Patent Application
20080254020
Generally, the invention relates to compounds that exhibit improved bioefficacy in multidose administration. More specifically, the invention relates to polypeptides or peptides modified to include an antibody Fc region and one or more water soluble polymers.
Recombinant proteins are an emerging class of therapeutic agents. Such recombinant therapeutics have engendered advances in protein formulation and chemical modification. Modifications have been identified that can protect therapeutic proteins, primarily by blocking their exposure to proteolytic enzymes. Protein modifications may also increase the therapeutic protein's stability, circulation time, and biological activity. A review article describing protein modification and fusion proteins is Francis (1992), Focus on Growth Factors 3:4-10 (Mediscript, London), which is hereby incorporated by reference.
One useful modification is combination of a polypeptide with an “Fc” domain of an antibody. Antibodies comprise two functionally independent parts, a variable domain known as “Fab,” which binds antigen, and a constant domain known as “Fc,” which links to such effector functions as complement activation and attack by phagocytic cells. An Fc has a long serum half-life, whereas an Fab is short-lived. Capon et al. (1989), Nature 337: 525-31. When constructed together with a therapeutic protein, an Fc domain can provide longer half-life or incorporate such functions as Fc receptor binding, protein A binding, complement fixation and perhaps even placental transfer. Id. Table 1 summarizes use of Fc fusions known in the art.
Polyethylene glycol (“PEG”) fusion proteins and peptides have also been studied for use in pharmaceuticals, on artificial implants, and other applications where biocompatibility is of importance. Various derivatives of PEG have been proposed that have an active moiety for permitting PEG to be attached to pharmaceuticals and implants and to molecules and surfaces generally. For example, PEG derivatives have been proposed for coupling PEG to surfaces to control wetting, static buildup, and attachment of other types of molecules to the surface, including proteins or protein residues.
In other studies, coupling of PEG (“PEGylation”) has been shown to be desirable in overcoming obstacles encountered in clinical use of biologically active molecules. Published PCT Publication No. WO 92/16221 states, for example, that many potentially therapeutic proteins have been found to have a short half life in blood serum.
PEGylation decreases the rate of clearance from the bloodstream by increasing the apparent molecular weight of the molecule. Up to a certain size, the rate of glomerular filtration of proteins is inversely proportional to the size of the protein. The ability of PEGylation to decrease clearance, therefore, is generally not a function of how many PEG groups are attached to the protein, but the overall molecular weight of the altered protein. Decreased clearance can lead to increased efficacy over the non-PEGylated material. See, for example, Conforti et al., Pharm. Research Commun. vol. 19, pg. 287 (1987) and Katre et., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. vol. 84, pg. 1487 (1987).
In addition, PEGylation can decrease protein aggregation, (Suzuki et al., Biochem. Biophys. Acta vol. 788, pg. 248 (1984)), alter protein immunogenicity (Abuchowski et al., J. Biol. Chem. vol. 252 pg. 3582 (1977)), and increase protein solubility as described, for example, in PCT Publication No. WO 92/16221.
PEGylation of proteins illustrates some of the problems that have been encountered in attaching PEG to surfaces and molecules. The vast majority of PEGylating reagents react with free primary amino groups of the polypeptide. Most of these free amines are the epsilon amino group of lysine amino acid residues. Typical proteins possess a large number of lysines. Consequently, random attachment of multiple PEG molecules often occurs leading to loss of protein activity.
In addition, if the PEGylated protein is intended for therapeutic use, the multiple species mixture that results from the use of non-specific PEGylation leads to difficulties in the preparation of a product with reproducible and characterizable properties. This non-specific PEGylation makes it difficult to evaluate therapeutics and to establish efficacy and dosing information. Site selective PEGylation of such proteins, however, leads to reproducibly-modified materials that gain the desirable attributes of PEGylation without the loss of activity.
A variety of means have been used to attach the polyethylene glycol molecules to the protein. Amino groups, such as those on lysine residues or at the N-terminus, are convenient for such attachment. For example, Royer (U.S. Pat. No. 4,002,531, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety) states that reductive alkylation was used for attachment of polyethylene glycol molecules to an enzyme. EP 0 539 167 (incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), published Apr. 28, 1993, Wright, “Peg Imidates and Protein Derivates Thereof” states that peptides and organic compounds with free amino group(s) are modified with a derivative of PEG or related water-soluble organic polymers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,904,584 (incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), Shaw, issued Feb. 27, 1990, relates to the modification of lysine residues in proteins for the attachment of polyethylene glycol molecules via reactive amine groups. An increasing number of therapeutic proteins modified in the manner described above to include PEG have been previously described. See also, for example, European patent application publications EP 0 401 384; EP 0473 268; EP 0 335 423; EP 0 442 724; EP 0 154 316, each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Other methods for attaching a polymer to a protein involve using a moiety to act as a linking group. Such moieties may, however, be antigenic. A tresyl chloride method involving no linking group is available, but this method may be difficult to use to produce therapeutic products as the use of tresyl chloride may produce toxic by-products. See Francis et al., In: Stability of protein pharmaceuticals: in vivo pathways of degradation and strategies for protein stabilization (Eds. Ahern., T. and Manning, M. C.) Plenum, N.Y., 1991) and Delgado et al., “Coupling of PEG to Protein By Activation With Tresyl Chloride, Applications In Immunoaffinity Cell Preparation”, In: Fisher et al., eds., Separations Using Aqueous Phase Systems, Applications In Cell Biology and Biotechnology, Plenum Press, N.Y. N.Y., 1989 pp. 211-213, each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
In general, the interaction of a protein ligand with its receptor often takes place at a relatively large interface. However, as demonstrated in the case of human growth hormone bound to its receptor, only a few key residues at the interface actually contribute to most of the binding energy. Clackson, T. et al., Science 267:383-386 (1995). This observation and the fact that the bulk of the remaining protein ligand serves only to display the binding epitopes in the right topology makes it possible to find active ligands of much smaller size. Thus, molecules of only “peptide” length (2 to 40 amino acids) can bind to the receptor protein of a given large protein ligand. Such peptides may mimic the bioactivity of the large protein ligand (“peptide agonists”) or, through competitive binding, inhibit the bioactivity of the large protein ligand (“peptide antagonists”).
Phage display peptide libraries have emerged as a powerful method in identifying such peptide agonists and antagonists. See, for example, Scott et al. (1990), Science 249: 386; Devlin et al. (1990), Science 249: 404; U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,409, issued Jun. 29, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 5,733,731, issued Mar. 31, 1998; U.S. Pat. No. 5,498,530, issued Mar. 12, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,432,018, issued Jul. 11, 1995; U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,665, issued Aug. 16, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 5,922,545, issued Jul. 13, 1999; WO 96/40987, published Dec. 19, 1996; and WO 98/15833, published Apr. 16, 1998, each of which is incorporated by reference. In such libraries, random peptide sequences are displayed by fusion with coat proteins of filamentous phage. Typically, the displayed peptides are affinity-eluted against an antibody-immobilized extracellular domain of a receptor. The retained phages may be enriched by successive rounds of affinity purification and repropagation, and the best binding peptides are sequenced to identify key residues within one or more structurally related families of peptides. See, e.g., Cwirla et al. (1997), Science 276: 1696-9, in which two distinct families were identified. The peptide sequences may also suggest which residues may be safely replaced by alanine scanning or by mutagenesis at the DNA level. Mutagenesis libraries may be created and screened to further optimize the sequence of the best binders. Lowman (1997), Ann. Rev. Biophys. Biomol. Struct. 26: 401-24.
Other methods compete with phage display in peptide research. A peptide library can be fused to the carboxyl terminus of the lac repressor and expressed in E. coli. Another E. coli-based method allows display on the cell's outer membrane by fusion with a peptidoglycan-associated lipoprotein (PAL). These and related methods are collectively referred to as “E. coli display.” Another biological approach to screening soluble peptide mixtures uses yeast for expression and secretion. See Smith et al. (1993), Mol. Pharmacol. 43: 741-8. The method of Smith et al. and related methods are referred to as “yeast-based screening.” In another method, translation of random RNA is halted prior to ribosome release, resulting in a library of polypeptides with their associated RNA still attached. This and related methods are collectively referred to as “ribosome display.” Other methods employ chemical linkage of peptides to RNA; see, for example, Roberts & Szostak (1997), Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 94: 12297-303. This and related methods are collectively referred to as “RNA-peptide screening.” Chemically derived peptide libraries have been developed in which peptides are immobilized on stable, non-biological materials, such as polyethylene rods or solvent-permeable resins. Another chemically derived peptide library uses photolithography to scan peptides immobilized on glass slides. These and related methods are collectively referred to as “chemical-peptide screening.” Chemical-peptide screening may be advantageous in that it allows use of D-amino acids and other unnatural analogues, as well as non-peptide elements. Both biological and chemical methods are reviewed in Wells & Lowman (1992), Curr. Opin. Biotechnol. 3: 355-62.
In the case of known bioactive peptides, rational design of peptide ligands with favorable therapeutic properties can be carried out. In such an approach, stepwise changes are made to a peptide sequence and the effect of the substitution upon bioactivity or a predictive biophysical property of the peptide (e.g., solution structure) is determined. These techniques are collectively referred to as “rational design.” In one such technique, a series of peptides is made in which a single residue at a time is replaced with alanine. This technique is commonly referred to as an “alanine walk” or an “alanine scan.” When two residues (contiguous or spaced apart) are replaced, it is referred to as a “double alanine walk.” The resultant amino acid substitutions can be used alone or in combination to result in a new peptide entity with favorable therapeutic properties.
Structural analysis of protein-protein interaction may also be used to suggest peptides that mimic the binding activity of large protein ligands. In such an analysis, the crystal structure may suggest the identity and relative orientation of critical residues of the large protein ligand, from which a peptide may be designed. See, e.g., Takasaki et al. (1997), Nature Biotech. 15: 1266-70. These and related methods are referred to as “protein structural analysis.” These analytical methods may also be used to investigate the interaction between a receptor protein and peptides selected by phage display, which may suggest further modification of the peptides to increase binding affinity.
Conceptually, peptide mimetics of any protein can be identified using phage display and the other methods mentioned above. These methods have also been used for epitope mapping, for identification of critical amino acids in protein-protein interactions, and as leads for the discovery of new therapeutic agents. E.g., Cortese et al. (1996), Curr. Opin. Biotech. 7: 616-21. Peptide libraries are now being used most often in immunological studies, such as epitope mapping. Kreeger (1996), The Scientist 10(13): 19-20.
Of particular interest is use of peptide libraries and other techniques in the discovery of pharmacologically active peptides. A number of such peptides identified in the art are summarized in Table 2. The peptides are described in the listed publications, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference. The pharmacologic activity of the peptides is described, and in many instances is followed by a shorthand term therefor in parentheses. Some of these peptides have been modified (e.g., to form C-terminally cross-linked dimers). Typically, peptide libraries were screened for binding to a receptor for a pharmacologically active protein (e.g., EPO receptor). In at least one instance (CTLA4), the peptide library was screened for binding to a monoclonal antibody.
1The protein listed in this column may be bound by the associated peptide (e.g., EPO receptor, IL-1 receptor) or mimicked by the associated peptide. The references listed for each clarify whether the molecule is bound by or mimicked by the peptides.
Peptides identified by peptide library screening have been regarded as “leads” in development of therapeutic agents rather than being used as therapeutic agents themselves. Like other proteins and peptides, they would be rapidly removed in vivo either by renal filtration, cellular clearance mechanisms in the reticuloendothelial system, or proteolytic degradation. Francis (1992), Focus on Growth Factors 3: 4-11. As a result, the art presently uses the identified peptides to validate drug targets or as scaffolds for design of organic compounds that might not have been as easily or as quickly identified through chemical library screening. Lowman (1997), Ann. Rev. Biophys. Biomol. Struct. 26: 401-24; Kay et al. (1998), Drug Disc. Today 3: 370-8.
In spite of the availability of recombinant therapeutic proteins, previously identified peptide mimetic, and modifications thereof, there thus remains a need in the art to provide additional compounds that have improved bioefficacy, particularly when administered in a multidose regimen.
The present invention relates to polypeptides or peptides modified to include an antibody Fc region and one or more water soluble polymers.
In one aspect, a substantially homogenous compound is provided comprising a structure set out in Formula I,
[(X1)a—F1—(X2)b]-(L1)c-WSPd Formula I
wherein:
F1 is a vehicle;
X1 is selected from
X2 is selected from:
wherein P1, P2, P3, and P4 are each independently sequences of pharmacologically active peptides;
L1, L2, L3, L4, and L5 are each independently linkers;
a, b, c, e, f, g, and h are each independently 0 or 1,
d is at least 1; and WSP is a water soluble polymer, the attachment of which is effected at any reactive moiety in F1;
said compound having a property of improved bioefficacy when administered in a multidose regimen. In one aspect, the compound a multimer, and in another aspect, the compound is a dimer.
In one embodiment, the invention provides a compound of Formula I comprising a structure set out in Formula II
[X1—F1]-(L1)c-WSPd Formula II
wherein F1 is an Fc domain and is attached at the C-terminus of X1, and one or more WSP is attached to the Fc domain, optionally through linker L1. Compounds having this structure are provided as a multimer in one aspect and a dimer in another aspect.
In another embodiment, the invention provides a compound of Formula I comprising a structure set out in Formula III
[F1—X2]-(L1)c-WSPd Formula III
wherein F1 is an Fc domain and is attached at the N-terminus of X2, and one or more WSP is attached to the Fc domain, optionally through linker L1. Multimers and dimers of a compound having this structure are also provided.
The invention also provides a compound of Formula I comprising a structure set out in Formula IV
[F1-(L1)e-P1]-(L1)c-WSPd Formula IV
wherein F1 is an Fc domain and is attached at the N-terminus of -(L1)c-P1 and one or more WSP is attached to the Fc domain, optionally through linker L1. Multimers and dimers of a compound having this structure are also provided.
The invention further contemplates a compound of Formula I comprising a structure set out in Formula V
[F1-(L1)e-P1-(L2)f-P2]-(L1)c-WSPd Formula V
wherein F1 is an Fc domain and is attached at the N-terminus of -L1-P1-L2-P2 and one or more WSP is attached to the Fc domain, optionally through linker L1. Multimers and dimers of a compound having this structure are also provided.
In one aspect, a compound of the invention is provided as described above wherein P1 and/or P2 are independently selected from a peptide set out in any one of Tables 4 through 20. In one aspect, P1 and/or P2 have the same amino acid sequence.
In another aspect, a compound of the invention is provided as described above wherein F1 is an Fc domain. In another aspect, a compound of the invention is provided wherein WSP is PEG. In yet another aspect, a compound as described above is provided wherein F1 is an Fc domain and WSP is PEG.
In another embodiment, a substantially homogenous compound is provided comprising the structure:
wherein WSP is a water soluble polymer, said compound having a property of binding to c-Mpl and stimulating platelet production, said compound having a property of improved bioefficacy in multidose administration. Multimers and dimers of a compound having this structure are also contemplated.
In another embodiment, a substantially homogenous compound is provided comprising the structure:
said compound having a property of binding to c-Mpl and stimulating platelet production, said compound having a property of improved bioefficacy in multidose administration. Multimers and dimers of a compound having this structure are contemplated.
In one aspect, the PEG component of a compound of the invention has a molecular weight of between about 2 kDa and 100 kDa. In another aspect, the PEG component of a compound of the invention has a molecular weight of between about 6 kDa and 25 kDa.
The invention further provides a composition comprising a compound of the invention wherein the composition comprises at least 50% PEGylated compound. In another aspect, the composition of the invention comprises at least 75% PEGylated compound, at least 85% PEGylated compound, at least 90% PEGylated compound, at least 95% PEGylated compound, and at least 99% PEGylated compound.
In one embodiment, the invention also provides a substantially homogenous compound having the structure:
wherein PEG has a molecule weight of about 20 kD, said compound of SEQ ID NO: 2 being a dimer and having a property of binding to c-Mpl and stimulating platelet production, and said compound having a property of improved bioefficacy in multidose administration.
The invention further provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising: (a) a substantially homogenous compound having the structure:
wherein PEG has a molecule weight of about 20 kD, (b) at least 95% diPEGylated compound; and (c) a pharmaceutically acceptable diluent, adjuvant or carrier, said composition having a property of improved bioefficacy in multidose administration.
In one embodiment, a pharmaceutical composition is provided comprising: (a) a substantially homogenous compound having the structure:
wherein PEG has a molecule weight of about 20 kD and the compound of SEQ ID NO: 2 is a dimer, (b) at least 95% diPEGylated compound; and (c) a pharmaceutically acceptable diluent, adjuvant or carrier, said composition having a property of improved bioefficacy in multidose administration.
The invention also provide a method of treating a hematopoietic disorder comprising administering a compound or composition of the invention in a regimen effective to treat said disorder.
Numerous other aspects and advantages of the present invention will therefore be apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description thereof, reference being made to the drawing wherein:
The term “comprising” means that a compound may include additional amino acids on either or both of the N- or C-termini of the given sequence. Of course, these additional amino acids should not significantly interfere with the activity of the compound.
“Substantially homogenous” as used herein with reference to a preparation of the invention means that the preparation includes a single species of a therapeutic compound detectable in the preparation of total therapeutic molecules in the preparation, unless otherwise stated at a specific percentage of total therapeutic molecules. In general, a substantially homogenous preparation is homogenous enough to display the advantages of a homogenous preparation, e.g., ease in clinical application in predictability of lot to lot pharmacokinetics.
“Bioefficacy” refers to the capacity to produce a desired biological effect. Bioefficacy of different compounds, or different dosages of the same compound, or different administrations of the same compound are generally normalized to the amount of compound(s) to permit appropriate comparison.
“Multidose administration” refers to a therapeutic or prophylactic treatment regimen which includes administration of more than one amount of a compound over a period of time.
The term “vehicle” refers to a molecule that prevents degradation and/or increases half-life, reduces toxicity, reduces immunogenicity, or increases biological activity of a therapeutic protein. Exemplary vehicles include an Fc domain as well as a linear polymer; a branched-chain polymer (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,289,872 to Denkenwalter et al., issued Sep. 15, 1981; 5,229,490 to Tam, issued Jul. 20, 1993; WO 93/21259 by Frechet et al., published 28 Oct. 1993); a lipid; a cholesterol group; a carbohydrate or oligosaccharide; or any natural or synthetic protein, polypeptide or peptide that binds to a salvage receptor. Vehicles are further described hereinafter.
The term “native Fc” refers to molecule or sequence comprising the sequence of a non-antigen-binding fragment resulting from digestion of whole antibody, whether in monomeric or multimeric form. The original immunoglobulin source of the native Fc is in one aspect of human origin and may be any of the immunoglobulins. A native Fc is a monomeric polypeptide that may be linked into dimeric or multimeric forms by covalent association (i.e., disulfide bonds), non-covalent association or a combination of both. The number of intermolecular disulfide bonds between monomeric subunits of native Fc molecules ranges from one to four depending on class (e.g., IgG, IgA, IgE) or subclass (e.g., IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgA1, IgGA2). One example of a native Fc is a disulfide-bonded dimer resulting from papain digestion of an IgG. Ellison et al. (1982), Nucleic Acids Res. 10: 4071-9. The term “native Fc” as used herein is generic to the monomeric, dimeric, and multimeric forms.
The term “Fc variant” refers to a molecule or sequence that is modified from a native Fc, but still comprises a binding site for the salvage receptor, FcRn. International applications WO 97/34631 (published 25 Sep. 1997) and WO 96/32478 describe exemplary Fc variants, as well as interaction with the salvage receptor, and are hereby incorporated by reference. In one aspect, the term “Fc variant” comprises a molecule or sequence that is humanized from a non-human native Fc. In another aspect, a native Fc comprises sites that may be removed because they provide structural features or biological activity that are not required for the fusion molecules of the present invention. Thus, the term “Fc variant” comprises a molecule or sequence that lacks one or more native Fc sites or residues that affect or are involved in (1) disulfide bond formation, (2) incompatibility with a selected host cell (3) N-terminal heterogeneity upon expression in a selected host cell, (4) glycosylation, (5) interaction with complement, (6) binding to an Fc receptor other than a salvage receptor, or (7) antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). Fc variants are described in further detail hereinafter.
The term “Fc domain” encompasses native Fc and Fc variant molecules and sequences as defined above. As with Fc variants and native Fcs, the term “Fc domain” includes molecules in monomeric or multimeric form, whether digested from whole antibody or produced by other means. In one embodiment, for example, the Fc region can be:
The term “multimer” as applied to Fc domains or molecules comprising Fc domains refers to molecules having two or more polypeptide chains associated covalently, noncovalently, or by both covalent and non-covalent interactions. IgG molecules typically form dimers; IgM, pentamers; IgD, dimers; and IgA, monomers, dimers, trimers, or tetramers. Multimers may be formed by exploiting the sequence and resulting activity of the native Ig source of the Fc or by derivatizing (as defined below) such a native Fc.
The terms “derivatizing,” “derivative” or “derivatized” comprise processes and resulting compounds in which, for example and without limitation, (1) the compound has a cyclic portion; for example, cross-linking between cysteinyl residues within the compound; (2) the compound is cross-linked or has a cross-linking site; for example, the compound has a cysteinyl residue and thus forms cross-linked dimers in culture or in vivo; (3) one or more peptidyl linkage is replaced by a non-peptidyl linkage; (4) the N-terminus is replaced by —NRR1, NRC(O)R1, —NRC(O)OR1, —NRS(O)2R1, —NHC(O)NHR, a succinimide group, or substituted or unsubstituted benzyloxycarbonyl-NH—, wherein R and R1 and the ring substituents are as defined hereinafter; (5) the C-terminus is replaced by —C(O)R2 or —NR3R4 wherein R2, R3 and R4 are as defined hereinafter; and (6) compounds in which individual amino acid moieties are modified through treatment with agents capable of reacting with selected side chains or terminal residues. Derivatives are further described hereinafter.
The term “peptide” refers to molecules of 2 to 40 amino acids, molecules of 3 to 20 amino acids, and those of 6 to 15 amino acids. For example, peptides having a size selected from no greater than 35, no greater than 30, no greater than 25, no greater than 20 amino acids and/or no greater than 15 amino acids, are contemplated herein. Exemplary peptides may be randomly generated by any of the methods cited described herein, carried in a peptide library (e.g., a phage display library), derived by digestion of proteins, or chemically synthesized. Peptides include D and L form, either purified or in a mixture of the two forms.
The term “randomized” as used to refer to peptide sequences refers to fully random sequences (e.g., selected by phage display methods) and sequences in which one or more residues of a naturally occurring molecule is replaced by an amino acid residue not appearing in that position in the naturally occurring molecule. Exemplary methods for identifying peptide sequences include phage display, E. coli display, ribosome display, yeast-based screening, RNA-peptide screening, chemical screening, rational design, protein structural analysis, and the like.
The term “pharmacologically active” means that a substance so described is determined to have activity that affects a medical parameter (e.g., blood pressure, blood cell count, cholesterol level) or disease state (e.g., cancer, autoimmune disorders). Thus, pharmacologically active peptides comprise agonistic or mimetic and antagonistic peptides as defined below.
The terms “-mimetic peptide” and “-agonist peptide” refer to a peptide having biological activity comparable to a protein (e.g., EPO, TPO, G-CSF) that interacts with a protein of interest. These terms further include peptides that indirectly mimic the activity of a protein of interest, such as by potentiating the effects of the natural ligand of the protein of interest; see, for example, the G-CSF-mimetic peptides listed in Tables 2 and 7. As an example, the term “EPO-mimetic peptide” comprises any peptides that can be identified or derived as described in Wrighton et al. (1996), Science 273: 458-63, Naranda et al. (1999), Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96: 7569-74, or any other reference in Table 2 identified as having EPO-mimetic subject matter. Those of ordinary skill in the art appreciate that each of these references enables one to select different peptides than actually disclosed therein by following the disclosed procedures with different peptide libraries.
As another example, the term “TPO-mimetic peptide” or “TMP” comprises peptides that can be identified or derived as described in Cwirla et al. (1997), Science 276: 1696-9, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,869,451 and 5,932,946 and any other reference in Table 2 identified as having TPO-mimetic subject matter, as well as International application WO 00/24770 published May 4, 2000, hereby incorporated by reference. Those of ordinary skill in the art appreciate that each of these references enables one to select different peptides than actually disclosed therein by following the disclosed procedures with different peptide libraries.
As another example, the term “G-CSF-mimetic peptide” comprises any peptides that can be identified or described in Paukovits et al. (1984), Hoppe-Seylers Z. Physiol. Chem. 365: 303-11 or any of the references in Table 2 identified as having G-CSF-mimetic subject matter. Those of ordinary skill in the art appreciate that each of these references enables one to select different peptides than actually disclosed therein by following the disclosed procedures with different peptide libraries.
The term “CTLA4-mimetic peptide” comprises any peptides that can be identified or derived as described in Fukumoto et al. (1998), Nature Biotech. 16: 267-70. Those of ordinary skill in the art appreciate that each of these references enables one to select different peptides than actually disclosed therein by following the disclosed procedures with different peptide libraries.
The term “-antagonist peptide” or “inhibitor peptide” refers to a peptide that blocks or in some way interferes with the biological activity of the associated protein of interest, or has biological activity comparable to a known antagonist or inhibitor of the associated protein of interest. Thus, the term “TNF-antagonist peptide” comprises peptides that can be identified or derived as described in Takasaki et al. (1997), Nature Biotech. 15: 1266-70 or any of the references in Table 2 identified as having TNF-antagonistic subject matter. Those of ordinary skill in the art appreciate that each of these references enables one to select different peptides than actually disclosed therein by following the disclosed procedures with different peptide libraries.
The terms “IL-1 antagonist” and “IL-1ra-mimetic peptide” comprises peptides that inhibit or down-regulate activation of the IL-1 receptor by IL-1. IL-1 receptor activation results from formation of a complex among IL-1, IL-1 receptor, and IL-1 receptor accessory protein. IL-1 antagonist or IL-1ra-mimetic peptides bind to IL-1, IL-1 receptor, or IL-1 receptor accessory protein and obstruct complex formation among any two or three components of the complex. Exemplary IL-1 antagonist or IL-1ra-mimetic peptides can be identified or derived as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,608,035, 5,786,331, 5,880,096, or any of the references in Table 2 identified as having IL-1ra-mimetic or IL-1 antagonistic subject matter. Those of ordinary skill in the art appreciate that each of these references enables one to select different peptides than actually disclosed therein by following the disclosed procedures with different peptide libraries.
The term “VEGF-antagonist peptide” comprises peptides that can be identified or derived as described in Fairbrother (1998), Biochem. 37: 17754-64, and in any of the references in Table 2 identified as having VEGF-antagonistic subject matter. Those of ordinary skill in the art appreciate that each of these references enables one to select different peptides than actually disclosed therein by following the disclosed procedures with different peptide libraries.
The term “MMP inhibitor peptide” comprises peptides that can be identified or derived as described in Koivunen (1999), Nature Biotech. 17: 768-74 and in any of the references in Table 2 identified as having MMP inhibitory subject matter. Those of ordinary skill in the art appreciate that each of these references enables one to select different peptides than actually disclosed therein by following the disclosed procedures with different peptide libraries.
The term “myostatin inhibitor peptide” comprises peptides that can be identified by their ability to reduce or block myostatin activity or signaling as demonstrated in in vitro assays such as, for example the pMARE C2C12 cell-based myostatin activity assay or by in vivo animal testing as described in U.S. patent application Publication No US20040181033A1 and PCT application publication No. WO2004/058988. Exemplary myostatin inhibitor pepetides are set out in Tables 21-24.
The term “integrin/adhesion antagonist” comprises peptides that inhibit or down-regulate the activity of integrins, selectins, cell adhesion molecules, integrin receptors, selectin receptors, or cell adhesion molecule receptors. Exemplary integrin/adhesion antagonists comprise laminin, echistatin, the peptides described in Tables 25-28.
The term “bone resorption inhibitor” refers to such molecules as determined by the assays of Examples 4 and 11 of WO 97/23614, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Exemplary bone resorption inhibitors include OPG and OPG-L antibody, which are described in WO 97/23614 and WO98/46751, respectively, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
The term “nerve growth factor inhibitor” or “nerve growth factor agonist” comprises a peptide that binds to and inhibits nerve growth factor (NGF) activity or signaling. Exemplary peptides of this type are set out in Table 29.
The term “TALL-1 modulating domain” refers to any amino acid sequence that binds to the TALL-1 and comprises naturally occurring sequences or randomized sequences. Exemplary TALL-1 modulating domains can be identified or derived by phage display or other methods mentioned herein. Exemplary pepetides of this type are set out in Tables 30 and 31.
The term “TALL-1 antagonist” refers to a molecule that binds to the TALL-1 and increases or decreases one or more assay parameters opposite from the effect on those parameters by full length native TALL-1. Such activity can be determined, for example, by such assays as described in the subsection entitled “Biological activity of AGP-3” in the Materials & Methods section of the patent application entitled, “TNF-RELATED PROTEINS”, WO 00/47740, published Aug. 17, 2000.
The term “Ang 2-antagonist peptide” comprises peptides that can be identified or derived as having Ang-2-antagonistic characteristics. Exemplary peptides of this type are set out in Tables 32-38.
Additionally, physiologically acceptable salts of the compounds of this invention are also contemplated. By “physiologically acceptable salts” is meant any salts that are known or later discovered to be pharmaceutically acceptable. Some specific examples are: acetate; trifluoroacetate; hydrohalides, such as hydrochloride and hydrobromide; sulfate; citrate; tartrate; glycolate; and oxalate.
The term “WSP” refers to a water soluble polymer which prevents a peptide, protein or other compound to which it is attached from precipitating in an aqueous environment, such as, by way of example, a physiological environment. A more detailed description of various WSP embodiments contemplated by the invention follows.
Structure of Compounds
In General. In preparations in accordance with the invention, a peptide is attached to a vehicle through the N-terminus or C-terminus of the peptide, and the resulting structure further modified with a covalently attached WSP which is attached to the vehicle moiety in the vehicle-peptide product. Thus, the WSP-vehicle-peptide molecules of this invention may be described by the following formula I:
[(X1)a—F1—(X2)b]-(L1)c-WSPd I
wherein:
F1 is a vehicle;
X1 is selected from
X2 is selected from:
wherein P1, P2, P3, and P4 are each independently sequences of pharmacologically active peptides;
L1, L2, L3, L4, and L5 are each independently linkers;
a, b, c, e, f, g, and h are each independently 0 or 1,
d is at least 1; and
WSP is a water soluble polymer, the attachment of which is effected at any reactive moiety in F1.
Thus, compound I comprises compounds of the formulae
[X1—F1]-(L1)c-WSPd II
including multimers thereof, wherein F1 is an Fc domain and is attached at the C-terminus of X1, and one or more WSP is attached to the Fc domain, optionally through linker L1;
[F1—X2]-(L1)c-WSPd III
including multimers thereof, wherein F1 is an Fc domain and is attached at the N-terminus of X2, and one or more WSP is attached to the Fc domain, optionally through linker L1;
[F1-(L1)e-P1]-(L1)c-WSPd IV
including multimers thereof, wherein F1 is an Fc domain and is attached at the N-terminus of -(L1)c-P1 and one or more WSP is attached to the Fc domain, optionally through linker L1; and
[F1-(L1)e-P1-(L2)f-P2]-(L1)c-WSPd V
including multimers thereof, wherein F1 is an Fc domain and is attached at the N-terminus of -L1-P1-L2-P2 and one or more WSP is attached to the Fc domain, optionally through linker L1.
Peptides. Any number of peptides may be used in conjunction with the present invention. Of particular interest are peptides that mimic the activity of EPO, TPO, growth hormone, G-CSF, GM-CSF, IL-1ra, leptin, CTLA4, TRAIL, TGF-α, and TGF-β. Peptide antagonists are also of interest, particularly those antagonistic to the activity of TNF, leptin, any of the interleukins (IL-1, 2, 3, . . . ), and proteins involved in complement activation (e.g., C3b). Targeting peptides are also of interest, including tumor-homing peptides, membrane-transporting peptides, and the like. All of these classes of peptides may be discovered by methods described in the references cited in this specification and other references.
Phage display, in particular, is useful in generating peptides for use in the present invention. It has been stated that affinity selection from libraries of random peptides can be used to identify peptide ligands for any site of any gene product. Dedman et al. (1993), J. Biol. Chem. 268: 23025-30. Phage display is particularly well suited for identifying peptides that bind to such proteins of interest as cell surface receptors or any proteins having linear epitopes. Wilson et al. (1998), Can. J. Microbiol. 44: 313-29; Kay et al. (1998), Drug Disc. Today 3: 370-8. Such proteins are extensively reviewed in Herz et al. (1997), J. Receptor & Signal Transduction Res. 17(5): 671-776, which is hereby incorporated by reference. Such proteins of interest are preferred for use in this invention.
By way of example and without limitation, a group of peptides that bind to cytokine receptors are provided. Cytokines have recently been classified according to their receptor code. See Inglot (1997), Archivum Immunologiae et Therapiae Experimentalis 45: 353-7, which is hereby incorporated by reference. Among these receptors are the CKRs (family I in Table 3). The receptor classification appears in Table 3.
1IL-17R - belongs to CKR family but is unassigned to 4 indicated subjamilies.
2Other IFN type I subtypes remain unassigned. Hematopoietic cytokines, IL-10 ligands and interferons do not possess functional intrinsic protein kinases. The signaling molecules for the cytokines are JAK's, STATs and related non-receptor molecules. IL-14. IL-16 and IL-18 have been cloned but according to the receptor code they remain unassigned.
3TNF receptors use multiple, distinct intracellular molecules for signal transduction including “death domain” of FAS R and 55 kDa TNF-□R that participates in their cytotoxic effects. NGF/TNF R can bind both NGF and related factors as well as TNF ligands. Chemokine receptors are seven transmembrane (7TM, serpentine) domain receptors. They are G protein-coupled.
4The Duffy blood group antigen (DARC) is an erythrocyte receptor that can bind several different chemokines. IL-1R belongs to the immunoglobulin superfamily but their signal transduction events characteristics remain unclear.
5The neurotrophic cytokines can associate with NGF/TNF receptors also.
6STKS may encompass many other TGF-β-related factors that remain unassigned. The protein kinases are intrinsic part of the intracellular domain of receptor kinase family (RKF). The enzymes participate in the signals transmission via the receptors.
5The neurotrophic cytokines can associate with NGF/TNF receptors also.6STKS may encompass many other TGF-β-related factors that remain unassigned. The protein kinases are intrinsic part of the intracellular domain of receptor kinase family (RKF). The enzymes participate in the signals transmission via the receptors.
Other proteins of interest as targets for peptide generation in the present invention include the following:
Exemplary peptides appear in Tables 4 through 38 below. These peptides may be prepared by any methods disclosed in the art, many of which are discussed herein. In most tables that follow, single letter amino acid abbreviations are used. The X in these sequences (and throughout this specification, unless specified otherwise in a particular instance) means that any of the 20 naturally occurring amino acid residues may be present. Any of these peptides may be linked in tandem (i.e., sequentially), with or without linkers, and a few tandem-linked examples are provided in the table. Linkers are listed as “Λ” and may be any of the linkers described herein. Tandem repeats and linkers are shown separated by dashes for clarity. Any peptide containing a cysteinyl residue may be cross-linked with another Cys-containing peptide, either or both of which may be linked to a vehicle. A few cross-linked examples are provided in the table. Any peptide having more than one Cys residue may form an intrapeptide disulfide bond, as well; see, for example, EPO-mimetic peptides in Table 5. A few examples of intrapeptide disulfide-bonded peptides are specified in the table. Any of these peptides may be derivatized as described herein, and a few derivatized examples are provided in the table. Derivatized peptides in the tables are exemplary rather than limiting, as the associated underivatized peptides may be employed in this invention, as well. For derivatives in which the carboxyl terminus may be capped with an amino group, the capping amino group is shown as —NH2. For derivatives in which amino acid residues are substituted by moieties other than amino acid residues, the substitutions are denoted by σ, which signifies any of the moieties described in Bhatnagar et al. (1996), J. Med. Chem. 39: 3814-9 and Cuthbertson et al. (1997), J. Med. Chem. 40: 2876-82, which are incorporated by reference. The J substituent and the Z substituents (Z5, Z6, . . . Z40) are as defined in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,608,035, 5,786,331, and 5,880,096, which are incorporated by reference. For the EPO-mimetic sequences (Table 5), the substituents X2 through X11 and the integer “n” are as defined in WO 96/40772, which is incorporated by reference. Also for the EPO-mimetic sequences, the substituents Xna, X1a, X2a, X3a, X4a, X5a and Xca follow the definitions of Xn, X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, and Xc, respectively, of WO 99/47151, which is also incorporated by reference. The substituents “Ψ,” “Θ,” and “+” are as defined in Sparks et al. (1996), Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 93: 1540-4, which is hereby incorporated by reference. X4, X5, X6, and X7 are as defined in U.S. Pat. No. 5,773,569, which is hereby incorporated by reference, except that: for integrin-binding peptides, X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X6, X7, and X8 are as defined in International applications WO 95/14714, published Jun. 1, 1995 and WO 97/08203, published Mar. 6, 1997, which are also incorporated by reference; and for VIP-mimetic peptides, X1, X1′, X1″, X2, X3, X4, X5, X6 and Z and the integers m and n are as defined in WO 97/40070, published Oct. 30, 1997, which is also incorporated by reference. Xaa and Yaa below are as defined in WO 98/09985, published Mar. 12, 1998, which is incorporated by reference. AA1, AA2, AB1, AB2, and AC are as defined in International application WO 98/53842, published Dec. 3, 1998, which is incorporated by reference. X1, X2, X3, and X4 in Table 17 only are as defined in European application EP 0 911 393, published Apr. 28, 1999. Residues appearing in boldface are D-amino acids. All peptides are linked through peptide bonds unless otherwise noted. Abbreviations are listed at the end of this specification. In the “SEQ ID NO.” column, “NR” means that no sequence listing is required for the given sequence.
In addition to the TMP compounds set out in Table 6, the invention provides numerous other TMP compounds. In one aspect, TMP compounds comprise the following general structure:
TMP1-(L1)n-TMP2
wherein TMP1 and TMP2 are each independently selected from the group of compounds comprising the core structure:
X2-X3-X4-X5-X6-X7-X8-X9-X10,
wherein,
X2 is selected from the group consisting of Glu, Asp, Lys, and Val;
X3 is selected from the group consisting of Gly and Ala;
X4 is Pro;
X5 is selected from the group consisting of Thr and Ser;
X6 is selected from the group consisting of Leu, Ile, Val, Ala, and Phe;
X7 is selected from the group consisting of Arg and Lys;
X8 is selected from the group consisting of Gln, Asn, and Glu;
X9 is selected from the group consisting of Trp, Tyr, and Phe;
X10 is selected from the group consisting of Leu, Ile, Val, Ala, Phe, Met, and Lys;
L1 is a linker as described herein; and
n is 0 or 1;
and physiologically acceptable salts thereof.
In one embodiment, L1 comprises (Gly)n, wherein n is 1 through 20, and when n is greater than 1, up to half of the Gly residues may be substituted by another amino acid selected from the remaining 19 natural amino acids or a stereoisomer thereof.
In addition to the core structure X2-X10 set forth above for TMP1 and TMP2, other related structures are also possible wherein one or more of the following is added to the TMP1 and/or TMP2 core structure: X1 is attached to the N-terminus and/or X11, X12, X13, and/or X14 are attached to the C-terminus, wherein X1, X12, X13, and X14 are as follows:
X1 is selected from the group consisting of Ile, Ala, Val, Leu, Ser, and Arg;
X11 is selected from the group consisting of Ala, Ile, Val, Leu, Phe, Ser, Thr, Lys, His, and Glu;
X12 is selected from the group consisting of Ala, Ile, Val, Leu, Phe, Gly, Ser, and Gln;
X13 is selected from the group consisting of Arg, Lys, Thr, Val, Asn, Gln, and Gly; and
X14 is selected from the group consisting of Ala, Ile, Val, Leu, Phe, Thr, Arg, Glu, and Gly.
TMP compounds of the invention are made up of, i.e., comprising, at least 9 subunits (X2-X10), wherein X2-X10 comprise the core structure. The X2-X14 subunits are amino acids independently selected from among the 20 naturally-occurring amino acids, however, the invention embraces compounds where X2-X14 are independently selected from the group of atypical, non-naturally occurring amino acids well known in the art. Specific amino acids are identified for each position. For example, X2 may be Glu, Asp, Lys, or Val. Both three-letter and single letter abbreviations for amino acids are used herein; in each case, the abbreviations are the standard ones used for the 20 naturally-occurring amino acids or well-known variations thereof. These amino acids may have either L or D stereochemistry (except for Gly, which is neither L nor D), and the TMPs (as well as all other compounds of the invention) may comprise a combination of stereochemistries. The invention also provides reverse TMP molecules (as well as for all other peptides disclosed herein) wherein the amino terminal to carboxy terminal sequence of the amino acids is reversed. For example, the reverse of a molecule having the normal sequence X1-X2-X3 would be X3-X2-X1. The invention also provides retro-reverse TMP molecules (as well as for all other molecules of the invention described herein) wherein, like a reverse TMP, the amino terminal to carboxy terminal sequence of amino acids is reversed and residues that are normally “L” enantiomers in TMP are altered to the “D” stereoisomer form.
Exemplary TMP compounds of the invention therefore include without limitation the following compounds.
The present invention is also particularly useful with peptides having activity in treatment of:
cancer, wherein the peptide is a VEGF-mimetic or a VEGF receptor antagonist, a HER2 agonist or antagonist, a CD20 antagonist and the like;
asthma, wherein the protein of interest is a CKR3 antagonist, an IL-5 receptor antagonist, and the like;
thrombosis, wherein the protein of interest is a GPIIb antagonist, a GPIIIa antagonist, and the like;
autoimmune diseases and other conditions involving immune modulation, wherein the protein of interest is an IL-2 receptor antagonist, a CD40 agonist or antagonist, a CD40L agonist or antagonist, a thymopoietin mimetic and the like.
Derivatives. The invention also contemplates derivatizing the peptide and/or vehicle portion (as discussed below) of the compounds. Such derivatives may improve the solubility, absorption, biological half life, and the like of the compounds. The moieties may alternatively eliminate or attenuate any undesirable side-effect of the compounds and the like. Exemplary derivatives include compounds in which:
1. The compound or some portion thereof is cyclic. For example, the peptide portion may be modified to contain two or more Cys residues (e.g., in the linker), which could cyclize by disulfide bond formation. For citations to references on preparation of cyclized derivatives, see Table 2.
2. The compound is cross-linked or is rendered capable of cross-linking between molecules. For example, the peptide portion may be modified to contain one Cys residue and thereby be able to form an intermolecular disulfide bond with a like molecule. The compound may also be cross-linked through its C-terminus, as in the molecule shown below.
3. One or more peptidyl [—C(O)NR—] linkages (bonds) is replaced by a non-peptidyl linkage. Exemplary non-peptidyl linkages are —CH2-carbamate [—CH2-OC(O)NR-], phosphonate, —CH2-sulfonamide [—CH2-S(O)2NR-], urea [—NHC(O)NH-], —CH2-secondary amine, and alkylated peptide [—C(O)NR6- wherein R6 is lower alkyl].
4. The N-terminus is derivatized. Typically, the N-terminus may be acylated or modified to a substituted amine. Exemplary N-terminal derivative groups include —NRR1 (other than —NH2), —NRC(O)R1, —NRC(O)OR1, —NRS(O)2R1, —NHC(O)NHR1, succinimide, or benzyloxycarbonyl-NH— (CBZ-NH—), wherein R and R1 are each independently hydrogen or lower alkyl and wherein the phenyl ring may be substituted with 1 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of C1-C4 alkyl, C1-C4 alkoxy, chloro, and bromo.
5. The free C-terminus is derivatized. Typically, the C-terminus is esterified or amidated. For example, one may use methods described in the art to add (NH—CH2-CH2-NH2)2 to compounds of this invention. Likewise, one may use methods described in the art to add —NH2 to compounds of this invention. Exemplary C-terminal derivative groups include, for example, —C(O)R2 wherein R2 is lower alkoxy or —NR3R4 wherein R3 and R4 are independently hydrogen or C1-C8 alkyl (preferably C1-C4 alkyl).
6. A disulfide bond is replaced with another, preferably more stable, cross-linking moiety (e.g., an alkylene). See, e.g., Bhatnagar et al. (1996), J. Med. Chem. 39: 3814-9; Alberts et al. (1993) Thirteenth Am. Pep. Symp., 357-9.
7. One or more individual amino acid residues is modified. Various derivatizing agents are known to react specifically with selected sidechains or terminal residues, as described in detail below.
Lysinyl residues and amino terminal residues may be reacted with succinic or other carboxylic acid anhydrides, which reverse the charge of the lysinyl residues. Other suitable reagents for derivatizing alpha-amino-containing residues include imidoesters such as methyl picolinimidate; pyridoxal phosphate; pyridoxal; chloroborohydride; trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid; O-methylisourea; 2,4 pentanedione; and transaminase-catalyzed reaction with glyoxylate.
Arginyl residues may be modified by reaction with any one or combination of several conventional reagents, including phenylglyoxal, 2,3-butanedione, 1,2-cyclohexanedione, and ninhydrin. Derivatization of arginyl residues requires that the reaction be performed in alkaline conditions because of the high pKa of the guanidine functional group. Furthermore, these reagents may react with the groups of lysine as well as the arginine epsilon-amino group.
Specific modification of tyrosyl residues has been studied extensively, with particular interest in introducing spectral labels into tyrosyl residues by reaction with aromatic diazonium compounds or tetranitromethane. Most commonly, N-acetylimidizole and tetranitromethane are used to form O-acetyl tyrosyl species and 3-nitro derivatives, respectively.
Carboxyl sidechain groups (aspartyl or glutamyl) may be selectively modified by reaction with carbodiimides (R′—N═C═N—R′) such as 1-cyclohexyl-3-(2-morpholinyl-(4-ethyl)carbodiimide or 1-ethyl-3-(4-azonia-4,4-dimethylpentyl)carbodiimide. Furthermore, aspartyl and glutamyl residues may be converted to asparaginyl and glutaminyl residues by reaction with ammonium ions.
Glutaminyl and asparaginyl residues may be deamidated to the corresponding glutamyl and aspartyl residues. Alternatively, these residues are deamidated under mildly acidic conditions. Either form of these residues falls within the scope of this invention.
Cysteinyl residues can be replaced by amino acid residues or other moieties either to eliminate disulfide bonding or, conversely, to stabilize cross-linking. See, e.g., Bhatnagar et al. (1996), J. Med. Chem. 39: 3814-9.
Derivatization with bifunctional agents is useful for cross-linking the peptides or their functional derivatives to a water-insoluble support matrix or to other macromolecular vehicles. Commonly used cross-linking agents include, e.g., 1,1-bis(diazoacetyl)-2-phenylethane, glutaraldehyde, N-hydroxysuccinimide esters, for example, esters with 4-azidosalicylic acid, homobifunctional imidoesters, including disuccinimidyl esters such as 3,3′-dithiobis(succinimidylpropionate), and bifunctional maleimides such as bis-N-maleimido-1,8-octane. Derivatizing agents such as methyl-3-[(p-azidophenyl)dithio]propioimidate yield photoactivatable intermediates that are capable of forming crosslinks in the presence of light. Alternatively, reactive water-insoluble matrices such as cyanogen bromide-activated carbohydrates and the reactive substrates described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,969,287; 3,691,016; 4,195,128; 4,247,642; 4,229,537; and 4,330,440 are employed for protein immobilization.
Carbohydrate (oligosaccharide) groups may conveniently be attached to sites that are known to be glycosylation sites in proteins. Generally, O-linked oligosaccharides are attached to serine (Ser) or threonine (Thr) residues while N-linked oligosaccharides are attached to asparagine (Asn) residues when they are part of the sequence Asn-X-Ser/Thr, where X can be any amino acid except proline. X is preferably one of the 19 naturally occurring amino acids other than proline. The structures of N-linked and O-linked oligosaccharides and the sugar residues found in each type are different. One type of sugar that is commonly found on both is N-acetylneuraminic acid (referred to as sialic acid). Sialic acid is usually the terminal residue of both N-linked and O-linked oligosaccharides and, by virtue of its negative charge, may confer acidic properties to the glycosylated compound. Such site(s) may be incorporated in the linker of the compounds of this invention and are preferably glycosylated by a cell during recombinant production of the polypeptide compounds (e.g., in mammalian cells such as CHO, BHK, COS). However, such sites may further be glycosylated by synthetic or semi-synthetic procedures known in the art.
Other possible modifications include hydroxylation of proline and lysine, phosphorylation of hydroxyl groups of seryl or threonyl residues, oxidation of the sulfur atom in Cys, methylation of the alpha-amino groups of lysine, arginine, and histidine side chains. Creighton, Proteins: Structure and Molecule Properties (W. H. Freeman & Co., San Francisco), pp. 79-86 (1983).
Compounds of the present invention may be changed at the DNA level, as well. The DNA sequence of any portion of the compound may be changed to codons more compatible with the chosen host cell. For E. coli, which is the preferred host cell, optimized codons are known in the art. Codons may be substituted to eliminate restriction sites or to include silent restriction sites, which may aid in processing of the DNA in the selected host cell. The vehicle, linker and peptide DNA sequences may be modified to include any of the foregoing sequence changes.
Isotope- and toxin-conjugated derivatives. Another set of useful derivatives are the above-described molecules conjugated to toxins, tracers, or radioisotopes. Such conjugation is especially useful for molecules comprising peptide sequences that bind to tumor cells or pathogens. Such molecules may be used as therapeutic agents or as an aid to surgery (e.g., radioimmunoguided surgery or RIGS) or as diagnostic agents (e.g., radioimmunodiagnostics or RID).
As therapeutic agents, these conjugated derivatives possess a number of advantages. They facilitate use of toxins and radioisotopes that would be toxic if administered without the specific binding provided by the peptide sequence. They also can reduce the side-effects that attend the use of radiation and chemotherapy by facilitating lower effective doses of the conjugation partner.
Useful conjugation partners include:
radioisotopes, such as 90Yttrium, 131Iodine, 225Actinium, and 213Bismuth;
ricin A toxin, microbially derived toxins such as Pseudomonas endotoxin (e.g., PE38, PE40), and the like;
partner molecules in capture systems (see below);
biotin, streptavidin (useful as either partner molecules in capture systems or as tracers, especially for diagnostic use); and
cytotoxic agents (e.g., doxorubicin).
One useful adaptation of these conjugated derivatives is use in a capture system. In such a system, the molecule of the present invention would comprise a benign capture molecule. This capture molecule would be able to specifically bind to a separate effector molecule comprising, for example, a toxin or radioisotope. Both the vehicle-conjugated molecule and the effector molecule would be administered to the patient. In such a system, the effector molecule would have a short half-life except when bound to the vehicle-conjugated capture molecule, thus minimizing any toxic side-effects. The vehicle-conjugated molecule would have a relatively long half-life but would be benign and non-toxic. The specific binding portions of both molecules can be part of a known specific binding pair (e.g., biotin, streptavidin) or can result from peptide generation methods such as those described herein.
Such conjugated derivatives may be prepared by methods known in the art. In the case of protein effector molecules (e.g., Pseudomonas endotoxin), such molecules can be expressed as fusion proteins from correlative DNA constructs. Radioisotope conjugated derivatives may be prepared, for example, as described for the BEXA antibody (Coulter). Derivatives comprising cytotoxic agents or microbial toxins may be prepared, for example, as described for the BR96 antibody (Bristol-Myers Squibb). Molecules employed in capture systems may be prepared, for example, as described by the patents, patent applications, and publications from NeoRx. Molecules employed for RIGS and RID may be prepared, for example, by the patents, patent applications, and publications from NeoProbe.
Vehicles. The invention requires the presence of at least one vehicle attached to a peptide through the N-terminus, C-terminus or a sidechain of one of the amino acid residues. Multiple vehicles may also be used. In one aspect, an Fc domain is the vehicle. The Fc domain may be fused to the N or C termini of the peptides or at both the N and C termini.
In various embodiments of the invention, the Fc component is either a native Fc or an Fc variant. The immunoglobulin source of the native Fc is, in one aspect, of human origin and may, in alternative embodiments, be of any class of immunoglobulin. Native Fc domains are made up of monomeric polypeptides that may be linked into dimeric or multimeric forms by covalent (i.e., disulfide bonds) and/or non-covalent association. The number of intermolecular disulfide bonds between monomeric subunits of native Fc molecules ranges from one to four depending on class (e.g., IgG, IgA, IgE) or subclass (e.g., IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgA1, IgGA2). One example of a native Fc is a disulfide-bonded dimer resulting from papain digestion of an IgG (see Ellison et al. (1982), Nucleic Acids Res. 10: 4071-9).
It should be noted that Fc monomers will spontaneously dimerize when the appropriate cysteine residues are present, unless particular conditions are present that prevent dimerization through disulfide bond formation. Even if the cysteine residues that normally form disulfide bonds in the Fc dimer are removed or replaced by other residues, the monomeric chains will generally form a dimer through non-covalent interactions. The term “Fc” herein is used to mean any of these forms: the native monomer, the native dimer (disulfide bond linked), modified dimers (disulfide and/or non-covalently linked), and modified monomers (i.e., derivatives).
As noted, Fc variants are suitable vehicles within the scope of this invention. A native Fc may be extensively modified to form an Fc variant, provided binding to the salvage receptor is maintained; see, for example WO 97/34631 and WO 96/32478. In such Fc variants, one may remove one or more sites of a native Fc that provide structural features or functional activity not required by the fusion molecules of this invention. One may remove these sites by, for example, substituting or deleting residues, inserting residues into the site, or truncating portions containing the site. The inserted or substituted residues may also be altered amino acids, such as peptidomimetics or D-amino acids. Fc variants may be desirable for a number of reasons, several of which are described below. Exemplary Fc variants include molecules and sequences in which:
1. Sites involved in disulfide bond formation are removed. Such removal may avoid reaction with other cysteine-containing proteins present in the host cell used to produce the molecules of the invention. For this purpose, the cysteine-containing segment at the N-terminus may be truncated or cysteine residues may be deleted or substituted with other amino acids (e.g., alanyl, seryl). Even when cysteine residues are removed, the single chain Fc domains can still form a dimeric Fc domain that is held together non-covalently.
2. A native Fc is modified to make it more compatible with a selected host cell. For example, one may remove the PA sequence near the N-terminus of a typical native Fc, which may be recognized by a digestive enzyme in E. coli such as proline iminopeptidase. One may also add an N-terminal methionine residue, especially when the molecule is expressed recombinantly in a bacterial cell such as E. coli.
3. A portion of the N-terminus of a native Fc is removed to prevent N-terminal heterogeneity when expressed in a selected host cell. For this purpose, one may delete any of the first 20 amino acid residues at the N-terminus, particularly those at positions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
4. One or more glycosylation sites are removed. Residues that are typically glycosylated (e.g., asparagine) may confer cytolytic response. Such residues may be deleted or substituted with unglycosylated residues (e.g., alanine).
5. Sites involved in interaction with complement, such as the C1q binding site, are removed. For example, one may delete or substitute the EKK sequence of human IgG1. Complement recruitment may not be advantageous for the molecules of this invention and so may be avoided with such an Fc variant.
6. Sites are removed that affect binding to Fc receptors other than a salvage receptor. A native Fc may have sites for interaction with certain white blood cells that are not required for the fusion molecules of the present invention and so may be removed.
7. The ADCC site is removed. ADCC sites are known in the art; see, for example, Molec. Immunol. 29 (5): 633-9 (1992) with regard to ADCC sites in IgG1. These sites, as well, are not required for the fusion molecules of the present invention and so may be removed.
8. When the native Fc is derived from a non-human antibody, the native Fc may be humanized. Typically, to humanize a native Fc, one will substitute selected residues in the non-human native Fc with residues that are normally found in human native Fc. Techniques for antibody humanization are well known in the art.
An alternative vehicle would be a protein, polypeptide, peptide, antibody, antibody fragment, or small molecule (e.g., a peptidomimetic compound) capable of binding to a salvage receptor. For example, one could use as a vehicle a polypeptide as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,739,277, issued Apr. 14, 1998 to Presta et al. Peptides could also be selected by phage display for binding to the FcRn salvage receptor. Such salvage receptor-binding compounds are also included within the meaning of “vehicle” and are within the scope of this invention. Such vehicles should be selected for increased half-life (e.g., by avoiding sequences recognized by proteases) and decreased immunogenicity (e.g., by favoring non-immunogenic sequences, as discovered in antibody humanization).
Variants, analogs or derivatives of the Fc portion may be constructed by, for example, making various substitutions of residues or sequences.
Variant (or analog) polypeptides include insertion variants, wherein one or more amino acid residues supplement an Fc amino acid sequence. Insertions may be located at either or both termini of the protein, or may be positioned within internal regions of the Fc amino acid sequence. Insertion variants, with additional residues at either or both termini, can include for example, fusion proteins and proteins including amino acid tags or labels. For example, the Fc molecule may optionally contain an N-terminal Met, especially when the molecule is expressed recombinantly in a bacterial cell such as E. coli.
In Fc deletion variants, one or more amino acid residues in an Fc polypeptide are removed. Deletions can be effected at one or both termini of the Fc polypeptide, or with removal of one or more residues within the Fc amino acid sequence. Deletion variants, therefore, include all fragments of an Fc polypeptide sequence.
In Fc substitution variants, one or more amino acid residues of an Fc polypeptide are removed and replaced with alternative residues. In one aspect, the substitutions are conservative in nature and conservative substitutions of this type are well known in the art. Alternatively, the invention embraces substitutions that are also non-conservative.
For example, cysteine residues can be deleted or replaced with other amino acids to prevent formation of some or all disulfide crosslinks of the Fc sequences. Each cysteine residue can be removed and/or substituted with other amino acids, such as Ala or Ser. As another example, modifications may also be made to introduce amino acid substitutions to (1) ablate the Fc receptor binding site; (2) ablate the complement (C1q) binding site; and/or to (3) ablate the antibody dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) site. Such sites are known in the art, and any known substitutions are within the scope of Fc as used herein. For example, see Molecular Immunology, Vol. 29, No. 5, 633-639 (1992) with regard to ADCC sites in IgG1.
Likewise, one or more tyrosine residues can be replaced by phenylalanine residues. In addition, other variant amino acid insertions, deletions and/or substitutions are also contemplated and are within the scope of the present invention. Conservative amino acid substitutions will generally be preferred. Furthermore, alterations may be in the form of altered amino acids, such as peptidomimetics or D-amino acids.
Fc sequences of the compound may also be derivatized as described herein for peptides, i.e., bearing modifications other than insertion, deletion, or substitution of amino acid residues. Preferably, the modifications are covalent in nature, and include for example, chemical bonding with polymers, lipids, other organic, and inorganic moieties. Derivatives of the invention may be prepared to increase circulating half-life, or may be designed to improve targeting capacity for the polypeptide to desired cells, tissues, or organs.
It is also possible to use the salvage receptor binding domain of the intact Fc molecule as the Fc part of a compound of the invention, such as described in WO 96/32478, entitled “Altered Polypeptides with Increased Half-Life.” Additional members of the class of molecules designated as Fc herein are those that are described in WO 97/34631, entitled “Immunoglobulin-Like Domains with Increased Half-Lives.” Both of the published PCT applications cited in this paragraph are hereby incorporated by reference.
WSP components. Compounds of the invention further include at least one WSP. The WPS moiety of the molecule may be branched or unbranched. For therapeutic use of the end-product preparation, the polymer is pharmaceutically acceptable. In general, a desired polymer is selected based on such considerations as whether the polymer conjugate will be used therapeutically, and if so, the desired dosage, circulation time, resistance to proteolysis, and other considerations. In various aspects, the average molecular weight of each water soluble polymer is between about 2 kDa and about 100 kDa, between about 5 kDa and about 50 kDa, between about 12 kDa and about 40 kDa and between about 20 kDa and about 35 kDa. In yet another aspect the molecular weight of each polymer is between about 6 kDa and about 25 kDa. The term “about” as used herein and throughout, indicates that in preparations of a water soluble polymer, some molecules will weigh more, some less, than the stated molecular weight. Generally, the higher the molecular weight or the more branches, the higher the polymer/protein ratio. Other sizes may be used, depending on the desired therapeutic profile including for example, the duration of sustained release; the effects, if any, on biological activity; the ease in handling; the degree or lack of antigenicity and other known effects of a water soluble polymer on a therapeutic protein.
The WSP should be attached to a peptide or protein with consideration given to effects on functional or antigenic domains of the peptide or protein. In general, chemical derivatization may be performed under any suitable condition used to react a protein with an activated polymer molecule. Activating groups which can be used to link the water soluble polymer to one or more proteins include without limitation sulfone, maleimide, sulfhydryl, thiol, triflate, tresylate, azidirine, oxirane and 5-pyridyl. If attached to the peptide by reductive alkylation, the polymer selected should have a single reactive aldehyde so that the degree of polymerization is controlled.
Suitable, clinically acceptable, water soluble polymers include without limitation, PEG, polyethylene glycol propionaldehyde, copolymers of ethylene glycol/propylene glycol, monomethoxy-polyethylene glycol, carboxymethylcellulose, polyacetals, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyvinyl pyrrolidone, poly-1,3-dioxolane, poly-1,3,6-trioxane, ethylene/maleic anhydride copolymer, poly (.beta.-amino acids) (either homopolymers or random copolymers), poly(n-vinyl pyrrolidone)polyethylene glycol, propropylene glycol homopolymers (PPG) and other polyakylene oxides, polypropylene oxide/ethylene oxide copolymers, polyoxyethylated polyols (POG) (e.g., glycerol) and other polyoxyethylated polyols, polyoxyethylated sorbitol, or polyoxyethylated glucose, colonic acids or other carbohydrate polymers, Ficoll or dextran and mixtures thereof.
Polysaccharide polymers are another type of water soluble polymer which may be used for protein modification. Dextrans are polysaccharide polymers comprised of individual subunits of glucose predominantly linked by α1-6 linkages. The dextran itself is available in many molecular weight ranges, and is readily available in molecular weights from about 1 kD to about 70 kD. Dextran is a suitable water soluble polymer for use in the present invention as a vehicle by itself or in combination with another vehicle (e.g., Fc). See, for example, WO 96/11953 and WO 96/05309. The use of dextran conjugated to therapeutic or diagnostic immunoglobulins has been reported; see, for example, European Patent Publication No. 0 315 456, which is hereby incorporated by reference. Dextran of about 1 kD to about 20 kD is preferred when dextran is used as a vehicle in accordance with the present invention.
In one embodiment, the WSP is PEG and the invention contemplates preparations wherein a compound is modified to include any of the forms of PEG that have been used to derivatize other proteins, such as and without limitation mono-(C1-C10) alkoxy- or aryloxy-polyethylene glycol. Polyethylene glycol propionaldehyde may have advantages in manufacturing due to its stability in water. The PEG group may be of any convenient molecular weight and may be linear or branched. The average molecular weight of PEG contemplated for use in the invention ranges from about 2 kDa to about 100 kDa, from about 5 kDa to about 50 kDa, from about 5 kDa to about 10 kDa. In another aspect, the PEG moiety has a molecular weight from about 6 kDa to about 25 kDa. PEG groups generally are attached to peptides or proteins via acylation or reductive alkylation through a reactive group on the PEG moiety (e.g., an aldehyde, amino, thiol, or ester group) to a reactive group on the target peptide or protein (e.g., an aldehyde, amino, or ester group). Using methods described herein, a mixture of polymer/peptide conjugate molecules can be prepared, and the advantage provided herein is the ability to select the proportion of polymer/peptide conjugate to include in the mixture. Thus, if desired, a mixture of peptides with various numbers of polymer moieties attached (i.e., zero, one or two) can be prepared with a predetermined proportion of polymer/protein conjugate.
A useful strategy for the PEGylation (other methods are discussed in more detail herein) of synthetic peptides consists of combining, through forming a conjugate linkage in solution, a peptide and a PEG moiety, each bearing a special functionality that is mutually reactive toward the other. The peptides can be easily prepared with conventional solid phase synthesis. The peptides are “preactivated” with an appropriate functional group at a specific site. The precursors are purified and fully characterized prior to reacting with the PEG moiety. Ligation of the peptide with PEG usually takes place in aqueous phase and can be easily monitored by reverse phase analytical HPLC. The PEGylated peptides can be easily purified by preparative HPLC and characterized by analytical HPLC, amino acid analysis and laser desorption mass spectrometry.
Linkers. Any “linker” group is optional, whether positioned between peptides, peptide and vehicle or vehicle and WSP. When present, its chemical structure is not critical, since it serves primarily as a spacer. The linker is preferably made up of amino acids linked together by peptide bonds. Thus, in preferred embodiments, the linker is made up of from 1 to 20 amino acids linked by peptide bonds, wherein the amino acids are selected from the 20 naturally occurring amino acids. Some of these amino acids may be glycosylated, as is well understood by those in the art. In a more preferred embodiment, the 1 to 20 amino acids are selected from glycine, alanine, proline, asparagine, glutamine, and lysine. Even more preferably, a linker is made up of a majority of amino acids that are sterically unhindered, such as glycine and alanine. Thus, preferred linkers are polyglycines (particularly (Gly)4, (Gly)5), poly(Gly-Ala), and polyalanines. Other specific examples of linkers are:
To explain the above nomenclature, for example, (Gly)3Lys(Gly)4 means Gly-Gly-Gly-Lys-Gly-Gly-Gly-Gly. Combinations of Gly and Ala are also preferred. The linkers shown here are exemplary; linkers within the scope of this invention may be much longer and may include other residues.
Non-peptide linkers are also possible. For example, alkyl linkers such as —NH—(CH2)s-C(O)—, wherein s=2-20 could be used. These alkyl linkers may further be substituted by any non-sterically hindering group such as lower alkyl (e.g., C1-C6) lower acyl, halogen (e.g., Cl, Br), CN, NH2, phenyl, etc. An exemplary non-peptide linker is a PEG linker,
wherein n is such that the linker has a molecular weight of 100 to 5000 kD, preferably 100 to 500 kD. The peptide linkers may be altered to form derivatives in the same manner as described above.
Peptide production. A peptide having been identified may be made in transformed host cells using recombinant DNA techniques. If the vehicle component is a polypeptide, the peptide-vehicle fusion product may be expressed as one. To do so, a recombinant DNA molecule encoding the peptide is first prepared using methods well known in the art. For instance, sequences coding for the peptides could be excised from DNA using suitable restriction enzymes. Alternatively, the DNA molecule could be synthesized using chemical synthesis techniques, such as the phosphoramidate method. Also, a combination of these techniques could be used. The invention therefore provides polynucleotides encoding a compound of the invention.
The invention also provides vectors encoding compounds of the invention in an appropriate host. The vector comprises the polynucleotide that encodes the compound operatively linked to appropriate expression control sequences. Methods of effecting this operative linking, either before or after the polynucleotide is inserted into the vector, are well known. Expression control sequences include promoters, activators, enhancers, operators, ribosomal binding sites, start signals, stop signals, cap signals, polyadenylation signals, and other signals involved with the control of transcription or translation.
The resulting vector having the polynucleotide therein is used to transform an appropriate host. This transformation may be performed using methods well known in the art.
Any of a large number of available and well-known host cells may be used in the practice of this invention. The selection of a particular host is dependent upon a number of factors recognized by the art. These include, for example, compatibility with the chosen expression vector, toxicity of the peptides encoded by the DNA molecule, rate of transformation, ease of recovery of the peptides, expression characteristics, bio-safety and costs. A balance of these factors must be struck with the understanding that not all hosts may be equally effective for the expression of a particular DNA sequence. Within these general guidelines, useful microbial hosts include bacteria (such as E. coli), yeast (such as Saccharomyces) and other fungi, insects, plants, mammalian (including human) cells in culture, or other hosts known in the art.
Next, the transformed host is cultured and purified. Host cells may be cultured under conventional fermentation conditions so that the desired compounds are expressed. Such fermentation conditions are well known in the art. Finally, the peptides are purified from culture by methods well known in the art.
Depending on the host cell utilized to express a compound of the invention, carbohydrate (oligosaccharide) groups may conveniently be attached to sites that are known to be glycosylation sites in proteins. Generally, O-linked oligosaccharides are attached to serine (Ser) or threonine (Thr) residues while N-linked oligosaccharides are attached to asparagine (Asn) residues when they are part of the sequence Asn-X-Ser/Thr, where X can be any amino acid except proline. X is preferably one of the 19 naturally occurring amino acids not counting proline. The structures of N-linked and O-linked oligosaccharides and the sugar residues found in each type are different. One type of sugar that is commonly found on both is N-acetylneuraminic acid (referred to as sialic acid). Sialic acid is usually the terminal residue of both N-linked and O-linked oligosaccharides and, by virtue of its negative charge, may confer acidic properties to the glycosylated compound. Such site(s) may be incorporated in the linker of the compounds of this invention and are preferably glycosylated by a cell during recombinant production of the polypeptide compounds (e.g., in mammalian cells such as CHO, BHK, COS). However, such sites may further be glycosylated by synthetic or semi-synthetic procedures known in the art.
Alternatively, the compounds may be made by synthetic methods. For example, solid phase synthesis techniques may be used. Suitable techniques are well known in the art, and include those described in Merrifield (1973), Chem. Polypeptides, pp. 335-61 (Katsoyannis and Panayotis eds.); Merrifield (1963), J. Am. Chem. Soc. 85: 2149; Davis et al. (1985), Biochem. Intl. 10: 394-414; Stewart and Young (1969), Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis; U.S. Pat. No. 3,941,763; Finn et al. (1976), The Proteins (3rd ed.) 2: 105-253; and Erickson et al. (1976), The Proteins (3rd ed.) 2: 257-527. Solid phase synthesis is the preferred technique of making individual peptides since it is the most cost-effective method of making small peptides.
Compounds that contain derivatized peptides or which contain non-peptide groups are particularly amendable to synthesis by well-known organic chemistry techniques.
WSP modification. For obtaining a compound covalently attached to a WSP, any method described herein or otherwise known in the art is employed. Methods for preparing chemical derivatives of polypeptides will generally comprise the steps of (a) reacting the polypeptide with the activated polymer molecule (such as a reactive ester or aldehyde derivative of the polymer molecule) under conditions whereby the polypeptide becomes attached to one or more polymer molecules, and (b) obtaining the reaction product(s). The optimal reaction conditions will be determined based on known parameters and the desired result. For example, the larger the ratio of polymer molecules:protein, the greater the percentage of attached polymer molecule.
A biologically active molecule can be linked to a polymer through any available functional group using standard methods well known in the art. Examples of functional groups on either the polymer or biologically active molecule which can be used to form such linkages include amine and carboxy groups, thiol groups such as in cysteine resides, aldehydes and ketones, and hydroxy groups as can be found in serine, threonine, tyrosine, hydroxyproline and hydroxylysine residues.
The polymer can be activated by coupling a reactive group such as trichloro-s-triazine [Abuchowski, et al., (1977), J. Biol. Chem. 252:3582-3586, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety], carbonylimidazole [Beauchamp, et al., (1983), Anal. Biochem. 131:25-33, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety], or succinimidyl succinate [Abuchowski, et al., (1984), Cancer Biochem. Biophys. 7:175-186, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety] in order to react with an amine functionality on the biologically active molecule. Another coupling method involves formation of a glyoxylyl group on one molecule and an aminooxy, hydrazide or semicarbazide group on the other molecule to be conjugated [Fields and Dixon, (1968), Biochem. J. 108:883-887; Gaertner, et al., (1992), Bioconjugate Chem. 3:262-268; Geoghegan and Stroh, (1992), Bioconjugate Chem. 3:138-146; Gaertner, et al., (1994), J. Biol. Chem. 269:7224-7230, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety]. Other methods involve formation of an active ester at a free alcohol group of the first molecule to be conjugated using chloroformate or disuccinimidylcarbonate, which can then be conjugated to an amine group on the other molecule to be coupled [Veronese, et al., (1985), Biochem. and Biotech. 11:141-152; Nitecki, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,089,261; Nitecki, U.S. Pat. No. 5,281,698, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety]. Other reactive groups which may be attached via free alcohol groups are set forth in Wright, EP 0539167A2 (incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), which also describes the use of imidates for coupling via free amine groups.
Another chemistry involves acylation of the primary amines of a target using the NHS-ester of methoxy-PEG (O—[(N-succinimidyloxycarbonyl)-methyl]-O′-methylpolyethylene glycol). Acylation with methoxy-PEG-NHS results in an amide linkage which will eliminate the charge from the original primary amine. Other methods utilize mild oxidation of a target under conditions selected to target the pendant diol of the penultimate glycosyl unit sialic acid for oxidation to an aldehyde. The resultant glycoaldehyde was then reacted with a methoxy-PEG-hydrazide (O-(Hydrazinocarbonylmethyl)-O′-methylpolyethylene glycol) to form a semi-stable hydrazone between PEG and target. The hydrazone is subsequently reduced by sodium cyanoborohydride to produce a stable PEG conjugate. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,586,398 (Kinstler, et al., Jul. 1, 2003), incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
In specific applications of techniques for chemical modification, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,002,531 (incorporated herein by reference in its entirety) states that reductive alkylation was used for attachment of polyethylene glycol molecules to an enzyme. U.S. Pat. No. 4,179,337 (incorporated herein by reference in its entirety) discloses PEG:protein conjugates involving, for example, enzymes and insulin. U.S. Pat. No. 4,904,584 (incorporated herein by reference in its entirety) discloses the modification of the number of lysine residues in proteins for the attachment of polyethylene glycol molecules via reactive amine groups. U.S. Pat. No. 5,834,594 (incorporated herein by reference in its entirety) discloses substantially non-immunogenic water soluble PEG:protein conjugates, involving for example, the proteins IL-2, interferon alpha, and IL-1ra. The methods of Hakimi et al. involve the utilization of unique linkers to connect the various free amino groups in the protein to PEG. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,824,784 and 5,985,265 (each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety) teach methods allowing for selectively N-terminally chemically modified proteins and analogs thereof, including G-CSF and consensus interferon. Importantly, these modified proteins have advantages as relates to protein stability, as well as providing for processing advantages.
WSP modification is also described in Francis et al., In: Stability of protein pharmaceuticals: in vivo pathways of degradation and strategies for protein stabilization (Eds. Ahern., T. and Manning, M. C.) Plenum, N.Y., 1991 (incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), is used. In still another aspect, the method described in Delgado et al., “Coupling of PEG to Protein By Activation With Tresyl Chloride, Applications In Immunoaffinity Cell Preparation”, In: Fisher et al., eds., Separations Using Aqueous Phase Systems, Applications In Cell Biology and Biotechnology, Plenum Press, N.Y. N.Y., 1989 pp. 211-213 (incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), which involves the use of tresyl chloride, which results in no linkage group between the WSP moiety and the polypeptide moiety. In other aspects, attachment of a WSP is effected through use of N-hydroxy succinimidyl esters of carboxymethyl methoxy polyethylene glycol, as well known in the art.
For other descriptions of modification of a target with a WSP, see, for example, U.S patent application No. 20030096400; EP 0 442724A2; EP 0154316; EP 0401384; WO 94/13322; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,362,852; 5,089,261; 5,281,698; 6,423,685; 6,635,646; 6,433,135; International application WO 90/07938; Gaertner and Offord, (1996), Bioconjugate Chem. 7:38-44; Greenwald et al., Crit. Rev Therap Drug Carrier Syst. 2000; 17:101-161; Kopecek et al., J Controlled Release., 74:147-158, 2001; Harris et al., Clin Pharmacokinet. 2001; 40(7):539-51; Zalipsky et al., Bioconjug Chem. 1997; 8:111-118; Nathan et al., Macromolecules. 1992; 25:4476-4484; Nathan et al., Bioconj Chem. 1993; 4:54-62; and Francis et al., Focus on Growth Factors, 3:4-10 (1992), the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Reductive alkylation. In one aspect, covalent attachment of a WSP is carried out by reductive alkylation chemical modification procedures as provided herein to selectively modify the N-terminal α-amino group, and testing the resultant product for the desired biological characteristic, such as the biological activity assays provided herein.
Reductive alkylation for attachment of a WSP to a protein or peptide exploits differential reactivity of different types of primary amino groups (e.g., lysine versus the N-terminal) available for derivatization in a particular protein. Under the appropriate reaction conditions, substantially selective derivatization of the protein at the N-terminus with a carbonyl group containing polymer is achieved.
For reductive alkylation, the polymer(s) selected could have a single reactive aldehyde group. A reactive aldehyde is, for example, polyethylene glycol propionaldehyde, which is water stable, or mono C1-C10 alkoxy or aryloxy derivatives thereof (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,252,714, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). In one approach, reductive alkylation is employed to conjugate a PEG-aldehyde (O-(3-Oxopropyl)-O′-methylpolyethylene glycol) to a primary amine. Under appropriate conditions, this approach has been demonstrated to yield PEG conjugates predominately modified through the α-amine at the protein N-terminus.
An aldehyde functionality useful for conjugating the biologically active molecule can be generated from a functionality having adjacent amino and alcohol groups. In a polypeptide, for example, an N-terminal serine, threonine or hydroxylysine can be used to generate an aldehyde functionality via oxidative cleavage under mild conditions using periodate. These residues, or their equivalents, can be normally present, for example at the N-terminus of a polypeptide, may be exposed via chemical or enzymatic digestion, or may be introduced via recombinant or chemical methods. The reaction conditions for generating the aldehyde typically involve addition of a molar excess of sodium meta periodate and under mild conditions to avoid oxidation at other positions in the protein. The pH is preferably about 7.0. A typical reaction involves the addition of a 1.5 fold molar excess of sodium meta periodate, followed by incubation for 10 minutes at room temperature in the dark.
The aldehyde functional group can be coupled to an activated polymer containing a hydrazide or semicarbazide functionality to form a hydrazone or sernicarbazone linkage. Hydrazide-containing polymers are commercially available, and can be synthesized, if necessary, using standard techniques. PEG hydrazides for use in the invention can be obtained from Shearwater Polymers, Inc., 2307 Spring Branch Road, Huntsville, Ala. 35801 (now part of Nektar Therapeutics, 150 Industrial Road, San Carlos, Calif. 94070-6256). The aldehyde is coupled to the polymer by mixing the solution of the two components together and heating to about 37° C. until the reaction is substantially complete. An excess of the polymer hydrazide is typically used to increase the amount of conjugate obtained. A typical reaction time is 26 hours. Depending on the thermal stability of the reactants, the reaction temperature and time can be altered to provide suitable results. Detailed determination of reaction conditions for both oxidation and coupling is set forth in Geoghegan and Stroh, (1992), Bioconjugate Chem. 3:138-146, and in Geoghegan, U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,852, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Using reductive alkylation, the reducing agent should be stable in aqueous solution and preferably be able to reduce only the Schiff base formed in the initial process of reductive alkylation. Reducing agents are selected from, and without limitation, sodium borohydride, sodium cyanoborohydride, dimethylamine borate, timethylamine borate and pyridine borate.
The reaction pH affects the ratio of polymer to protein to be used. In general, if the reaction pH is lower than the pKa of a target reactive group, a larger excess of polymer to protein will be desired. If the pH is higher than the target pKa, the polymer:protein ratio need not be as large (i.e., more reactive groups are available, so fewer polymer molecules are needed).
Accordingly, the reaction is performed in one aspect at a pH which allows one to take advantage of the pKa differences between the ε-amino groups of the lysine residues and that of the α-amino group of the N-terminal residue of the protein. By such selective derivatization, attachment of a water soluble polymer to a protein is controlled; the conjugation with the polymer takes place predominantly at the N-terminus of the protein and no significant modification of other reactive groups, such as the lysine side chain amino groups, occurs.
In one aspect, therefore, methods are provided for covalent attachment of a WSP to a target compound and which provide a substantially homogenous preparation of WSP/protein conjugate molecules, in the absence of further extensive purification as is required using other chemical modification chemistries. More specifically, if polyethylene glycol is used, methods described allow for production of an N-terminally PEGylated protein lacking possibly antigenic linkage groups, i.e., the polyethylene glycol moiety is directly coupled to the protein moiety without potentially toxic by-products.
Depending on the method of WSP attachment chosen, the proportion of WSP molecules attached to the target peptide or protein molecule will vary, as will their concentrations in the reaction mixture. In general, the optimum ratio (in terms of efficiency of reaction in that there is no excess unreacted protein or polymer) is determined by the molecular weight of the WSP selected. In addition, when using methods that involve non-specific attachment and later purification of a desired species, the ratio may depend on the number of reactive groups (typically amino groups) available.
Purification. The method of obtaining a substantially homogeneous WSP-modified preparation is, in one aspect, by purification of a predominantly single species of modified compound from a mixture of species. By way of example, a substantially homogeneous species is first separated by ion exchange chromatography to obtain material having a charge characteristic of a single species (even though other species having the same apparent charge may be present), and then the desired species is separated using size exclusion chromatography. Other methods are reported and contemplated by the invention, includes for example, PCT WO 90/04606, published May 3, 1990, which describes a process for fractionating a mixture of PEG-protein adducts comprising partitioning the PEG/protein adducts in a PEG-containing aqueous biphasic system.
Thus, one aspect of the present invention is a method for preparing a WSP-modified compound conjugate comprised of (a) reacting a compound having more than one amino group with a water soluble polymer moiety under reducing alkylation conditions, at a pH suitable to selectively activate the α-amino group at the amino terminus of the protein moiety so that said water soluble polymer selectively attaches to said α-amino group; and (b) obtaining the reaction product. Optionally, and particularly for a therapeutic product, the reaction products are separated from unreacted moieties.
As ascertained by peptide mapping and N-terminal sequencing, a preparation is provided which comprises at least 50% PEGylated peptide in a mixture of PEGylated peptide and unreacted peptide. In other embodiments, preparations are provided which comprises at least 75% PEGylated peptide in a mixture of PEGylated peptide and unreacted peptide; at least 85% PEGylated peptide in a mixture of PEGylated peptide and unreacted peptide; at least 90% PEGylated peptide in a mixture of PEGylated peptide and unreacted peptide; at least 95% PEGylated peptide in a mixture of PEGylated peptide and unreacted peptide; and at least 99% PEGylated peptide in a mixture of PEGylated peptide and unreacted peptide.
Pharmaceutical Compositions. The present invention further provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising a preparation of the invention. Such pharmaceutical compositions may be for administration for injection, or for oral, nasal, transdermal or other forms of administration, including, e.g., by intravenous, intradermal, intramuscular, intramammary, intraperitoneal, intrathecal, intraocular, retrobulbar, intrapulmonary (e.g., aerosolized drugs) or subcutaneous injection (including depot administration for long term release); by sublingual, anal, vaginal, or by surgical implantation, e.g., embedded under the splenic capsule, brain, or in the cornea. The treatment may consist of a single dose or a plurality of doses over a period of time. In general, comprehended by the invention are pharmaceutical compositions comprising effective amounts of a compound of the invention together with pharmaceutically acceptable diluents, preservatives, solubilizers, emulsifiers, adjuvants and/or carriers. Such compositions include diluents of various buffer content (e.g., Tris-HCl, acetate, phosphate), pH and ionic strength; additives such as detergents and solubilizing agents (e.g., Tween 80, Polysorbate 80), anti-oxidants (e.g., ascorbic acid, sodium metabisulfite), preservatives (e.g., Thimersol, benzyl alcohol) and bulking substances (e.g., lactose, mannitol); incorporation of the material into particulate preparations of polymeric compounds such as polylactic acid, polyglycolic acid, etc. or into liposomes. Hyaluronic acid may also be used, and this may have the effect of promoting sustained duration in the circulation. The pharmaceutical compositions optionally may include still other pharmaceutically acceptable liquid, semisolid, or solid diluents that serve as pharmaceutical vehicles, excipients, or media, including but are not limited to, polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate, magnesium stearate, methyl- and propylhydroxybenzoate, starches, sucrose, dextrose, gum acacia, calcium phosphate, mineral oil, cocoa butter, and oil of theobroma. Such compositions may influence the physical state, stability, rate of in vivo release, and rate of in vivo clearance of the present proteins and derivatives. See, e.g., Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences, 18th Ed. (1990, Mack Publishing Co., Easton, Pa. 18042) pages 1435-1712 which are herein incorporated by reference. The compositions may be prepared in liquid form, or may be in dried powder, such as lyophilized form. Implantable sustained release formulations are also contemplated, as are transdermal formulations.
Oral Dosage. Contemplated for use herein are oral solid dosage forms, which are described generally in Chapter 89 of Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences (1990), 18th Ed., Mack Publishing Co. Easton Pa. 18042, incorporated herein by reference. Solid dosage forms include tablets, capsules, pills, troches or lozenges, cachets or pellets. Alternatively, proteinoid encapsulation may be used (as, for example, proteinoid microspheres reported in U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,673), or liposomal encapsulation may be used, the liposomes optionally derivatized with various polymers (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,556). A description of solid dosage forms for therapeutics in general is given in Chapter 10 of Marshall, K., Modern Pharmaceutics (1979), edited by G. S. Banker and C. T. Rhodes, incorporated herein by reference. In general, the formulation will include a preparation of the invention and inert ingredients which allow for protection against the stomach environment, and release of the biologically active material in the intestine.
If necessary, the compounds may be chemically modified so that oral delivery is efficacious. Generally, the chemical modification contemplated is the attachment of at least one moiety to the compound molecule itself, where said moiety permits (a) inhibition of proteolysis; and (b) uptake into the blood stream from the stomach or intestine. Also desired is the increase in overall stability of the compound and increase in circulation time in the body. Examples of such moieties include polyethylene glycol, copolymers of ethylene glycol and propylene glycol, carboxymethyl cellulose, dextran, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone and polyproline (Abuchowski and Davis, Soluble Polymer-Enzyme Adducts, Enzymes as Drugs, Hocenberg and Roberts, eds., Wiley-Interscience, New York, N.Y., (1981), pp 367-383; Newmark, et al., J. Appl. Biochem. 4:185-189 (1982)). Other polymers that could be used are poly-1,3-dioxolane and poly-1,3,6-tioxocane.
For oral delivery dosage forms, it is also possible to use a salt of a modified aliphatic amino acid, such as sodium N-(8-[2-hydroxybenzoyl]amino)caprylate (SNAC), as a carrier to enhance absorption of the therapeutic compound. The clinical efficacy of a heparin formulation using SNAC has been demonstrated in a Phase II trial conducted by Emisphere Technologies. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,792,451, “Oral drug delivery composition and methods.”
Preparations of the invention can be included in formulation as fine multiparticulates in the form of granules or pellets of particle size about, for example, one mm. The formulation of the material for capsule administration could also be as a powder, lightly compressed plugs or even as tablets. Compositions are optionally prepared by compression.
Colorants and flavoring agents may be included. For example, the preparation may be formulated (such as by liposome or microsphere encapsulation) and then further contained within an edible product, such as a refrigerated beverage containing colorants and flavoring agents.
Preparations of the invention are, in one aspect, diluted or increased in the volume with an inert material. Exemplary diluents include carbohydrates, especially mannitol, α-lactose, anhydrous lactose, cellulose, sucrose, modified dextrans and starch. Certain inorganic salts may also be used as fillers including calcium triphosphate, magnesium carbonate and sodium chloride. Some commercially available diluents are Fast-Flo, Emdex, STA-Rx 1500, Emcompress and Avicell.
Preparations including disintegrants are further contemplated in solid dosage form compositions. Materials used as disintegrants include, but are not limited to, starch (including the commercial disintegrant based on starch, Explotab), sodium starch glycolate, Amberlite, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, ultramylopectin, sodium alginate, gelatin, orange peel, acid carboxymethyl cellulose, natural sponge and bentonite. Another form of disintegrant is an insoluble cationic exchange resin. Powdered gums may also be used as disintegrants and as binders and these can include powdered gums such as agar, Karaya or tragacanth. Alginic acid and its sodium salt are also useful as disintegrants.
Pharmaceutical compositions including binders are further contemplated to hold the therapeutic agent together to form a hard tablet and exemplary binders include materials from natural products such as acacia, tragacanth, starch and gelatin. Others include methyl cellulose (MC), ethyl cellulose (EC) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). Polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC) could both be used in alcoholic solutions to granulate the therapeutic.
An antifrictional agent in a pharmaceutical composition is further contemplated to prevent sticking during the formulation process. Lubricants include, but are not limited to, stearic acid, including its magnesium and calcium salts, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), liquid paraffin, vegetable oils and waxes. Soluble lubricants may also be used such as sodium lauryl sulfate, magnesium lauryl sulfate, polyethylene glycol of various molecular weights, Carbowax 4000 and 6000.
Glidants that might improve the flow properties of a pharmaceutical composition during formulation and to aid rearrangement during compression are also provided. Exemplary glidants include starch, talc, pyrogenic silica and hydrated silicoaluminate.
To aid dissolution of a composition into the aqueous environment, incorporation of a surfactant as a wetting agent is contemplated. Exemplary surfactants include anionic detergents such as sodium lauryl sulfate, dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate and dioctyl sodium sulfonate. Cationic detergents are contemplated, including for example and without limitation, benzalkonium chloride or benzethonium chloride. In another aspect, compositions using as surfactants include lauromacrogol 400, polyoxyl 40 stearate, polyoxyethylene hydrogenated castor oil 10, 50 and 60, glycerol monostearate, polysorbate 40, 60, 65 and 80, sucrose fatty acid ester, methyl cellulose and carboxymethyl cellulose. Compositions comprising these surfactants, either alone or as a mixture in different ratios, are therefore further provided.
Optionally, additives are included in a pharmaceutical composition to enhance uptake of the compound, such additives including, for example and without limitation, fatty acids oleic acid, linoleic acid and linolenic acid.
Controlled release compositions. In another aspect, controlled release formulation are provided. A preparation of the invention is incorporated into an inert matrix which permits release by either diffusion or leaching mechanisms e.g., gums. Slowly degenerating matrices, e.g., alginates, polysaccharides, may also be incorporated into the formulation. Another form of a controlled release is by a method based on the Oros therapeutic system (Alza Corp.), i.e., the drug is enclosed in a semipermeable membrane which allows water to enter and push drug out through a single small opening due to osmotic effects. Some enteric coatings also have a delayed release effect.
Other coatings may be used in compositions of the invention, including for example, a variety of sugars which could be applied in a coating pan. The compositions also include a film coated tablet and the materials used in this instance are divided into two groups. The first includes the nonenteric materials, such as and without limitation methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, methylhydroxy-ethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl-methyl cellulose, sodium carboxy-methyl cellulose, providone and the polyethylene glycols. The second group consists of the enteric materials that are commonly esters of phthalic acid.
A mix of materials is also contemplated to provide the optimum film coating. Film coating may be carried out in a pan coater or in a fluidized bed or by compression coating.
Pulmonary delivery. Also contemplated herein is pulmonary delivery of a preparation of the invention. The compound is delivered to the lungs of a mammal while inhaling and traverses across the lung epithelial lining to the blood stream. Pulmonary delivery is described in Adjei et al., Pharma. Res. (1990) 7: 565-9; Adjei et al. (1990), Internatl. J. Pharmaceutics 63: 135-44; Braquet et al. (1989), J. Cardiovasc. Pharmacol. 13 (supp1.5): s.143-146; Hubbard et al. (1989), Annals Int. Med. 3: 206-12; Smith et al. (1989), J. Clin. Invest. 84: 1145-6; Oswein et al. (March 1990), “Aerosolization of Proteins”, Proc. Symp. Resp. Drug Delivery II, Keystone, Colo.; Debs et al. (1988), J. Immunol. 140: 3482-8 and Platz et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,284,656, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Mechanical devices. Also contemplated for practice of the invention is a wide range of mechanical devices designed for pulmonary delivery of therapeutic products, including but not limited to nebulizers, metered dose inhalers, and powder inhalers, all of which are familiar to those skilled in the art. Specific examples of commercially available devices suitable for the practice of this invention are the Ultravent nebulizer, manufactured by Mallinckrodt, Inc., St. Louis, Mo.; the Acorn II nebulizer, manufactured by Marquest Medical Products, Englewood, Colo.; the Ventolin metered dose inhaler, manufactured by Glaxo Inc., Research Triangle Park, N.C.; and the Spinhaler powder inhaler, manufactured by Fisons Corp., Bedford, Mass.
All such devices require the use of formulations suitable for the dispensing a preparation of the invention. Typically, each formulation is specific to the type of device employed and may involve the use of an appropriate propellant material, in addition to diluents, adjuvants and/or carriers useful in therapy.
For effective delivery to distal lung, the composition is prepared in particulate form with an average particle size in one aspect of less than 10 μm (or microns), and in an alternative aspect 0.5 to 5 μm.
Formulations suitable for use with a nebulizer, either jet or ultrasonic, will typically comprise the inventive compound dissolved in water at a concentration of about 0.1 to 25 mg of biologically active protein per mL of solution. The formulation may also include a buffer and a simple sugar (e.g., for protein stabilization and regulation of osmotic pressure). The nebulizer formulation may also contain a surfactant, to reduce or prevent surface induced aggregation of the protein caused by atomization of the solution in forming the aerosol.
Formulations for use with a metered-dose inhaler device will generally comprise a finely divided powder containing the inventive compound suspended in a propellant with the aid of a surfactant. The propellant may be any conventional material employed for this purpose, such as a chlorofluorocarbon, a hydrochlorofluorocarbon, a hydrofluorocarbon, or a hydrocarbon, including trichlorofluoromethane, dichlorodifluoromethane, dichlorotetrafluoroethanol, and 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane, or combinations thereof. Suitable surfactants include sorbitan trioleate and soya lecithin. Oleic acid may also be useful as a surfactant.
Formulations for dispensing from a powder inhaler device will comprise a finely divided dry powder containing the inventive compound and may also include a bulking agent, such as lactose, sorbitol, sucrose, mannitol, trehalose, or xylitol in amounts which facilitate dispersal of the powder from the device, e.g., 50 to 90% by weight of the formulation.
Nasal delivery. Nasal delivery of preparations of the invention is also contemplated. Nasal delivery allows the passage of the protein to the blood stream directly after administering the therapeutic product to the nose, without the necessity for deposition of the product in the lung. Formulations for nasal delivery include those with dextran or cyclodextran. Delivery via transport across other mucous membranes is also contemplated.
Buccal delivery forms. Buccal delivery of the inventive compound is also contemplated. Buccal delivery formulations are known in the art for use with peptides.
Carriers. Pharmaceutically acceptable carriers include carbohydrates such as trehalose, mannitol, xylitol, sucrose, lactose, and sorbitol. Other ingredients for use in formulations may include DPPC, DOPE, DSPC and DOPC. Natural or synthetic surfactants may be used. PEG may be used (even apart from its use in derivatizing a compound of the invention). Dextrans, such as cyclodextran, may be used. Bile salts and other related enhancers may be used. Cellulose and cellulose derivatives may be used. Amino acids may be used, such as use in a buffer formulation.
Other formulations. The use of liposomes, microcapsules or microspheres, inclusion complexes, or other types of carriers is also contemplated.
Dosages. The dosage regimen involved in a method for treating a condition described herein will be determined by the attending physician, considering various factors which modify the action of drugs, e.g. the age, condition, body weight, sex and diet of the patient, the severity of any infection, time of administration and other clinical factors. In various aspects, the daily regimen is in the range of 0.1-1000 μg of a preparation per kilogram of body weight (calculating the mass of the protein alone, without chemical modification) or 0.1-150 μg/kg.
Preparations of the invention may be administered by an initial bolus followed by a continuous infusion to maintain therapeutic circulating levels of drug product. As another example, the inventive compound may be administered as a one-time dose. Those of ordinary skill in the art will readily optimize effective dosages and administration regimens as determined by good medical practice and the clinical condition of the individual patient. The frequency of dosing will depend on the pharmacokinetic parameters of the agents and the route of administration. The optimal pharmaceutical formulation will be determined by one skilled in the art depending upon the route of administration and desired dosage. See for example, Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences, 18th Ed. (1990, Mack Publishing Co., Easton, Pa. 18042) pages 1435-1712, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Such formulations may influence the physical state, stability, rate of in vivo release, and rate of in vivo clearance of the administered agents. Depending on the route of administration, a suitable dose may be calculated according to body weight, body surface area or organ size. Further refinement of the calculations necessary to determine the appropriate dosage for treatment involving each of the above mentioned formulations is routinely made by those of ordinary skill in the art without undue experimentation, especially in light of the dosage information and assays disclosed herein, as well as the pharmacokinetic data observed in the human clinical trials discussed above. Appropriate dosages may be ascertained through use of established assays for determining blood levels dosages in conjunction with appropriate dose-response data. The final dosage regimen will be determined by the attending physician, considering various factors which modify the action of drugs, e.g. the drug's specific activity, the severity of the damage and the responsiveness of the patient, the age, condition, body weight, sex and diet of the patient, the severity of any infection, time of administration and other clinical factors. As studies are conducted, further information will emerge regarding the appropriate dosage levels and duration of treatment for various diseases and conditions.
The therapeutic methods, compositions and compounds of the present invention may also be employed, alone or in combination with other cytokines, soluble c-Mpl receptor, hematopoietic factors, interleukins, growth factors or antibodies in the treatment of disease states characterized by other symptoms as well as platelet deficiencies. It is anticipated that the preparations of the invention will prove useful in treating some forms of thrombocytopenia in combination with general stimulators of hematopoiesis, such as IL-3 or GM-CSF. Other megakaryocytic stimulatory factors, i.e., meg-CSF, stem cell factor (SCF), leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), oncostatin M (OSM), or other molecules with megakaryocyte stimulating activity may also be employed with Mpl ligand. Additional exemplary cytokines or hematopoietic factors for such co-administration include IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-11, colony stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1), M-CSF, SCF, GM-CSF, granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), EPO, interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha), consensus interferon, IFN-beta, IFN-gamma, IL-7, IL-8, IL-9, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, IL-14, IL-15, IL-16, IL-17, IL-18, thrombopoietin (TPO), angiopoietins, for example Ang-1, Ang-2, Ang-4, Ang-Y, the human angiopoietin-like polypeptide, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), angiogenin, bone morphogenic protein-1, bone morphogenic protein-2, bone morphogenic protein-3, bone morphogenic protein-4, bone morphogenic protein-5, bone morphogenic protein-6, bone morphogenic protein-7, bone morphogenic protein-8, bone morphogenic protein-9, bone morphogenic protein-10, bone morphogenic protein-11, bone morphogenic protein-12, bone morphogenic protein-13, bone morphogenic protein-14, bone morphogenic protein-15, bone morphogenic protein receptor IA, bone morphogenic protein receptor IB, brain derived neurotrophic factor, ciliary neutrophic factor, ciliary neutrophic factor receptor, cytokine-induced neutrophil chemotactic factor 1, cytokine-induced neutrophil, chemotactic factor 2α, cytokine-induced neutrophil chemotactic factor 2β, β, endothelial cell growth factor, endothelin 1, epidermal growth factor, epithelial-derived neutrophil attractant, fibroblast growth factor 4, fibroblast growth factor 5, fibroblast growth factor 6, fibroblast growth factor 7, fibroblast growth factor 8, fibroblast growth factor 8b, fibroblast growth factor 8c, fibroblast growth factor 9, fibroblast growth factor 10, fibroblast growth factor acidic, fibroblast growth factor basic, glial cell line-derived neutrophic factor receptor α1, glial cell line-derived neutrophic factor receptor α2, growth related protein, growth related protein α, growth related protein β, growth related protein y, heparin binding epidermal growth factor, hepatocyte growth factor, hepatocyte growth factor receptor, insulin-like growth factor I, insulin-like growth factor receptor, insulin-like growth factor II, insulin-like growth factor binding protein, keratinocyte growth factor, leukemia inhibitory factor, leukemia inhibitory factor receptor α, nerve growth factor nerve growth factor receptor, neurotrophin-3, neurotrophin-4, placenta growth factor, placenta growth factor 2, platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor, platelet derived growth factor, platelet derived growth factor A chain, platelet derived growth factor AA, platelet derived growth factor AB, platelet derived growth factor B chain, platelet derived growth factor BB, platelet derived growth factor receptor α, platelet derived growth factor receptor β, pre-B cell growth stimulating factor, stem cell factor receptor, TNF, including TNF0, TNF1, TNF2, transforming growth factor α, transforming growth factor β, transforming growth factor β1, transforming growth factor β1.2, transforming growth factor β2, transforming growth factor β3, transforming growth factor β5, latent transforming growth factor β1, transforming growth factor β binding protein I, transforming growth factor β binding protein II, transforming growth factor β binding protein III, tumor necrosis factor receptor type I, tumor necrosis factor receptor type II, urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor, vascular endothelial growth factor, and chimeric proteins and biologically or immunologically active fragments thereof. It may further be useful to administer, either simultaneously or sequentially, an effective amount of a soluble mammalian c-Mpl, which appears to have an effect of causing megakaryocytes to fragment into platelets once the megakaryocytes have reached mature form. Thus, administration of a preparation of the invention (to enhance the number of mature megakaryocytes) followed by administration of the soluble c-Mpl (to inactivate the ligand and allow the mature megakaryocytes to produce platelets) is expected to be a particularly effective means of stimulating platelet production. The dosage recited above would be adjusted to compensate for such additional components in the therapeutic composition. Progress of the treated patient can be monitored by conventional methods.
Conditions in general. The compounds of this invention have pharmacological activity resulting from their ability to bind to proteins of interest as agonists, mimetics or antagonists of the native ligands of such proteins of interest. The utility of specific compounds is shown in Table 2. The activity of these compounds can be measured by assays known in the art. For the TPO-mimetic compounds, an in vivo assay is further described in the Examples section herein.
In addition to therapeutic uses, the compounds of the present invention are useful in diagnosing diseases characterized by dysfunction of their associated protein of interest. In one embodiment, a method of detecting in a biological sample a protein of interest (e.g., a receptor) that is capable of being activated comprising the steps of: (a) contacting the sample with a compound of this invention; and (b) detecting activation of the protein of interest by the compound. The biological samples include tissue specimens, intact cells, or extracts thereof. The compounds of this invention may be used as part of a diagnostic kit to detect the presence of their associated proteins of interest in a biological sample. Such kits employ the compounds of the invention having an attached label to allow for detection. The compounds are useful for identifying normal or abnormal proteins of interest. For the EPO-mimetic compounds, for example, presence of abnormal protein of interest in a biological sample may be indicative of such disorders as Diamond Blackfan anemia, where it is believed that the EPO receptor is dysfunctional.
Therapeutic uses of EPO-mimetic compounds. The EPO-mimetic compounds of the invention are useful for treating disorders characterized by low red blood cell levels. Included in the invention are methods of modulating the endogenous activity of an EPO receptor in a mammal, preferably methods of increasing the activity of an EPO receptor. In general, any condition treatable by erythropoietin, such as anemia, may also be treated by the EPO-mimetic compounds of the invention. These compounds are administered by an amount and route of delivery that is appropriate for the nature and severity of the condition being treated and may be ascertained by one skilled in the art. Preferably, administration is by injection, either subcutaneous, intramuscular, or intravenous.
Therapeutic uses of TPO-mimetic compounds. For the TPO-mimetic compounds, one can utilize such standard assays as those described in WO95/26746 entitled “Compositions and Methods for Stimulating Megakaryocyte Growth and Differentiation”. In vivo assays also appear in the Examples hereinafter.
The conditions to be treated are generally those that involve an existing megakaryocyte/platelet deficiency or an expected megakaryocyte/platelet deficiency (e.g., because of planned surgery or platelet donation). Such conditions will usually be the result of a deficiency (temporary or permanent) of active Mpl ligand in vivo. The generic term for platelet deficiency is thrombocytopenia, and hence the methods and compositions of the present invention are generally available for treating thrombocytopenia in patients in need thereof.
Thrombocytopenia may be present for various reasons, including chemotherapy and other therapy with a variety of drugs, radiation therapy, surgery, accidental blood loss, and other specific disease conditions. Exemplary specific disease conditions that involve thrombocytopenia and may be treated in accordance with this invention are: aplastic anemia, idiopathic or immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), including idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura associated with breast cancer; HIV associated ITP and HIV-related thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura; metastatic tumors which result in thrombocytopenia, systemic lupus erythematosus, including neonatal lupus syndrome, splenomegaly, Fanconi's syndrome, vitamin B12 deficiency, folic acid deficiency, May-Hegglin anomaly, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, chronic liver disease; myelodysplastic syndrome associated with thrombocytopenia; paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, acute profound thrombocytopenia following C7E3 Fab (Abciximab) therapy; alloimmune thrombocytopenia, including maternal alloimmune thrombocytopenia; thrombocytopenia associated with antiphospholipid antibodies and thrombosis; autoimmune thrombocytopenia; drug-induced immune thrombocytopenia, including carboplatin-induced thrombocytopenia, heparin-induced thrombocytopenia; fetal thrombocytopenia; gestational thrombocytopenia; Hughes' syndrome; lupoid thrombocytopenia; accidental and/or massive blood loss; myeloproliferative disorders; thrombocytopenia in patients with malignancies; thrombotic thrombocytopenia purpura, including thrombotic microangiopathy manifesting as thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura/hemolytic uremic syndrome in cancer patients; autoimmune hemolytic anemia; occult jejunal diverticulum perforation; pure red cell aplasia; autoimmune thrombocytopenia; nephropathia epidemica; rifampicin-associated acute renal failure; Paris-Trousseau thrombocytopenia; neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia; paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria; hematologic changes in stomach cancer; hemolytic uremic syndromes in childhood; hematologic manifestations related to viral infection including hepatitis A virus and CMV-associated thrombocytopenia. Also, certain treatments for AIDS result in thrombocytopenia (e.g., AZT). Certain wound healing disorders might also benefit from an increase in platelet numbers. Also, certain treatments for AIDS result in thrombocytopenia (e.g., AZT). Certain wound healing disorders might also benefit from an increase in platelet numbers.
The TPO-mimetic compounds of this invention may be used in any situation in which production of platelets or platelet precursor cells is desired, or in which stimulation of the c-Mpl receptor is desired. Thus, for example, the compounds of this invention may be used to treat any condition in a mammal wherein there is a need of platelets, megakaryocytes, and the like. Such conditions are described in detail in the following exemplary sources: WO95/26746; WO95/21919; WO95/18858; WO95/21920 and are incorporated herein.
The TPO-mimetic compounds of this invention may also be useful in maintaining the viability or storage life of platelets and/or megakaryocytes and related cells. Accordingly, it could be useful to include an effective amount of one or more such compounds in a composition containing such cells.
The therapeutic methods, compositions and compounds of the present invention may also be employed, alone or in combination with other cytokines, soluble Mpl receptor, hematopoietic factors, interleukins, growth factors or antibodies in the treatment of disease states characterized by other symptoms as well as platelet deficiencies. It is anticipated that the inventive compound will prove useful in treating some forms of thrombocytopenia in combination with general stimulators of hematopoiesis, such as IL-3 or GM-CSF. Other megakaryocytic stimulatory factors, i.e., meg-CSF, stem cell factor (SCF), leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), oncostatin M (OSM), or other molecules with megakaryocyte stimulating activity may also be employed with Mpl ligand. Additional exemplary cytokines or hematopoietic factors for such co-administration include IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-2, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-11, colony stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1), SCF, GM-CSF, granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), EPO, interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha), consensus interferon, IFN-beta, or IFN-gamma. It may further be useful to administer, either simultaneously or sequentially, an effective amount of a soluble mammalian Mpl receptor, which appears to have an effect of causing megakaryocytes to fragment into platelets once the megakaryocytes have reached mature form. Thus, administration of an inventive compound (to enhance the number of mature megakaryocytes) followed by administration of the soluble Mpl receptor (to inactivate the ligand and allow the mature megakaryocytes to produce platelets) is expected to be a particularly effective means of stimulating platelet production. The dosage recited above would be adjusted to compensate for such additional components in the therapeutic composition. Progress of the treated patient can be monitored by conventional methods.
In cases where the inventive compounds are added to compositions of platelets and/or megakaryocytes and related cells, the amount to be included will generally be ascertained experimentally by techniques and assays known in the art. An exemplary range of amounts is 0.1 μg to 1 mg inventive compound per 106 cells.
The conditions to be treated are generally those that involve an existing megakaryocyte/platelet deficiency or an expected megakaryocyte/platelet deficiency (e.g., because of planned surgery or platelet donation). Such conditions will usually be the result of a deficiency (temporary or permanent) of active thrombopoietin in vivo. The generic term for platelet deficiency is thrombocytopenia, and the methods and preparations of the present invention are generally available for treating thrombocytopenia in patients in need thereof.
With regard to anticipated platelet deficiencies, e.g., due to future surgery, a compound of the present invention could be administered several days to several hours prior to the need for platelets. With regard to acute situations, e.g., accidental and massive blood loss, a preparation or composition of the invention is optionally administered along with blood or purified platelets.
The TPO-mimetic compounds of the invention are useful in stimulating certain cell types other than megakaryocytes if such cells are found to express c-Mpl. Conditions associated with such cells that express the c-Mpl, which are responsive to stimulation by a preparation or composition described herein are also within the scope of this invention.
The following examples are not intended to be limiting but only exemplary of specific embodiments of the invention.
A polynucleotide encoding a TMP fusion protein comprising a murine Fc region (mFc-TMP) was constructed by combining nucleotide sequences individually encoding murine Fc and a TMP (described in EP01124961A2). In the first round of PCR, the murine Fc-encoding component was amplified with PCR primers 3155-58 (SEQ ID NO: 1022) and 1388-00 (SEQ ID NO: 1023).
In a separate reaction, an TMP-encoding polynucleotide was amplified with primers 1209-85 (SEQ ID NO: 1026) and 3155-59 (SEQ ID NO: 1027).
The resulting PCR fragments were gel purified and combined in a single tube for a second round of PCR with primers 1209-85 (SEQ ID NO: 1030) and 1388-00 (SEQ ID NO: 1031). The PCR product from this second round of amplification was gel purified and digested with restriction enzymes NdeI and XhoI. The digestion fragment was purified and ligated into the vector pAMG21, previously digested with the same enzymes. This ligation mix was transformed via electroporation into the E. coli strain Amgen 393 and plated onto LB+Kanamycin media. Colonies were screened via PCR and DNA sequencing. A positive clone with a nucleotide sequence (SEQ ID NO: 1032) encoding the mFc-TMP fusion protein (SEQ ID NO: 1033) was identified and designated 6397.
Murine Fc-TMP fusion protein-encoding polynucleotide (SEQ ID NO: 1034)
Murine Fc-TMP protein sequence (SEQ ID NO: 1035)
Fermentation of strain 6397 was initiated by inoculation of 500 mL of sterilized Luria broth with a seed culture of the strain in a shake flask. When cell density reached 0.9 at 600 nm, the contents were used to inoculate a 15 L fermentor containing 10 L of complex based growth medium (800 g glycerol, 500 g trypticase, 3 g sodium citrate, 40 g KH2PO4, 20 g (NH4)2SO4, 5 ml Fluka P-2000 antifoam, 10 ml trace metals (ferric chloride 27.0 g/L, zinc chloride 2.00 g/L, cobalt chloride 2.00 g/L, sodium molybdate 2.00 g/L, calcium chloride 1.00 g/L, cupric sulfate 1.90 g/L, boric acid 0.50 g/L, manganese chloride 1.60 g/L, sodium citrate dihydrate 73.5 g/L), 10 ml vitamins (biotin 0.060 g/L, folic acid 0.040 g/L, riboflavin 0.42 g/L, pyridoxine HCl 1.40 g/L, niacin 6.10 g/L, pantothenic acid 5.40 g/L, sodium hydroxide 5.30 ml/L), add water to bring to 10 L). The fermenter was maintained at 37° C. and pH 7 with dissolved oxygen levels kept at a minimum of 30% saturation. When the cell density reached 13.1 OD units at 600 nm, the culture was induced by the addition 10 ml of 0.5 mg/ml N-(3-oxo-hexanoyl) homoserine lactone. At 6 hours post induction, the broth was chilled to 10° C., and the cells were harvested by centrifugation at 4550 g for 60 min at 5° C. The cell paste was then stored at −80° C.
E. coli paste (300 g) from strain 6397 expressing mFc-TMP was dissolved in 2250 ml lysis buffer (50 mM Tris HCl, 5 mM EDTA, pH 8.0) and passed through a chilled microfluidizer two times at 13,000 PSI. The homogenate was then centrifuged at 11,300 g for 60 minutes at 4° C. The supernatant was discarded, and the pellet was resuspended in 2400 ml of water using a tissue grinder. The homogenate was then centrifuged at 11,300 g for 60 minutes at 4° C. The supernatant was discarded, and the pellet was resuspended in 200 ml volumes of water using a tissue grinder. The homogenate was centrifuged at 27,200 g for 30 minutes at 4° C., and the supernatant was discarded. About 12.5% of the pellet was resuspended in 28 ml 20 mM Tris HCl, pH 8.0, with 35 mg hen egg white lysozyme (Sigma, St Louis, Mo.) using a tissue grinder and incubated at 37° C. for 20 min. Following incubation, the suspension was centrifuged at 27,200 g for 30 minutes at 22° C., and the supernatant was discarded. The pellet was resuspended in 35 ml 8 M guanidine HCl, 50 mM Tris HCl, pH 8.0, after which 350 μl 1 M DTT (Sigma, St Louis, Mo.) was added and material was incubated at 37° C. for 30 minutes. The solution was then centrifuged at 27,200 g for 30 minutes at 22° C. The supernatant was then transferred to 3.5 L of refolding buffer (50 mM Tris base, 160 mM arginine HCl, 3 M urea, 20% glycerol, pH 9.5, 1 mM cysteine, 1 mM cystamine HCl) at 1 ml/min with gentle stirring at 4° C.
After about 40 hours incubation at 4° C. with gentle agitation, the refold solution described in Example 3 was concentrated to 500 μl using a tangential flow ultrafiltration apparatus with a 30 kDa cartridge (Satorius, Goettingen, Germany) followed by diafiltration against 3 L of Q-Buffer A (20 mM Tris HCl, pH 8.0). The concentrated material was filtered through a Whatman GF/A filter and loaded on to an 86 ml Q-Sepharose fast flow column (2.6 cm ID) (Amersham Biosciences, Piscataway, N.J.) at 15 ml/min. After washing the resin with several column volumes of Q-Buffer A, the protein was eluted using a 20 column volume linear gradient to 60% Q-Buffer B (20 mM Tris HCl, 1 M NaCl, pH 8.0) at 10 ml/min. The peak fractions were pooled, and the pool was passed through a Mustang E syringe filter (Pall Corporation, East Hills, N.Y.) at 1 ml/min. The filtered material was filtered a second time through a 0.22 μm cellulose acetate filter and stored at −80° C.
To a cooled (4° C.), stirred solution of mFc-TMP (3.5 ml, 0.8 mg/ml) in a 100 mM sodium acetate buffer, pH 5, containing 20 mM NaCNBH3, was added a 3.8-fold molar excess of methoxypolyethylene glycol aldehyde (MPEG) (average molecular weight, 20 kDa) (Nektar). The stirring of the reaction mixture was continued at the same temperature. The extent of the protein modification during the course of the reaction was monitored by SEC HPLC using a Superose 6 HR 10/30 column (Amersham Biosciences) eluted with a 0.05 M phosphate buffer with 0.15 M NaCl, pH 7.0 at 0.4 ml/min. After 16 hours the SEC HPLC analysis indicated that the majority of the protein has been conjugated to MPEG. At this time the reaction mixture was buffer-exchanged into a 20 mM Tris/HCl buffer, pH 8.12. The MPEG-mFc-AMP2 conjugates were isolated by ion exchange chromatography using a 1 ml Hi Trap HP Q column (Amersham Biosciences) equilibrated with a 20 mM Tris/HCl buffer, pH 8.12. The reaction mixture was loaded on the column at a flow rate of 0.5 ml/min and the unreacted MPEG aldehyde was eluted with three column volumes of the starting buffer. A linear 20-column-volume gradient from 0% to 100% 20 mM Tris/HCl buffer, pH 8.12, containing 0.5 M NaCl was used to the elute the protein-polymer conjugates. Fractions (2 ml) collected during ion exchange chromatography separation were analyzed by HPLC SEC as described above. A fraction containing the mono- and di-MPEG-mFc-TMP conjugates in an approximate ratio of 2.3 to 1 (as determined by SEC HPLC) was concentrated, and sterile filtered.
BDF1 mice (Charles River Laboratories, Wilmington, Mass.) were divided into groups of 10 and injected on days 0, 21, and 42 subcutaneously with either diluting agent (Dulbecco's PBS with 0.1% bovine serum albumin) or diluting agent with 50 μg test mono- and di-MPEG-mFc-TMP conjugate protein (as described above) per kg animal. Each group was divided in half and bled (140 μl) from the retro-orbital sinus on alternate time points (days 0, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 14, 19, 24, 26, 28, 31, 33, 40, 45, 47, 49, 52 and 59). On day 59, mice were anesthetized with isoflurane prior to bleeding. The collected blood was analyzed for a complete and differential count using an ADVIA 120 automated blood analyzer with murine software (Bayer Diagnostics, New York, N.Y.).
Results showed that administration of mono- and di-MPEG-mFc-TMP conjugates on days 0, 21 and 41 resulted in subsequent increases in platelet levels to essentially the same degree with each dose. See
The present invention has been described in terms of particular embodiments found or proposed to comprise preferred modes for the practice of then invention. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that, in light of the present disclosure, numerous modifications and changes can be made in the particular embodiments exemplified without departing from the intended scope of the invention.
This application claims priority of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/586,419 filed Jul. 8, 2004, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US05/24373 | 7/8/2005 | WO | 00 | 12/19/2007 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60586419 | Jul 2004 | US |
