Functionalized polypeptides
AssigneeESBATech, an Alcon Biomedical Research Unit LLC
InventorDavid Urech
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention provides functionalized polypeptides, especially therapeutic polypeptides (e.g., scFv), comprising a linker sequence that can be rapidly and specifically functionalized by the addition of one or functional moieties (e.g., PEG) or binding specificities (e.g., an amino acid sequence with a particular binding specificity). Such functionalized polypeptides are advantageous in that they have improved pharmacokinetic properties (e.g., improved in vivo half-life, tissue penetration and tissue residency time) over non-functionalized polypeptides. Methods for the rapid and reproducible generation of functionalized polypeptides are also provided.
Claims21
A polypeptide comprising two domains connected by an amino acid linker;
- wherein the linker comprises two cysteines capable of forming an intrachain disulphide bond, and wherein the amino acids between the cysteines in the linker sequence form a loop when the two cysteines are disulphide bonded to one another.
The polypeptide of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the loop binds to a target molecule.
The polypeptide of claim 5, wherein the target molecule is a PK modifier.
The polypeptide of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the polypeptide is an immunobinder.
A polypeptide of any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one cysteine residue in the linker is covalently linked to a functional moiety.
A polypeptide of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the two cysteine residues in the linker are covalently linked to the same functional moiety.
A composition comprising the polypeptide, of any one of the preceding claims, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
An isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding the polypeptide, of any one of the preceding claims.
A method producing a functionalized polypeptide comprising:
- (a) providing a library of peptide sequences;
- (b) identifying from the library at least one peptide sequence that bind to a target molecule;
- (c) modifying the loop region of a linker-containing polypeptide to comprise at least one peptide sequence identified in step (b), thereby producing a functionalized polypeptide.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.