Productivity and quality of recombinant proteins produced by stable CHO cell clones can be predicted by transient expression in HEK cells.

Selection of lead candidates in drug discovery is a complex and time-consuming process. Here, we describe an approach that allows prediction of the productivity and quality of recombinant proteins by stable producer cell clones with the help of transient transfection studies. This is exemplified for three distinct bispecific T cell engager (BiTE(®))-a new class of single-chain antibody-based therapeutics showing very promising results in the treatment of cancer.