Monoclonal antibodies to thymidine kinase 1 and uses in diagnostic and therapeutic applications

• US 5,698,409 A
• Filed: 05/10/1995
• Issued: 12/16/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Brigham Young University (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)
• Original Assignee: Brigham Young University (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)
• Inventors: O'Neill, Kim L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Scheiner, Toni R.
• Application Number:
  US08/438,627
• Time in Patent Office: 951 Days
• Field of Search: 435/7.4, 435/7.23, 435/7.9, 436/64, 436/813, 530/388.26, 530/388.8, 530/388.85
• US Class Current: 435/7.23
• CPC Class Codes: C07K 16/40 against enzymes

Abstract

The invention provides a method for the purification of a mammalian thymidine kinase 1. Also provided is a purified mammalian TK1, obtained from Raji cells, that is stable in the absence of stabilizing agents, has a molecular weight of approximately 100 kD and exhibits enzyme activity associated with the native 100 kD tetrameric species of TK1 but not the monomeric subunit. This purified TK1 was used to prepare a monoclonal antibody which inhibited TK1 enzyme activity. This anti-TK1 monoclonal antibody was used in methods for the diagnosis of cancer and for predicting the recurrence of cancer.

Claims

1. A monoclonal antibody to a purified, approximately 100 kD, tetrameric form of a mammalian thymidine kinase 1 (TK1).

2. The monoclonal antibody according to claim 1 wherein said monoclonal antibody inhibits TK1 enzymatic activity.

3. The monoclonal antibody according to claim 1 wherein said monoclonal antibody inhibits TK1 enzymatic activity in a mammalian biological sample.

4. The monoclonal antibody according to claim 3 wherein said mammalian biological sample is a body fluid or a body tissue.

5. The monoclonal antibody according to claim 4 wherein said body fluid is selected from the group consisting of blood, serum, urine, and spinal fluid.

6. The monoclonal antibody according to claim 4 wherein said body tissue is a normal tissue or a tumorigenic tissue.

7. The monoclonal antibody according to claim 3 wherein said mammalian biological sample is from a human.

8. The monoclonal antibody according to claim 1 wherein said monoclonal antibody is an IgG or an IgM antibody.

9. The monoclonal antibody according to claim 1 wherein said monoclonal antibody is produced by a hybridoma selected from the group consisting of American Type Culture Collection hybridomas HB 11432, HB 11433 and HB 11434.

10. A hybridoma producing the monoclonal antibody of claim 1.

11. A hybridoma of claim 10 selected from the group consisting of American Type Culture Collection hybridomas HB 11432, HB 11433 and HB 11434.

12. A method of diagnosis of cancer in a patient having an elevated level of thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) activity in a biological sample from said patient, said elevated level being associated with the presence of said cancer, comprising the steps of:

(a) establishing a normal TK1 value by determining with a monoclonal antibody to a purified, approximately 100 kD), tetrameric form of a mammalian TK1 the level of TK1 activity in a biological sample of a patient without cancer;

(b) establishing said patient'"'"'s TK1 value by determining with said monoclonal antibody the level of TK1 activity in said biological sample from said cancer patient; and

(c) comparing said patient'"'"'s TK1 value with said normal TK1 value to determine if said patient TK1 value is a normal level or an elevated level of TK1 activity, said elevated level being diagnostic of said cancer.

13. The method of diagnosis of cancer of claim 12 wherein said patient is a human.

14. The method of diagnosis of cancer of claim 12 wherein said cancer is selected from the group consisting of leukemia, lymphoma, and a solid tumor from breast, prostate, brain, thyroid, stomach or rectum.

15. The method of diagnosis of cancer of claim 12 where said cancer is breast cancer.

16. The method of diagnosis of cancer of claim 13 wherein said biological sample is selected from the group consisting of blood, serum, urine, spinal fluid, normal tissue and tumor tissue.

17. The method of diagnosis of cancer of claim 13 wherein said biological sample is serum.

24. The method of claim 12 wherein said biological sample is a histological preparation of a fresh or frozen tissue sample.

18. A method of predicting the likelihood of recurrence of a tumor in a patient having a primary tumor, said primary tumor being associated with an elevated level of thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) activity, comprising the steps of:

(a) determining immunologically said patient'"'"'s TK1 value with a monoclonal antibody to purified, approximately 100 kD, tetrameric form of a mammalian TK1;

(b) determining immunologically said patient'"'"'s TK2 value with a monoclonal antibody to a purified mammalian thymidine kinase 2 (TK2);

(c) determining the level of TK1 activity as a percentage of the total (TK1+TK2) activity and determining the level of TK2 activity as a percentage of the total (TK1+TK2) activity; and

(d) predicting a recurrence of said tumor in said patient, if said percentage of TK1 activity is equal to or greater than 40% and predicting a nonrecurrence of said tumor in said patient, if said percentage of TK1 is less than 40%.

25. The method of claim 18 wherein said biological sample is a histological preparation of a fresh or frozen tissue sample.

19. A method of predicting the likelihood of recurrence of a tumor in a patient having a primary tumor, said primary tumor being associated with an elevated level of thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) activity, comprising the steps of:

(1) establishing for said tumor a level of elevated TK1 activity that is predictive of recurrence of said tumor and a level of baseline TK1 activity that is predictive of non-recurrence of said tumor in a method comprising the steps of;

(a) obtaining samples of untreated primary tumors that were surgically removed from cancer patients, some of whom had recurrence of said tumor and the remainder of whom did not exhibit recurrence of said tumor, and separating said samples into two groups, a first group of samples from cancer patients having recurrence of said tumor and a second group of samples from cancer patients not exhibiting recurrence of said tumor;

determining the level of TK1 in said samples of step (a) with a monoclonal antibody to a purified, approximately 100 kD, tetrameric form of a mammalian TK1;

(c) computing an average value of elevated TK1 levels for said first group and an average value of baseline TK1 ovals for said second group such that the average value of elevated TK1 levels for the first group is at least about two-fold higher than the average value of baseline TK1 levels for the second group; and

(d) correlating said first group of elevated TK1 levels of step (c) with tumors from patients having recurrence of said tumor and correlating said second group of baseline TK1 levels of step (c) with tumors from patients not exhibiting recurrence of said tumor;

(2) using said monoclonal antibody to determine the level of TK1 in a biological sample of said patient having a primary tumor; and

(3) predicting a recurrence of said tumor in said patient if the level of TK1 determined in step (2) is an elevated TK1 level as defined in step 1(c), and

predicting a non-recurrence of said tumor in said patient if the level of TK1 determined in step (2) is a baseline TK1 level as defined in step 1(c).

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said biological sample is selected from the group consisting of blood, serum, urine, spinal fluid, normal tissue and tumor tissue.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein said average value for the first group of elevated TK1 levels is between about three-and about fifteen-fold higher than the average value of the second group of baseline TK1 levels in step 1(c).

26. The method of claim 19 wherein said biological sample is a histological preparation of a fresh or frozen tissue sample.

22. A kit useful for the determination of the level of thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) in a mammalian biological sample;

for the diagnosis of cancer in a patient having an elevated level of TK1 as compared with a normal level of TK1;

for predicting the likelihood of recurrence of a tumor in a patient; and

for predicting the likelihood of recurrence of a tumor in a patient having a level of TK1 about three- to about fifteen-fold higher than said normal level;

said kit comprising;

a monoclonal antibody to a purified, approximately 100 kD, tetrameric form of a mammalian TK1, and

a reagent useful for detecting the extent of interaction between said monoclonal antibody and said TK1 in said mammalian biological sample.

23. A kit useful for the determination of the level of thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) and the level of thymidine kinase 2 (TK2) in a mammalian biological sample;

and for predicting the likelihood of recurrence of a tumor in a patient with a tumor, if the level of said TK1 in said tumor is equal to or greater than 40% of the total TK (TK1+TK2);

said kit comprising;

a monoclonal antibody to a purified, approximately 100 kD, tetrameric form of a mammalian TK1;

a first reagent useful for detecting the extent of interaction between said monoclonal antibody to a purified TK1 and said TK1 in said mammalian biological sample;

a monoclonal antibody to a purified TK2; and

a second reagent useful for detecting the extent of interaction between said monoclonal antibody to a purified TK2 and said TK2 in said mammalian biological sample.