Immunoglobulins devoid of light chains

• US 7,722,871 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2006
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ablynx NV (Sanofi ), Vrije Universiteit Brussel
• Original Assignee: Vrije Universiteit Brussel
• Inventors: Hamers, Raymond, Casterman, Cecile
• Primary Examiner(s): Ewoldt; G. R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dibrino; Marianne
• Application Number:
  US11/350,900
• Publication Number:
  US 20070077240A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,565 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 424/141.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 2039/505 comprising antibodies
• CPC Class Codes: C07K 16/00 Immunoglobulins [IGs], e.g. monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies antibodies with enzymatic activity, e.g. abzymes C12N9/0002
• CPC Class Codes: C07K 16/20 from protozoa
• CPC Class Codes: C07K 2317/22 from camelids, e.g. camel, llama or dromedary
• CPC Class Codes: C07K 2317/50 characterized by immunoglobulin fragments
• CPC Class Codes: C07K 2317/565 Complementarity determining region [CDR]
• CPC Class Codes: C07K 2317/567 Framework region [FR]
• CPC Class Codes: C07K 2319/30 Non-immunoglobulin-derived peptide or protein having an immunoglobulin constant or Fc region, or a fragment thereof, attached thereto

Abstract

The invention relates to an immunoglobulin having determined antigen specificity, and having a variable fragment which is obtainable from a camelid heavy-chain immunoglobulin having two heavy polypeptide chains capable of recognizing and binding an antigen and which is further devoid of polypeptide light chains, wherein the immunoglobulin having determined antigen specificity is devoid of a CH1 constant region between the variable region and the hinge region and has within its constant region at least part of a constant region of a human antibody.

Claims

1. Immunoglobulin having determined antigen specificity, and having a variable fragment which is obtainable from a camelid heavy-chain immunoglobulin having two heavy polypeptide chains capable of recognizing and binding an antigen and which is further devoid of polypeptide light chains, wherein the immunoglobulin having determined antigen specificity is devoid of a CH1 constant region between the variable region and the hinge region and has within its constant region at least part of a constant region of a human antibody.

2. Immunoglobulin according to claim 1 wherein the camelid heavy-chain immunoglobulin is a heavy chain immunoglobulin of Camelus dromedarius.

3. Immunoglobulin according to claim 1, wherein the camelid heavy-chain immunoglobulin is a heavy chain immunoglobulin of Camelus bactrianus.

4. Immunoglobulin according to claim 1 wherein the constant region comprises a CH2 domain or a CH3 domain or, both CH2 and CH3 domains, of a human antibody.

5. Immunoglobulin according to claim 1, wherein the camelid heavy-chain immunoglobulin is a heavy chain immunoglobulin of a Lama glama.

6. Immunoglobulin according to claim 1, which is obtainable from a camelid heavy-chain immunoglobulin devoid of polypeptide light chains and having two heavy polypeptide chains capable of binding and recognizing an antigen, being humanized by replacement of part of its variable sequence, by part of a human antibody.

7. Immunoglobulin according to claim 6 wherein the variable sequence is humanized by replacement of one or more of its framework amino acid residues, by framework amino acid residues present in antibodies from humans.

8. Immunoglobulin according to claim 1 wherein the camelid heavy-chain immunoglobulin is a heavy chain immunoglobulin of Lama pacos.

9. Immunoglobulin according to claim 1 wherein the camelid heavy-chain immunoglobulin is a heavy chain immunoglobulin of Lama vicugna.

10. A method for synthesizing an immunoglobulin according to any of claims 1-5 and 6-9 comprising (a) selecting a variable fragment having a determined antigen specificity;

and (b) attaching the variable fragment of step (a) to a constant region, wherein attaching of the variable fragment to the constant region in step (b) is effected by expressing the immunoglobulin as a fusion polypeptide.

11. A composition comprising an immunoglobulin according to any of claims 1-5 and 6-9.