Patent Application
20240034777
This application includes a Sequence Listing submitted electronically as a text file named “104018001204_Sequence Listing.xml”, created on Dec. 8, 2022 with a size of 1,697,466 bytes. The Sequence Listing is incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to antibodies that specifically bind Tau and methods of using the same.
Human Tau is encoded by the microtubule-associated protein Tau gene, MAPT, located on chromosome 17q21. The adult human brain contains six main Tau isoforms which are generated by alternative splicing of exon 2 (E2), E3, and E10. These isoforms differ depending on the number of 29-residue repeat regions near the N-terminus. Tau isoforms containing 0, 1, or 2 inserts are known as ON, IN, and 2N, respectively. Unprocessed Tau isoforms also contain either 3 (“3R”) or 4 (“4R”) microtubule-binding repeat domains. The second of these repeat domains is encoded by E10 and is not included in 3R Tau isoforms (
Although Tau is usually highly soluble, under pathological conditions, it can aggregate into paired helical filaments, neurofibrillary tangles and other structures that define a large spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases termed Tauopathies. Tauopathy thus refers to a class of neurodegenerative diseases associated with aggregation of the microtubule-associated protein Tau, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).
The underlying mechanism of Tau-mediated neurotoxicity is poorly understood and the trigger for Tau aggregation in neurons is yet to be elucidated. Thus, while therapeutic approaches targeting Tau are being explored, there remains a need for specific and effective therapeutic agents that target Tau.
Provided herein are monoclonal antibodies, or antigen-binding fragments thereof, that specifically bind a human Tau isoform or fragment. In some aspects, the antibody is murine antibody, a chimeric antibody, or a humanized antibody. In some embodiments, the antibody isotype is IgG1. In some embodiments, the antibody comprises: a heavy chain complementarity determining region 1 (HCDR1), a heavy chain complementarity determining region 2 (HCDR2), and a heavy chain complementarity determining region 3 (HCDR3) as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 196 and a light chain complementarity determining region 1 (LCDR1), a light chain complementarity determining region 2 (LCDR2), and a light chain complementarity determining region 3 (LCDR3) as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 411; a HCDR1, a HCDR2, and a HCDR3 as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 268 and a LCDR1, a LCDR2, and a LCDR3 as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 465; or a HCDR1, a HCDR2, and a HCDR3 as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 402 and a LCDR1, a LCDR2, and a LCDR3 as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 572. In some embodiments, the monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprises a HCDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO: 594, a HCDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO: 596, a HCDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO: 598, a LCDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO: 738, a LCDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO: 740, and a LCDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO: 742 as defined according to the method of Kabat; a HCDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO: 864, a HCDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO: 866, a HCDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO: 868, a LCDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO: 1008, a LCDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO: 1010, and a LCDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO: 1012 as defined by IMGT; a HCDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO: 642, a HCDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO: 644, a HCDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO: 646, a LCDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO: 774, a LCDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO: 776, and a LCDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO: 778 as defined according to the method of Kabat; a HCDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO: 912, a HCDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO: 914, a HCDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO: 916, a LCDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO: 1044, a LCDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO: 1046, and a LCDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO: 1048 as defined by IMGT; a HCDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO: 732, a HCDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO: 734, a HCDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO: 736, a LCDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO: 846, a LCDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO: 848, and a LCDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO: 850 as defined according to the method of Kabat; or a HCDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO: 1002, a HCDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO: 1004, a HCDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO: 1006, a LCDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO: 1116, a LCDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO: 1118, and a LCDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO: 1120 as defined by IMGT.
According to some aspects, the aforementioned monoclonal antibodies or antigen-binding fragments thereof comprise sequence modifications. In some embodiments, modification(s) is position 49 of the light chain according to the method of Kabat is not cysteine, the residue at position 57 of the heavy chain according to the method of Kabat is not cysteine, the residue at position 34 of the light chain according to the method of Kabat is glutamate, the residue at position 36 of the light chain according to the method of Kabat is not phenylalanine, the residue at position 46 of the light chain according to the method of Kabat is not arginine, the residue at position 94 of the heavy chain according to the method of Kabat is not lysine, the residue at position 71 of the heavy chain according to the method of Kabat is not arginine, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments in which the residue at position 49 of the light chain according to the method of Kabat is not cysteine, the residue is serine. In some embodiments in which the residue at position 57 of the heavy chain according to the method of Kabat is not cysteine, the residue is serine. In some embodiments in which the residue at position 36 of the light chain according to the method of Kabat is not phenylalanine, the residue is tyrosine. In some embodiments in which the residue at position 46 of the light chain according to the method of Kabat is not arginine, the residue is leucine. In some embodiments in which the residue at position 71 of the heavy chain according to the method of Kabat is not arginine, the residue is valine.
In some embodiments of the monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment that specifically binds human Tau, the antibody comprises: a heavy chain variable domain (HCVD) comprising SEQ ID NO: 268 and a light chain variable domain (LCVD) comprising SEQ ID NO: 465; a HCVD comprising SEQ ID NO: 268 and a LCVD comprising SEQ ID NO: 581; a HCVD comprising SEQ ID NO: 384 and a LCVD comprising SEQ ID NO: 545; a HCVD comprising SEQ ID NO: 393 and a LCVD comprising SEQ ID NO: 545; a HCVD comprising SEQ ID NO: 402 and a LCVD comprising SEQ ID NO: 545; a HCVD comprising SEQ ID NO: 384 and a LCVD comprising SEQ ID NO: 572; a HCVD comprising SEQ ID NO: 393 and a LCVD comprising SEQ ID NO: 572; or a HCVD comprising SEQ ID NO: 402 and a LCVD comprising SEQ ID NO: 572.
In some embodiments of the monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment that specifically binds human Tau, the antibody is produced by the cell line having ATCC deposit number PTA-124523 or ATCC deposit number PTA-124524.
In some embodiments, the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments provided herein bind monomeric wild-type human 2N4R Tau with a KD of less than about 0.5 nM as measured by surface plasmon resonance. In some embodiments, the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments bind human Tau at an epitope comprising the amino acid sequence HVPG (SEQ ID NO: 1133). Also provided are biepitopic antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that bind human Tau at an epitope comprising the amino acid sequence HVPG (SEQ ID NO: 1133) within repeat region 2 or repeat region 4. In certain aspects, the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments bind human Tau at an epitope comprising the amino acid sequence HVPGG (SEQ ID NO: 79). Also provided are biepitopic antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that bind human Tau at an epitope comprising the amino acid sequence HVPGG (SEQ ID NO: 79) within repeat region 2 or repeat region 4. In some embodiments, the monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment binds human Tau at the epitope comprising the amino acid sequence HVPGG (SEQ ID NO: 79) within repeat region 2 and/or repeat region 4 with a binding preference that is at least about 10-fold greater than binding at an epitope comprising the amino acid sequence HKPGG (SEQ ID NO: 182) within repeat region 3 or at an epitope comprising the amino acid sequence HQPGG (SEQ ID NO: 183) within repeat region 1, as determined by a peptide binding assay. In some aspects, the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments provided herein do not bind Tau at an epitope comprising the amino acid sequence HVSGG (SEQ ID NO: 184) within repeat region 2 or at an epitope comprising the amino acid sequence HVLGG (SEQ ID NO: 185) within repeat region 2.
In some embodiments, the monoclonal antibodies or antigen-binding fragments as provided herein are labeled.
Further provided are nucleic acid molecules encoding any of the described monoclonal antibodies or antigen-binding fragments, vectors comprising the nucleic acid molecules, cells that express the nucleic acid molecules, and methods of producing the anti-Tau antibodies or antigen-binding fragments by culturing such cells under conditions suitable for production thereof. The methods of producing may further involve recovery of the antibody or antigen-binding fragment.
Also provided herein are pharmaceutical compositions of any of the described monoclonal antibodies, or antigen-binding fragments thereof, that specifically bind a human Tau and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
Methods of use of the described monoclonal antibodies, or antigen-binding fragments thereof, that specifically bind a human Tau also are provided herein. In some embodiments, the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind a human Tau are for use as a medicament. In some aspects, the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind a human Tau are for use in the treatment of a Tauopathy or in the preparation of a medicament for the treatment of a Tauopathy. Methods of treating a Tauopathy in a subject also are provided. In some embodiments, the methods of treating a Tauopathy involve administering to the subject any of the described monoclonal antibodies, or antigen-binding fragments thereof, that specifically bind a human Tau under conditions effective to treat the Tauopathy in the subject. In some aspects, the Tauopathy is Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, or progressive supranuclear palsy. The frontotemporal dementia may be Pick's Disease, for example.
Further provided are methods for decreasing sarkosyl-insoluble Tau levels in a subject by administering to the subject any of the described monoclonal antibodies, or antigen-binding fragments thereof, that specifically bind a human Tau. Also provided are methods for inhibiting Tau aggregation in a subject by administering to the subject any of the described monoclonal antibodies, or antigen-binding fragments thereof, that specifically bind a human Tau. The methods may be performed in vitro or in vivo.
The following description characterizes antibodies, and antigen-binding fragments thereof, that specifically bind to Tau. Also described are related polynucleotides capable of encoding these antibodies and antigen-binding fragments, cells expressing the antibodies and antigen-binding fragments, as well as associated vectors. In addition, methods of using the antibodies and antigen-binding fragments are described. For example, the provided antibodies, and antigen-binding fragments, may be used to treat a Tauopathy in a subject.
Various terms relating to aspects of the description are used throughout the specification and claims. Such terms are to be given their ordinary meaning in the art unless otherwise indicated. Other specifically defined terms are to be construed in a manner consistent with the definitions provided herein.
As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a cell” includes a combination of two or more cells, and the like.
The term “about” as used herein when referring to a measurable value such as an amount, a temporal duration, and the like, is meant to encompass variations of up to ±10% from the specified value, as such variations are appropriate to perform the disclosed methods. Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients, properties such as molecular weight, reaction conditions, and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about.” Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the following specification and attached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the present invention. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques.
Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the invention are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. Any numerical value, however, inherently contain certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements.
“Isolated” means a biological component (such as a nucleic acid, peptide or protein) has been substantially separated, produced apart from, or purified away from other biological components of the organism in which the component naturally occurs, i.e., other chromosomal and extrachromosomal DNA and RNA, and proteins. Nucleic acids, peptides and proteins that have been “isolated” thus include nucleic acids and proteins purified by standard purification methods. “Isolated” nucleic acids, peptides and proteins that can be part of a composition and still be isolated if such composition is not part of the native environment of the nucleic acid, peptide, or protein. The term also embraces nucleic acids, peptides and proteins prepared by recombinant expression in a host cell as well as chemically synthesized nucleic acids.
“Polynucleotide,” synonymously referred to as “nucleic acid molecule” or “nucleic acids,” refers to any polyribonucleotide or polydeoxyribonucleotide, which may be unmodified RNA or DNA or modified RNA or DNA. “Polynucleotides” include, without limitation single- and double-stranded DNA, DNA that is a mixture of single- and double-stranded regions, single- and double-stranded RNA, and RNA that is mixture of single- and double-stranded regions, hybrid molecules comprising DNA and RNA that may be single-stranded or, more typically, double-stranded or a mixture of single- and double-stranded regions. “Polynucleotide” also embraces relatively short nucleic acid chains, often referred to as oligonucleotides.
The meaning of “substantially the same” can differ depending on the context in which the term is used. Because of the natural sequence variation likely to exist among heavy and light chains and the genes encoding them, one would expect to find some level of variation within the amino acid sequences or the genes encoding the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments described herein, with little or no impact on their unique binding properties (e.g., specificity and affinity). Such an expectation is due in part to the degeneracy of the genetic code, as well as to the evolutionary success of conservative amino acid sequence variations, which do not appreciably alter the nature of the encoded protein. Accordingly, in the context of nucleic acid sequences, “substantially the same” means at least 65% identity between two or more sequences. Preferably, the term refers to at least 70% identity between two or more sequences, more preferably at least 75% identity, more preferably at least 80% identity, more preferably at least 85% identity, more preferably at least 90% identity, more preferably at least 91% identity, more preferably at least 92% identity, more preferably at least 93% identity, more preferably at least 94% identity, more preferably at least 95% identity, more preferably at least 96% identity, more preferably at least 97% identity, more preferably at least 98% identity, and more preferably at least 99% or greater identity. Such identity may be determined using nBLAST algorithm (Altschul et al., (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87:2264-8; Karlin and Altschul (1993) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90:5873-7).
The degree of variation that may occur within the amino acid sequence of a protein without having a substantial effect on protein function is much lower than that of a nucleic acid sequence, since the same degeneracy principles do not apply to amino acid sequences. Accordingly, in the context of an antibody or antigen-binding fragment, “substantially the same” means the sequences have “insubstantial differences”. Insubstantial differences are substitutions of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 amino acids in an antibody or antibody fragment amino acid sequence. Amino acid sequences substantially the same as the sequences disclosed herein are also part of this application. In some embodiments, the sequence identity can be about 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or higher. Other embodiments include Tau-specific antibodies, or antigen-binding fragments, that have framework, scaffold, or other non-binding regions that do not share significant identity with the antibodies and antigen-binding fragments described herein, but do incorporate one or more CDRs or other sequences needed to confer binding that are 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% identical to such sequences described herein.
A “vector” is a replicon, such as plasmid, phage, cosmid, or virus in which another nucleic acid segment may be operably inserted so as to bring about the replication or expression of the segment.
The terms “express” and “produce” are used synonymously herein, and refer to the biosynthesis of a gene product. These terms encompass the transcription of a gene into RNA. These terms also encompass translation of RNA into one or more polypeptides, and further encompass all naturally occurring post-transcriptional and post-translational modifications. The expression or production of an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof may be within the cytoplasm of the cell, or into the extracellular milieu such as the growth medium of a cell culture.
The term “treating” or “treatment” refers to any success or indicia of success in the attenuation or amelioration of an injury, pathology or condition, including any objective or subjective parameter such as abatement, remission, diminishing of a symptom or making the condition more tolerable to the patient, slowing in the rate of degeneration or decline, making the final point of degeneration less debilitating, improving a subject's physical or mental well-being, or prolonging the length of survival. The treatment may be assessed by objective or subjective parameters; including the results of a physical examination, neurological examination, or psychiatric evaluations. In a particular embodiment, the symptom of a Tauopathy is an impairment in cognition. In a specific embodiment, the symptom of a Tauopathy is an impairment in learning and/or memory. In a specific embodiment, the symptom of a Tauopathy is a long-term memory loss. In a specific embodiment, the symptom of a Tauopathy is dementia. In some embodiments, the symptom of a Tauopathy is confusion, irritability, aggression, mood swings, or a language impairment. In some embodiments, the symptom of a Tauopathy is an impairment or loss of one or more cognitive functions such as reasoning, situational judgment, memory capacity, and/or learning.
The term “antibody” as used herein is meant in a broad sense and includes immunoglobulin or antibody molecules including polyclonal antibodies, monoclonal antibodies including murine, human, human-adapted, humanized and chimeric monoclonal antibodies and antibody fragments. In general, antibodies are proteins or peptide chains that exhibit binding specificity to a specific antigen. Intact antibodies are heterotetrameric glycoproteins, composed of two identical light chains and two identical heavy chains. Typically, each light chain is linked to a heavy chain by one covalent disulfide bond, while the number of disulfide linkages varies between the heavy chains of different immunoglobulin isotypes. Each heavy and light chain also has regularly spaced intrachain disulfide bridges. Each heavy chain has at one end a variable domain (variable region) (VH) followed by a number of constant domains (constant regions). Each light chain has a variable domain at one end (VL) and a constant domain at its other end; the constant domain of the light chain is aligned with the first constant domain of the heavy chain and the light chain variable domain is aligned with the variable domain of the heavy chain. Antibody light chains of any vertebrate species can be assigned to one of two clearly distinct types, namely kappa (κ) and lambda (λ), based on the amino acid sequences of their constant domains.
Immunoglobulins can be assigned to five major classes or isotypes, depending upon the type of constant domain possessed by its heavy chain, namely IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG and IgM, depending on the heavy chain constant domain amino acid sequence. IgA and IgG are further sub-classified as the isotypes IgA1, IgA2, IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 and IgG4. The heavy chain constant domains that correspond to the different classes of immunoglobulins are called a, 6, £, y, and 11, respectively.
An immunoglobulin light chain variable region or heavy chain variable region consists of a “framework” region interrupted by three “antigen-binding sites”. The antigen-binding sites are defined using various terms as follows: (i) the term Complementarity Determining Regions (CDRs) is based on sequence variability (Wu and Kabat, J. Exp. Med. 132:211-250, 1970). Generally, the antigen-binding site has six CDRs; three in the VH (HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3), and three in the VL (LCDR1, LCDR2, LCDR3) (Kabat et al., Sequences of Proteins of Immunological Interest, 5th Ed. Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md., 1991). The “IMGT-CDRs” as proposed by Lefranc (Lefranc et al., Dev. Comparat. Immunol. 27:55-77, 2003) are based on the comparison of V domains from immunoglobulins and T-cell receptors. The International ImMunoGeneTics (IMGT) database (www_imgt_org) provides a standardized numbering and definition of these regions. The correspondence between CDRs and IMGT delineations is described in Lefranc et al., Dev. Comparat. Immunol. 27:55-77, 2003.
Antigen-binding fragments are any proteinaceous structure that may exhibit binding affinity for a particular antigen. Some antigen-binding fragments are composed of portions of intact antibodies that retain antigen-binding specificity of the parent antibody molecule. For example, antigen-binding fragments may comprise at least one variable region (either a heavy chain or light chain variable region) or one or more CDRs of an antibody known to bind a particular antigen. Examples of suitable antigen-binding fragments include, without limitation diabodies and single-chain molecules as well as Fab, F(ab′)2, Fc, Fabc, and Fv molecules, single chain (Sc) antibodies, individual antibody light chains, individual antibody heavy chains, chimeric fusions between antibody chains or CDRs and other proteins, protein scaffolds, heavy chain monomers or dimers, light chain monomers or dimers, dimers consisting of one heavy and one light chain, and the like. All antibody isotypes may be used to produce antigen-binding fragments. Additionally, antigen-binding fragments may include non-antibody proteinaceous frameworks that may successfully incorporate polypeptide segments in an orientation that confers affinity for a given antigen of interest, such as protein scaffolds. Antigen-binding fragments may be recombinantly produced or produced by enzymatic or chemical cleavage of intact antibodies. The phrase “an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof” may be used to denote that a given antigen-binding fragment incorporates one or more amino acid segments of the antibody referred to in the phrase.
“Specific binding” or “specifically binds” refers to the binding of an antibody or antigen-binding fragment to an antigen with greater affinity than for other antigens. Typically, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment binds to the antigen with an equilibrium dissociation constant KD of about 5×10−8 M or less, for example about 5×10−9 M or less, about 1×10−9 M or less, about 1×10−10 M or less, or about 1×10−11 M or less.
“Biepitopic” when used in the context of antibodies or antibody fragments refers to the ability of the antibody or fragment to specifically bind to two non-overlapping epitopes on the same target antigen molecule though not necessarily simultaneously.
The term “subject” refers to human and non-human animals, including all vertebrates, e.g., mammals and non-mammals, such as non-human primates, mice, rabbits, sheep, dogs, cats, horses, cows, chickens, amphibians, and reptiles. In many embodiments of the described methods, the subject is a human.
The embodiments described herein are not limited to particular methods, reagents, compounds, compositions or biological systems, which can, of course, vary.
Described herein are isolated monoclonal antibodies and antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau, preferably human Tau (“anti-Tau antibodies”). Human Tau 2N4R (also referred to as Tau441) is set forth herein as SEQ ID NO: 181:
Human Tau also refers to Tau variants, for example, naturally occurring allelic variants, including those illustrated in
In any of the embodiments described herein, the antibody that specifically binds Tau is preferably IgGl, more preferably human IgG1. The antibodies and antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau as disclosed in the examples section are derived from mice. Similar antibodies may be derived from any species by recombinant means. For example, the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may be chimeric rat, goat, horse, swine, bovine, chicken, rabbit, camelid, donkey, human, and the like. For use in administration to humans, non-human derived antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may be genetically or structurally altered to be less antigenic upon administration to a human patient.
In some embodiments, the anti-Tau antibodies or antigen-binding fragments are chimeric. As used herein, the term “chimeric” refers to an antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, having at least some portion of at least one variable domain derived from the antibody amino acid sequence of a non-human mammal, a rodent, or a reptile, while the remaining portions of the antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, are derived from a human. For example, a chimeric antibody may comprise a mouse antigen binding domain with a human Fc or other such structural domain. Chimeric antibodies are renoted by the term “xi”. In some embodiments, the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau are humanized antibodies or fragments. Humanized antibodies may be chimeric immunoglobulins, immunoglobulin chains or fragments thereof (such as Fv, Fab, Fab′, F(ab′)2 or other antigen-binding subsequences of antibodies) that contain minimal sequence derived from non-human immunoglobulin. For the most part, humanized antibodies are human immunoglobulins (recipient antibody) in which residues from a complementary-determining region (CDR) of the recipient are replaced by residues from a CDR of a non-human species (donor antibody) such as mouse, rat or rabbit having the desired specificity, affinity, and capacity. In general, the humanized antibody will comprise substantially all of at least one, and typically two, variable domains, in which all or substantially all of the CDR regions correspond to those of a non-human immunoglobulin and all or substantially all of the framework regions are those of a human immunoglobulin sequence. The humanized antibody may include at least a portion of an immunoglobulin constant region (Fc), typically that of a human immunoglobulin. Humanized antibody heavy or light chains are denoted herein by the term “zu”.
The antibodies or antigen-binding fragments described herein can occur in a variety of forms, but will include one or more of the antibody variable domain segments or CDRs shown in Table 1.
ATGGGATGGAGCTGTATCATCCTCA
MGWSCIILILVAAATGVHSQVQ
TTTTGGTAGCAGCAGCTACAGGTGT
CCACTCCCAGGTCCAACTGCTGCAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATC
ATCCTGTTTCTGGTGGCC
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSQVQ
ACCGCCACCGGCGTGCAC
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
AGCCAGGTGCAGCTGGTG
GCACAGCCAGGTGCAGCTGGTGCAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSQVQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCCAGGTGCAGCTGGTGCAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSQVQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCCAGGTGCAGCTGGTGCAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSQVQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCCAGGTGCAGCTGGTGCAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSQVQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCCAGGTGCAGCTGGTGCAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSQVQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCCAGGTGCAGCTGGTGCAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSQVQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCCAGGTGCAGCTGGTGCAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSQVQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCCAGGTGCAGCTGGTGCAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSQVQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCCAGGTGCAGCTGGTGCAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSQVQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCCAGGTGCAGCTGGTGCAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSEVQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGAAGTGCAGCTGCTGGAA
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSEVQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGAAGTGCAGCTGCTGGAA
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSEVQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGAAGTGCAGCTGCTGGAA
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSEVQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGAAGTGCAGCTGCTGGAA
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATC
ATCCTGTTTCTGGTGGCC
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSEVQ
ACCGCCACCGGCGTGCAC
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
AGCGAAGTGCAGCTGCTG
GCACAGCGAAGTGCAGCTGCTGGAA
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSEVQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGAAGTGCAGCTGCTGGAA
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSEVQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGAAGTGCAGCTGCTGGAA
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSEVQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGAAGTGCAGCTGCTGGAA
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSEVQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGAAGTGCAGCTGCTGGAA
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSEVQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGAAGTGCAGCTGCTGGAA
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSEVQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGAAGTGCAGCTGCTGGAA
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSEVQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGAAGTGCAGCTGCTGGAA
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSEVQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGAAGTGCAGCTGCTGGAA
ATGAAGTTGCCTGTTAGGCTGTTGG
MKLPVRLLVMMFWIPASSSDVL
TGATGATGTTCTGGATTCCTGCTTC
CAGCAGTGATGTTTTGATGACCCAA
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSDVV
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGACGTCGTGATGACACAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSDVV
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGACGTCGTGATGACACAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSDVV
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGACGTCGTGATGACACAG
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSDVV
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGACGTCGTGATGACACAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSDVV
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGACGTCGTGATGACACAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSDVV
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGACGTCGTGATGACACAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSDVV
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGACGTCGTGATGACACAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSDVV
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGACGTCGTGATGACACAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSDVV
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGACGTCGTGATGACACAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSDVV
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGACGTCGTGATGACACAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSDIQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGATATCCAGATGACCCAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSDVQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGACGTGCAGATGACCCAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSDVQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGACGTGCAGATGACCCAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSDIQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGATATCCAGATGACCCAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSDVQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGACGTGCAGATGACCCAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSDVQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGACGTGCAGATGACCCAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSDVQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGACGTGCAGATGACCCAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSDIQ
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGATATCCAGATGACCCAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSDVV
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGACGTCGTGATGACACAG
ATGGGCTGGTCCTGCATCATCCTGT
MGWSCIILFLVATATGVHSDVV
TTCTGGTGGCCACCGCCACCGGCGT
GCACAGCGACGTCGTGATGACACAG
In some embodiments, the anti-Tau antibodies, or antigen-binding fragments thereof, include a heavy chain complementarity determining region 1 (HCDR1), a heavy chain complementarity determining region 2 (HCDR2), and a heavy chain complementarity determining region 3 (HCDR3) as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 196 and a light chain complementarity determining region 1 (LCDR1), a light chain complementarity determining region 2 (LCDR2), and a light chain complementarity determining region 3 (LCDR3) as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 411. In some embodiments, the anti-Tau antibodies, or antigen-binding fragments thereof, include a HCDR1, a HCDR2, and a HCDR3 as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 268 and a LCDR1, a LCDR2, and a LCDR3 as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 465. In some embodiments, the anti-Tau antibodies, or antigen-binding fragments thereof, include a HCDR1, a HCDR2, and a HCDR3 as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 402 and a LCDR1, a LCDR2, and a LCDR3 as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 572.
In some embodiments, the anti-Tau antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 738, as defined according to the method of Kabat. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 740, as defined according to the method of Kabat. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 742, as defined according to the method of Kabat. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a heavy chain CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 594, as defined according to the method of Kabat. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a heavy chain CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 596, as defined according to the method of Kabat. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a heavy chain CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 598, as defined according to the method of Kabat. The antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain having a CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 738, as defined according to the method of Kabat; a CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 740, as defined according to the method of Kabat; and a CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 742, as defined according to the method of Kabat. The antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a heavy chain having a CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 594, as defined according to the method of Kabat; a CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 596, as defined according to the method of Kabat; and a CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 598, as defined according to the method of Kabat. The antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain having a CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 738, as defined according to the method of Kabat; a CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 740, as defined according to the method of Kabat; and a CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 742, as defined according to the method of Kabat, and also have a heavy chain having a CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 594, as defined according to the method of Kabat; a CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 596, as defined according to the method of Kabat; and a CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 598, as defined according to the method of Kabat.
In some embodiments, the anti-Tau antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1008, as defined by IMGT. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1010, as defined by IMGT. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1012, as defined by IMGT. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a heavy chain CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 864, as defined by IMGT. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a heavy chain CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 866, as defined by IMGT. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a heavy chain CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 868, as defined by IMGT. The antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain having a CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1008, as defined by IMGT; a CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1010, as defined by IMGT; and a CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1012, as defined by IMGT. The antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a heavy chain having a CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 864, as defined by IMGT; a CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 866, as defined by IMGT; and a CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 868, as defined by IMGT. The antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain having a CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1008, as defined by IMGT; a CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1010, as defined by IMGT; and a CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1012, as defined by IMGT, and also have a heavy chain having a CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 864, as defined by IMGT; a CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 866, as defined by IMGT; and a CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 868, as defined by IMGT.
In some embodiments, the anti-Tau antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 774, as defined according to the method of Kabat. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 776, as defined according to the method of Kabat. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 778, as defined according to the method of Kabat. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a heavy chain CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 642, as defined according to the method of Kabat. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a heavy chain CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 644, as defined according to the method of Kabat. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a heavy chain CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 646, as defined according to the method of Kabat. The antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain having a CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 774, as defined according to the method of Kabat; a CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 776, as defined according to the method of Kabat; and a CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 778, as defined according to the method of Kabat. The antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a heavy chain having a CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 642, as defined according to the method of Kabat; a CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 644, as defined according to the method of Kabat; and a CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 646, as defined according to the method of Kabat. The antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain having a CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 774, as defined according to the method of Kabat; a CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 776, as defined according to the method of Kabat; and a CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 778, as defined according to the method of Kabat, and also have a heavy chain having a CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 642, as defined according to the method of Kabat; a CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 644, as defined according to the method of Kabat; and a CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 646, as defined according to the method of Kabat.
In some embodiments, the anti-Tau antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1044, as defined according to the method of IMGT. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1046, as defined according to the method of IMGT. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1048, as defined according to the method of IMGT. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a heavy chain CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 912, as defined according to the method of IMGT. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a heavy chain CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 914, as defined according to the method of IMGT. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a heavy chain CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 916, as defined according to the method of IMGT. The antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain having a CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1044, as defined according to the method of IMGT; a CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1046, as defined according to the method of IMGT; and a CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1048, as defined according to the method of IMGT. The antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a heavy chain having a CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 912, as defined according to the method of IMGT; a CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 914, as defined according to the method of IMGT; and a CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 916, as defined according to the method of IMGT. The antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain having a CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1044, as defined according to the method of IMGT; a CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1046, as defined according to the method of IMGT; and a CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1048, as defined according to the method of IMGT, and also have a heavy chain having a CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 912, as defined according to the method of IMGT; a CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 914, as defined according to the method of IMGT; and a CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 916, as defined according to the method of IMGT.
In some embodiments, the anti-Tau antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 846, as defined according to the method of Kabat. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 848, as defined according to the method of Kabat. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 850, as defined according to the method of Kabat. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a heavy chain CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 732, as defined according to the method of Kabat. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a heavy chain CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 734, as defined according to the method of Kabat. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a heavy chain CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 736, as defined according to the method of Kabat. The antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain having a CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 846, as defined according to the method of Kabat; a CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 848, as defined according to the method of Kabat; and a CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 850, as defined according to the method of Kabat. The antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a heavy chain having a CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 732, as defined according to the method of Kabat; a CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 734, as defined according to the method of Kabat; and a CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 736, as defined according to the method of Kabat. The antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain having a CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 846, as defined according to the method of Kabat; a CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 848, as defined according to the method of Kabat; and a CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 850, as defined according to the method of Kabat, and also have a heavy chain having a CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 732, as defined according to the method of Kabat; a CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 734, as defined according to the method of Kabat; and a CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 736, as defined according to the method of Kabat.
In some embodiments, the anti-Tau antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1116, as defined by IMGT. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1118, as defined by IMGT. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1120, as defined by IMGT. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a heavy chain CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1002, as defined by IMGT. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a heavy chain CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1004, as defined by IMGT. In some embodiments, antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a heavy chain CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1006, as defined by IMGT. The antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain having a CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1116, as defined by IMGT; a CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1118, as defined by IMGT; and a CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1120, as defined by IMGT. The antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a heavy chain having a CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1002, as defined by IMGT; a CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1004, as defined by IMGT; and a CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1006, as defined by IMGT. The antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may include a light chain having a CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1116, as defined by IMGT; a CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1118, as defined by IMGT; and a CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1120, as defined by IMGT, and also have a heavy chain having a CDR1 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1002, as defined by IMGT; a CDR2 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1004, as defined by IMGT; and a CDR3 amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1006, as defined by IMGT.
Antigen-binding arrangements of CDRs may also be engineered using antibody-like proteins as CDR scaffolding. Such engineered antigen-binding proteins are within the scope of the disclosure.
In some embodiments of the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau described herein, certain residues are altered to improve the binding and/or folding characteristics of the antibody or antigen-binding fragment. For example, in some embodiments of the disclosed monoclonal antibodies and antigen-binding fragments, the residue at position 49 of the light chain according to the method of Kabat is not cysteine. In some embodiments of the disclosed monoclonal antibodies and antigen-binding fragments, the residue at position 49 of the light chain according to the method of Kabat is serine. In some embodiments of the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau described herein, the residue at position 57 of the heavy chain according to the method of Kabat is not cysteine. In some embodiments, the residue at position 57 of the heavy chain according to the method of Kabat is serine. In some embodiments of the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau described herein, the residue at position 34 of the light chain according to the method of Kabat is glutamate. In some embodiments of the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau described herein, the residue at position 36 of the light chain according to the method of Kabat is not phenylalanine. The residue at position 36 of the light chain according to the method of Kabat may be tyrosine. In some embodiments of the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau described herein, the residue at position 46 of the light chain according to the method of Kabat is not arginine. The residue at position 46 of the light chain according to the method of Kabat may be leucine. In some embodiments of the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau described herein, the residue at position 94 of the heavy chain according to the method of Kabat is not lysine. In some embodiments of the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau described herein, the residue at position 71 of the heavy chain according to the method of Kabat is not arginine. The residue at position 71 of the heavy chain according to the method of Kabat may be valine.
The described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau may include a light chain variable domain that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 411. In some aspects, an isolated polynucleotide that encodes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 411 is provided. In some embodiments, an isolated polynucleotide that includes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 410 may encode this light chain variable domain amino acid sequence. The described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau may include a heavy chain variable domain that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 196. In some aspects, an isolated polynucleotide that encodes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 196 is provided. In some embodiments, an isolated polynucleotide that includes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 195 may encode this heavy chain variable domain amino acid sequence. The described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau may include a light chain variable domain and a heavy chain variable domain, wherein the light chain variable domain includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 411, and the heavy chain variable domain includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 196. In some aspects, an isolated polynucleotide that encodes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 411 and a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 196 is provided. In some embodiments an isolated polynucleotide that includes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 410 and a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 195 is provided.
The described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau may include a light chain variable domain that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 465. In some aspects, an isolated polynucleotide that encodes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 465 is provided. In some embodiments, an isolated polynucleotide that includes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 464 may encode this light chain variable domain amino acid sequence. The described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau may include a heavy chain variable domain that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 268. In some aspects, an isolated polynucleotide that encodes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 268 is provided. In some embodiments, an isolated polynucleotide that includes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 267 may encode this heavy chain variable domain amino acid sequence. The described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau may include a light chain variable domain and a heavy chain variable domain, wherein the light chain variable domain includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 465, and the heavy chain variable domain includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 268. In some aspects, an isolated polynucleotide that encodes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 465 and a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 268 is provided. In some embodiments an isolated polynucleotide that includes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 464 and a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 267 is provided.
The described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau may include a light chain variable domain that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 581. In some aspects, an isolated polynucleotide that encodes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 581 is provided. In some embodiments, an isolated polynucleotide that includes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 580 may encode this light chain variable domain amino acid sequence. The described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau may include a heavy chain variable domain that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 268. In some aspects, an isolated polynucleotide that encodes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 268 is provided. In some embodiments, an isolated polynucleotide that includes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 267 may encode this heavy chain variable domain amino acid sequence. The described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau may include a light chain variable domain and a heavy chain variable domain, wherein the light chain variable domain includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 581, and the heavy chain variable domain includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 268. In some aspects, an isolated polynucleotide that encodes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 581 and a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 268 is provided. In some embodiments an isolated polynucleotide that includes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 580 and a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 267 is provided.
The described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau may include a light chain variable domain that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 545. In some aspects, an isolated polynucleotide that encodes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 545 is provided. In some embodiments, an isolated polynucleotide that includes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 544 may encode this light chain variable domain amino acid sequence. The described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau may include a heavy chain variable domain that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 384. In some aspects, an isolated polynucleotide that encodes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 384 is provided. In some embodiments, an isolated polynucleotide that includes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 383 may encode this heavy chain variable domain amino acid sequence. The described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau may include a light chain variable domain and a heavy chain variable domain, wherein the light chain variable domain includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 545, and the heavy chain variable domain includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 384. In some aspects, an isolated polynucleotide that encodes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 545 and a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 384 is provided. In some embodiments an isolated polynucleotide that includes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 544 and a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 383 is provided.
The described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau may include a light chain variable domain that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 545. In some aspects, an isolated polynucleotide that encodes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 545 is provided. In some embodiments, an isolated polynucleotide that includes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 544 may encode this light chain variable domain amino acid sequence. The described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau may include a heavy chain variable domain that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 393. In some aspects, an isolated polynucleotide that encodes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 393 is provided. In some embodiments, an isolated polynucleotide that includes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 392 may encode this heavy chain variable domain amino acid sequence. The described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau may include a light chain variable domain and a heavy chain variable domain, wherein the light chain variable domain includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 545, and the heavy chain variable domain includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 393. In some aspects, an isolated polynucleotide that encodes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 545 and a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 393 is provided. In some embodiments an isolated polynucleotide that includes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 544 and a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 392 is provided.
The described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau may include a light chain variable domain that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 545. In some aspects, an isolated polynucleotide that encodes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 545 is provided. In some embodiments, an isolated polynucleotide that includes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 544 may encode this light chain variable domain amino acid sequence. The described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau may include a heavy chain variable domain that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 402. In some aspects, an isolated polynucleotide that encodes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 402 is provided. In some embodiments, an isolated polynucleotide that includes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 401 may encode this heavy chain variable domain amino acid sequence. The described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau may include a light chain variable domain and a heavy chain variable domain, wherein the light chain variable domain includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 545, and the heavy chain variable domain includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 402. In some aspects, an isolated polynucleotide that encodes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 545 and a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 402 is provided. In some embodiments an isolated polynucleotide that includes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 544 and a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 401 is provided.
The described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau may include a light chain variable domain that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 572. In some aspects, an isolated polynucleotide that encodes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 572 is provided. In some embodiments, an isolated polynucleotide that includes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 571 may encode this light chain variable domain amino acid sequence. The described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau may include a heavy chain variable domain that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 384. In some aspects, an isolated polynucleotide that encodes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 384 is provided. In some embodiments, an isolated polynucleotide that includes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 383 may encode this heavy chain variable domain amino acid sequence. The described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau may include a light chain variable domain and a heavy chain variable domain, wherein the light chain variable domain includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 572, and the heavy chain variable domain includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 384. In some aspects, an isolated polynucleotide that encodes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 572 and a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 384 is provided. In some embodiments an isolated polynucleotide that includes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 571 and a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 383 is provided.
The described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau may include a light chain variable domain that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 572. In some aspects, an isolated polynucleotide that encodes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 572 is provided. In some embodiments, an isolated polynucleotide that includes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 571 may encode this light chain variable domain amino acid sequence. The described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau may include a heavy chain variable domain that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 393. In some aspects, an isolated polynucleotide that encodes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 393 is provided. In some embodiments, an isolated polynucleotide that includes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 392 may encode this heavy chain variable domain amino acid sequence. The described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau may include a light chain variable domain and a heavy chain variable domain, wherein the light chain variable domain includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 572, and the heavy chain variable domain includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 393. In some aspects, an isolated polynucleotide that encodes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 572 and a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 393 is provided. In some embodiments an isolated polynucleotide that includes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 571 and a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 392 is provided.
The described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau may include a light chain variable domain that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 572. In some aspects, an isolated polynucleotide that encodes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 572 is provided. In some embodiments, an isolated polynucleotide that includes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 571 may encode this light chain variable domain amino acid sequence. The described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau may include a heavy chain variable domain that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 402. In some aspects, an isolated polynucleotide that encodes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 402 is provided. In some embodiments, an isolated polynucleotide that includes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 401 may encode this heavy chain variable domain amino acid sequence. The described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau may include a light chain variable domain and a heavy chain variable domain, wherein the light chain variable domain includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 572, and the heavy chain variable domain includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 402. In some aspects, an isolated polynucleotide that encodes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 572 and a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 402 is provided. In some embodiments an isolated polynucleotide that includes a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 571 and a sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 401 is provided.
In some embodiments, the antibodies that specifically bind Tau are produced by antibody-producing cells deposited with the American Type Culture Collection (10801 University Blvd., Manassas, Virginia 20110-2209) on Oct. 11, 2017 and have been assigned Accession No. PTA-124523 or PTA-124524. In some embodiments, the antibodies, or antigen-binding fragments thereof, have the binding affinity for monomeric wild-type 2N4R Tau of the antibodies produced by the deposited antibody-producing cells as measured by surface plasmon resonance. In some embodiments, the disclosed antibodies, or antigen-binding fragments thereof, comprise the light and heavy chain CDRs of the antibodies produced by the deposited antibody-producing cells. In some embodiments, the antibodies, or antigen-binding fragments thereof, comprise the light and heavy chain variable regions of the antibodies produced by the deposited antibody-producing cells.
The antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau described herein include variants having single or multiple amino acid substitutions, deletions, or additions that retain the biological properties (e.g., binding affinity or immune effector activity) of the described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments. The skilled person may produce variants having single or multiple amino acid substitutions, deletions, or additions. These variants may include: (a) variants in which one or more amino acid residues are substituted with conservative or nonconservative amino acids, (b) variants in which one or more amino acids are added to or deleted from the polypeptide, (c) variants in which one or more amino acids include a substituent group, and (d) variants in which the polypeptide is fused with another peptide or polypeptide such as a fusion partner, a protein tag or other chemical moiety, that may confer useful properties to the polypeptide, such as, for example, an epitope for an antibody, a polyhistidine sequence, a biotin moiety and the like. Antibodies or antigen-binding fragments described herein may include variants in which amino acid residues from one species are substituted for the corresponding residue in another species, either at the conserved or nonconserved positions. In other embodiments, amino acid residues at nonconserved positions are substituted with conservative or nonconservative residues. The techniques for obtaining these variants, including genetic (suppressions, deletions, mutations, etc.), chemical, and enzymatic techniques, are known to the person having ordinary skill in the art.
The antibodies or antigen-binding fragments described herein have binding affinities (in nM) for wild-type monomeric 2N4R Tau that include a dissociation constant (KD) of less than about 1×10−8 M as measured by surface plasmon resonance. In certain embodiments, the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments described herein have binding affinities (in nM) for wild-type monomeric 2N4R Tau that include a dissociation constant (KD) of less than about 0.5 nM as measured by surface plasmon resonance. In certain embodiments, the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments described herein have binding affinities (in nM) for wild-type monomeric 2N4R Tau that include a dissociation constant (KD) of less than about 0.3 nM as measured by surface plasmon resonance. In certain embodiments, the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments described herein have binding affinities (in nM) for wild-type monomeric 2N4R Tau that include a dissociation constant (KD) of less than about 0.2 nM as measured by surface plasmon resonance. In certain embodiments, the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments described herein have binding affinities (in nM) for wild-type monomeric 2N4R Tau that include a dissociation constant (KD) of less than about 0.15 nM as measured by surface plasmon resonance. In certain embodiments, the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments described herein have binding affinities (in nM) for wild-type monomeric 2N4R Tau that include a dissociation constant (KD) of less than about 0.1 nM as measured by surface plasmon resonance.
In any of the embodiments of the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau described herein, the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may bind an epitope comprising HVPG (SEQ ID NO: 1133). In some embodiments, the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau described herein are biepitopic. In certain aspects, the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau described herein bind one or more epitopes within Tau comprising HVPG (SEQ ID NO: 1133). This sequence appears twice in human 2N4R Tau. The first site is in 2N4R Tau within the second repeat region at residues 299-302 and the second site within the fourth repeat region at residues 362-365.
In any of the embodiments of the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau described herein, the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments may bind an epitope comprising HVPGG (SEQ ID NO: 79). In some embodiments, the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau described herein are biepitopic. In certain aspects, the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau described herein bind one or more epitopes within Tau comprising HVPGG (SEQ ID NO: 79). This sequence appears twice in human 2N4R Tau. The first site is in 2N4R Tau within the second repeat region at residues 299-303 and the second site within the fourth repeat region at residues 362-366. In certain aspects, the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau bind the epitope within Tau comprising HVPGG (SEQ ID NO: 79) within repeat region 2 or repeat region 4 with a peptide binding preference that is at least 10-fold, preferably at least 20-fold, and more preferably at least 30-fold greater than binding to an epitope within Tau comprising HKPGG (SEQ ID NO: 182) within repeat region 3 as determined by a peptide binding assay (e.g., the peptide binding assay described in Example 3). In certain aspects, the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau bind the epitope within Tau comprising HVPGG (SEQ ID NO: 79) within repeat region 2 or repeat region 4 with a peptide binding preference that is at least 10-fold, preferably at least 20-fold, and more preferably at least 30-fold greater than binding to an epitope within Tau comprising HQPGG (SEQ ID NO: 183) within repeat region 1, as determined by a peptide binding assay (e.g., the peptide binding assay described in Example 3). In certain aspects, the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau bind the epitope within Tau comprising HVPGG (SEQ ID NO: 79) within repeat region 2 or repeat region 4 with a peptide binding preference that is at least 10-fold, preferably at least 20-fold, and more preferably at least 30-fold greater than binding to an epitope within Tau comprising HKPGG (SEQ ID NO: 182) within repeat region 3 and that is at least 10-fold, preferably at least and more preferably at least 30-fold greater than binding to an epitope comprising HQPGG (SEQ ID NO: 183) within repeat region 1, as determined by a peptide binding assay (e.g., the peptide binding assay described in Example 3). In certain aspects, the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau do not bind an epitope within naturally occurring mutant P301S Tau comprising HVSGG (SEQ ID NO: 184) within repeat region 2 as determined by a peptide binding assay (e.g., the peptide binding assay described in Example 4). In certain aspects, the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau do not bind an epitope within naturally occurring mutant P301L Tau comprising HVLGG (SEQ ID NO: 185) within repeat region 2 as determined by a peptide binding assay (e.g., the peptide binding assay described in Example 4). The amino acid sequence HVSGG (SEQ ID NO: 184) is present at residues 299-303 in the 2N4R Tau sequence of P301S in vitro and in vivo Tauopathy models. The amino acid sequence HVLGG (SEQ ID NO: 185) is present at residues 299-303 of the 2N4R Tau sequence of P301L in vitro and in vivo Tauopathy models. Antibodies or antigen-binding fragments as provided herein that preferably bind one or more epitopes within Tau comprising HVPGG (SEQ ID NO: 79) within repeat region 2 or repeat region 4 relative to an epitope comprising HKPGG (SEQ ID NO: 182 within repeat region 3 or HQPGG (SEQ ID NO: 183) within repeat region 1 and do not bind an epitope comprising HVSGG (SEQ ID NO: 184), or HVLGG (SEQ ID NO: 185) within repeat region 2 bind 2N4R Tau P301S/L at residues 362-366. Surprisingly, as demonstrated herein, the described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that preferably bind one or more epitopes within Tau comprising HVPGG (SEQ ID NO: 79) within repeat region 2 or repeat region 4 relative to an epitope comprising HKPGG (SEQ ID NO: 182) within repeat region 3 or HQPGG (SEQ ID NO: 183) within repeat region 1 and that do not exhibit binding to an epitope comprising HVSGG (SEQ ID NO: 184) or HVLGG (SEQ ID NO: 185) within repeat region 2 reduce Tau seeding and transmission in vivo.
In certain embodiments, labelled anti-Tau antibodies are provided. Labels include, but are not limited to, labels or moieties that are detected directly (e.g., fluorescent, chromophoric, electron-dense, chemiluminescent, and radioactive labels) and labels and moieties (e.g., enzymes or ligands) that are detected indirectly (e.g., through enzymatic reaction or, molecular interaction). Exemplary labels include but are not limited to radiolabels (e.g., 32P, 14C, 111I, 125I, 3H, 131I), fluorescent labels (such as DyLight™ 649), epitope tags, biotin, chromophore labels, ECL labels, or enzymes. More specifically, the described labels include ruthenium, DOTA, 111In-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA), horseradish peroxidase, alkaline phosphatase and beta-galactosidase, poly-histidine (HIS tag), acridine dyes, cyanine dyes, fluorone dyes, oxazin dyes, phenanthridine dyes, rhodamine dyes, Alexafluor™ dyes, and the like.
Also disclosed are isolated polynucleotides that encode antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind to Tau. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain CDR1 sequence defined according to Kabat substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 738, for example SEQ ID NO: 737. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain CDR2 defined according to Kabat substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 740, for example SEQ ID NO: 739. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain CDR3 defined according to Kabat substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 742, for example SEQ ID NO: 741. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a heavy chain CDR1 defined according to Kabat substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 594, for example SEQ ID NO: 593. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a heavy chain CDR2 defined according to Kabat substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 596, for example SEQ ID NO: 595. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a heavy chain CDR3 defined according to Kabat substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 598, for example SEQ ID NO: 597. The isolated polynucleotides may encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain with a CDR1 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 738, for example SEQ ID NO: 737; a CDR2 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 740, for example SEQ ID NO: 739; and a CDR3 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 742, for example SEQ ID NO: 741, defined according to Kabat. The isolated polynucleotides may encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a heavy chain CDR1 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 594, for example SEQ ID NO: 593; a CDR2 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 596, for example SEQ ID NO: 595; and a CDR3 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 598, for example SEQ ID NO: 597, defined according to Kabat. The isolated polynucleotides may encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain CDR1 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 738, for example SEQ ID NO: 737; a CDR2 encoded by a nucleotide sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 740, for example SEQ ID NO: 739; and a CDR3 encoded by a nucleotide sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 742, for example SEQ ID NO: 741; and a heavy chain CDR1 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 594, for example SEQ ID NO: 593; a CDR2 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 596, for example SEQ ID NO: 595; and a CDR3 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 598, for example SEQ ID NO: 597, defined according to Kabat.
In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain CDR1 sequence defined according to IMGT substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1008, for example SEQ ID NO: 1007. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain CDR2 defined according to IMGT substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1010, for example SEQ ID NO: 1009. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain CDR3 defined according to IMGT substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1012, for example SEQ ID NO: 1011. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a heavy chain CDR1 defined according to IMGT substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 864, for example SEQ ID NO: 863. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a heavy chain CDR2 defined according to IMGT substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 866, for example SEQ ID NO: 865. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a heavy chain CDR3 defined according to IMGT substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 868, for example SEQ ID NO: 867. The isolated polynucleotides may encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain with a CDR1 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1008, for example SEQ ID NO: 1007; a CDR2 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1010, for example SEQ ID NO: 1009; and a CDR3 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1012, for example SEQ ID NO: 1011, defined according to IMGT. The isolated polynucleotides may encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a heavy chain CDR1 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 864, for example SEQ ID NO: 863; a CDR2 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 866, for example SEQ ID NO: 865; and a CDR3 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 868, for example SEQ ID NO: 867, defined according to IMGT. The isolated polynucleotides may encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain CDR1 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1008, for example SEQ ID NO: 1007; a CDR2 encoded by a nucleotide sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1010, for example SEQ ID NO: 1009; and a CDR3 encoded by a nucleotide sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1012, for example SEQ ID NO: 1011; and a heavy chain CDR1 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 864, for example SEQ ID NO: 863; a CDR2 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 866, for example SEQ ID NO: 865; and a CDR3 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 868, for example SEQ ID NO: 867, defined according to IMGT.
In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain CDR1 sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 774, defined according to Kabat, for example SEQ ID NO: 773. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain CDR2 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 776, defined according to Kabat, for example SEQ ID NO: 775. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain CDR3 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 778, defined according to Kabat, for example SEQ ID NO: 777. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a heavy chain CDR1 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 642, defined according to Kabat, for example SEQ ID NO: 641. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a heavy chain CDR2 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 644, defined according to Kabat, for example SEQ ID NO: 643. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a heavy chain CDR3 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 646, defined according to Kabat, for example SEQ ID NO: 645. The isolated polynucleotides may encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain with a CDR1 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 774, for example SEQ ID NO: 773; a CDR2 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 776, for example SEQ ID NO: 775; and a CDR3 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 778, for example SEQ ID NO: 777, defined according to Kabat. The isolated polynucleotides may encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a heavy chain CDR1 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 642, for example SEQ ID NO: 641; a CDR2 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 644, for example SEQ ID NO: 643; and a CDR3 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 646, for example SEQ ID NO: 645, defined according to Kabat. The isolated polynucleotides may encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain CDR1 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 774, for example SEQ ID NO: 773; a CDR2 encoded by a nucleotide sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 776, for example SEQ ID NO: 775; and a CDR3 encoded by a nucleotide sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 778, for example SEQ ID NO: 777; and a heavy chain CDR1 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 642, for example SEQ ID NO: 641; a CDR2 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 644, for example SEQ ID NO: 643; and a CDR3 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 646, for example SEQ ID NO: 645, defined according to Kabat.
In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain CDR1 sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1044, defined according to IMGT, for example SEQ ID NO: 1043. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain CDR2 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1046, defined according to IMGT, for example SEQ ID NO: 1045. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain CDR3 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1048, defined according to IMGT, for example SEQ ID NO: 1047. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a heavy chain CDR1 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 912, defined according to IMGT, for example SEQ ID NO: 911. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a heavy chain CDR2 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 914, defined according to IMGT, for example SEQ ID NO: 913. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a heavy chain CDR3 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 916, defined according to IMGT, for example SEQ ID NO: 915. The isolated polynucleotides may encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain with a CDR1 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1044, for example SEQ ID NO: 1043; a CDR2 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1046, for example SEQ ID NO: 1045; and a CDR3 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1048, for example SEQ ID NO: 1047, defined according to IMGT. The isolated polynucleotides may encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a heavy chain CDR1 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 912, for example SEQ ID NO: 911; a CDR2 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 914, for example SEQ ID NO: 913; and a CDR3 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 916, for example SEQ ID NO: 915, defined according to IMGT. The isolated polynucleotides may encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain CDR1 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1044, for example SEQ ID NO: 1043; a CDR2 encoded by a nucleotide sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1046, for example SEQ ID NO: 1045; and a CDR3 encoded by a nucleotide sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1048, for example SEQ ID NO: 1047; and a heavy chain CDR1 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 912, for example SEQ ID NO: 911; a CDR2 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 914, for example SEQ ID NO: 913; and a CDR3 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 916, for example SEQ ID NO: 915, defined according to IMGT.
In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain CDR1 sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 846, defined according to Kabat, for example SEQ ID NO: 845. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain CDR2 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 848, defined according to Kabat, for example SEQ ID NO: 847. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain CDR3 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 850, defined according to Kabat, for example SEQ ID NO: 849. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a heavy chain CDR1 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 732, defined according to Kabat, for example SEQ ID NO: 731. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a heavy chain CDR2 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 734, defined according to Kabat, for example SEQ ID NO: 733. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a heavy chain CDR3 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 736, defined according to Kabat, for example SEQ ID NO: 735. The isolated polynucleotides may encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain with a CDR1 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO:846, for example SEQ ID NO: 845; a CDR2 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 848, for example SEQ ID NO: 847; and a CDR3 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 850, for example SEQ ID NO: 849, defined according to Kabat. The isolated polynucleotides may encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a heavy chain CDR1 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 732, for example SEQ ID NO: 731; a CDR2 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 734, for example SEQ ID NO: 733; and a CDR3 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 736, for example SEQ ID NO: 735, defined according to Kabat. The isolated polynucleotides may encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain CDR1 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 846, for example SEQ ID NO: 845; a CDR2 encoded by a nucleotide sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 848, for example SEQ ID NO: 847; and a CDR3 encoded by a nucleotide sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 850, for example SEQ ID NO: 849; and a heavy chain CDR1 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 732, for example SEQ ID NO: 731; a CDR2 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 734, for example SEQ ID NO: 733; and a CDR3 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 736, for example SEQ ID NO: 735, defined according to Kabat.
In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain CDR1 sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1116, defined according to IMGT, for example SEQ ID NO: 1115. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain CDR2 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1118, defined according to IMGT, for example SEQ ID NO: 1117. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain CDR3 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1120, defined according to IMGT, for example SEQ ID NO: 1119. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a heavy chain CDR1 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1002, defined according to IMGT, for example SEQ ID NO: 1001. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a heavy chain CDR2 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1004, defined according to IMGT, for example SEQ ID NO: 1003. In some embodiments, the isolated polynucleotides encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a heavy chain CDR3 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1006, defined according to IMGT, for example SEQ ID NO: 1005. The isolated polynucleotides may encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain with a CDR1 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1116, for example SEQ ID NO: 1115; a CDR2 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1118, for example SEQ ID NO: 1117; and a CDR3 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1120, for example SEQ ID NO: 1119, defined according to IMGT. The isolated polynucleotides may encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a heavy chain CDR1 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1002, for example SEQ ID NO: 1001; a CDR2 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1004, for example SEQ ID NO: 1003; and a CDR3 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1006, for example SEQ ID NO: 1005, defined according to IMGT. The isolated polynucleotides may encode an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof having a light chain CDR1 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1116, for example SEQ ID NO: 1115; a CDR2 encoded by a nucleotide sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1118, for example SEQ ID NO: 1117; and a CDR3 encoded by a nucleotide sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1120, for example SEQ ID NO: 1119; and a heavy chain CDR1 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1002, for example SEQ ID NO: 1001; a CDR2 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1004, for example SEQ ID NO: 1003; and a CDR3 substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 1006, for example SEQ ID NO: 1005, defined according to IMGT.
Polynucleotides described herein may encode antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that have a light chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 411, for example SEQ ID NO: 410. In some embodiments the described isolated polynucleotides may encode antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that have a heavy chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 196, for example SEQ ID NO: 195. In some embodiments the described isolated polynucleotides may encode antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that have a light chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 411, for example SEQ ID NO: 410; and a heavy chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 196, for example SEQ ID NO: 195. The isolated polynucleotides capable of encoding the variable domain segments provided herein may be included on the same, or different, vectors to produce antibodies or antigen-binding fragments.
Polynucleotides described herein may encode antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that have a light chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 465, for example SEQ ID NO: 464. In some embodiments the described isolated polynucleotides may encode antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that have a heavy chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 268, for example SEQ ID NO: 267. In some embodiments the described isolated polynucleotides may encode antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that have a light chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 465, for example SEQ ID NO: 464; and a heavy chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 268, for example SEQ ID NO: 267. The isolated polynucleotides capable of encoding the variable domain segments provided herein may be included on the same, or different, vectors to produce antibodies or antigen-binding fragments.
Polynucleotides described herein may encode antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that have a light chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 581, for example SEQ ID NO: 580. In some embodiments the described isolated polynucleotides may encode antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that have a heavy chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 268, for example SEQ ID NO: 267. In some embodiments the described isolated polynucleotides may encode antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that have a light chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 581, for example SEQ ID NO: 580; and a heavy chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 268, for example SEQ ID NO: 267. The isolated polynucleotides capable of encoding the variable domain segments provided herein may be included on the same, or different, vectors to produce antibodies or antigen-binding fragments.
Polynucleotides described herein may encode antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that have a light chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 545, for example SEQ ID NO: 544. In some embodiments the described isolated polynucleotides may encode antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that have a heavy chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 384, for example SEQ ID NO: 383. In some embodiments the described isolated polynucleotides may encode antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that have a light chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 545, for example SEQ ID NO: 544; and a heavy chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 384, for example SEQ ID NO: 383. The isolated polynucleotides capable of encoding the variable domain segments provided herein may be included on the same, or different, vectors to produce antibodies or antigen-binding fragments.
Polynucleotides described herein may encode antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that have a light chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 545, for example SEQ ID NO: 544. In some embodiments the described isolated polynucleotides may encode antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that have a heavy chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 393, for example SEQ ID NO: 392. In some embodiments the described isolated polynucleotides may encode antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that have a light chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 545, for example SEQ ID NO: 544; and a heavy chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 393, for example SEQ ID NO: 392. The isolated polynucleotides capable of encoding the variable domain segments provided herein may be included on the same, or different, vectors to produce antibodies or antigen-binding fragments.
Polynucleotides described herein may encode antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that have a light chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 545, for example SEQ ID NO: 544. In some embodiments the described isolated polynucleotides may encode antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that have a heavy chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 402, for example SEQ ID NO: 401. In some embodiments the described isolated polynucleotides may encode antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that have a light chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 545, for example SEQ ID NO: 544; and a heavy chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 402, for example SEQ ID NO: 401. The isolated polynucleotides capable of encoding the variable domain segments provided herein may be included on the same, or different, vectors to produce antibodies or antigen-binding fragments.
Polynucleotides described herein may encode antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that have a light chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 572, for example SEQ ID NO:571. In some embodiments the described isolated polynucleotides may encode antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that have a heavy chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 384, for example SEQ ID NO: 383. In some embodiments the described isolated polynucleotides may encode antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that have a light chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 572, for example SEQ ID NO: 571; and a heavy chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 384, for example SEQ ID NO: 383. The isolated polynucleotides capable of encoding the variable domain segments provided herein may be included on the same, or different, vectors to produce antibodies or antigen-binding fragments.
Polynucleotides described herein may encode antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that have a light chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 572, for example SEQ ID NO: 571. In some embodiments the described isolated polynucleotides may encode antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that have a heavy chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 393, for example SEQ ID NO: 392. In some embodiments the described isolated polynucleotides may encode antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that have a light chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 572, for example SEQ ID NO: 571; and a heavy chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 393, for example SEQ ID NO: 392. The isolated polynucleotides capable of encoding the variable domain segments provided herein may be included on the same, or different, vectors to produce antibodies or antigen-binding fragments.
Polynucleotides described herein may encode antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that have a light chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 572, for example SEQ ID NO: 571. In some embodiments the described isolated polynucleotides may encode antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that have a heavy chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 402, for example SEQ ID NO: 401. In some embodiments the described isolated polynucleotides may encode antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that have a light chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 572, for example SEQ ID NO: 571; and a heavy chain variable domain segment that includes an amino acid sequence substantially the same as, or identical to, SEQ ID NO: 402, for example SEQ ID NO: 401. The isolated polynucleotides capable of encoding the variable domain segments provided herein may be included on the same, or different, vectors to produce antibodies or antigen-binding fragments.
The polynucleotides capable of encoding the variable domain segments provided herein may be included on the same, or different, vectors to produce antibodies or antigen-binding fragments. Polynucleotides encoding engineered antigen-binding proteins also are within the scope of the disclosure. In some embodiments, the polynucleotides described (and the peptides they encode) include a leader sequence. Any leader sequence known in the art may be employed. The leader sequence may include, but is not limited to, a restriction site or a translation start site.
Also provided are vectors comprising the polynucleotides described herein. The vectors can be expression vectors. Recombinant expression vectors containing a sequence encoding a polypeptide of interest are thus contemplated as within the scope of this disclosure. The expression vector may contain one or more additional sequences such as but not limited to regulatory sequences (e.g., promoter, enhancer), a selection marker, and a polyadenylation signal. Vectors for transforming a wide variety of host cells are well known and include, but are not limited to, plasmids, phagemids, cosmids, baculoviruses, bacmids, bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs), yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs), as well as other bacterial, yeast and viral vectors.
Recombinant expression vectors within the scope of the description include synthetic, genomic, or cDNA-derived nucleic acid fragments that encode at least one recombinant protein which may be operably linked to suitable regulatory elements. Such regulatory elements may include a transcriptional promoter, sequences encoding suitable mRNA ribosomal binding sites, and sequences that control the termination of transcription and translation. Expression vectors, especially mammalian expression vectors, may also include one or more nontranscribed elements such as an origin of replication, a suitable promoter and enhancer linked to the gene to be expressed, other 5′ or 3′ flanking nontranscribed sequences, 5′ or 3′ nontranslated sequences (such as necessary ribosome binding sites), a polyadenylation site, splice donor and acceptor sites, or transcriptional termination sequences. An origin of replication that confers the ability to replicate in a host may also be incorporated.
The transcriptional and translational control sequences in expression vectors to be used in transforming vertebrate cells may be provided by viral sources. Exemplary vectors may be constructed as described by Okayama and Berg, 3 Mol. Cell. Biol. 280 (1983).
In some embodiments, the antibody- or antigen-binding fragment-coding sequence is placed under control of a powerful constitutive promoter, such as the promoters for the following genes: hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT), adenosine deaminase, pyruvate kinase, beta-actin, human myosin, human hemoglobin, human muscle creatine, and others. In addition, many viral promoters function constitutively in eukaryotic cells and are suitable for use with the described embodiments. Such viral promoters include without limitation, Cytomegalovirus (CMV) immediate early promoter, the early and late promoters of SV40, the Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus (MMTV) promoter, the long terminal repeats (LTRs) of Maloney leukemia virus, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Epstein Barr Virus (EBV), Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV), and other retroviruses, and the thymidine kinase promoter of Herpes Simplex Virus. In one embodiment, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof coding sequence is placed under control of an inducible promoter such as the metallothionein promoter, tetracycline-inducible promoter, doxycycline-inducible promoter, promoters that contain one or more interferon-stimulated response elements (ISRE) such as protein kinase R 2′,5′-oligoadenylate synthetases, Mx genes, ADAR1, and the like.
Vectors described herein may contain one or more Internal Ribosome Entry Site(s) (IRES). Inclusion of an IRES sequence into fusion vectors may be beneficial for enhancing expression of some proteins. In some embodiments the vector system will include one or more polyadenylation sites (e.g., SV40), which may be upstream or downstream of any of the aforementioned nucleic acid sequences. Vector components may be contiguously linked, or arranged in a manner that provides optimal spacing for expressing the gene products (i.e., by the introduction of “spacer” nucleotides between the ORFs), or positioned in another way. Regulatory elements, such as the IRES motif, may also be arranged to provide optimal spacing for expression.
The vectors may comprise selection markers, which are well known in the art. Selection markers include positive and negative selection markers, for example, antibiotic resistance genes (e.g., neomycin resistance gene, a hygromycin resistance gene, a kanamycin resistance gene, a tetracycline resistance gene, a penicillin resistance gene), glutamate sythase genes, HSV-TK, HSV-TK derivatives for ganciclovir selection, or bacterial purine nucleoside phosphorylase gene for 6-methylpurine selection (Gadi et al., 7 Gene Ther. 1738-1743 (2000)). A nucleic acid sequence encoding a selection marker or the cloning site may be upstream or downstream of a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide of interest or cloning site.
The vectors described herein may be used to transform various cells with the genes encoding the described antibodies or antigen-binding fragments. For example, the vectors may be used to generate antibody or antigen-binding fragment-producing cells. Thus, another aspect features host cells transformed with vectors comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof that specifically binds Tau, such as the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments described and exemplified herein.
Numerous techniques are known in the art for the introduction of foreign genes into cells and may be used to construct the recombinant cells for purposes of carrying out the described methods, in accordance with the various embodiments described and exemplified herein. The technique used should provide for the stable transfer of the heterologous gene sequence to the host cell, such that the heterologous gene sequence is heritable and expressible by the cell progeny, and so that the necessary development and physiological functions of the recipient cells are not disrupted. Techniques which may be used include but are not limited to chromosome transfer (e.g., cell fusion, chromosome mediated gene transfer, micro cell mediated gene transfer), physical methods (e.g., transfection, spheroplast fusion, microinjection, electroporation, liposome carrier), viral vector transfer (e.g., recombinant DNA viruses, recombinant RNA viruses) and the like (described in Cline, 29 Pharmac. Ther. 69-92 (1985)). Calcium phosphate precipitation and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-induced fusion of bacterial protoplasts with mammalian cells may also be used to transform cells.
Cells suitable for use in the expression of the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments described herein are preferably eukaryotic cells, more preferably cells of plant, rodent, or human origin, for example but not limited to NS0, CHO, CHOK1, perC.6, Tk-ts13, BHK, HEK293 cells, COS-7, T98G, CV-1/EBNA, L cells, C127, 3T3, HeLa, NS1, and Sp2/0 myeloma cells cell lines, among others. In addition, expression of antibodies may be accomplished using hybridoma cells. Methods for producing hybridomas are well established in the art.
Cells transformed with expression vectors described herein may be selected or screened for recombinant expression of the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments described herein. Recombinant-positive cells are expanded and screened for subclones exhibiting a desired phenotype, such as high level expression, enhanced growth properties, or the ability to yield proteins with desired biochemical characteristics, for example, due to protein modification or altered post-translational modifications. These phenotypes may be due to inherent properties of a given subclone or to mutation. Mutations may be effected through the use of chemicals, UV-wavelength light, radiation, viruses, insertional mutagens, inhibition of DNA mismatch repair, or a combination of such methods.
In certain embodiments, an isolated cell line expressing any of the anti-Tau antibodies described herein are provided. In one embodiment, the isolated cell line is a hybridoma. In one embodiment, the isolated cell line is the hybridoma from which monoclonal antibody 7G6 is produced. In one embodiment, the isolated cell line is Freestyle® 293-F cells from which 7G6-HCzu8-LCzu6-HEK is produced and which cell line has been deposited with the American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, Va., USA, on Oct. 11, 2017, with the ATCC Patent Deposit Designation PTA-124523. In one embodiment, the isolated cell line is Freestyle® 293-F cells from which 7G6-HCzu25-LCzu18-HEK is produced and which cell line has been deposited with the American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, Va., USA, on Oct. 11, 2017, with the ATCC Patent Deposit Designation PTA-124524.
Cells that express the provided anti-Tau antibodies or antigen-binding fragments provided herein may be employed in methods of producing the anti-Tau antibodies or antigen-binding fragments by culturing the cells under conditions suitable for expression of the respective antibody or antigen-binding fragment. In some embodiments, the anti-Tau antibody or antigen-binding fragment is recovered from the culture medium.
In certain embodiments, any of the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau as provided herein is useful for detecting the presence of Tau in a biological sample. The term “detecting” as used herein encompasses quantitative or qualitative detection. In certain embodiments, the biological sample may be derived from a cell or tissue, such as cerebrospinal fluid, a cell or tissue of the brain (e.g., cortex or hippocampus), or blood, a histological preparation, and the like. In some embodiments the described methods include detecting Tau in a sample by contacting the biological sample with:
In certain embodiments, the method comprises contacting the biological sample with an anti-Tau antibody as provided herein under conditions permissive for binding of the anti-Tau antibody to Tau, and detecting whether a complex is formed between the anti-Tau antibody and Tau. In some embodiments of these methods, the anti-Tau antibody is detectably labelled. The method may be an in vitro or in vivo method. The complex formed between the anti-Tau antibody and Tau in a test biological sample can be compared to the complex formed in a control biological sample (e.g., a biological sample from a healthy subject). The amount of the complex formed between the anti-Tau antibody and Tau in a test biological sample can also be quantified and compared to the amount of the complex formed in a control biological sample or to the average amount of the complex known to be formed in healthy subjects.
In a further aspect, the invention provides pharmaceutical formulations comprising any of the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau as described herein, e.g., for use in any of the therapeutic methods provided herein. In some embodiments, a pharmaceutical formulation comprises any of the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau provided herein and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
Pharmaceutical formulations of an anti-Tau antibody or antigen-binding fragment as described herein are prepared by mixing such antibody or antigen-binding fragment having the desired degree of purity with one or more optional pharmaceutically acceptable carriers, diluents, and/or excipients (Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences 16th edition, Osol, A. Ed. (1980)), in the form of lyophilized formulations or aqueous solutions. Pharmaceutically acceptable carriers, diluents, and excipients are generally nontoxic to recipients at the dosages and concentrations employed, and include, but are not limited to: sterile water, buffers such as phosphate, citrate, and other organic acids; antioxidants including ascorbic acid and methionine; preservatives (such as octadecyldimethylbenzyl ammonium chloride; hexamethonium chloride; benzalkonium chloride; benzethonium chloride; phenol, butyl or benzyl alcohol; alkyl parabens such as methyl or propyl paraben; catechol; resorcinol; cyclohexanol; 3-pentanol; and m-cresol); low molecular weight (less than about 10 residues) polypeptides; proteins, such as serum albumin, gelatin, or immunoglobulins; hydrophilic polymers such as polyvinylpyrrolidone; amino acids such as glycine, glutamine, asparagine, histidine, arginine, or lysine; monosaccharides, disaccharides, and other carbohydrates including glucose, mannose, or dextrins; chelating agents such as EDTA; sugars such as sucrose, mannitol, trehalose or sorbitol; salt-forming counter-ions such as sodium; metal complexes (e.g. Zn-protein complexes); and/or non-ionic surfactants such as polyethylene glycol (PEG). Exemplary pharmaceutically acceptable carriers herein further include interstitial drug dispersion agents such as soluble neutral-active hyaluronidase glycoproteins (sHASEGP), for example, human soluble PH-20 hyaluronidase glycoproteins, such as rHuPH20 (HYLENEX™, Baxter International, Inc.). Certain exemplary sHASEGPs and methods of use, including rHuPH20, are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,871,607 and U.S. Publication No. 2006/0104968. In one aspect, a sHASEGP is combined with one or more additional glycosaminoglycanases such as chondroitinases.
Exemplary lyophilized antibody formulations are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,958. Aqueous antibody formulations include those described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,171,586 and WO2006/044908, the latter formulations including a histidine-acetate buffer.
The anti-Tau antibody or antigen-binding fragment as an active ingredient in a pharmaceutical formulation may be entrapped in microcapsules prepared, for example, by coacervation techniques or by interfacial polymerization, for example, hydroxymethylcellulose or gelatin-microcapsules and poly-(methylmethacylate) microcapsules, respectively, in colloidal drug delivery systems (for example, liposomes, albumin microspheres, microemulsions, nano-particles and nanocapsules) or in macroemulsions. Such techniques are disclosed in Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences 16th edition, Osol, A. Ed. (1980).
Sustained-release preparations may be prepared. Suitable examples of sustained-release preparations include semipermeable matrices of solid hydrophobic polymers containing the antibody, which matrices are in the form of shaped articles, e.g. films, or microcapsules.
The formulations to be used for in vivo administration are generally sterile. Sterility may be readily accomplished, e.g., by filtration through sterile filtration membranes.
Any of the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that specifically bind Tau (or formulations thereof) provided herein may be used in therapeutic methods.
In one aspect, an anti-Tau antibody or antigen-binding fragment for use as a medicament is provided. In some embodiments, an anti-Tau antibody or antigen-binding fragment for use in the reduction of insoluble Tau is provided. In some embodiments, an anti-Tau antibody or antigen-binding fragment for use in inhibiting Tau aggregation is provided. In further aspects, an anti-Tau antibody or antigen-binding fragment for use in treating a Tauopathy is provided. Exemplary Tauopathies that can be treated with the disclosed anti-Tau antibodies or antigen-binding fragments include Alzheimer's disease (AD), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). An exemplary FTD that can be treated is Pick's disease (PiD).
In certain embodiments, an anti-Tau antibody or antigen-binding fragment for use in a method of treatment is provided. In some embodiments, an anti-Tau antibody or antigen-binding fragment for use in a method of reducing insoluble Tau in a subject is provided. In some embodiments, an anti-Tau antibody or antigen-binding fragment for use in a method of inhibiting Tau aggregation in a subject is provided. In certain embodiments, an anti-Tau antibody or antigen-binding fragment for use in a method of treating a subject having a Tauopathy is provided. The method of treatment of a Tauopathy comprises administering to the subject the anti-Tau antibody or antigen-binding fragment in an amount effective to treat the Tauopathy. In certain embodiments, the Tauopathy is any one of the Tauopathies described above. In preferred embodiments, the subject is a mammal, preferably a human.
In a further aspect, also provided herein is the use of an anti-Tau antibody or antigen-binding fragment as described herein in the manufacture or preparation of a medicament. In some embodiments, the medicament is for reduction of insoluble Tau. In some embodiments, the medicament is for inhibition of Tau aggregation. In some embodiments, the medicament is for treatment of a Tauopathy. In certain embodiments, the Tauopathy is any one of the Tauopathies described above.
An anti-Tau antibody or antigen-binding fragment as described herein can be administered by any suitable means, including parenteral, intrapulmonary, and intranasal, and, if desired for local treatment, intralesional administration. Parenteral infusions include intramuscular, intravenous, intraarterial, intraperitoneal, or subcutaneous administration. Dosing can be by any suitable route, e.g. by injections, such as intravenous or subcutaneous injections, depending in part on whether the administration is brief or chronic. Various dosing schedules including but not limited to single or multiple administrations over various time-points, bolus administration, and pulse infusion are contemplated herein.
The anti-Tau antibodies or antigen-binding fragments provided herein are to be formulated, dosed, and administered in a fashion consistent with good medical practice. Factors for consideration in this context include the particular disorder being treated, the particular mammal being treated, the clinical condition of the individual patient, the cause of the disorder, the site of delivery of the agent, the method of administration, the scheduling of administration, and other factors known to medical practitioners.
For the prevention or treatment of disease, the appropriate dosage of the anti-Tau antibody or antigen-binding fragment will depend on the type of disease to be treated, the type of antibody, the severity and course of the disease, whether the antibody or antigen-binding fragment is administered for preventive or therapeutic purposes, previous therapy, the patient's clinical history and response to the antibody, and the discretion of the attending physician. The antibody or antigen-binding fragment is suitably administered to the patient at one time or over a series of treatments. Depending on the type and severity of the disease, about 1 μg/kg to 15 mg/kg of antibody or antigen-binding fragment can be an initial candidate dosage for administration to the patient, whether, for example, by one or more separate administrations, or by continuous infusion. One typical daily dosage might range from about 1 μg/kg to 100 mg/kg or more, depending on the factors mentioned above. For repeated administrations over several days or longer, depending on the condition, the treatment would generally be sustained until a desired suppression of disease symptoms occurs. One exemplary dosage of the antibody or antigen-binding fragment would be in the range from about 0.05 mg/kg to about 100 mg/kg. Thus, one or more doses of about 0.5 mg/kg, 2.0 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg, 30 mg/kg, or 100 mg/kg (or any combination thereof) may be administered to the patient. Such doses may be administered intermittently, for example, every week or every three weeks (e.g. such that the patient receives from about two to about twenty, or e.g. about six doses of the antibody). An initial higher loading dose, followed by one or more lower doses may be administered. However, other dosage regimens may be useful. The progress of this therapy may be monitored by conventional techniques and assays.
Also provided herein is an article of manufacture containing material(s) useful for the treatment, prevention and/or diagnosis of the disorders described above. The article of manufacture comprises a container and a label or package insert on or associated with the container. Suitable containers include, for example, bottles, vials, syringes, IV solution bags, etc. The containers may be formed from a variety of materials such as glass or plastic. The container holds a composition which is by itself or combined with another composition effective for treating, preventing and/or diagnosing the condition and may have a sterile access port (for example the container may be an intravenous solution bag or a vial having a stopper pierceable by a hypodermic injection needle). The active agent in the composition is an anti-Tau antibody or antigen-binding fragment as described herein. The label or package insert indicates that the composition is used for treating the condition of choice. Alternatively, or additionally, the article of manufacture may further comprise a second container comprising a pharmaceutically-acceptable buffer, such as bacteriostatic water for injection (BWFI), phosphate-buffered saline, Ringer's solution and dextrose solution. It may further include other materials desirable from a commercial and user standpoint, including other buffers, diluents, filters, needles, and syringes.
Provided here are illustrative embodiments of the disclosed technology. These embodiments are illustrative only and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure or of the claims attached hereto.
Embodiment 1. A monoclonal antibody, or an antigen-binding fragment thereof, that specifically binds a human Tau, the antibody comprising:
Embodiment 2. The monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to Embodiment 1, wherein:
Embodiment 3. The monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to Embodiment 1 or 2, wherein the residue at position 49 of the light chain according to the method of Kabat is not cysteine.
Embodiment 4. The monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to Embodiment 3, wherein the residue at position 49 of the light chain according to the method of Kabat is serine.
Embodiment 5. The monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to any preceding Embodiment wherein the residue at position 57 of the heavy chain according to the method of Kabat is not cysteine.
Embodiment 6. The monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to Embodiment 5, wherein the residue at position 57 of the heavy chain according to the method of Kabat is serine.
Embodiment 7. The monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to any preceding Embodiment wherein the residue at position 34 of the light chain according to the method of Kabat is glutamate.
Embodiment 8. The monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to any preceding Embodiment wherein the residue at position 36 of the light chain according to the method of Kabat is not phenylalanine.
Embodiment 9. The monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to Embodiment 8 wherein the residue at position 36 of the light chain according to the method of Kabat is tyrosine.
Embodiment 10. The monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to any preceding Embodiment wherein the residue at position 46 of the light chain according to the method of Kabat is not arginine.
Embodiment 11. The monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to Embodiment 10 wherein the residue at position 46 of the light chain according to the method of Kabat is leucine.
Embodiment 12. The monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to any preceding Embodiment wherein the residue at position 94 of the heavy chain according to the method of Kabat is not lysine.
Embodiment 13. The monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to any preceding Embodiment wherein the residue at position 71 of the heavy chain according to the method of Kabat is not arginine.
Embodiment 14. The monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to the method of Embodiment 13 wherein position 71 of the heavy chain according to the Kabat method is valine.
Embodiment 15. The monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to Embodiment 1 or Embodiment 2, the antibody comprising:
Embodiment 16. The monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to any preceding Embodiment, wherein the antibody is produced by the cell line having ATCC deposit number PTA-124523.
Embodiment 17. The monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 15, wherein the antibody is produced by the cell line having ATCC deposit number PTA-124524.
Embodiment 18. The monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to any preceding Embodiment, wherein the antibody is a murine antibody, a chimeric antibody, or a humanized antibody.
Embodiment 19. The monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to any preceding Embodiment wherein the antibody is IgG1.
Embodiment 20. The monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to any preceding Embodiment wherein the antibody binds monomeric wild-type human 2N4R Tau with a KD of less than about 0.5 nM as measured by surface plasmon resonance.
Embodiment 21. The monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to any preceding Embodiment, wherein the antibody or antigen-binding fragment binds to human Tau at an epitope comprising the amino acid sequence HVPG (SEQ ID NO: 1133).
Embodiment 22. The monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to Embodiment 21, wherein the antibody or antigen-binding fragment is biepitopic and binds to human Tau at an epitope comprising the amino acid sequence HVPG (SEQ ID NO: 1133) within repeat region 2 or repeat region 4.
Embodiment 23. The monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 20, wherein the antibody or antigen-binding fragment binds to human Tau at an epitope comprising the amino acid sequence HVPGG (SEQ ID NO: 79).
Embodiment 24. The monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to Embodiment 23, wherein the antibody or antigen-binding fragment is biepitopic and binds to human Tau at an epitope comprising the amino acid sequence HVPGG (SEQ ID NO: 79) within repeat region 2 or repeat region 4.
Embodiment 25. The monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to any preceding Embodiment,
Embodiment 26. The monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to any preceding Embodiment wherein the antibody or antigen-binding fragment does not bind Tau at an epitope comprising the amino acid sequence HVSGG (SEQ ID NO: 184) within repeat region 2 or at an epitope comprising the amino acid sequence HVLGG (SEQ ID NO: 185) within repeat region 2.
Embodiment 27. A labeled antibody or antigen-binding fragment comprising the antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to any preceding Embodiment.
Embodiment 28. A nucleic acid molecule encoding the monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment of any one of Embodiments 1 to 26.
Embodiment 29. A vector comprising the nucleic acid molecule of Embodiment 28.
Embodiment 30. A cell that expresses the nucleic acid molecule of Embodiment 28.
Embodiment 31. A method of producing an anti-Tau antibody or antigen-binding fragment comprising culturing a cell according to Embodiment 30 under conditions suitable for producing the antibody or antigen-binding fragment.
Embodiment 32. The method according to Embodiment 31 further comprising recovering the antibody or antigen-binding fragment.
Embodiment 33. A pharmaceutical composition comprising the antibody or antigen-binding fragment of any one of Embodiments 1 to 26 and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
Embodiment 34. The antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 26 for use as a medicament.
Embodiment 35. The antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 26 for use in the treatment of a Tauopathy.
Embodiment 36. The antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 26 for use in the preparation of a medicament for the treatment of a Tauopathy.
Embodiment 37. The antibody for use in accordance with Embodiment 35 or 36 wherein the Tauopathy is Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, or progressive supranuclear palsy.
Embodiment 38. The antibody for use in accordance with Embodiment 37 wherein the frontotemporal dementia is Pick's Disease.
Embodiment 39. A method for decreasing sarkosyl-insoluble Tau levels, the method comprising administering to the subject the monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment of any one of Embodiments 1 to 26.
Embodiment 40. A method for inhibiting Tau aggregation, the method comprising administering to the subject the monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment of any one of Embodiments 1 to 26.
Embodiment 41. The method according to Embodiment 39 or 40 wherein the method is performed in vitro or in vivo.
Embodiment 42. A method of treating a Tauopathy in a subject, the method comprising: administering to the subject the monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment of any one of Embodiments 1 to 26 under conditions effective to treat the Tauopathy in the subject.
Embodiment 43. The method according to Embodiment 42, wherein the Tauopathy is Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, or progressive supranuclear palsy.
Embodiment 44. The method according to Embodiment 43, wherein the frontotemporal dementia is Pick's disease.
The following examples are provided to supplement the prior disclosure and to provide a better understanding of the subject matter described herein. These examples should not be considered to limit the described subject matter. It is understood that the examples and embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and that various modifications or changes in light thereof will be apparent to persons skilled in the art and are to be included within the scope of the invention and can be made without departing from the true scope of the invention.
To generate anti-Tau antibodies recognizing the microtubule binding region (MTBR) of Tau, the peptide sequence CNIKHVPGGGSVQIVYKPVD (SEQ ID NO: 186) (Peptide antigen) was synthesized. Residues 2-20 of SEQ ID NO: 186 correspond to the amino acid sequence that spans the juncture between the second (i.e. not present in the 3R isoform) and third repeat regions of Tau (
One month after the boost immunization, antisera were collected from the mice and antibody titers assessed by ELISA to measure immunoreactivity against the original immunizing Tau peptide and both 2N4R and 1N3R recombinant Tau proteins. Briefly, either 150 ng of Peptide antigen conjugated to BSA or 50 ng of 2N4R or 1N3R recombinant Tau protein (Enzo Life Sciences, cat. no's BML-SE321 and BML-SE323 respectively) were used to coat each well of a 96-well plate (Costar cat. no. 2797) in 10 mM phosphate buffer, pH 7.0 at 37° C. for 1 hour. Plates were blocked in a final concentration of 1% BSA diluted in PBS at room temperature for 30 minutes. Blocking solution was removed and various dilutions of anti-sera in the same blocking buffer were added to the plate for 1 hour at room temperature. The plate was washed several times with PBS prior to the addition of an HRP-labelled anti-mouse IgG antibody for 30 minutes at room temperature. Following additional wash steps, antibody binding was detected by addition of 3,3′,5,5′-Tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) substrate. The enzymatic reaction was stopped with an equal volume of 2M H2SO4 and the well optical density was determined using a platereader at wavelength 450 nm.
Once mice with a high antibody titer had been determined, cells were isolated from the medial iliac lymph nodes and fused using polyethylene glycol with mouse myeloma SP2 cells to generate hybridomas. Fused cells were seeded into 96-well plates and cultured in hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine (HAT) selection medium. Culture supernatants were initially screened for Tau binding using the standard peptide and recombinant Tau ELISA assays as detailed in the previous paragraph. To give an approximation of relative binding, culture supernatant that was positive in the peptide ELISA and either recombinant protein, 2N4R or 1N3R, or both, were then evaluated in a competitive ELISA system. A 96-well plate was coated with 2N4R recombinant Tau, blocked and washed as before. At the primary antibody step, culture supernatant was diluted 1 in 10 and incubated with different dilutions of free antigen (2N4R Tau) for 1 hour at room temperature before addition to the plate. Once antibody/antigen complexes were added to the plate, the protocol for the remainder of the assay was identical to the standard ELISA procedure. Single cell clones were confirmed by serial dilution and microscopy. The resulting final hybridomas were cryopreserved in serum free medium.
Antibody Purification from Hybridomas
Hybridomas were grown in Hybridoma-SFM (Life Technologies) media containing 1% FBS, 1 ng/mL human IL-6 (R&D Systems) and Penicillin/Streptomycin. Cultures were scaled up to 100 mL and supernatant was harvested when cells reached a high density and were approximately 30% viable. Antibody was purified using Protein G columns, eluted with glycine/HCl, pH2.5 and immediately neutralized. Purified antibody was then dialyzed into 25 mM sodium phosphate (pH6.5) and 150 mM NaCl, aliquoted, and stored at −80° C.
Hybridoma clones generating antibodies that recognized the original immunization peptide and full length recombinant 2N4R Tau protein were produced (Table 2).
Kinetic analysis of the interaction of the anti-Tau mouse monoclonal antibodies generated in Example 1 with human wild type Tau (2N4R) and the equivalent P301S mutant Tau protein was conducted using a BIAcore™ T100 instrument. Recombinant human full length Tau proteins were expressed in E. coli and then purified by Cellufine™ phosphate affinity chromatography followed by ammonium sulfate precipitation and reverse phase HPLC chromatography.
Purified antibodies from hybridomas were captured by protein A/G immobilized on a CMS sensor chip (GE Healthcare). The wild type and P301S Tau proteins were then injected onto the sensor chip at five different concentrations and the affinity (equilibrium dissociation constant, KD) was calculated according to the manufacturer's instruction. The results are shown in Table 2.
The recognition sequence of the murine 7G6 (“ms7G6” or “7G6”) antibody against the full length wild type 2N4R human Tau protein sequence (Tau441) was fine epitope-mapped using peptide chip microarrays.
All procedures were performed by PEPperPrint GmbH, Germany. The full length 2N4R wild type human Tau sequence was elongated with a neutral GSGSGSG linker sequence (SEQ ID NO: 188) at the C-terminus and translated into overlapping 15-mer peptides. The resulting peptide microarray containing 441 different peptides was printed in duplicate onto a glass chip along with 82 spots of an additional HA-tag control peptide (YPYDVPDYAG) (SEQ ID NO: 189).
The ms7G6 anti-Tau antibody was diluted to a concentration of 111 g/mL in PBS (pH 7.4) containing 0.05% Tween 20 and 10% Rockland blocking buffer (MB-070). The diluted antibody was incubated on the chip for 16 hours at 4° C. with shaking at 140 rpm. Primary antibody was removed and the chip was washed in PBS (pH 7.4)/0.05% Tween 20. Wash buffer was removed and goat anti-mouse IgG (H+L) DyLight™680 (1:5000) and an anti-HA tag DyLight™ 800 (1:2000) in the same buffer as the primary antibody was then incubated for 45 minutes at room temperature on the chip. Detection antibody was removed and the chip was washed once again as previously. Fluorescence images were acquired on the LI-COR Odyssey™ Imaging System and the microarray data was finally analyzed using the PepSlide™ Analyser software.
The fluorescent image of the chip (
To determine the amino acid stringency of the epitope recognized by the ms7G6 antibody, substitution scanning of the naturally occurring Tau peptide sequence ‘KDNIKHVPGGGSVQI’ 5 (SEQ ID NO: 26) was performed. All procedures were undertaken by PEPperPrint GmbH, Germany and were based upon an exchange of all positions in the starting peptide with each of the 20 naturally-occurring amino acids.
Every possible 15-mer peptide was synthesized and printed in triplicate onto a glass chip to give a microarray containing 900 peptide spots. Additional copies of the wild type peptide as well as the HA-tag control peptide were also spotted onto the chip as controls. The peptide chip was then probed with ms7G6 under the same conditions as described in Example 3 (Fine epitope mapping of the ms7G6 antibody) and the resulting data analyzed using the PepSlide™ Analyser software (
To determine whether the ms7G6 antibody could functionally inhibit Tau aggregation in vitro, aggregation assays were performed with recombinant Tau protein.
Wild type or P301S mutant Tau protein was diluted to a concentration of 60 μM in buffer containing 25 mM HEPES (pH 7.4), 100 mM NaCl and 0.5 mM TCEP in a final volume of 20 μl. The mixture was heated in a thermal cycler at 98° C. for 30 minutes and then allowed to cool to room temperature. Mouse IgG2b control or ms7G6 antibodies were diluted to a final concentration of 8.3 μM in 25 mM HEPES (pH7.4), 100 mM NaCl and HALT Protease and Phosphatase inhibitors. Diluted antibodies or buffer controls were mixed with the Tau proteins and incubated at 37° C. for 30 minutes. To induce Tau aggregation, heparin was added to each reaction to a 12 μM final concentration in a final volume of 100 pI. The final reaction conditions were 12 μM Tau, 8.3 μM antibody, 0.1 mM TCEP and 12 μM Heparin in 25 mM HEPES pH7.4/100 mM NaCl buffer. The final reaction mixtures were incubated at 37° C. for at least 6 days with sampling throughout to measure Tau aggregation.
The aggregation of Tau was measured on days 0, 1, 2, 5 and 6 by removing 10 of the reaction mixture and placing into a 384-well, black-bottomed plate (Greiner). Thioflavin S dye was added to each well to a final concentration of 15 and the plate was incubated at room temperature in the dark for 30 minutes. Fluorescence was measured on a Pherastar™ platereader with excitation and emission wavelengths at 485 nm and 520 nm, respectively.
As shown in
To determine whether ms7G6 or a humanized version known as 7G6-zuHC25-zuLC18 (see Example 10) had an effect on cells, each antibody was tested in an in vitro cell-based model of Tau seeding and aggregation.
The 2N4R isoform of human wild type Tau was expressed in E. coli and then purified as previously described (Soeda et al., Nat Commun. 2015, 6: 10216). Recombinant Tau (40 μM) was mixed with heparin (240 μg/mL) and incubated at 37° C. for 48 to 96 hours in 100 mM sodium acetate, pH 7.0, containing 2 mM DTT. Aggregated Tau protein was collected by ultracentrifugation and resuspended in 100 mM sodium acetate pH 7.0 or PBS. The solution was then sonicated to produce the recombinant Tau seeds.
Neuro-2a (ATCC) cells were transfected in suspension with cDNA expression plasmids encoding 0N4R P301S Tau using Lipofectamine LTX (Thermo Fisher Scientific) and plated at a density of 1.5×10 4 cells per well into a 96-well plate in DMEM medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum. Cells were left to attach overnight at 37° C. prior to adding Tau seeds. In parallel, various concentrations of anti-Tau antibodies were mixed with 1 μg/mL of Tau seed and were also incubated overnight at 37° C. The following day, culture medium was removed and medium containing the mixture of anti-Tau antibodies and seed were added. Plates were cultured again overnight at 37° C.
Cells were fixed with a final concentration of 4% paraformaldehyde and immunostained by H-150 (Santa Cruz Technology, sc-5587), thioflavin S (Sigma-Aldrich, T-1892) and DAPI (Wako, 340-07971). Images were captured and analysed using the InCell Analyzer 2200 and Toolbox.
As shown in
The effects of three new antibodies, including ms7G6, were tested in a short term in vivo model of Tau deposition by pre-incubating the relevant antibodies with recombinant P301S Tau seeds. The seeds with or without antibody were then injected into the brains of P301S transgenic mice.
Intracerebroventricular (ICV) Injection of Tau Seeds
Pre-formed fibrillar (PFF) Tau was generated by mixing recombinant 2N4R P301S Tau (40 μM) and heparin (240 μg/mL), followed by an incubation step at 37° C. for 48 to 96 hours in 100 mM sodium acetate, pH7.0, containing 2 mM DTT. Aggregated Tau was collected by ultracentrifugation and resuspended in 100 mM sodium acetate, pH7.0. The resulting fibrils were sonicated and used as seeds for injection. Tau seeds at a concentration of mg/mL were incubated with 1 mg/mL IgG1 or 2 mg/mL anti-Tau antibody for 1 hour at 37° C. The Tau seeds/antibody mixtures, controls (i.e., Tau alone) or vehicle was injected into the intracerebroventricular (ICV) zone of 2-3.5 months old P301S transgenic mice (MRC Technology, United Kingdom). These mice overexpress human 0N4R P301S Tau under the control of the murine neuron-specific Thy-1 promoter on a CBA×C57/b16 background.
It has been reported previously that these animals, if untreated, develop widespread Tau pathology in the brain and spinal cord with significant motor deficits at 5 to 6 months of age (Allen et al., J Neurosci. 2002, 22(21):9340-51). In the current experiment using younger P301S mice, animals were sacrificed two weeks after the ICV injection, brains were removed, and the tissue region of interest collected. Tissue samples were then fractionated into sarkosyl-soluble and insoluble Tau (Sahara et al., J Neurochem. 2002 December; 83(6):1498-508) as described below.
Extraction of Sarkosyl-Insoluble Tau from Seed-Injected P301S Mouse Brain
Tissue was homogenized in 19 volumes (tissue weight/volume) of extraction buffer containing 50 mM Tris-HCl (pH7.5) (Invitrogen), 5 mM EDTA (Nippon Gene), 1 mM EGTA (Nacalai Tesque), 1% NP-40 (Fluka), 0.25% deoxycholic acid sodium salt (Sigma Aldrich), 0.1 M NaCl, 0.5 mM PMSF (Sigma Aldrich), 1× PhosSTOP™ (Roche, Basel, Schweiz), and 1× Complete EDTA(−) (Roche). Homogenates were centrifuged at 163,000 g at 4° C. for 20 minutes and the resulting supernatants were collected and retained as the Tris buffer-soluble fraction. The pellet was resuspended in about 10 volumes (tissue weight/volume) of buffer containing 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH7.5), 0.5 M NaCl, 1 mM EGTA, 10% sucrose (Wako Pure Chemical), and 1% sarkosyl prior to sonication. Sarkosyl-treated samples were incubated at 37° C. for 60 minutes, and then centrifuged at 163,000 g at 4° C. for a further 20 minutes. The supernatants were collected as the sarkosyl-soluble fraction. Finally, about 10 volumes of PBS (Gibco) was added to the pellet which was then sonicated. This formed the sarkosyl-insoluble fraction.
Detection of Sarkosyl-Insoluble Tau by Western Blotting
Sarkosyl-insoluble fractions were solubilized in NuPAGE™ LDS sample buffer and NuPAGE™ sample reducing agent (Invitrogen), heated at 70° C. for 10 minutes, and separated using 12.5% polyacrylamide gels (DRC). Proteins were transferred to 0.2 μm PVDF membranes (Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA, USA) and blots were blocked in 2.5% skimmed milk (Yukikirushi) in TBS (Takara) containing 0.05% Tween (Nacalai tesque) for 1 hour at room temperature. After blocking, blots were probed with the human-specific monoclonal anti-Tau antibody HT7 (1:1000 or 1:2000, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA) in blocking buffer for 1 hour at room temperature. The blots were washed in TB S-T for 30 minutes and then incubated with HRP-conjugated anti-mouse IgG (1:2000, GE healthcare) for a further 1 hour at room temperature. Secondary antibody was removed and blots were washed as described above. Tau proteins were detected by chemiluminescent horseradish peroxidase (HRP) substrate (Merck Millipore) and quantified using the Fusion FX (Vilber-Lourmat, France) analyzer. To determine the amount of Tau, serial dilutions of standards Tau derived from the originating sarkosyl-insoluble fraction of P301S spinal cord were loaded onto each gel.
As shown in
To determine whether any transmission from one brain region to another of pathological Tau could occur in a rodent preclinical model, the same seeding experiment was performed in P301S transgenic mice as described in Example 7 but with some modifications. In this case, 20 μL of recombinant P301S Tau seeds at a concentration of 0.9 mg/mL was injected ICV into the brains of 2.5 to 3 month old mice. Mice were sacrificed at either 2, 4 or 6 weeks following the initial seed injection, brains were removed and both hippocampus and cortex were retained. The sarkosyl-insoluble Tau was prepared and detected as described above.
As shown in
The P301S Tau seed injection into P301S transgenic mice was performed as described in Example 8 with minor modifications. About seven to about four hours prior to Tau seed injection, mice received a dose of either 40 mg/kg IgG2b control antibody (BioXCell) or ms7G6 antibody intraperitoneally. Each antibody was formulated in 25 mM phosphate buffer (pH6.5) with 150 mM NaCl. A vehicle treatment control group was also included which received buffer alone. Following Tau seed injection into the brain, mice received further doses of antibody or buffer once weekly for a period of 6 weeks. Animals were then sacrificed, brain tissues isolated, and insoluble Tau was prepared and measured as described in Example 7.
An exact repeat of Experiment 1 (Example 9a) was performed.
A repeat of Experiment 1 (Example 9a) was performed again except two dosing levels of ms7G6, 20 and 40 mg/kg, were administered and the animals were sacrificed 8 weeks after seed injection rather than 6 weeks as in the previous two experiments.
As shown in
10A.a. In Silico Modeling
Discovery Studio 4.5 was used to generate a molecular model of the ms7G6 Fv region. The top 1 to 3 crystal structures with the most homologous protein sequences to the ms7G6 variable heavy (VH) and variable kappa (VK) domains were used as a template for generating twenty-five homology models using the “Create Homology Models” function. The model with the lowest energy score was selected and the energy was first minimized for just the hydrogens and then for all atoms. Framework residues differing between the mouse sequences (HCzu1 and LCzu1) were highlighted and those closest to the CDRs or at the VH/VK interface were identified as residues that may be important for maintaining Tau binding by the CDRs or for antibody stability, respectively. CDR residues differing between the mouse sequences (HCzu1 and LCzu1) were highlighted and residues were identified that may be not important for maintaining Tau binding by the CDRs.
10A.b. Gene Synthesis and Cloning
10A.b.1. InFusion™ Cloning
Humanized heavy and light variable domains were codon-optimized for expression in CHO cells and were synthesized by GeneArt. The variable domains were synthesized with a Kozak translation initiation sequence and an Ig secretion leader sequence and included 15 base-pairs at the 5′ and 3′ ends homologous to the cloning site within the subcloning vector. PCR fragments synthesized by GeneArt were subcloned into an expression plasmid containing a human gamma or kappa constant region using an InFusion™ HD cloning kit (Clontech). All clones were sequenced to confirm the presence and fidelity of the inserts.
10A.b.2. QuikChange™
Point mutations were made using Stratagene's QuikChange™ XL according to the manufacturer's protocol. All clones were sequenced to confirm the presence of the mutation.
10A.c. Cell Culture
10A.c.1. HEK Transient mAb Production
For each milliliter of 3×106 cells to be transfected with ExpiFectamine™ (Thermo), 333.3 ng HC plasmid and 333.3 ng LC plasmid were incubated for 5-10 min in 50 μL Opti-MEM (Thermo). Likewise, 2.67 μL ExpiFectamine™ was incubated in 50 μL Opti-MEM. The ExpiFectamine™ solution was added to the DNA mixture and incubated for 20-30 min at room temperature. The DNA:ExpiFectamine™ mixture was added to the cells while swirling and incubated at 37° C., 8% CO2, shaking at 125 rpm. The following day, 5 μL of enhancer 1 and 50 μL of enhancer 2 per mL of cells were added to the transfection with continued incubation for another 7-10 days. After 48-72 h, cells were fed at a final concentration of 10 g/L Yeastolate (BD Biosciences), 5 mM valeric acid (Sigma-Aldrich), and 1:100 CD Lipid Concentrate (Thermo).
10A.c.2. CHO Transient mAb Production
For each milliliter of 6×106 cells to be transfected with ExpiFectamine™ CHO (Thermo), 500 ng HC plasmid and 500 ng LC plasmid was mixed in Opti-PRO™ (Thermo) in μL total volume. Likewise, 3.2 μL ExpiFectamine™ CHO was mixed in 36.8 μL Opti-PRO. The ExpiFectamine™ CHO solution was added to the DNA mixture and incubated for 1-5 min at room temperature. The DNA:ExpiFectamine™ CHO mixture was added to the cells while swirling and incubated at 37° C., 8% CO2, shaking at 125 rpm. The following day, 6 μL of enhancer and 160 μL of feed per mL of cells were added to the transfection, and cells were transferred to 32° C., 5% CO2. At day 5, an additional 160 μL of feed per mL of cells was added. At day 12 to 14, the supernatants were harvested.
10A.d. MAb Purification
10A.d.1. Batch Purification
Prosep™-vA High Capacity Protein A resin (Millipore) or CaptureSelect™ KappaSelect LC-kappa resin (Thermo) was equilibrated with DPBS, and 50 μL were added to 2 mL of sample. Following incubation at room temperature for 1 hour, the medium and resin were added to a filter plate and washed twice with 1 mL DPBS. The sample was eluted from the resin by addition of 400 μL 0.1 M Glycine, pH 2.9 followed by centrifugation at 15,000×g for 30 s. The sample was neutralized with 20 μL of 1 M Tris, pH 8.0. The samples were concentrated to 100 μL by centrifugation at 15,000×g for 5 minutes using 0.5 mL Amicon™ Ultra, 10 k cutoff filters (Millipore) and were buffer-exchanged into DPBS using 0.5 mL Zeba™ desalting columns, 7K MWCO, according to the manufacturer's protocol.
10A.d.2. Column Purification
Purification was performed using an AKTA Xpress purification platform (GE Healthcare). Up to 1 L conditioned medium was loaded onto a 5 mL MabSelect™ SURE column (GE Healthcare) equilibrated in 20 mM sodium phosphate, 150 mM NaCl, pH 7.0. The column was washed extensively with equilibration buffer following loading until a stable baseline was observed. Bound material was eluted using 100 mM glycine, pH 2.9. Eluted material was immediately injected on to a 26/10 HiPrep desalting column (GE Healthcare) equilibrated in 1× phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and eluted in the same buffer. Peak fractions were pooled. The material was analyzed for protein content by BCA assay (Thermo) and purity by reducing and non-reducing SDS-PAGE.
A black Nunc MaxiSorp 96-well plate was coated with 2 μg/mL (unless otherwise indicated) of recombinant wild-type 2N4R Tau in DPBS overnight at 4° C. The following day the plate was aspirated and washed three times with Wash Buffer (PBS+0.05% Tween-20). The wells were incubated with Assay Buffer (1% w/v BSA [heat shock fraction, Sigma], 0.05% Tween-20 [BioRad], DPBS) for 1 h at room temperature. The Assay Buffer was aspirated and the wells were washed three times as above. Various concentrations of mAbs in DPBS were added to each well for 1 hour at room temperature while shaking on a microtiter plate shaker. Samples were aspirated and the wells were washed three times as above. HRP-conjugated goat anti-mouse IgG (H+L) (JIRL 115-035-146), gt anti-hu IgG (H+L) (JIRL 109-035-127), or Streptavidin-HRP (JIRL 016-030-084) was diluted 1:5000 in Assay Buffer and added to the wells. Following incubation and shaking at room temperature for 1 hour, samples were aspirated and the wells were washed three times as above. QuantaBlu (Thermo) was added to each well and incubated for 15 min at room temperature. The relative fluorescence units (RFU) were measured with the excitation and emission wavelengths set at 320 and 460 nm, respectively, using a Spectramax™ M5 plate reader (Molecular Devices).
10A.f. Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) Binding Analyses
10A.f.1. Anti-Human/Anti-Mouse Capture Monomeric Tau-Binding Assay
10A.f.1.i. Chip Preparation
All experiments were performed using a BIAcore™ T-100 instrument (GE Healthcare). 10 μL anti-human IgG (monoclonal mouse anti-human Fc) from human antibody capture kit (GE Healthcare) was diluted to 25 μL/mL in 200 μL final immobilization buffer (10 mM sodium acetate, pH 5.0). The flow rate was set to 5 flowpath 1. Fifty μL N-hydroxysuccinamide (NETS) and 50 μL 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbidiimide (EDC) were mixed and injected for 420 sec to activate the CM5 chip surface. The diluted antibody was injected for 360 seconds followed by 1 M ethanolamine for 420 seconds. The flowpath was then switched to flowpath 2. A new EDC/NHS mixture was prepared and the procedure was repeated for flow cell 2. The surface was conditioned by 2 injections of 30 sec using flowpath 1,2 at 30 μL/min of 3M MgCl2. For the anti-mouse surface, 10 μL anti-mouse IgG (polyclonal rabbit anti-mouse IgG) from mouse antibody capture kit (GE Healthcare) was diluted to 30 μL/mL in 324 μL final immobilization buffer (10 mM sodium acetate, pH 5.0). The flow rate was set to 5 μL/min, flowpath 3. Fifty μL NHS and 50 μL EDC were mixed and injected for 420 sec to activate the chip surface. The diluted antibody was injected for 420 sec. 1 M ethanolamine was injected for 420 sec. Flow path was switched to flowpath 4. A new EDC/NHS mixture was prepared and the procedure was repeated for flow cell 4. The surface was conditioned by 2 injections of 30 sec using flowpath 3,4 at 30 μL/min of 10 mM glycine, pH 1.7.
10A.f.1.ii. Binding Assay
The running buffer used for the binding assay was PBS-P+/0.2% BSA. All antibodies were diluted to 1 μg/mL in PBS-P+/0.2% BSA (same preparation as used for running buffer), centrifuged at 14,000 g for 5 min at room temperature, and the supernatant was transferred to a new tube. Analyte (Tau monomer 2N4R wt, 2.15 mg/mL, 47 μM) was diluted to 100 nM in PBS-P+/0.2% BSA, centrifuged at 14,000 g for 5 min at room temperature, and the supernatant transferred to a new tube. 100 nM solution was serially-diluted 5-fold into PBS-P+/0.2% BSA. Final concentrations were 100 nM, 20 nM, 4 nM, 0.8 nM, 0.16 nM, 0.032 nM, and 0 nM. Humanized antibodies were captured on flow cell 2 at a flow rate of 10 μL/min for a contact time of 60 sec. Murine antibodies were captured on flow cell 4 at a flow rate of 10 μL/min for a contact time of 60 sec. Dilutions of Tau protein were injected over all 4 flow cells at a flow rate of 30 μL/min for a contact time of 240 sec. Dissociation was followed for 900 sec. Following each cycle, surface was regenerated by a 30 sec injection (flowpath 1,2) at 30 μL/min of 3M MgCl2, a 30 sec injection (flowpath 3,4) at 30 μL/min of 10 mM glycine, pH 1.7, a 30 sec injection (flowpath 1,2) at 30 μL/min of 3 M MgCl2, followed by two 30-sec injections (flowpath 3,4) at 30 μL/min of 10 mM glycine, pH 1.7. After the run, data collected was fitted to a steady-state binding model using all concentrations using BIAEvaluations. Kinetic data fitting was performed using a 1:1 Langmuir model, excluding the 100 nM trace (inclusion of 100 nM trace resulted in unacceptably high X2 values). A subset of antibody binding data was also analyzed using a 2-state model.
10A.f.2. Anti-Human Capture Monomeric Tau-Binding Assay
10A.f.2.i. Chip Preparation
Chip preparation was performed using a BIAcore™ T-100 instrument. Chip preparation was performed using the method wizard for immobilization. Running buffer was HBS-P+. Fifteen μL anti-human IgG (monoclonal mouse anti-human Fc) from human antibody capture kit (GE Healthcare) was diluted to 25 μL/mL in 300 μL final immobilization buffer (10 mM sodium acetate, pH 5.0). The flow rate was set to 5 μL/min. Immobilization was performed on all four flow cells with a ligand contact time of 360 sec. The surface was conditioned by two injections of 30 sec using flowpath 1,2, 3, 4 at 30 μL/min of 3 M MgCl2.
10A.f.2.ii. Binding Assay
Binding experiments were performed using a BIOcore™ T-100 instrument or a T-200 instrument. Running buffer used for the binding assay was PBS-P+/0.2% BSA. All antibodies were diluted to 2 μg/mL in PBS-P+/0.2% BSA (the same preparation as used for the running buffer), centrifuged at 14,000 g for 5 min at room temperature, and the supernatant transferred to new tube. Analyte (Tau monomer 2N4R wt, 2.15 mg/mL, 47 μM) was diluted to 100 nM in PBS-P+/0.2% BSA, centrifuged at 14,000 g for 5 min at room temperature, and the supernatant transferred to a new tube. 100 nM solution was serially-diluted 5-fold into PBS-P+/0.2% BSA. Final concentrations were 100 nM, 20 nM, 4 nM, 0.8 nM, 0.16 nM, 0.032 nM, and 0 nM. Humanized antibodies were captured on flow cells 2, 3, and 4 sequentially at a flow rate of 10 μL/min for a contact time of 60 sec. Dilutions of Tau protein were injected over all 4 flow cells at a flow rate of 30 μL/min for a contact time of 240 sec. Dissociation was followed for 900 sec. Following each cycle, the surface was regenerated by two sequential injections of sec at 30 μL/min of 3 M MgCl2 over all four flow cells. After the run, kinetic data fitting was performed using a 1:1 Langmuir model, excluding the 100 nM trace (inclusion of 100 nM trace resulted in unacceptably high X2 values).
10A.f.3. Streptavidin Capture Monomeric Tau-Binding Assay
10A.f.3.i. Antibody Preparation
400 μg of each antibody was diluted to 2 mg/mL and buffer-exchanged into 0.1 M sodium bicarbonate, pH 8.3 using 0.5 mL Zeba™ 40 kDa MWCO desalting columns (Thermo). NHS-PEG4-biotin, prepared immediately before use by dissolving in water to a 20 mM final stock concentration, was added to antibodies at a 5:1 molar ratio (biotin:MAb) and conjugated for 1 hr at room temperature. Excess biotin was removed by two sequential buffer exchanges into 1×DPBS using 0.5 mL Zeba™ 40 kDa MWCO desalting columns. For the BIAcore™ assay, antibodies were diluted to 2 μg/mL in PBS-P+/0.2% BSA (the same preparation used for the running buffer), centrifuged at 14,000 g for 5 min at room temperature, and the supernatant transferred to a new tube. Injection time was subsequently determined for each antibody to achieve a capture level of ˜225 RU.
Wild-type 2N4R Tau protein (2.15 mg/mL, 47 μM) was diluted to 100 nM in PBS-P+/0.2% BSA, centrifuged at 14,000 g for 5 min at room temperature, and supernatant transferred to a new tube. 20 nM solution was serially-diluted 5-fold into PBS-P+/0.2% BSA. Final concentrations were 20 nM, 4 nM, 0.8 nM, 0.16 nM, and 0 nM.
10A.f.3.ii. Binding Assay
The biosensor chip used was a CAP chip from the biotin CAPture™ kit (GE Healthcare, cat 28-9202-34). All experiments were performed using a T-100 instrument. CAP reagent was immobilized on all four flow cells (flowpath 1, 2, 3, 4) at a flow rate of 2 μL/min for 5 min (final streptavidin level was ˜3500 RU). Biotinylated humanized antibodies, biotinylated chimeric 7G6, or biotinylated murine ms7G6 were captured on flow cells 2, 3, and 4 sequentially at a flow rate of 10 μL/min for a contact time of 80 sec to 146 sec (biotinylated chimeric antibody contact time was 240 sec). Dilutions of Tau protein were injected over all four flow cells at a flow rate of 30 μL/min for a contact time of 180 sec in sequence from 0 nM to 20 nM. Following the last injection (20 nM Tau), dissociation was followed for 900 sec. After each cycle, the surface was regenerated by one injection of 120 sec 10 μL/min of 6 M Guanidine HCl, M NaOH over all four flow cells. Samples were assayed in duplicate, except for murine 7G6 and 7G6-zuHC25-zuLC18, which were analyzed in duplicate on two separate flow cells (total of 4 analyses for each). After the run, kinetic data fitting was performed using a 1:1 Langmuir model using single cycle kinetics.
10A.g. Size Exclusion Chromatography-High Performance Liquid Chromatography (SEC-HPLC)
SEC-HPLC was performed on an Agilent 1260 quaternary pump HPLC system equipped with an AdvanceBio™ SEC 300A, 2.7 μm, 4.6 mm ID×50 mm guard column, and AdvanceBio™ SEC 300A, 2.7 μm, 4.6 mm ID×300 mm column (Agilent). The isocratic flow of a mobile phase consisting of 0.1 M sodium phosphate (pH 6.5) was at 0.35 mL/min. The separation was conducted at ambient temperature. The column effluent was monitored at 280 nm. Fifty μg of sample (10 μL of 5 mg/mL sample) was injected for each run; each sample was analyzed twice. Peak integration was performed using Agilent OpenLAB software. Retention time, peak height, peak area, peak width, and peak symmetry were reported. The percentage of aggregates and monomers were calculated based on the peak area.
10A.h. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) Analysis
VP Capillary Differential Scanning calorimeter (VP-CapDSC; MicroCal, VP-CapDSC, s/n 12-07-149 with Origin-7 graphing and MicroCal VP-Capillary DSC Software v.2.0) was used to decipher and compare the higher order structure and thermal stability of various F(ab′)2 fragments and controls. Samples were allowed to acclimate to ambient temperature for 30 minutes, followed by vortexing. The entire sample (0.4-0.5 mL) was added to appropriate wells of an assay plate (Microliter Analytical Supply, 96 well, 500 μL, round well and bottom, cat #07-2100; Sun Suri plate cover cat #300-005). 0.5 mL of 20% Contrad solution and 0.5 mL water were added to the appropriate wells of the assay plate. Sealed plates were placed into an auto-sampler at 10° C.
The run was programmed and initiated using the following assay parameters:
10B.a. IGHV1/IGKV2 Humanization
10B.a.1. 7G6 in Silico Modelling
The human germline variable domain protein sequences most homologous to mouse ms7G6 mAb were retrieved using BLAST at www_ncbi_nlm_nih_gov/igblast/and www_imgt_org/3Dstructure-DB/cgi/DomainGapAlign_cgi. IGHV1-46*03 and IGKV2-30*02 variable domain families were the most homologous sequences to ms7G6 (
The mouse and CDR-grafted sequences were used to generate in silico models of the variable domains. The theoretical structure of the mouse and humanized models were superimposed, and residues in close proximity to the CDRs were analyzed for potential structural influence on the overall structure of the CDR loops. While most of the differing residues were not located at the dimer interface or were distal to the CDRs, several residues were found to be in close proximity (within 5 Å) of the CDRs.
In the Vκ domain, the hydroxyl group in mouse Tyr36 formed a potential hydrogen bond with Trp100 in CDRH3. The human Phe36 loses this hydrogen bond, which may affect the structural integrity of CDRH3. Human Arg46 is much bulkier than the mouse Leu46, and Arg46 may sterically hinder proper folding of the CDRs. Similarly, in the Vh domain, position 71 was positioned against the CDRs. The human Arg71 may sterically hinder proper folding of the CDRs compared to the mouse Va171. The human Va178 was positioned similarly and is bulkier than the mouse Ala78. Therefore Va178 may, but was unlikely to, affect the integrity of the CDRs.
The mouse ms7G6 antibody contained two unpaired cysteines that may be problematic in the development of the mAb due to the presence of free thiols which could contribute to product aggregation, oxidation, cysteinylation, or glutathionylation. One Cys was located at position 57 in CDRH2 and the second was at position 49 in FWRL2.
The Kabat definition of CDRH2 extends 8 C-terminal amino acids longer than the IMGT definition. The latter 8 amino acids were analyzed for their proximity and potential contribution to antigen binding. Asn58 was within the potential antigen binding site at the potential CDR-antigen interface at the top of the variable domains. Residues 60, 61, 64, and 65 differing between mouse and the human germline sequence were outside of the potential antigen binding site and were not likely to directly contact the antigen or provide structural support for proper CDR folding.
A series of humanized mutants were generated using the germline variable domain Vh1 and Vκ2 families to evaluate the importance of mouse residues at the positions predicted by in silico modeling to be important for CDR-antigen interactions (
To test direct binding to Tau, 2N4R Tau was coated on 96-well plates and various concentrations of humanized mAbs were added to the wells. MAbs bound to Tau were detected with either an HRP-conjugated anti-mouse antibody (mouse [ms]7G6) or anti-human antibody (remaining samples). Samples were incubated for 1 h at room temperature in 96-well plates coated with 2N4R Tau. Following washing, HRP-conjugated anti-mouse or anti-human detection antibodies were added to the wells. The anti-mouse antibody was used to detect ms7G6. The amount of HRP activity in each well was measured by QuantaBlu fluorescent substrate and the RFUs were detected by a SpectraMax M5 plate reader.
Data from the samples, grouped according to the LC variant, except the cysteine mutants which are grouped on the bottom-most graph, is shown in
To reduce any potential immunogenicity, another series of mutants was generated with increasing numbers of human residues (7G6-HCzu6, 7G6-HCzu 7, and 7G6-HCzu 8;
All Vκ variants were engineered with Ser49, except 7G6-LCzu10 which was made to determine whether the human residue Tyr49 was a viable substitute for Cys49. 7G6-LCzu7 was analogous to 7G6-LCzu1 and 7G6-LCzu3 except with Ser49. 7G6-LCzu21 was analogous to 7G6-LCzu5 and 7G6-LCzu22 was analogous to 7G6-LCzu4, again with Ser49. 7G6-LCzu8 had a valine at position 30 to determine whether the human residue at this position retained Tau binding. Position 34 was somewhat buried in the structure and it was possible it did not contribute to antigen binding, therefore the human residue Asn34 at the end of CDRL1 was engineered into 7G6-LCzu9. All HC variants were coexpressed with 7G6-LCzu6 and all LC variants were coexpressed with 7G6-HCzu5.
Tau binding was analyzed by a direct ELISA as above. Samples were incubated for 1 hour at room temperature in 96-well plates coated with wild-type 2N4R Tau. After a wash step, HRP-conjugated anti-mouse or anti-human detection antibodies were added to the wells. The anti-mouse antibody was used to detect ms7G6. The amount of HRP activity in each well was measured by QuantaBlu fluorescent substrate and the RFUs were detected by a SpectraMax M5 plate reader. A majority of the mAbs showed little difference in Tau binding in a direct ELISA assay (
Binding of humanized and mouse antibodies were analyzed by surface plasmon resonance (BIAcore™) to determine their relative association rates (ka), dissociation rates (kd), and equilibrium binding constants (KD). Anti-mouse or anti-human antibodies were immobilized on a CM5 chip and sample mAbs were captured on the chip. 2N4R Tau was flowed over the chip and binding observed. The binding constants ka, kd, and KD were determined using a 1:1 Langmuir fitting model. Antibody ms7G6 derived from hybridoma or IgG2a or IgG2b recombinant material showed no difference in the association or dissociation rates (Table 5). Among the 7G6 HC variants, there were only slight differences, and the cysteine to serine mutations did not affect Tau binding. 7G6-LCzu2, LCzu6, LCzu7, LCzu8, and LCzu21 bound Tau similarly, demonstrating that the amino acids differing between these mAbs had little impact on binding. The humanized samples demonstrated better binding to Tau than the mouse mAbs, but this was most likely due to the necessity of using different capture antibodies in this assay format.
These data, along with the data from ELISA assay, demonstrated the requirement for 7G6 Vκ Glu34 and the detrimental combination of 7G6 Vκ Tyr36 and Arg46. 7G6 Vκ residues Tyr36 and Leu46 in LCzu6 were slightly favored over the human Phe36 and Arg46 residues in 7G6-LCzu7 and 7G6-LCzu8, but retaining the human residues at these positions outweighed the minor reduction in the kd. The human Vκ Tyr57 in 7G6-LCzu10 had a significant impact on the kd.
Two micrograms of each mAb were mixed with 4×NuPAGE™ LDS Sample Buffer and separated non-reduced on a 4-12% Bis-Tris SDS-PAGE gel in MOPS buffer. Gels were stained with InstantBlue™ and destained in water. All mAbs with Cys49 in the LC (7G6-LCzu2, 7G6-LCzu3, 7G6-LCzu4, and 7G6-LCzu5) were not stable, and under non-reducing conditions, HC-HC-LC trimers, HC-HC dimers, and free LC were separated by SDS-PAGE (
The humanized 7G6 variants discussed above utilized the human germline variable domain families IGHV1 and IGKV2 chosen based on their similarity to ms7G6. However, these families are underrepresented in the human population, thereby increasing the chance the humanized variants would be immunogenic in patients (Brezinschek H P, Foster S J, Dörner T, Brezinschek R I, Lipsky P E. Pairing of variable heavy and variable kappa chains in individual naive and memory B cells. J Immunol. 1998 May 15; 160(10):4762-7; Jayaram N, Bhowmick P, Martin A C. Germline Vh/VK pairing in antibodies. Protein Eng Des Sel. 2012 October; 25(10):523-9; Tiller T, Schuster I, Deppe D, Siegers K, Strohner R, Herrmann T, Berenguer M, Poujol D, Stehle J, Stark Y, HeBling M, Daubert D, Felderer K, Kaden S, Minn J, Enzelberger M, Urlinger S. A fully synthetic human Fab antibody library based on fixed Vh/VK framework pairings with favorable biophysical properties. MAbs. 2013 May-June; 5(3):445-70). Therefore the ms7G6 CDRs were grafted onto the more common IGHV3 and IGKV1 families (
The aforementioned in silico model of ms7G6 was analyzed as above for human residues in close proximity (5 Å) of the CDRs. Human residues in Vh at positions 49, 71, 76, 78, and 94 and in Vκ at positions 2 and 57 were identified as potential critical framework residues. Two humanized variants of the Vh and Vκ were generated, one with all human framework residues (7G6-HCzu11; 7G6-LCzu11) and one with potentially critical residues back-mutated (7G6-HCzu12; 7G6-HCzu12) (
2N4R Tau was coated on 96-well plates and various concentrations of humanized mAbs were added to the wells as above. MAbs bound to Tau were detected with either an HRP-conjugated anti-mouse antibody (ms7G6) or anti-human antibody (remaining samples). All humanized mAbs bound similarly to Tau, but the 7G6-HCzu12-LCzu12 mAb had the lowest EC50 (
To reduce potential immunogenicity, another series of mutants was generated with increasing numbers human residues. Residues in the C-terminal half of CDRH2 had little impact on Tau binding in Vh1-based variant 7G6-HCzu4. Therefore, these residues were changed to the Vh3 germline residues in 7G6-HCzu13, 7G6-HCzu14, 7G6-HCzu19 and 7G6-HCzu20 (
With little difference between 7G6-LCzu11 and 7G6-LCzu12, it was expected that human residues at positions 2 and 57 would have little impact on antigen binding. Therefore, each of these was mutated one at a time. For position 57, tyrosine and serine substitutions were analyzed. A valine at position 30 was introduced in 7G6-LCzu16 and 7G6-LCzu17. The human residue Asn34 at the end of CDRL1 was engineered into 7G6-LCzu17. All HC variants were coexpressed with 7G6-LCzu12 and all LC variants were coexpressed with 7G6-HCzu12.
A majority of the mAbs showed little difference in Tau binding in a direct ELISA assay (
Binding of humanized and mouse antibodies were analyzed by BIAcore™ to determine their relative association rates (ka), dissociation rates (kd), and equilibrium binding constants (KD). Anti-mouse or anti-human antibodies were immobilized on a CM5 chip and sample mAbs were captured on the chip. 2N4R Tau was flowed over the chip and binding observed. The binding constants ka, kd, and KD were determined using a 1:1 Langmuir fitting model. Both 7G6-HCzu12-based mAbs had similar ka and kd values (Table 8). However, the ka of 7G6-HCzu11 was decreased, though the kd was unaffected. Therefore, human residues in the Vh3 framework impact binding to Tau. As with the ELISA assay, 7G6-LCzu17 did not bind Tau. The difference in kd between 7G6-HCzu12, 7G6-HCzu13, and 7G6-HCzu14 suggests the CDRH2 C-terminal human residues have a negative impact on antigen binding. The decrease in kd was not observed for 7G6-HCzu19 and 7G6-HCzu20 which also have human residues in the region; however, these mAbs had a decrease in ka. 7G6-HCzu15 did not bind to the chip very well, and the data from this mAb were questionable. While no specific data on the single S76N mutation was available, the ka and kd values for 7G6-HCzu16, 7G6-HCzu17, 7G6-HCzu18 were similar to 7G6-HCzu12 suggesting the S76N mutation should not affect Tau binding. The ka for 7G6-HCzu20 was less than 7G6-HCzu19 and may be a result of the K94R mutation. Therefore human residues at position 49, 71, 76, and 78 did not appear to affect Tau binding. The humanized samples demonstrated better binding to Tau than the mouse mAbs, but this was most likely due to the necessity of using different capture antibodies in this assay format.
There was little difference between the ka or kd. values for any 7G6 LC variant, except 7G6-LCzu17, which did not bind Tau due to Asn34. Therefore, the human Ile2 had no effect on antigen binding. Cysteine, serine, and tyrosine all appeared to be tolerated at position 57. A valine at position 30 had no impact on Tau binding.
Two micrograms of each mAb were mixed with 4×NuPAGE™ LDS Sample Buffer and separated non-reduced on a 4-12% Bis-Tris SDS-PAGE gel in MOPS buffer. Gels were stained with InstantBlue and destained in water. The more human 7G6-HCzu11, especially when paired with the less human 7G6-LCzu12, resulted in HC-LC dimers and free HC (
10B.c. Screening of Humanized Antibodies
Based on human-ness of the sequences, BIAcore™ affinity data and SDS-PAGE stability data from the IGHV1/IGKV2 humanization, 7G6-HCzu8 was chosen as the most human sequence with the highest affinity for Tau. 7G6-LCzu6 and 7G6-LCzu21 had comparable stability in SDS-PAGE and affinity for Tau but differed by one amino acid at position 36. Both light chains were chosen to be coexpressed with 7G6-HCzu8 to determine the best IGHV1/IGKV2-based mAb.
Another round of mutagenesis was performed on the most human, highest affinity, and most stable IGHV3 and IGKV1 variants to remove the unpaired cysteines at position 57 and 49, respectively. 7G6-HCzu17 and 7G6-HCzu18 were chosen as the most human framework residues with the highest affinity. 7G6-HCzu18 was super-humanized by introducing human residues into the C-terminal portion of CDRH2 to generate 7G6-HCzu21, but the affinity was never analyzed. 7G6-HCzu18, 7G6-HCzu21, and 7G6-HCzu17 all contained a cysteine at position 57, and a serine was introduced at position 57 in all three variants to generate 7G6-HCzu24, 7G6-HCzu23, and 7G6-HCzu25, respectively (
10B.c.1 Intact Mass Analysis
The mass of each mAb was analyzed by ESI-MS to confirm the theoretical mass matched the observed mass. MAbs were digested with IdeS to generate F(ab′)2 fragments, followed by reduction with 2 mM DTT and heating at 60° C. for 3 min. The mass of the Fd (Vh-CH1) and LC fragments were analyzed by ESI-MS. 7G6-HCzu8 contained an N-terminal pyroglutamic acid, a typical post-translational modification of N-terminal glutamines. All observed masses were within 3 Daltons of the predicted masses (Table 9).
10B.c.2 Tau Binding BIAcore™ Assay
Tau binding for humanized mAbs was analyzed by BIAcore™ in two different formats. The first format was performed as above, i.e. mAbs were captured with an immobilized species-specific anti-Fc antibody. The limitation of this format is seen in Tables 5 and 8 where the affinities of the parental mouse and humanized mAbs cannot be directly compared due to the differences in the capture antibodies. In the second format, biotinylated mAbs were captured on a streptavidin-coated chip. This latter format allowed direct comparison of Tau binding affinity between humanized and the parental mouse antibody since the capture method was identical.
10B.c.2.i Fc-Specific Capture
The final humanized mAbs were analyzed by BIAcore™ to determine the ka, kd, and KD for binding to Tau as above (Table 10). There was a significant change in the off rate (10 from 7G6-HCzu23 to 7G6-HCzu24, while 7G6-HCzu24 was similar to 7G6-HCzu25, which was also seen in the overall affinity KD as well. This confirmed the importance of retaining mouse residues in CDRH2, as seen above in Table 7.
Streptavidin Capture
Biotinylated humanized and mouse mAbs were captured on a streptavidin-coated chip and ka, kd, and KD were determined for binding to Tau (Table 11). 7G6-HCzu8-LCzu21 showed a slight drop in affinity (<2-fold) compared with 7G6-HCzu8-LCzu6. Similarly, 7G6-HCzu23 variants had an ˜2-fold drop in affinity compared to 7G6-HCzu24 and 7G6-HCzu25 mAbs, as seen in Table 11. The affinity of 7G6-HCzu8-LCzu6, 7G6-HCzu24-LCzu15, 7G6-HCzu24-LCzu18, 7G6-HCzu25-LCzu15, and 7G6-HCzu25-LCzu18 were all similar. Overall, these antibodies showed an ˜1.4-fold drop in affinity compared with the ms7G6, reflected mainly in a slightly faster off-rate for the humanized forms.
10B.c.3 Analysis of Homogeneity and Aggregation by SEC-HPLC
Each mAb was analyzed by SEC-HPLC to determine the homogeneity of the mAb in solution. The profiles of 7G6-HCzu8-LCzu6 and 7G6-HCzu8-LCzu21 mAbs were identical, with a main peak at 14.5 min and wide shoulder suggesting possible product heterogeneity beyond 16 minutes (
10B.c.4 DSC Analysis
The thermal melting curves of F(ab′)2 fragments were analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The profiles of the chimeric, 7G6-HCzu8 and 7G6-HCzu25 F(ab′)2 were similar to control non-Tau binding human IgG1 antibodies, mAb1 and mAb2. 7G6-HCzu23 and 7G6-HCzu24, however, contained a second peak, indicating instability of the F(ab′)2 fragment, possibly the dissociation of the HC-LC interaction (
10B.d T Cell Epitope Analysis
Humanized sequences were analyzed in silico by Stealth Biologics for potential immunoreactive T cell epitopes. Two sequences for each variable region germline family were analyzed, each contained differing amounts of human and mouse residues. mAb1-2a and mAb1-2b represented IGHV1-46a/IGKV2-30a and mAb3-1a and mAb3-1b represented IGHV3-23b/IGKV1-39b. Though only four sequences were analyzed for each variable domain, all potential T cell epitopes present in the tested humanized mAbs were represented. Peptide epitopes having identity to greater than 5% of human germline sequences were considered lower risk, as were peptides binding only one or two HLA alleles.
7G6-HCzu8 and 7G6-HCzu25 both contained a common low-risk peptide at position 32 with no homology to germline sequences that bound 3 alleles (
There was one difference between 7G6-LCzu6 and 7G6-LCzu21 where peptide 38 in 7G6-LCzu21 was predicted to bind 1 HLA allele but presented a very low risk (
In summary, ms7G6 was humanized on two different human germline variable domain families with similar affinity to ms7G6.
The human germlines closest to the mouse sequence were IGHV1-46 and IGKV2-30. Even though several mouse framework residues were suspected to be required to maintain antigen binding, Tau binding was not affected by human framework residue (7G6-HCzu1/7G6-HCzu8). Further, Tau binding was not affected by mutation of the unpaired Cys57 to a serine (7G6-HCzu5/7G6-HCzu8) or super-humanization of CDRH2 at residues 60, 61, 64, and 65 (7G6-HCzu4/7G6-HCzu8). Grafting the Vκ CDRs on the IGKV2 did not result in a dramatic decrease in Tau binding, but the addition of one or two mouse framework residues stabilized the HC-LC interaction. Leu46 with or without Tyr36 increased the stability of Vh-Vκ interaction, as analyzed by SDS-PAGE, and the Tyr36-Leu46 (7G6-LCzu2/7G6-LCzu6) combination resulted in an antibody with slightly higher affinity to Tau than with Leu46 or Tyr36 alone (7G6-LCzu/7G6-LCzu21 and 7G6-LCzu4/7G6-LCzu22, respectively). Though there was a slight risk in immunogenicity with a leucine at position 46, the risk was low. The unpaired Cys49 could be substituted with a serine, but a tyrosine substitution resulted in an increase in the dissociation rate.
The human germline variable domain families IGHV3-23 and IGKV1-39 were chosen to potentially reduce the immunogenicity of the humanized mAb by utilizing the more commonly expressed IGHV3 and IGKV1 families. Grafting CDRs onto the IGHV3 germline required one or more mouse residues. Arg94 could not be the human lysine residue. Mouse residues at positions 60, 61, 62, 63, and 65 were required for optimal antigen binding. An arginine at 71 did not affect antigen binding but was required for stability of the Vh-Vκ interaction (7G6-HCzu12, 7G6-HCzu13, 7G6-HCzu14, 7G6-HCzu15, 7G6-HCzu16, 7G6-HCzu17, 7G6-HCzu25). Although Va171 resulted in a potentially immunogenic peptide when paired with Phe63 and Ser65, the risk was low. Tau binding was not affected by mutation of the unpaired Cys57 to a serine (7G6-HCzu23, 7G6-HCzu24, 7G6-HCzu25). Human residues throughout the IGKV1 framework did not affect antigen binding or stability (7G6-LCzu18).
For all antibodies tested, there were little differences in the pI and thermal stability.
Paraffin-embedded, fixed human brain sections (8 μm) were dewaxed with multiple changes of xylene and then washed thoroughly in 100% Industrial Methylated Spirit (IMS). Sections were placed into hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and methanol (2 mL hydrogen peroxide per 100 mL methanol) for 10 minutes at room temperature to block endogenous peroxidase and then washed under running tap water for a further 10 minutes. Each section was then treated with 98% formic acid for 10 minutes at room temperature followed by washing in running tap water for another 10 minutes. Sections were then cooked in citrate buffer (pH 6.0) for 10 minutes at pressure and then washed again in running tap water followed by TBS. After a rinse in de-ionized water, each slide was carefully removed and dried around the tissue edge. Once dry, a wax pen was used to mark around the section before applying a Proteinase K solution for 10 minutes at room temperature.
Once tissue sections were prepared, staining with the 7G6-HCzu25-LCzu18 antibody at different concentrations was carried out with the Klear Human HRP-Polymer DAB Detection Kit (GBI Labs, Bothwell, WA; Cat No. D103-18) as per the manufacturer's instructions. As shown in
12A.c.2. CHO Transient mAb Production
7G6-HCzu25-LCzu18 antibody was produced using the Lonza version 7 platform according to the manufacturer's procedures. DNA fragments encoding 7G6-HCzu25 and 7G6-LCzu18 were cloned into an expression plasmid encoding glutamine synthase from Lonza. According to Lonza's protocol for selecting MSX-resistant cell lines, CHO-K1sv cells were electroporated with the 7G6-HCzu25-LCzu18 expression plasmid, followed by seeding 2500 cells per well in 96-well plates in glutamine-free medium in the presence of 25 or 5011M MSX. Wells containing MSX-resistant cell were subjected to several rounds of screening for antibody expression at various cell culture volumes. The cell line 96E7 producing the highest 7G6-HCzu25-LCzu18 antibody titers was chosen for further development and frozen at −80° C. and stored in vapor phase in liquid nitrogen.
A vial of cell line 96E7 was thawed and cultivated in disposable shake flasks at 36.5° C. and 5% CO2 followed by further expansion every 3-4 days in larger-sized disposable rocking bags at 36.5° C. and 5% CO2. A 200 L stainless steel seed bioreactor was employed to final expansion at 36.5° C. with controlled pH and dissolved oxygen prior to the inoculation of a 1000 L stainless steel fed-batch production bioreactor. After 15 days at fed-batch mode and 36.5° C. with controlled pH and dissolved oxygen, the supernatant was harvested through depth filtration.
12A.d. MAb Purification
Purification was performed using an AKTA process purification platform (GE Healthcare). The purification process consisted of the following steps: Protein A capture chromatography, viral inactivation, depth filtration, anion-exchange flow through chromatography, viral reduction filtration, concentration and final buffer exchange.
The primary capture step was performed using Amsphere A3 Protein A resin (JSR). The 14.1 L column was equilibrated using 50 mM sodium phosphate, 1 M NaCl, pH 7.0 then loaded up to 45 g protein per liter of resin per cycle. After loading, the column was washed with equilibration buffer followed by 25 mM Bis-Tris, pH 7.0 until UV returned to baseline. Bound material was eluted from the column using 100 mM Glycine, pH 3.4. The pH of the eluate was adjusted to pH 3.6 using 2 M Acetic Acid for low pH viral inactivation. Following a minimum 30 minute static hold, the eluate was neutralized to pH 6.8 using 2 M Tris Base. Depth filtration was immediately performed using Millistak+DOHC and X0HC pod filters (Millipore). The filtrate was further processed using a 6.7 L Capto Q (GE Healthcare) anion exchange column equilibrated in 25 mM Bis-Tris, pH 7.0. The column was loaded up to 150 g protein per liter of resin in non-binding mode. The flow-through product was filtered using a Viresolve Pro viral reduction filter then concentrated to 25 g/L. The material was buffer exchanged into a buffer. The purification procedure was performed on two different monoclonal antibody production runs and designated lots 17-0190 and 18-0146. Several vials from lot 17-0190 were designated 17-0190ARS for use as a reference standard.
12A.f. Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) Binding Analyses
12A.f.2. Anti-Human Capture Monomeric Tau-Binding Assay
12A.f.2.i. Chip Preparation
Reagent preparation. EDC [1-ethyl-3(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide] and NHS (N-hydroxysuccinimide) were dissolved by adding 10.0 ml of Milli-Q water to each vial. Vials were capped tightly and vortexed until the solids were completely dissolved. EDC, NHS, and ethanolamine solutions were aliquoted separately into 0.5 ml aliquots in 7 mm plastic vials, capped, and stored frozen at −20° C. Anti-human IgG (Fc) from kit was centrifuged in microfuge briefly to collect antibody at bottom of tube. 15 μL anti-human IgG (Fc) was removed to a new 1.5 mL microfuge tube and diluted to 300 μL with 285 μL immobilization buffer. Sample was vortexed briefly to mix, then 70 μL was aliquoted to 4 separate 7 mm tubes and capped. 4 aliquots each of EDC, NHS, and ethanolamine were thawed, vortexed briefly to mix and displace any air bubbles trapped on tube walls, and placed in Reagent Rack 2.
0.5 L of 1×HBS-P+(Assay Running Buffer) was prepared by diluting 50 mL HBS-P+ to 0.5 L with 450 mL Milli-Q® water in 1 L Pyrex bottle.
Preparation of instrument for assay. A 1 L bottle of Assay Running Buffer was attached to Buffer A line on BIAcore® T-100, an empty 2 L Pyrex bottle to BIAcore® T-100 waste line, and a 1 L Pyrex bottle filled with fresh 1 L Milli-Q® water to water line. A new CMS chip was docked into the instrument.
Capture antibody immobilization. In BIAcore® T-100 Control software, a new Wizard Template was opened and “Immobilization” was selected. Chip type was set to “CMS”. Method was set to “Amine”. Ligand blanks were filled in as “anti-human”. Contact time was set to 360 sec for each flow cell and flow rate 5 μL/min. Following completion of these steps, assay was run.
12A.f.2.ii. Binding Assay
Binding experiments were performed using a BIAcore™ T-100 instrument or a T-200 instrument. Running buffer used for the binding assay was HBS-P+/0.2% BSA. 7G6-HCzu25LCzu18 samples were diluted to 100 μg/mL, 100 μL final in Assay Running Buffer, then centrifuged at 18,000×g for 10 min in microcentrifuge at ambient temperature. Dilution to 1 μg/mL was done by removing 40 μL supernatant and diluting to 4.0 mL with Assay Running Buffer in labeled 5 mL tubes. 1 μg/mL antibody solutions were transferred to labeled 1.5 mL capless plastic vials and capped with type 3 caps. Vials were vortexed briefly to remove any air bubbles adhered to tube walls or bottom and placed in Sample and Reagent Rack 1. 200 μL 1 μg/mL solution of diluted reference standard antibody was transferred to a 7 mm plastic vial, capped, vortexed briefly to dislodge adhered air bubbles, and placed in Sample and Reagent Rack 1 (for chip conditioning cycles). Recombinant human wild-type 2N4R tau protein was diluted to 1 μM, 0.5 mL final in Assay Running Buffer (1 mg/mL stock is 21.7 μM). Sample was centrifuged at 18,000×g for 10 min in microcentrifuge at ambient temperature and diluted to 100 nM by removing 400 μL supernatant and diluting to 4.0 mL with Assay Running Buffer in a labeled 5 mL tube. 100 nM solution was serially diluted 3-fold by removing 1333 μL 100 nM solution and diluting in 2667 μL Assay Running Buffer to a final volume of 4.0 mL (33.3 μL). Serial dilution was repeated 6 times, for a total of 8 dilutions (100 nM, 33.3 nM, 11.1 nM, 3.70 nM, 1.23 nM, 0.41 nM, 0.14 nM, and 0.046 nM tau). A 0 nM Tau protein solution was prepared by adding 3 mL Assay Running Buffer to labeled 5 mL tube. Analyte dilutions were transferred to labeled 4 mL plastic vials and capped with type 5 caps, vortexed briefly to remove any air bubbles adhered to tube walls or bottom, and placed in Sample and Reagent Rack 1. For chip conditioning analyte sample, 5 μL of 1 μM Tau protein solution supernatant was removed and diluted to 500 μL in Assay Buffer in a 7 mm plastic vial, capped, vortexed briefly to dislodge adhered air bubbles, and placed in Sample and Reagent Rack 1. Humanized antibodies were captured on flow cells 2, 3, and 4 sequentially at a flow rate of 10 μL/min for a contact time of 36 sec. Dilutions of Tau protein were injected over all 4 flow cells at a flow rate of 30 μL/min for a contact time of 300 sec. Dissociation was followed for 1800 sec. Following each cycle, the surface was regenerated by two sequential injections of 30 sec at 30 μL/min of 3 M MgCl2 over all four flow cells. After the run, kinetic data fitting was performed using a 1:1 Langmuir model.
The affinity of recombinant human wild-type 2N4R Tau protein to 7G6-HCzu25LCzu18 antibody was determined using an antibody-capture format assay. Following capture of 7G6-HCzu25LCzu18 antibody, human Tau protein was injected over the ligand surface for 300 sec, followed by observation and measurement of dissociation for 1800 sec. After each antibody capture, Tau protein binding, and dissociation cycle, the chip surface was regenerated to the anti-human antibody capture surface using 3M MgCl2, as required by the manufacturer. Tau protein was analyzed in a concentration range from 100 nM to 0.046 nM (3-fold diluted). The assay was performed in multi-cycle mode, such that a dissociation was performed for each tau protein injection. Each ligand was analyzed on all three flow cells (fc2, fc3, and fc4) in triplicate, in order to eliminate any flow cell-specific effects.
Capture levels of each ligand on each flow cell (relative to fc1) were determined. These results are listed in Table 13:
Captured ligand average levels were all between 158 RU and 196 RU. Only slight differences were observed between flow cells within a given ligand.
Binding data was double-referenced, meaning referenced to both fc1 with no ligand bound and to buffer analyte injections (0 nM Tau protein). Binding data was fitted to a 1:1 Langmuir binding model. This model is appropriate for the assay format, as bivalency of the antibody and resulting avidity effects are not relevant in an antibody capture format. Affinity data for each ligand on individual flow cells was averaged and standard deviation determined. These results are listed in Table 14:
No significant differences in on rate, off-rate, or affinity were observed between the two 7G6-HCzu25LCzu18 drug substance lots and 7G6-HCzu25LCzu18 reference standard.
Fine epitope mapping was performed for 7G6-HCzu8-LCzu6 and 7G6-HCzu25-LCzu18 antibodies as described in Example 3.
The fluorescent images of the chips and resulting intensity plots show that the 7G6-HCzu8-LCzu6 (
Similar to murine 7G6, minor binding was observed at two additional sites: HQPGG (SEQ ID NO: 183) at amino acid positions 268 to 272 and HKPGG (SEQ ID NO: 182) at positions 330 to 334 for both 7G6-HCzu8-LCzu6 and 7G6-HCzu25-LCzu18 antibodies. Calculation of average signal intensities for peptides containing the HXPGG sequence (SEQ ID NO: 1136) demonstrated that the 7G6-HCzu8-LCzu6 human antibody showed a 108-fold or 104-fold preference in binding to the HVPGG site (SEQ ID NO: 79) normally contained within the second repeat region of full length 2N4R Tau compared to the HQPGG (SEQ ID NO: 183) (repeat region 1) or HKPGG (SEQ ID NO: 182) (repeat region 3) sequences, respectively. Similarly, a 99-fold or 95-fold preference in 7G6-HCzu8-LCzu6 binding to the HVPGG (SEQ ID NO: 79) site normally contained within the fourth repeat region of full length 2N4R Tau compared to the HQPGG (SEQ ID NO: 183) (repeat region 1) or HKPGG (SEQ ID NO: 182) (repeat region 3) sequences, respectively, was observed. Identical data analysis for 7G6-HCzu25-LCzu18 demonstrated a 65-fold or 100-fold preference in binding to the HVPGG (SEQ ID NO: 79) site normally contained within the second repeat region of full length 4R Tau compared to the HQPGG (SEQ ID NO: 183) (repeat region 1) or HKPGG (SEQ ID NO: 182) (repeat region 3) sequences, respectively. Likewise, a 77-fold or 119-fold preference in 7G6-HCzu25-LCzu18 binding to the HVPGG (SEQ ID NO: 79) site normally contained within the fourth repeat region of full length 4R Tau compared to the HQPGG (SEQ ID NO: 183) (repeat region 1) or HKPGG (SEQ ID NO: 182) (repeat region 3) sequences, respectively, was observed.
Epitope substitution scanning was performed for 7G6-HCzu8-LCzu6 and 7G6-HCzu25-LCzu18 antibodies as described in Example 4.
The substitution scanning showed that of the 1HVPGG5 (SEQ ID NO: 79) sequence, both 7G6-HCzu8-LCzu6 and 7G6-HCzu25-LCzu18 antibodies require the 1H, 3P and 4G residues with some substitution tolerability at 2V for peptide binding. These findings were similar to those observed for the murine 7G6 antibody (see Example 4). Some tolerability for substitution was also observed at the second glycine residue (5G) of the 1HVPGG5 (SEQ ID NO: 79) sequence in this case. However, this residue was still able to exert considerable influence over the binding of 7G6-HCzu25-LCzu18 and 7G6-HCzu8-LCzu6 antibodies to the longer wild type peptide sequence. Together with Example 13, these results indicate that the HVPGG (SEQ ID NO: 79) sequence facilitates efficient binding of 7G6, 7G6-HCzu25-LCzu18 and 7G6-HCzu8-LCzu6 antibodies to 2N4R Tau at positions 299 to 303 and 362 to 366 within the second and fourth repeats, respectively.
To determine whether 7G6-HCzu25-LCzu18 antibody could inhibit Tau aggregation in vitro, the antibody was tested in the assay described in Example 5 using the wild type Tau protein with minor modifications. The only difference was the control IgG used in this case was a human IgG1 antibody (BioXCell, catalogue number BE0297).
In this assay, 7G6-HCzu25-LCzu18 antibody was tested over a time course of several days.
To confirm the humanized 7G6-HCzu25-LCzu18 antibody was comparable to the murine 7G6 antibody at inhibiting Tau aggregation in vitro, both antibodies were compared in the same in vitro Tau aggregation assay. The conditions used were identical to those in Experiment 1 of this Example with the exception that the same mouse IgG2b control antibody was used that was described in Example 5.
When both murine antibody 7G6 and humanized antibody 7G6-HCzu25-LCzu18 were tested according to the assay conditions provided in Example 5, both antibodies effectively inhibited Tau aggregation in vitro. As shown in
To determine whether immunodepletion of Tau seeds from cell culture medium could prevent further Tau aggregation within cells, the same HEK293 assay system as described in Example 6 was used. In this case however, a potent truncated form of Tau (K18) fibrils were used as Tau seeds rather than full length protein as described previously. The K18 fragment has been studied extensively and is normally expressed recombinantly as residues 244 to 372 of the full length 2N4R Tau protein. This fragment encodes the microtubule binding region of Tau and has been reported to be more aggregate-prone than the full length protein (Shammas et al., Nature Comms., 6, Article number: 7025 (2015)) as well as having the ability to form potent seeds in cell-based assays (Kfoury et al., 2012, J. Biol. Chem., 287: 19440-19451).
Preparation of K18 fibrils. Recombinant human Tau-441 (244-372; “K18”) (SignalChem) was dissolved in ultrapure water. Fibrils were generated by mixing together final concentrations of 40 μmol/L K18 protein, 100 mmol/L sodium acetate (pH 7), 2 mmol/L DTT and 240 μg/mL heparin. Reactions were agitated for three days at 37° C. Following incubation, the solution was centrifuged at 135,000 g for 20 minutes at room temperature. The supernatant was discarded, and the pellet was resuspended in 100 mmol/L sodium acetate (pH 7). Aggregated protein was sonicated briefly and then diluted with D-PBS (−) to a concentration of μg/mL and stored at −80° C.
Preparation of immunodepleted and immunoprecipitated samples. Immunoprecipitation of the prepared K18 fibrils was performed using the Immunoprecipitation Dynabeads® Protein G kit (Thermofisher Scientific, catalogue number 10007D) as per the manufacturer's instructions. Briefly, each immunoprecipitation used 1.5 mg of Dynabeads bound to either 3 or 0.3 μg of 7G6-HCzu25-LCzu18 antibody. Vehicle (no antibody) or 3 μg of commercially available human IgG1 antibody (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.; catalog number HCA192) were included as controls. Antibody-bound (or vehicle-treated) beads were resuspended in 170 μL of buffer containing 0.2% BSA. The K18 fibril solution was then thawed, diluted to 10 μg/mL in PBS, and added to the antibody-bound beads to give a final volume of 200 μL (containing 300 ng of K18 total). This gave final concentrations of either 15 or 1.5 μg/mL of antibody in each immunoprecipitation reaction. Beads were incubated with the K18 fibrils for 20 minutes at room temperature with rotation and non-bound material was retained as the immunodepleted (ID) sample. Antibody-bound material was eluted in 20 μL of the buffer provided in the kit and also retained to provide the immunoprecipitated (IP) samples.
Cell-based assay. Polyethylenimine (PEI) solution was diluted in purified water to a final concentration of 0.1% and then used to coat a 96-well tissue culture plate at 37° C. for at least one night. Plates were then washed twice with water before adding 150 μl of Dulbecco's modified Eagle's Medium (D-MEM) containing 10% fetal bovine serum and 1% penicillin/Streptomycin (“DMEM (+FBS, P/S)”) medium to each well prior to conducting the assay.
Lenti-X 293T (Takar Bio Inc.) cells routinely maintained in D-MEM (+FBS, P/S) at 37° C. with 5% CO2 were transfected in suspension in the same media without antibiotics prior to Tau seed addition. For transfection, 7 μg of pcDNA3.1(+) (Invitrogen) mammalian expression vector containing cDNA encoding the mutant P301S 0N4R Tau isoform was mixed with LTX and Plus™ Reagent (Life Technologies, catalog number 15228-100) as per the manufacturer's recommendation. The resulting mixture was incubated for at least 25 minutes at room temperature before adding directly to a suspension of 6.0×106 Lenti-X 293T cells at a density of 1.0×105 cells/mL. Media was removed from the precoated plate and the treated cell suspension was dispensed at 150 μL per well (1.5×104 cells/well) and incubated for 19 hours at 37° C. in a 5% CO2 atmosphere.
Once thawed on ice, 30 lit of each ID sample was diluted into 420 μL of Opti-MEM® I Reduced-Serum Medium (ThermoFisher Scientific, catalog number 31985-062). For IP samples, solutions were also thawed on ice and 2 μL of each was diluted into 50 lit of Opti-MEM® I Reduced-Serum Medium. Then 2.5 μL of P3000 (Thermofisher Scientific, catalog number L3000-008) was added. In a separate tube, 22 μL of Lipofectamine® 3000 (Thermofisher Scientific, catalog number L3000-008) was diluted into 550 μL Opti-MEM® I Reduced-Serum Medium. Then, 52 μL of the diluted Lipofectamine 3000 solution was added to each IP sample containing the P3000 reagent.
Plated cells were washed twice and left in 75 μL of Opti-MEM® I Reduced-Serum Medium (ThermoFisher Scientific). An equal volume of diluted ID or IP sample as described above was added to each well and incubated for 44 hours at 37° C. in a 5% CO2 atmosphere. The experiment was performed in quadruplicate.
Immunocytochemistry. After two days of incubation, cells were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde for 30 minutes at room temperature. Each well was washed 3 times with 100 lit of purified water and then left in 70 μL of Permeabilization/Blocking/DAPI staining buffer (Triton X-100 solution (final concentration: 0.2%) and Cellstain® DAPI solution (final concentration: 0.1%; Dojindo) diluted in 5% BSA in TBS) was added to each well. The plate was covered and incubated for 30 minutes at room temperature with protection from light. After incubation, Permeabilization/Blocking/DAPI staining buffer was removed, and 804 Thioflavin S (ThS) staining buffer (Thioflavin S dissolved in 50% Ethanol to a final concentration of was added to each well and incubated for 40 minutes at room temperature. Then, each well was washed twice with 50% ethanol and replaced with 250 μL of purified water.
Imaging assay. Fluorescence images of each well were obtained by an InCell® Analyzer 2200 (GE Healthcare) (ThS: Excitation [Ex]/Emission [Em]=475/511 nm, DAPI: Ex/Em=390/435 nm). Numbers of ThS and DAPI positive signal in each well were then analyzed using the InCell Developer Software (GE Healthcare).
Data Analysis. The ThS positive rate was calculated using the following formula:
Then, the seeding effect of ID or IP samples were calculated using the following formulas (Software: TIBCO Spotfire):
Tau seed was generated by mixing recombinant human 2N4R P301S Tau (40 μmol/L) and heparin (240 μg/mL), followed by an incubation step at 37° C. for 48 to 96 hours in 100 mmol/L sodium acetate, pH7.0, containing 2 mmol/L Dithiothreitol (DTT). Aggregated Tau was collected by ultracentrifugation and resuspended in 100 mmol/L sodium acetate, pH7.0. The resulting fibrils were sonicated and used as seeds for injection.
3 μL of Tau seed (1.5 mg/mL) or non-seed (100 mmol/L sodium acetate, pH7.0) was stereotaxically injected into left hippocampus (A: +2.5, L: 2.0, V: 1.5) (Franklin and Paxinos, The Mouse Brain in Stereotaxic Coordinates Third Edition 2007, Elsevier USA) of 3-to 4-month-old Mouse/Thy-1hTau.P301S (CBA.C57BL/6) mice [homozygous human P301S Tau transgenic mouse (C57BL/6) generated previously (Allen et al., J Neurosci. 2002; 22:9340-51)] using an UltraMicroPump III and Micro4 Controller (World Precision Instruments) at 0.5 μL/min for 6 minutes. Mice were randomly divided into groups as shown in Table 15. Anti-human Tau mouse IgG2b monoclonal antibody, clone 7G6 or mouse IgG2b isotype control antibody (clone MPC11, BioXCell) in formulation buffer (25 mmol/L Sodium phosphate, 0.15 mol/L NaCl, pH6.5)) were administered introperitoneally to reach a dose of 40 mg/kg in the groups that had received seed. The same formulation buffer was administered to the non-seed group. Dosing was performed 6-16 hours before, and 1 and 2 weeks after Tau seed injection (total 3 times). The administration volume (10 mL/kg) was calculated from the body weight before administration.
All mice were deeply anesthetized with a combination anesthetic (M/M/B: prepared with 0.9 mg/kg of medetomidine, 12.0 mg/kg of midazolam, and 15 mg/kg of butorphanol), and plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were collected. Then, the cortex and hippocampus from both sides (ipsilateral and contralateral) were separately dissected following intracardiac perfusion with saline. Brain tissues were immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at −80° C.
Dissected brain tissues were homogenized in 19 volumes (tissue weight/volume) of extraction buffer (“RIPA buffer”) containing 50 mmol/L Tris-HCl (pH7.5) (Invitrogen), 5 mmol/L EDTA (Nippon Gene), 1 mmol/L EGTA (Nacalai Tesque), 1% NP-40 Alternative (EMD Millipore), 0.25% Sodium Deoxycholate (Bio world), 0.1 mol/L NaCl, 0.5 mmol/L PMSF (Sigma Aldrich), 1× PhosSTOP™ (Roche), and 1× Complete EDTA(−) (Roche). Homogenates were centrifuged at 163,000 g at 4° C. for 20 minutes and the pellet was resuspended in 10 volumes (tissue weight/volume) of buffer containing 10 mmol/L Tris-HCl (pH7.5), 0.5 mol/L NaCl, 1 mmol/L EGTA, 10% sucrose (Wako Pure Chemical), and 1% sarkosyl prior to sonication. Sarkosyl-treated samples were incubated at 37° C. for 60 minutes, and then centrifuged at 163,000 g at 4° C. for a further 20 minutes. Finally, 10 volumes of PBS (Gibco) was added to the pellet which was subsequently sonicated. This formed the sarkosyl-insoluble fraction.
The amount of Tau protein in the sarkosyl-insoluble fraction was quantified by Western blot analysis. Sarkosyl-insoluble fractions were solubilized in NuPAGE™ LDS sample buffer (Novex) and NuPAGE™ sample reducing agent (Invitrogen), heated at 80° C. for 10 minutes, and separated using 12.5% polyacrylamide gels (DRC). Proteins were transferred to 0.2 μm PVDF membranes (Bio-Rad) and blots were blocked in 2.5% skimmed milk (Yukijirushi) in TBS (Takara) containing 0.05% Tween (Nacalai tesque) for 1 hour at room temperature. After blocking, blots were probed with the human-specific monoclonal anti-Tau antibody HT7 (1:1000, Thermo Fisher Scientific) in blocking buffer for 1 hour at room temperature. The blots were washed in TB S-T for 30 minutes and then incubated with HRP-conjugated anti-mouse IgG (1:2000, GE healthcare) for a further 1 hour at room temperature. Secondary antibody was removed and blots were washed as described above. Tau proteins were detected by chemiluminescent horseradish peroxidase (HRP) substrate (Merck Millipore) and quantified using the Fusion FX and FusionCapt version 16.15 (Vilber-Lourmat, France). To determine the amount of Tau, serial dilutions of Tau standards derived from the originating sarkosyl-insoluble fraction of P301S spinal cord (1, 2, 5, 10, 20 Arbitrary Unit [AU], 1 AU is equivalent to the band density of human Tau protein detected by HT7 antibody in sarkosyl insoluble fraction from 7 μg of spinal cord) were loaded onto each gel. The data calculated as less than 1 AU (detection limit) was expressed as 0.5 AU.
Data are expressed as the mean±SEM. The differences in sarkosyl-insoluble Tau between the Non-seed, control IgG-treated and 7G6-treated groups were analyzed by 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Fisher's LSD test. A value of P<0.05 (two sided) was considered statistically significant. Statistical analyses were performed using the GraphPad Prism version 7.02 (GraphPad Software).
Results
The effect of 7G6 on sarkosyl-insoluble Tau induced by intra-hippocampal Tau seed injection was examined in both ipsilateral (injection side) and contralateral cortex and hippocampus, separately. As shown in
Male cynomolgus monkeys were treated with vehicle or 7G6-HCzu25-LCzu18 antibody (10, 30, and 100 mg/kg: 3 animals/dose) by intermittent intravenous administration once weekly for 4 weeks. MTBR-Tau (any isoform of full length or truncated Tau containing the MTBR) bound to 7G6-HCzu25-LCzu18 antibody (“Bound MTBR-Tau”) and unbound form (“Free MTBR-Tau”) in the cerebrospinal fluid (“CSF”) collected from each monkey were separated by a Protein A column and analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC/MS). LC/MS analysis was performed using UltiMate™ 3000 Nano LC system coupled to Orbitrap Fusion™ Lumos™ Tribrid™ mass spectrometer (Thermo Fisher Scientific, San Jose, CA) with needle column (3 μm C18 particle, 150 mm length, 100 μm inner diameter). A spray voltage of 2000 V was applied through a metallic tee connector. The flow rate was 500 nL/min. The mobile phases consisted of (A) 0.5% acetic acid in 4% acetonitrile and (B) 0.5% acetic acid in 80% acetonitrile and a multi-step linear gradient of 1% to 1% B for min, 1% to 37% B for 15 min, 37% to 68% B for 5 min, 68% to 99% B for 1 min and 99% to 99% B for 4 min was employed to elute the analyte and then equilibrated by the initial condition, 1% B. A specific peptide containing 7G6-HCzu25-LCzu18 antibody epitope was measured by LC/MS as a proxy of MTBR-Tau. The amount of MTBR-Tau was expressed as the chromatographic peak area ratio of the specified peptide (Light) and its internal standard (Heavy), isotope-labelled peptide.
As shown in
7G6-HCzu25-LCzu18 antibody was also spiked into human CSF at 10, 100, 500, 1000 or 2000 ng/mL. Then, MTBR-Tau bound by 7G6-HCzu25-LCzu18 was assayed by liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC/MS) in the same way as described above. As shown in
Preparation of labelled Tau monomers and fibrils. Wild type recombinant full length human 2N4R Tau aggregates were prepared from monomers as described for the P301S protein in Example 17. Prior to labelling, aggregates were sonicated to generate the fibrils used in the assay. Both Tau fibrils and monomers were fluorescently labelled using the DyLight™ 488 NETS-Ester kit (ThermoFisherScientific, Cat #46403) according to the manufacturer's instructions with minor differences between the two forms of protein: 150 μl of Tau monomer (100 μM) was mixed with 100 μL of DyLight NETS Ester solution whereas 300 μl of Tau-441 fibril (587 μg/mL) was mixed with 66 μl of DyLight NETS Ester solution. Labelling was performed at room temperature for one hour. Excess unconjugated dye was removed with Pierce™ Dye Removal Columns (ThermoFisherScientific, Cat #22858, lot #SL260099) according to the manufacturer's protocol using 125 μl of labelled Tau monomer or 122 μL of labelled fibrils. Final concentrations of labelled Tau monomers and fibrils were measured by bicinchoninic acid assay (BCA) assay, and stored at −80° C.
Cell-based assay. Frozen CHO cells stably expressing CD32a (Fc gamma RITA) were thawed rapidly in a 37° C. water bath, and placed into CHO medium (RPMI 1640 Medium with 10% fetal bovine serum, L-Glutamine, Non-Essential Amino Acids, Sodium Pyruvate, and penicillin/Streptomycin). Cells were seeded at 1×104 cells/well (100 μl/well) in a 96-well assay plate (Costar, catalog no. 3603) and incubated for 24 hours at 37° C. in 5% CO2 atmosphere. Labelled Tau monomers and fibrils were thawed on ice and diluted to concentrations of 1.5 μg/mL or 0.5 μg/mL respectively in assay buffer (RPMI 1640 media) (GIBCO, catalog no. 21875-034). Then, in a total volume of 60 μL, 7G6-HCzu25-LCzu18 antibody (final concentrations: 0.3 or 3 μg/mL), human IgG1 isotype control (BioXcell, catalog no. BE0297) (final concentration: 3 μg/mL) or vehicle (25 mM sodium phosphate buffer, pH 6.5, containing 150 mM NaCl) were added to either form of the protein and incubated at room temperature for one hour protected from light. CHO medium was removed from the plates and cells were pre-treated with 90 IA of assay buffer or a polyclonal antibody Fc receptor binding inhibitor (ThermoFisher Scientific, catalog no. 16-9161-71) diluted to 100 μg/mL also in assay buffer. Cells were then incubated for 30 min at 37° C. in 5% CO2 atmosphere. Next, relevant wells received 104 of labelled Tau monomer or Tau fibril mixtures with or without antibody and plates were incubated for a further 60 minutes again at 37° C. in a 5% CO2 atmosphere. Each treatment was performed in quintuplicate wells. Six independent experiments were performed for Tau monomer uptake assays and five independent experiments were completed to measure Tau fibril uptake.
Cell fixation and staining. Following the final incubation period, cells were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde for 30 min at room temperature. Each well was then washed with 100 μL of water and replaced by 70 μL of Hoechst staining buffer (Triton X-100 solution (final concentration: 0.2%) and Hoechst solution (final concentration: 0.02%)). The plate was covered and incubated for 30 minutes at room temperature with protection from light. The staining buffer was then removed and each well was washed twice more with 100 lit of water.
Cell imaging. Fluorescence images of each well were obtained using a Cellomics high content imaging system (ThermoFisherScientific). The total intensity of labelled Tau and the number of Hoechst positive cells in each well were recorded and analysed using the Thermo Scientific HCS Studio (ThermoFisherScientific) software.
Data Analysis. The mean of total intensity of Tau signal per cell was measured and the Tau uptake effect was calculated using the following formulas in the TIBCO spotfire software program:
Tau uptake effect (% of control)=T1/C1×100, where
Statistical Analysis. Data are expressed as the mean±SEM. Statistical analyses were performed using ONE-Way ANOVA test in the GraphPad Prism version 7.02 (GraphPad Software) **** p<0.0001, ** p<0.01, * p<0.05.
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 17/030,655, filed Sep. 24, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/161,586, filed Oct. 16, 2018, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,829,547, which claims the benefit of U.S. Application No. 62/572,910, filed Oct. 16, 2017; U.S. Application No. 62/577,011, filed Oct. 25, 2017; and U.S. Application No. 62/697,034, filed Jul. 12, 2018. Each of these applications is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. This application also is related to U.S. application Ser. No. 16/217,360, filed Dec. 12, 2018, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,358,485.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62572910 | Oct 2017 | US | |
| 62577011 | Oct 2017 | US | |
| 62697034 | Jul 2018 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 17030655 | Sep 2020 | US |
| Child | 18149905 | US | |
| Parent | 16161586 | Oct 2018 | US |
| Child | 17030655 | US |
