Validation of test methods is a critical requirement for the drug development process. Bioassays are used to support biologics in the drug development process and post-market analytical support.

Unlike analytical test methods for small molecules, bioassays have unique requirements due to the variable nature of some critical components. Although some variability may be inherent, careful attention to set appropriate limits and to the robust qualification of critical components enhances the likelihood of success during validation.

Regulatory agencies expect pharmaceutical companies and biopharmaceutical companies to use validated methods for late-phase work. The methods are used to test large molecule drug substances or drug products for identity, purity, and potency. Poorly developed and inadequately validated methods often have high failure rates when in production. Data submitted from poorly developed/validated methods are subject to additional scrutiny due to the excessively high failure rate that lowers confidence in the data that is produced.

Cell-based methods may be difficult to validate due to a lack of extensive testing during the development phase. Method validation requires careful design of the method during development and seamless implementation to meet regulatory agency expectations for the quality of assay methods used in the testing of biopharmaceutical or pharmaceutical compounds.

Cell-based methods have additional complexities that may contribute to variability. With appropriate controls in place in the method, variability can be minimized leading to successful validation and sample analysis using the cell-based method.

This webinar will address several parameters that are important for the successful validation of a bioassay. Included in this discussion are multiple challenges that often lead to rework and failure that if appropriately addressed during development should not become issues that hinder validation. This webinar addresses the importance of method development in successfully overcoming difficult validations. Specific topics are unique challenges for cell-based methods, the use of DOE to define method parameters and creating unambiguous methods.

This webinar will provide attendees with an understanding of handling critical reagents as well as challenges faced in cell culture. Details important in the written method as well as details for the validation that reduce analyst variability and improve efficiency will also be addressed. This webinar will not just define challenges but will also guide professionals working with cell-based methods toward important concepts that promote success in method validation.

Appropriate training and documentation of the method are critical elements for the successful transfer of a method from the development phase into the validation procedure. Accomplishing the validation of a cell-based method with little or no rework can occur with careful planning and attention to an appropriate timeline. An important factor that contributes to failure is rushing into validation without collecting the data required to support fully a decision to move toward validation.

This webinar addresses those issues that may lead to the failure of validations of cell-based methods while providing solid suggestions for best practices that support success.

Areas Covered in the Session:-

• Method selection
• Understanding the variable nature of cell-based methods
• Understanding the critical characteristics of cell-based assays that may affect performance
• Characterization of the cell line
• Details of cell maintenance, cell culture before performing the method
• Defining parameters to monitor
• Defining critical reagents
• Selection and certification of the reference standard
• Setting appropriate limits for reagents
• Reagent supply and sample handling
• Pre-test of critical reagents
• Setting intermediate performance controls
• Testing robustness/ruggedness/selectivity/specificity prior to validation
• Analyst training
• Peer review of the test method
• Statistical analysis
• Validation protocol and templates
• Preplanning
• Documentation of deviations and failures

Why you should Attend:-

Bioassays, especially cell-based methods are a necessary component of assays providing data supporting large molecule therapeutics. Typically, these methods are required to establish potency, a critical quality attribute, in either release or stability assays. The live-cell quality of these assays may introduce a layer of uncertainty regarding the ability to build a method that meets requirements for ruggedness.

Cells that express the receptor responsible for the mechanism of action may be a transfected clonal line or maybe a cell expressing the native protein. The growth characteristics of the cell that promote expression levels with good signal-to-background in the method are an important quality to address as the development of the essay begins.

A key question may be how much prework to perform to guide the development of the assay. Live cells are not as simple to control as individual reagents in a method. Live cells respond to components in media, environmental factors, and seeding densities in a manner that may have an impact on growth characteristics, receptor expression, and signals in cell-based methods.

These issues should be assessed fully and examined in early development work to direct the lab toward the parameters likely to produce an essay with a low rate of failure. This complexity often leads to problems when factors that contribute to ruggedness in cell-based methods are not assessed and addressed during the development phase. Successful validation is achievable with careful consideration of the cells as the primary critical reagent.

Control of the assay starts with control of the cells. While sufficient time is needed to perform development using the design of experiments, moving from development to validation should be based on the quality of the data observed in the assay and not inordinately pushed forward.

Who Will Benefit:-

• Validation scientists in bioanalytical or clinical laboratories
• Development scientists in bioanalytical or clinical laboratories
• QA Documentation Specialists
• Regulatory Specialists
• Consultants
• Directors of Outsourcing
• Method trainers
• Statistical staff