Measuring degree of polymerisation for meningococcal capsular saccharides that contain sialic acid

1. A process for measuring the degree of polymerisation of a capsular saccharide, wherein: (a) the saccharide comprises sialic acid monosaccharide subunits that are linked α2→9; (b) the saccharide has a terminal sialic acid monosaccharide subunit; and (c) the process comprises the steps of: (i) reducing the terminal sialic acid monosaccharide subunit to give a reduced sialic acid monosaccharide subunit; (ii) chemically hydrolysing the saccharide to give a hydrolysate containing monosaccharide subunits, wherein the hydrolysis proceeds to completion to yield only monosaccharide subunits; (iii) determining the ratio of total sialic acid to reduced sialic acid in the hydrolysate.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the terminal sialic acid residue is reduced by incubating the saccharide with a reducing agent.

3. The process of claim 2 , wherein the reducing agent is sodium borohydride.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein acid hydrolysis is used.

5. The process of claim 1 , where the capsular polysaccharide is a population of different-sized capsular saccharides, and the process provides the average degree of polymerisation of the saccharides.

6. A process for measuring the degree of polymerisation of a capsular saccharide, wherein: (a) the saccharide comprises sialic acid monosaccharide subunits and non-sialic acid monosaccharide subunits; (b) the saccharide has a terminal sialic acid monosaccharide subunit; and (c) the process comprises the steps of: (i) modifying a terminal sialic acid subunit of the saccharide, to give a modified terminal sialic acid subunit; (ii) hydrolysing the saccharide to give a saccharide hydrolysate containing sialic acid subunits, including modified terminal sialic acid subunits, wherein the hydrolysis proceeds to completion to yield only monosaccharide subunits; (iii) quantifying the sialic acid subunits from the hydrolysate, including the modified terminal sialic acid subunits; and (iv) using the quantitative results of step (iii) to calculate the degree of polymerisation.

7. A process for measuring the degree of polymerisation of saccharide(s) in a composition, comprising the steps of: (a) starting depolymerisation of the saccharide(s) in the composition; and, at one or more time points thereafter, (b) measuring DP of the saccharide(s) using the process of claim 1 .

8. The process of claim 7 , further comprising the step of conjugation of the depolymerised saccharide to a carrier protein, after optional chemical activation.

9. A process for measuring the degree of polymerisation (DP) of a capsular saccharide from meningococcal serogroup W135 or serogroup Y, wherein the process comprises the steps of: (i) hydrolysing the saccharide to give a saccharide hydrolysate containing monosaccharide subunits, wherein the hydrolysis proceeds to completion to yield only monosaccharide subunits; (ii) quantifying the monosaccharide subunits in the hydrolysate, wherein the quantitative results of step (ii) are used to calculate the degree of polymerisation.

10. The process of claim 9 , wherein the process comprises the steps of: (i) modifying a terminal monosaccharide subunit of the saccharide, to give a modified terminal monosaccharide; (ii) hydrolysing the saccharide to give a saccharide hydrolysate containing monosaccharide subunits, including the modified terminal monosaccharide, wherein the hydrolysis proceeds to completion to yield only monosaccharide subunits; (iii) quantifying the monosaccharide subunits from the hydrolysate; (iv) quantifying the modified terminal monosaccharide from the hydrolysate; and (v) using the quantitative results of steps (iii) and (iv) to calculate the degree of polymerisation.

11. The process of claim 10 , wherein the modification in step (i) is reduction of a terminal sialic acid residue, wherein the monosaccharide quantified in step (iii) is total sialic acid, and wherein DP is calculated by comparing the ratio of total sialic acid to reduced sialic acid.

12. A process for analysing a glycoconjugate that comprises a saccharide and a carrier, comprising the steps of: (a) treating the glycoconjugate to release saccharide from carrier; and (b) measuring DP of the released saccharide using the process of claim 1 .

13. The process of claim 2 , wherein acid hydrolysis is used.

14. The process of claim 3 , wherein acid hydrolysis is used.

15. The process of claim 2 , where the capsular polysaccharide is a population of different-sized capsular saccharides, and the process provides the average degree of polymerisation of the saccharides.

16. The process of claim 3 , where the capsular polysaccharide is a population of different-sized capsular saccharides, and the process provides the average degree of polymerisation of the saccharides.

17. The process of claim 4 , where the capsular polysaccharide is a population of different-sized capsular saccharides, and the process provides the average degree of polymerisation of the saccharides.

18. The process of claim 13 , where the capsular polysaccharide is a population of different-sized capsular saccharides, and the process provides the average degree of polymerisation of the saccharides.

19. The process of claim 14 , where the capsular polysaccharide is a population of different-sized capsular saccharides, and the process provides the average degree of polymerisation of the saccharides.

20. A process for measuring the degree of polymerisation of saccharide(s) in a composition, comprising the steps of: (a) starting depolymerisation of the saccharide(s) in the composition; and, at one or more time points thereafter, (b) measuring DP of the saccharide(s) using the process of claim 2 .

21. A process for measuring the degree of polymerisation of saccharide(s) in a composition, comprising the steps of: (a) starting depolymerisation of the saccharide(s) in the composition; and, at one or more time points thereafter, (b) measuring DP of the saccharide(s) using the process of claim 3 .

22. A process for measuring the degree of polymerisation of saccharide(s) in a composition, comprising the steps of: (a) starting depolymerisation of the saccharide(s) in the composition; and, at one or more time points thereafter, (b) measuring DP of the saccharide(s) using the process of claim 4 .

23. A process for measuring the degree of polymerisation of saccharide(s) in a composition, comprising the steps of: (a) starting depolymerisation of the saccharide(s) in the composition; and, at one or more time points thereafter, (b) measuring DP of the saccharide(s) using the process of claim 5 .

24. A process for measuring the degree of polymerisation of saccharide(s) in a composition, comprising the steps of: (a) starting depolymerisation of the saccharide(s) in the composition; and, at one or more time points thereafter, (b) measuring DP of the saccharide(s) using the process of claim 6 .

25. The process of claim 21 , further comprising the step of conjugation of the depolymerised saccharide to a carrier protein, after optional chemical activation.

26. The process of claim 22 , further comprising the step of conjugation of the depolymerised saccharide to a carrier protein, after optional chemical activation.

27. The process of claim 23 , further comprising the step of conjugation of the depolymerised saccharide to a carrier protein, after optional chemical activation.

28. The process of claim 24 , further comprising the step of conjugation of the depolymerised saccharide to a carrier protein, after optional chemical activation.

29. The process of claim 25 , further comprising the step of conjugation of the depolymerised saccharide to a carrier protein, after optional chemical activation.

30. A process for analysing a glycoconjugate that comprises a saccharide and a carrier, comprising the steps of: (a) treating the glycoconjugate to release saccharide from carrier; and (b) measuring DP of the released saccharide using the process of claim 2 .

31. A process for analysing a glycoconjugate that comprises a saccharide and a carrier, comprising the steps of: (a) treating the glycoconjugate to release saccharide from carrier; and (b) measuring DP of the released saccharide using the process of claim 3 .

32. A process for analysing a glycoconjugate that comprises a saccharide and a carrier, comprising the steps of: (a) treating the glycoconjugate to release saccharide from carrier; and (b) measuring DP of the released saccharide using the process of claim 4 .

33. A process for analysing a glycoconjugate that comprises a saccharide and a carrier, comprising the steps of: (a) treating the glycoconjugate to release saccharide from carrier; and (b) measuring DP of the released saccharide using the process of claim 5 .

34. A process for analysing a glycoconjugate that comprises a saccharide and a carrier, comprising the steps of: (a) treating the glycoconjugate to release saccharide from carrier; and (b) measuring DP of the released saccharide using the process of claim 6 .

35. A process for analysing a glycoconjugate that comprises a saccharide and a carrier, comprising the steps of: (a) treating the glycoconjugate to release saccharide from carrier; and (b) measuring DP of the released saccharide using the process of claim 7 .

36. A process for analysing a glycoconjugate that comprises a saccharide and a carrier, comprising the steps of: (a) treating the glycoconjugate to release saccharide from carrier; and (b) measuring DP of the released saccharide using the process of claim 8 .

37. A process for analysing a glycoconjugate that comprises a saccharide and a carrier, comprising the steps of: (a) treating the glycoconjugate to release saccharide from carrier; and (b) measuring DP of the released saccharide using the process of claim 9 .

38. A process for analysing a glycoconjugate that comprises a saccharide and a carrier, comprising the steps of: (a) treating the glycoconjugate to release saccharide from carrier; and (b) measuring DP of the released saccharide using the process of claim 10 .

39. A process for analysing a glycoconjugate that comprises a saccharide and a carrier, comprising the steps of: (a) treating the glycoconjugate to release saccharide from carrier; and (b) measuring DP of the released saccharide using the process of claim 11 .