Recombinant Antibody Production in CHO and NS0 Cells: Differences and Similarities

The commercial production of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) has revolutionized the treatment of many diseases, including cancer, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis. These biotherapeutics have the potential to generate a global annual revenue of more than US$150 billion. Two cell hosts are predominantly utilized to produce these mAbs: Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and murine myeloma cells (NS0). By 2017, nearly one-quarter of all approved mAbs in the market were produced using the NS0 host cell line, and around two-thirds were produced in CHO cells. Several different expression platforms are available: CHO-GS (glutamine synthetase), CHO-DHFR (dihydrofolate reductase), NS0, and GS-NS0, which have been characterized with respect to cell line and process development. Even though the major components of the cell culture media are common for both CHO and NS0 cells, specific growth media have been modified based on individual cellular requirements, such as cholesterol for NS0 cells. Additionally, understanding genomic and metabolic differences between the two cell hosts from an ‘omics perspective has created a reference for media composition and antibody quality improvements.