Characterization of Monoclonal Antibody Biosimilar through C-terminal and Disulfide Bond Peptides Sequencing Analysis on Q-TOF Mass Spectrometer

There is a significant surge in the market of biopharmaceutical products due to their popularity as alternative solution for many chronic diseases. Monoclonal antibody (mAb) is a highly complex biological macromolecule with specific therapeutic effects. It is produced from live cells in extremely complicated culture conditions. Quality control of biopharmaceuticals, especially biosimilars, is a critical step to elucidate any alteration in the primary structure as compared to the reference product (innovator). Peptide mapping and sequencing analysis of C-terminal and disulfide-bonds linked peptides are among the essential attributes for characterization of biosimilars.
In this report, characterization of a bevacizumab biosimilar is described, with focusing on peptide mapping and MS/MS sequencing of C-terminal and cysteine-containing peptides of a bevacizumab biosimilar on LCMS-9030, a Q-TOF system.