Optimization of bioengineered heparin/heparan sulfate production for therapeutic applications

摘要

Heparin has been used clinically as an anti-coagulant for more than 100 y and the major source of this therapeutic is still animal tissues. Contamination issues in some batches of heparin over 10?y ago have highlighted the need to develop alternative methods of production of this essential drug.1 Bioengineering heparin by expressing serglycin in mammalian cells is a promising approach that was recently reported by the authors.2 This addendum explores the approaches that the authors are taking to increase the yield of recombinantly expressed serglycin decorated with heparin/heparan sulfate focusing on cell culture and bioreactor conditions and proposes that the cell microenvironment is a key modulator of heparin biosynthesis.