Simulation of high‐concentration self‐interactions for monoclonal antibodies from well‐behaved to poorly‐behaved systems

Abstract Attractive self‐interactions of therapeutic proteins are linked to problematic solution behaviors at high protein concentrations such as reversible or irreversible aggregation, high viscosity, opalescence, phase separation, and low solubility. Prediction of attractive self‐interactions early in development can improve the processes of formulation development and candidate selection. To that end, a coarse‐grained model with explicit representation of charged sites was used to accurately predict a broad range of protein self‐interactions at high protein concentrations (up to 160 mg/ml) for multiple monoclonal antibodies and formulations, including strong electrostatic attractions, with static light scattering measurements at low protein concentrations as the only experimental input. In addition, Mayer‐weighted electrostatic energies for charged residues from these simulations can contribute to understanding of electrostatic interactions and guide the development of protein variants.