Wim Jiskoot – författare

Proteins are still gaining importance in the pharmaceutical world, where they are used to improve our arsenal of therapeutic drugs and vaccines and as diagnostic tools. Proteins are different from "traditional" low-molecular-weight drugs. As a group, they exhibit a number of biopharmaceutical and formulation problems. These problems have drawn considerable interest from both industrial and aca­ demic environments, forcing pharmaceutical scientists to explore a domain previ­ ously examined only by peptide and protein chemists. Biopharmaceutical aspects of proteins, e.g., low oral bioavailability, have been extensively investigated. Although all possible conventional routes of ad­ ministration have been examined for proteins, no real, generally applicable alter­ native to parenteral administration in order to achieve systemic effects has yet been discovered. Several of these biopharmaceutical options have been discussed in Volume 4 of this series, Biological Barriers to Protein Delivery. Proteins are composed of many amino acids, several of which are notorious for their chemical instability. Rational design of formulations that optimize the native structure and/or bioactivity of a protein is therefore of great importance when long shelf life is required, as it is for pharmaceutical products. This issue has also been examined in two prior volumes of this series: Volume 2: Stability of Protein Pharmaceuticals (Part A) and Volume 5: Stability and Characterization of Protein and Peptide Drugs.

This book describes how to address the analysis of aggregates and particles in protein pharmaceuticals, provides a comprehensive overview of current methods and integrated approaches used to quantify and characterize aggregates and particles, and discusses regulatory requirements. Analytical methods covered in the book include separation, light scattering, microscopy, and spectroscopy.

Protein pharmaceuticals form a fast-growing category in the arsenal of drugs. In the coming years, the patents on a number of the first-generation protein pharmaceuticals will expire, opening the door for the development of biogenerics into the market. However, it is very difficult to characterize these compounds so that the results can be replicated in a generic form. This volume details the nature of the different analytical techniques and how they are relevant for characterizing pharmaceutical proteins. In addition to serving the analytical chemist, this book is needed by the formulation scientist who is responsible for design and formulation of a pharmaceutical protein that can be monitored during production and over time. It also will be useful for students, fellows, and research scientists who are working in the academic world and in the pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry on basic aspects of proteins.