Methods of binding TNF-alpha using Anti-TNF-alpha antibody fragment-polymer conjugates
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Abstract
Described are conjugates formed by an antibody fragment covalently attached to a nonproteinaceous polymer, wherein the apparent size of the conjugate is at least about 500 kD. The conjugates exhibit substantially improved half-life, mean residence time, and/or clearance rate in circulation as compared to the underivatized parental antibody fragment. Also described are conjugates directed against human vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), human p185 receptor-like tyrosine kinase (HER2), human CD20, human CD18, human CD11a, human IgE, human apoptosis receptor-2 (Apo-2), human tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), human tissue factor (TF), human α4β7 integrin, human GPIIb-IIIa integrin, human epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), human CD3, and human interleukin-2 receptor α-chain (TAC) for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
1 Citation
51 Claims
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1-32. -32. (canceled)
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33. A method of binding a conjugate to a tumor necrosis factor α
- (TNF-α
) polypeptide in a mammal comprising a TNF-α
polypeptide, the method comprising administering to said mammal a conjugate consisting essentially of an antibody fragment covalently modified by one or two nonproteinaceous polymer molecules at a free sulfhydryl group of a cysteine residue within the hinge region of the antibody fragment,wherein said antibody fragment is engineered to both (1) provide an unpaired cysteine within the hinge region, so as to provide said free sulfhydryl group, and (2) to avoid disulfide bridge formation between said cysteine and an amino acid in the opposite chain of said antibody fragment, wherein (a) the average actual molecular weight of each nonproteinaceous polymer molecule is at least 20 kD, (b) the conjugate binds the same antigen as the parental molecule that is not covalently modified by one or two nonproteinaceous polymer molecules, wherein the antibody fragment comprises an antigen binding site that binds to a human TNF-α
polypeptide. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
- (TNF-α
Specification