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Research Article

Validation and application of hybridization liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry methods for quantitative bioanalysis of antisense oligonucleotides

    Pei Li

    Drug Metabolism & Pharmacokinetics, Biogen, 225 Binney St, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA

    ,
    Jean-François Dupuis

    Altasciences, 575 Armand-Frappier Blvd, Laval, QC, H7V 4B3, Canada

    ,
    Valerie Vrionis

    Altasciences, 575 Armand-Frappier Blvd, Laval, QC, H7V 4B3, Canada

    ,
    Kevork Mekhssian

    Altasciences, 575 Armand-Frappier Blvd, Laval, QC, H7V 4B3, Canada

    ,
    Tom Magee

    Drug Metabolism & Pharmacokinetics, Biogen, 225 Binney St, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA

    &
    Long Yuan

    *Author for correspondence: Tel.: +1 617 218 9403;

    E-mail Address: long.yuan@biogen.com

    Drug Metabolism & Pharmacokinetics, Biogen, 225 Binney St, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA

    Published Online:https://doi.org/10.4155/bio-2022-0015

    Background: Antisense oligonucleotide (ASO), an emerging modality in drug research and development, demands accurate and sensitive bioanalysis to understand its pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties. Results: By combining the advantages of both ligand binding and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/tandem mass (LC-MS/MS), hybridization LC-MS/MS methods were successfully developed and validated/qualified in a good lab practice (GLP) environment for the quantitation of an ASO drug candidate in monkey serum, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and tissues in the range of 0.5–500 ng/ml. Special treatment of CSF samples was employed to mitigate nonspecific binding, improve long-term storage stability and enable the usage of artificial CSF as a more accessible surrogate matrix. The method was also qualified and applied to ASO quantitation in various monkey tissue samples using a cocktail tissue homogenate as a surrogate matrix. Conclusion: This work was the first reported GLP validation and application of ASO bioanalysis using the hybridization LC-MS/MS platform.

    Papers of special note have been highlighted as: • of interest

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