Cell-Free Production of Protein Biologics Within 24 H

Protein biologics have emerged as a safe and effective group of drug products that can be used in a variety of medical disorders and clinical settings, including treatment of orphan diseases, personalized medicine, and point-of-care applications. However, the full potential of protein biologics for such applications will not be realized until there are methods available for rapid and cost-effective production of small scale products for individual needs. Here, we describe a modular and scalable method for rapid and adaptable production of protein-based medical products at small doses. The method includes cell-free synthesis of the protein target in a reactor module followed by a fluidic process for protein purification. As a proof of concept, we describe the application of this method for expression and purification of a bioactive pharmaceutically relevant protein biologic, recombinant human erythropoietin, at a single dose within 24 h. This method can be applied toward the development of automated platforms for rapid and adaptive production of protein biologics at the point of care in response to specific medical needs.