CHO (Chinese hamster ovary) expression systems are widely used for the production of therapeutic recombinant proteins. CHO cells are mammalian cells that are easy to manipulate genetically and are capable of producing high levels of recombinant proteins with correct folding and post-translational modifications.
CHO expression systems offer several advantages over other systems, such as bacteria or yeast, including:
- Mammalian-like post-translational modifications: CHO cells have similar post-translational modification machinery as human cells, which allows for the production of proteins with correct folding and modifications, such as glycosylation, phosphorylation, and sulfation.
- Scalability: CHO cells can be grown in suspension cultures, allowing for easy scaling up of production.
- Safety: CHO cells are not pathogenic to humans, making them a safe choice for the production of therapeutic proteins.
- Regulatory approval: CHO cell lines have been approved by regulatory agencies such as the FDA and EMA for the production of therapeutic proteins, which streamlines the approval process for drugs produced using CHO expression systems.
- Stability: CHO cells have a stable genome, which ensures consistency in protein production across multiple batches.
Overall, CHO expression systems are an important tool for the production of high-quality, safe, and effective therapeutic recombinant proteins.