Optimisation of hybridoma cell growth and monoclonal antibody secretion in a chemically defined, serum- and protein-free culture medium.

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), for human use require chemical and biological purity. The best approach seems in vitro cultivation in a serum-, protein-free medium. A basal defined culture medium has been developed to sustain optimal hybridoma cell growth and MAb secretion. It consists of Iscove's Dulbecco's modified, Eagle's, Ham's F12 and NCTC 135 media in a 5:5:1 mixture (v/v/v), to which glucose is added to reach a final concentration of 25 mM, glutamine to 4-6 mM, 2-mercaptoethanol to 50 microM, Pluronic F68 to 0.01-0.1% (w/v), Hepes to 25 mM and NaHCO3 to 3 g/l. Hybridoma cells, derived from Sp 2/0 myeloma and secreting a MAb to a human milk fat globule membrane-associated high molecular weight glycoprotein, were cloned in this medium containing 1% (v/v) fetal calf serum and then sequentially adapted in serum-free medium further supplemented with transferrin and insulin, both at 10 micrograms/ml. Clones producing immunoreactive MAbs secrete a mean of 50 micrograms IgG/ml, i.e., ca. 80% of the concentration reached in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium containing 10% serum. When cells were cultured in spinner flasks with a semi-continuous mode of cultivation (with a daily removal of 20% of the volume and its replacement by fresh culture medium), in serum-free medium further supplemented with 10 nM estradiol, a mixture of trace elements and albumin (at 30 micrograms/ml) complexed to linoleic acid, MAb secretion reached 100 micrograms/ml and became equal or higher to that obtained in serum-containing medium. MAb secretion was not decreased and was even significantly increased during the growth phase, when transferrin was replaced by another iron source, i.e., ferric citrate at 500 microM associated with 20 microM ascorbic acid. Finally, deletion of insulin and of albumin-linoleic acid did not affect significantly cell density nor MAb secretion. In conclusion, it appears from this study that semi-continuous cultivation in spinner flasks of hybridoma cells, after cloning and progressive adaptation, in a chemically defined, serum- and protein-free medium, permitted MAb secretion to be increased to a mean of 144 micrograms/ml, i.e., multiplied by a factor of ca. 1.5 compared to culture of these cells in serum-containing medium under the same conditions and by a factor of ca. 2.4 compared to cultivation in serum-containing medium in flasks.