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AssigneeNovartis AG
InventorsMichael Otto Bardroff, Barbara Brannetti, Emma Michelle Campbell, Beate Diefenbach-Streiber, Adina Eberth, Christian Carsten Silverster Kunz, Sylwia Marshall, Jean-Michel Rene Rondeau, Jean-Marc Alfred Schlaeppi, Gino Anselmus Van Heeke
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Interleukin-18 (IL-18) participates in both innate and acquired immunity. The bioactivity of IL-18 is negatively regulated by the IL-18 binding protein (IL18BP), a naturally occurring and highly specific inhibitor. This soluble protein forms a complex with free IL-18 preventing its interaction with the IL-18 receptor, thus neutralizing and inhibiting its biological activity. The present invention discloses binding molecules, in particular antibodies or fragments thereof, which bind IL-18 and do not bind IL-18 bound to IL-18BP (IL-18/IL-18BP complex). Apart from its physiological role, IL-18 has been shown to mediate a variety of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The binding molecules of the inventions may be used as therapeutic molecules for treating IL-18-related autoimmune and inflammatory diseases or as diagnostic tools for characterizing, detecting and/or measuring IL-18 not bound to IL-18BP as component of the total IL-18 pool.
A method of inhibiting IL-18 biological activity in a mammalian patient in need thereof, which method comprises administering to the mammalian patient a therapeutically effective amount of an isolated antibody or fragment thereof that specifically binds IL-18 comprising:
A method of inhibiting IL-18 biological activity in a mammalian patient in need thereof, which method comprises administering to the mammalian patient a therapeutically effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition comprising an isolated antibody or fragment thereof that specifically binds IL-18 comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.