1.Strategic Optimization of CHO Cell Expression Platforms for Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing
Rui-Ming ZHANG ; Meng-Lin LI ; Hong-Wei ZHU ; Xing-Xiao ZHANG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(2):327-341
Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are the most established and versatile mammalian expression system for the large-scale production of recombinant therapeutic proteins, owing to their genetic stability, adaptability to serum-free suspension culture, and ability to perform human-like post-translational modifications. More than 70% of biologics approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration rely on CHO-based production platforms, underscoring their central role in modern biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Despite these advantages, CHO systems continue to face three persistent bottlenecks that limit their potential for high-yield, reproducible, and cost-efficient production: excessive metabolic burden during high-density culture, heterogeneity of glycosylation patterns, and progressive loss of long-term expression stability. This review provides an integrated analysis of recent advances addressing these challenges and proposes a forward-looking framework for constructing intelligent and sustainable CHO cell factories. In terms of metabolic regulation, excessive lactate and ammonia accumulation disrupts energy balance and reduces recombinant protein synthesis efficiency. Optimization of culture parameters such as temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, osmolarity, and glucose feeding can effectively alleviate metabolic stress, while supplementation with modulators including sodium butyrate, baicalein, and S-adenosylmethionine promotes specific productivity (qP) by modulating apoptosis and chromatin structure. Furthermore, genetic engineering strategies—such as overexpression of MPC1/2, HSP27, and SIRT6 or knockout of Bax, Apaf1, and IGF-1R—have demonstrated significant improvements in cell viability and product yield. The combination of multi-omics metabolic modeling with artificial intelligence (AI)-based prediction offers new opportunities for building self-regulating CHO systems capable of dynamic adaptation to environmental stress. Regarding glycosylation uniformity, which determines therapeutic efficacy and immunogenicity, gene editing-based glycoengineering (e.g., FUT8 knockdown or ST6Gal1 overexpression) has enabled the humanization of CHO glycan profiles, minimizing non-human sugar residues and enhancing drug stability. Process-level strategies such as galactose or manganese co-feeding and fine control of temperature or osmolarity further allow rational regulation of glycosyltransferase activity. Additionally, in vitro chemoenzymatic remodeling provides a complementary route to construct human-type glycans with defined structures, though industrial applications remain constrained by cost and scalability. The integration of model-driven process design and AI feedback control is expected to enable real-time prediction and correction of glycosylation deviations, ensuring batch-to-batch consistency in continuous biomanufacturing. Long-term expression stability, another critical challenge, is often impaired by promoter silencing, chromatin condensation, and random genomic integration. Molecular optimization—such as the use of improved promoters (CMV, EF-1α, or CHO endogenous promoters), Kozak and signal peptide refinement, and incorporation of chromatin-opening elements (UCOE, MAR, STAR)—helps maintain durable transcriptional activity, while site-specific integration systems including Cre/loxP, Flp/FRT, φC31, and CRISPR/Cas9 can enable single-copy, position-independent gene insertion at genomic safe-harbor loci, ensuring stable, predictable expression. Collectively, this review highlights a paradigm shift in CHO system optimization driven by the convergence of genome editing, synthetic biology, and artificial intelligence. The transition from empirical optimization to rational, data-driven design will facilitate the development of programmable CHO platforms capable of autonomous regulation of metabolic flux, glycosylation fidelity, and transcriptional activity. Such intelligent cell factories are expected to accelerate the transformation from laboratory-scale research to industrial-scale, high-consistency, and economically sustainable biopharmaceutical manufacturing, thereby supporting the next generation of efficient and customizable biologics manufacturing.
2.Strategic Optimization of CHO Cell Expression Platforms for Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing
Rui-Ming ZHANG ; Meng-Lin LI ; Hong-Wei ZHU ; Xing-Xiao ZHANG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(2):327-341
Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are the most established and versatile mammalian expression system for the large-scale production of recombinant therapeutic proteins, owing to their genetic stability, adaptability to serum-free suspension culture, and ability to perform human-like post-translational modifications. More than 70% of biologics approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration rely on CHO-based production platforms, underscoring their central role in modern biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Despite these advantages, CHO systems continue to face three persistent bottlenecks that limit their potential for high-yield, reproducible, and cost-efficient production: excessive metabolic burden during high-density culture, heterogeneity of glycosylation patterns, and progressive loss of long-term expression stability. This review provides an integrated analysis of recent advances addressing these challenges and proposes a forward-looking framework for constructing intelligent and sustainable CHO cell factories. In terms of metabolic regulation, excessive lactate and ammonia accumulation disrupts energy balance and reduces recombinant protein synthesis efficiency. Optimization of culture parameters such as temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, osmolarity, and glucose feeding can effectively alleviate metabolic stress, while supplementation with modulators including sodium butyrate, baicalein, and S-adenosylmethionine promotes specific productivity (qP) by modulating apoptosis and chromatin structure. Furthermore, genetic engineering strategies—such as overexpression of MPC1/2, HSP27, and SIRT6 or knockout of Bax, Apaf1, and IGF-1R—have demonstrated significant improvements in cell viability and product yield. The combination of multi-omics metabolic modeling with artificial intelligence (AI)-based prediction offers new opportunities for building self-regulating CHO systems capable of dynamic adaptation to environmental stress. Regarding glycosylation uniformity, which determines therapeutic efficacy and immunogenicity, gene editing-based glycoengineering (e.g., FUT8 knockdown or ST6Gal1 overexpression) has enabled the humanization of CHO glycan profiles, minimizing non-human sugar residues and enhancing drug stability. Process-level strategies such as galactose or manganese co-feeding and fine control of temperature or osmolarity further allow rational regulation of glycosyltransferase activity. Additionally, in vitro chemoenzymatic remodeling provides a complementary route to construct human-type glycans with defined structures, though industrial applications remain constrained by cost and scalability. The integration of model-driven process design and AI feedback control is expected to enable real-time prediction and correction of glycosylation deviations, ensuring batch-to-batch consistency in continuous biomanufacturing. Long-term expression stability, another critical challenge, is often impaired by promoter silencing, chromatin condensation, and random genomic integration. Molecular optimization—such as the use of improved promoters (CMV, EF-1α, or CHO endogenous promoters), Kozak and signal peptide refinement, and incorporation of chromatin-opening elements (UCOE, MAR, STAR)—helps maintain durable transcriptional activity, while site-specific integration systems including Cre/loxP, Flp/FRT, φC31, and CRISPR/Cas9 can enable single-copy, position-independent gene insertion at genomic safe-harbor loci, ensuring stable, predictable expression. Collectively, this review highlights a paradigm shift in CHO system optimization driven by the convergence of genome editing, synthetic biology, and artificial intelligence. The transition from empirical optimization to rational, data-driven design will facilitate the development of programmable CHO platforms capable of autonomous regulation of metabolic flux, glycosylation fidelity, and transcriptional activity. Such intelligent cell factories are expected to accelerate the transformation from laboratory-scale research to industrial-scale, high-consistency, and economically sustainable biopharmaceutical manufacturing, thereby supporting the next generation of efficient and customizable biologics manufacturing.
3.Response to Comments on “Pretreatment 68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT to Predict the Response to Treatment With Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Plus Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Patients With Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma”
Shao-Hao CHEN ; Xiao-Hui WU ; Qian-Ren-Shun QIU ; Shao-Ming CHEN ; Jie ZANG ; Jun-Ming ZHU ; Cheng-Long ZENG ; Wei-Bing MIAO ; Xue-Yi XUE ; Ning XU
Korean Journal of Radiology 2026;27(2):188-190
4.Effects of Jiedu Yizhi Formula on neuroinflammation in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease via PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway
Jie WANG ; Jian LIU ; Xiao-ting ZHU ; Yun-qiang LI ; Xin-yue ZHANG ; Fan LI ; Jia-li WU ; Wei LI ; Ming-quan LI
Chinese Traditional Patent Medicine 2025;47(6):1843-1852
AIM To investigate the mechanism of Jiedu Yizhi Formula on cognitive function and neuroinflammation in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease(AD).METHODS 50 APP/PS1 double transgenic mice were randomly divided into the model group,the donepezil group,and the low-dose,moderate-dose,and high-dose Jiedu Yizhi Formula group(1.78,3.56 and 7.12 g/kg),with 10 mice in each group,in contrast to the 10 WT mice of the blank group.Following anesthesia administration and 8-week oral gavage regimen with respective drugs,all mice underwent final tissue sample collection.The mice had their learning and memory ability assessed by Morris water maze and nesting behavior scores;their pathology of brain tissue and Aβ expression observed using HE,Nissl and IHC staining;their polarization of microglia and the expression of inflammatory factors in hippocampal tissue detected by IF and ELISA;their hippocampal expression of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway detected by RT-qPCR and Western blot.RESULTS Compared with the blank group,the model group had lower scores in total swimming distance,frequency in crossing the platform,residence time in the target quadrant,and nesting behavior scores(P<0.05,P<0.01);prolonged evasion latency(P<0.01);more disorganized arrangement of pyramidal cells,solidification and deep staining,unclear demarcation,irregular cell shapes,reduction of Nyctinidia,and increased Aβ deposition in the brain tissue(P<0.01);elevated expression of hippocampal microglia M1-type markers CD16/32 and lba-1(P<0.01);decreased levels of M2-type marker CD206(P<0.05);elevated levels of TNF-α and IL-1β(P<0.01);decreased expressions of IL-13 and IL-4(P<0.01);and decreased levels of PI3K,Akt and mTOR mRNA,and reduced p-PI3K,p-Akt and p-mTOR protein expressions(P<0.01).Compared to the model group,the donepezil group and the Jiedu Yizhi Formula groups showed statistically significant improvements in the aforementioned indexes(P<0.05,P<0.01),with the magnitude of improvement being higher in the high-dose Jiedu Yizhi Formula group.CONCLUSION Jiedu Yizhi Formula suppresses microglia Ml-type polarization while enhancing M2-type polarization via activation the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway,which subsequently reduces inflammatory cytokine secretion.This mechanism attenuates Aβ deposition in brain tissues and ameliorates cognitive dysfunction in AD mouse models.
5.Bioinformatics analysis and experimental verification of disulfidptosis-related genes in vascular dementia
Jin-zhi ZHANG ; Wei CHEN ; Gui-feng ZHUO ; Er-wei HAO ; Xiao-min ZHU ; Yu-lan FU ; Shan-shan PU ; Ming-yang SU ; Lin WU
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(3):514-520
Aim To examine the pathogenesis of disul-fide death gene in vascular dementia(VD)by bioin-formatics analysis of disulfide death differentially ex-pressed genes(DEGs)combined with experimental verification.Methods The death DEGs of disulfide were screened and their correlation was analyzed.The VD patients data in the data set were analyzed by clus-tering and typing and gene set variation.The clustering risk of DEGs was tested with a nomogram model,and the optimal learning model was predicted.After the es-tablishment of VD rat model,water maze test,HE stai-ning and RT-qPCR detection were performed to verify the results of health information.Results Four DEGs including SLC7A11 were obtained,which had antago-nistic or synergistic interaction with each other.The genetic data could be divided into two subtypes with significant differences.After typing,VD disulfide DEGs were mainly concentrated in GnRH signaling pathways.The accuracy of the nomogram prediction model was high.Generalized linear was the best ma-chine learning model.Compared with the sham opera-tion group,the escape latency of rats in the model group was prolonged,the number of crossing platforms decreased,the relative mRNA expression levels of Slc3a2 and Slc7a11 decreased,and LRPPRC in-creased.Conclusions SLC7A11 and other disulfide death DEGs and its related GnRH signaling pathway may be an important part of the pathogenesis of VD di-sulfide death.SLC3A2,LRPPRC and SLC7A11 can be used as characteristic genes in the regulation of VD by disulfide death,which may affect VD progression through the regulation of disulfide death.
6.Effect of endometrial thickness on obstetric and neonatal outcomes of monoparous pregnancy in fresh cleavage-embryo transfer
Li-juan SUN ; Jia-ping PAN ; Shan-shan LIANG ; Mei-yuan HUANG ; Kai-li ZHU ; Xiao-ming TENG ; Hai-xia WU
Fudan University Journal of Medical Sciences 2025;52(1):63-70
Objective To investigate the association of endometrial thickness(EMT)with obstetric and neonatal outcomes of monoparous pregnancy in fresh cleavage embryos transfer.Methods A total of 1 845 patients of monoparous pregnancy after fresh cleavage embryos transfer cycles from Jan 2016 to Mar 2022 at Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital,Tongji Universtiy were analyzed retrospectively.Patients were categorized into three groups by EMT on transferation day:≤8 mm(group A),8-14 mm(group B)and≥14 mm(group C).The primary outcomes were preterm birth(PTB),birth weight and birth weight z-score,small-for-gestation age,large-for-gestation age,very low birth weight,low birth weight and macrosomia.The second outcomes were pregnancy and perinatal complications.The relationship between EMT and adverse neonatal outcomes was estimated by Logistic regression analysis.Results The rate of ectopic pregnancy was increased significantly in group A.No significant differences were found among the three groups in gestation age,birth weight,birth weight z-score,PTB,small for gestation age,large for gestation age,low birth weight,very low birth weight and macrosomia.Compared with group B,the odds of adverse neonatal outcomes did not show significant differences before and after adjustment in both group A and group C by Logistic regression analysis.Conclusion Thinner EMT in fresh cleavage embryos transfer is associated with higher rate of ectopic pregnancy,while it is not independently associated with adverse perinatal outcomes.
7.Design and application of individually portable oral treatment device field conditions in alpine regions
Jian-xue ZHOU ; Hong XIN ; Xue-qi MENG ; Rui-hua WANG ; Xiao-ming ZHU ; Peng-fa WANG
Chinese Medical Equipment Journal 2025;46(1):108-113
Objective To design an individually portable oral treatment device to solve the problems of oral diagnosis and treatment under field conditions in alpine regions.Methods The individually portable oral treatment device had a trolley box structure and consisted of an outer box,an inner framework and an operation panel.The outer box was made of low-density polyethylene material and formed by by one-time rotational moulding process;the inner framework integrated a plateau com-pressor,an independent negative-pressure compressor,an integrated control system for programmable logic controller(PLC),an individually portable respiratory synchronized pulsed oxygen supply module for plateau application;there were several curative devices equipped in the operation panel,including a 3-way syringe,a high-speed turbine handpiece,an electric variable-speed handpiece,a water control switch,a light curing machine and an ultrasonic dental cleaning handpiece.Trials were carried out with the test-phase prototype in alpine regions so as to verify the performance of the device.Results Trials proved that the prototype gained advantages in mobility,multifunctionality and pressure supply facilitating continuous operation of power gas source for oral diagnosis and treatment in alpine regions.Conclusion The device developed solves the problems in pressure insufficiency and instability,control system integration,portability and oxygen supply for medical staffs,improves the mobility of oral diagnosis and treatment in alpine regions and enhances the oral support service and equipment effectively.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(1):108-113]
8.Expert Consensus on the Ethical Requirements for Generative AI-Assisted Academic Writing
You-Quan BU ; Yong-Fu CAO ; Zeng-Yi CHANG ; Hong-Yu CHEN ; Xiao-Wei CHEN ; Yuan-Yuan CHEN ; Zhu-Cheng CHEN ; Rui DENG ; Jie DING ; Zhong-Kai FAN ; Guo-Quan GAO ; Xu GAO ; Lan HU ; Xiao-Qing HU ; Hong-Ti JIA ; Ying KONG ; En-Min LI ; Ling LI ; Yu-Hua LI ; Jun-Rong LIU ; Zhi-Qiang LIU ; Ya-Ping LUO ; Xue-Mei LV ; Yan-Xi PEI ; Xiao-Zhong PENG ; Qi-Qun TANG ; You WAN ; Yong WANG ; Ming-Xu WANG ; Xian WANG ; Guang-Kuan XIE ; Jun XIE ; Xiao-Hua YAN ; Mei YIN ; Zhong-Shan YU ; Chun-Yan ZHOU ; Rui-Fang ZHU
Chinese Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2025;41(6):826-832
With the rapid development of generative artificial intelligence(GAI)technologies,their widespread application in academic research and writing is continuously expanding the boundaries of sci-entific inquiry.However,this trend has also raised a series of ethical and regulatory challenges,inclu-ding issues related to authorship,content authenticity,citation accuracy,and accountability.In light of the growing involvement of AI in generating academic content,establishing an open,controllable,and trustworthy ethical governance framework has become a key task for safeguarding research integrity and maintaining trust within the academic community.This expert consensus outlines ethical requirements across key stages of AI-assisted academic writing-including topic selection,data management,citation practices,and authorship attribution.It aims to clarify the boundaries and ethical obligations surrounding AI use in academic writing,ensuring that technological tools enhance efficiency without compromising in-tegrity.The goal is to provide guidance and institutional support for building a responsible and sustainable research ecosystem.
9.Bioinformatics analysis and experimental verification of disulfidptosis-related genes in vascular dementia
Jin-zhi ZHANG ; Wei CHEN ; Gui-feng ZHUO ; Er-wei HAO ; Xiao-min ZHU ; Yu-lan FU ; Shan-shan PU ; Ming-yang SU ; Lin WU
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(3):514-520
Aim To examine the pathogenesis of disul-fide death gene in vascular dementia(VD)by bioin-formatics analysis of disulfide death differentially ex-pressed genes(DEGs)combined with experimental verification.Methods The death DEGs of disulfide were screened and their correlation was analyzed.The VD patients data in the data set were analyzed by clus-tering and typing and gene set variation.The clustering risk of DEGs was tested with a nomogram model,and the optimal learning model was predicted.After the es-tablishment of VD rat model,water maze test,HE stai-ning and RT-qPCR detection were performed to verify the results of health information.Results Four DEGs including SLC7A11 were obtained,which had antago-nistic or synergistic interaction with each other.The genetic data could be divided into two subtypes with significant differences.After typing,VD disulfide DEGs were mainly concentrated in GnRH signaling pathways.The accuracy of the nomogram prediction model was high.Generalized linear was the best ma-chine learning model.Compared with the sham opera-tion group,the escape latency of rats in the model group was prolonged,the number of crossing platforms decreased,the relative mRNA expression levels of Slc3a2 and Slc7a11 decreased,and LRPPRC in-creased.Conclusions SLC7A11 and other disulfide death DEGs and its related GnRH signaling pathway may be an important part of the pathogenesis of VD di-sulfide death.SLC3A2,LRPPRC and SLC7A11 can be used as characteristic genes in the regulation of VD by disulfide death,which may affect VD progression through the regulation of disulfide death.
10.Establishment and application of ultra-fast real-time PCR for Brucella detection
Zhen-na XU ; Zhi-peng WU ; Wei-bin HONG ; Zhi-shen GUAN ; Qi-ming LIN ; Zuan-lan MO ; Yi-fei YE ; Hai-yan XIE ; Min LI ; Yan-qiu ZHU ; Xiao-jun LI ; Xian-peng ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Zoonoses 2025;41(3):278-283
This study was aimed at establishing a method of ultra-fast quantitative PCR for Brucella detection.We used an exogenous recombinant plasmid as the internal reference and targeted the T4SS secretion system,an important Brucella viru-lence factor,to design specific primers and probes.The sensitivity,specificity,and repeatability of this method were evaluated,and a standard curve was constructed.The coincidence rate of detection findings with this method versus quantitative PCR was determined.This method markedly decreased the detection time to only 10 minutes.The standard curve demonstrated a good linear relationship(Y=-3.410 7x+38.357,R2=0.998 5)with a low minimum detection limit of 10 copies/μL.The method exhibited good specificity and did not specifically amplify several common clinical bacteria other than Brucella.The de-tection of three concentrations of positive plasmids yielded coefficients of variation(CVs)of 0.20%to 0.91%,thus demonstra-ting the method's excellent repeatability.Furthermore,140 clinical samples were analyzed concurrently with the fluorescence PCR method,which yielded a 100%compliance rate and consistent results.Our findings indicated that the Brucella ultra-fast quantitative PCR was ultrafast;had high sensitivity,high specificity,and good specificity;and can be used for the clinical de-tection of Brucella and emergency investigation of epidemics.Therefore,this method is valuable for the early diagnosis of Bru-cella.

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