enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of L-asparagine to L-aspartic acid and ammonia. These proteins with different biochemical, physicochemical and pharmacological properties are found in many organisms, including bacteria, fungi, algae, plants and mammals. To date, asparaginases from E. coli and Dickeya dadantii (formerly known as Erwinia chrysanthemi) are widely used in hematology for the treatment of lymphoblastic leukemias. 
  • 841
  • 24 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry
Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) is an advanced technique that uses minimum fragmented ions from complex molecules for mass spectrometry (MS) analysis (tissue profiling by mass spectrometry). It is able to analyze spatially resolved tissue or tumor sections at the molecular level. It has become a valuable tool for tumor and tissue imaging, due to its ease of operation and high mass resolution, but it still has vast room for development in the instrumentation of larger proteins in some tissues. 
  • 622
  • 23 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Nanoscience Delivery Systems Used in Nutricosmetic Sector
Nutricosmetics is a new cosmetics sector that uses an integrated “In and Out” approach. Cosmetic products together with food supplements such as micronutrients (minerals, vitamins), macronutrients (peptides, essential fatty acids), and botanicals (herbal and fruit extracts)  are employed to nourish the skin and reduce skin aging.  Biopolymeric nanoparticles, nanofibers, nanoemulsions, nanocapsules, and colloids are delivery systems applied to improve the bioactive components’ performance in food supplements and cosmetics. The toxicity of nano-sized delivery systems is unclear despite food supplements and cosmetic industries using them. 
  • 555
  • 23 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Dairy Products through the Addition of Microalgae
Microalgae are prokaryotic or eukaryotic photosynthetic microorganisms which have the ability to grow fast and to live under conditions not favorable to other species. They are attracting increasing attention, as their incorporation in foods and beverages can be a promising strategy to develop sustainable foods with improved nutritional profiles and a strong positive impacts on health. Despite the increasing market demand in plant-based foods, the popularity of fermented dairy foods has increased in the recent years since they are a source of microorganisms with health-promoting effects. In this context, the incorporation of microalgae in cheeses, fermented milks and other dairy products represents an interesting approach towards the development of innovative and added-value hybrid products based on animal proteins and enriched with vegetable origin ingredients recognized as extremely valuable sources of bioactive compounds.
  • 997
  • 21 Mar 2022
Topic Review
First-and Second-Line Therapies for Primary Biliary Cholangitis
Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune liver disease characterized by the progressive destruction of the intrahepatic bile ducts. Currently, the first line drug for PBC is ursodeoxycholic acid characterized by anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory and protective actions on cholangiocytes. 
  • 982
  • 21 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Biopolymers for Medical Applications
Biopolymers are the organic substances present in natural sources. The term biopolymer originates from the Greek words bio and polymer, representing nature and living organisms. Large macromolecules made up of numerous repeating units are known as biopolymers. As per the IUPAC definition, a macromolecule defines a single molecule. The biopolymers are found to be biocompatible and biodegradable, making them useful in different applications, such as edible films, emulsions, packaging materials in the food industry, and as drug transport materials, medical implants like medical implants organs, wound healing, tissue scaffolds, and dressing materials in pharmaceutical industries. 
  • 6.1K
  • 18 Mar 2022
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