# US 2025/0084388 A1 · Alk4:actriib heteromultimers and uses thereof

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- Number: US 2025/0084388 A1
- Document ID: US20250084388A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 18/749,233
- Filed: 2024-06-20
- Published: 2025-03-13
- Earliest claimed: 2016-10-05
- Assignees: Acceleron Pharma Inc.
- Applicants: Acceleron Pharma Inc.
- Inventors: Ravindra Kumar; Asya Grinberg; Dianne S. Sako; Roselyne Castonguay
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250084388A1

## CPC

- C12N 9/12: transferring phosphorus containing groups, e.g. kinases (2.7)
- A61P 3/04: Anorexiants; Antiobesity agents
- A61P 19/04: for non-specific disorders of the connective tissue
- A61P 21/00: Drugs for disorders of the muscular or neuromuscular system
- A61P 25/28: for treating neurodegenerative disorders of the central nervous system, e.g. nootropic agents, cognition enhancers, drugs for treating Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia
- C07K 19/00: Hybrid peptides {, i.e. peptides covalently bound to nucleic acids, or non-covalently bound protein-protein complexes}
- C12Y 207/1103: Receptor protein serine/threonine kinase (2.7.11.30)
- A61K 38/00: Medicinal preparations containing peptides (peptides containing beta-lactam rings A61K31/00; cyclic dipeptides not having in their molecule any other peptide link than those which form their ring, e.g. piperazine-2,5-diones, A61K31/00; ergot alkaloids of the cyclic peptide type A61K31/48; containing macromolecular compounds having statistically distributed amino acid units A61K31/74; medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies A61K39/00; medicinal preparations characterised by the non-active ingredients, e.g. peptides as drug carriers, A61K47/00)
- C07K 2317/526: CH3 domain
- C07K 2319/00: Fusion polypeptide
- C07K 2319/30: Non-immunoglobulin-derived peptide or protein having an immunoglobulin constant or Fc region, or a fragment thereof, attached thereto
- C07K 2319/32: fusions with soluble part of a cell surface receptor, "decoy receptors"
- Y02A 50/30: Against vector-borne diseases, e.g. mosquito-borne, fly-borne, tick-borne or waterborne diseases whose impact is exacerbated by climate change
- C12N: MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA (microbiological testing media C12Q1/00)
- A61P: SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS
- C07K: PEPTIDES (peptides in foodstuffs A23; obtaining protein compositions for foodstuffs, working-up proteins for foodstuffs A23J; preparations for medicinal purposes A61K; peptides containing beta-lactam rings C07D; cyclic dipeptides not having in their molecule any other peptide link than those which form their ring, e.g. piperazine-2,5-diones, C07D; ergot alkaloids of the cyclic peptide type C07D519/02; macromolecular compounds having statistically distributed amino acid units in their molecules, i.e. when the preparation does not provide for a specific; but for a random sequence of the amino acid units, homopolyamides and block copolyamides derived from amino acids C08G69/00; macromolecular products derived from proteins C08H1/00; preparation of glue or gelatine C09H; single cell proteins, enzymes C12N; genetic engineering processes for obtaining peptides C12N15/00; compositions for measuring or testing processes involving enzymes C12Q; investigation or analysis of biological material G01N33/00)
- C12Y: ENZYMES
- A61K: PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES (devices or methods specially adapted for bringing pharmaceutical products into particular physical or administering forms A61J3/00; chemical aspects of, or use of materials for deodorisation of air, for disinfection or sterilisation, or for bandages, dressings, absorbent pads or surgical articles A61L; soap compositions C11D)
- Y02A: TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE

## Abstract

In certain aspects, the disclosure provides soluble heteromeric polypeptide complexes comprising an extracellular domain of an ALK4 receptor and an extracellular domain of ActRIIB. In certain aspects, such soluble ALK4:ActRIIB complexes may be used to regulate (promote or inhibit) growth of tissues or cells including, for example, muscle, bone, cartilage, fat, neural tissue, tumors, and/or cancerous cells. In certain aspects, such ALK4:ActRIIB complexes are can be used to improve muscle formation, bone formation, metabolic parameters, and disorders associated with these tissues, cellular networks, kidney, and endocrine systems.

## Claims

### Claim at position 1

1-226. (canceled)

### Claim 227

A method for treating fibrosis or a disorder or condition associated with fibrosis comprising administering to the patient in need thereof an effective amount of a recombinant ALK4:ActRIIB heteromultimer comprising at least one ALK4-Fc fusion protein and at least one ActRIIB-Fc fusion protein,
wherein the ALK4-Fc fusion protein comprises one or more amino acid modifications that alter the isoelectric point (pI) of the ALK4-Fc fusion protein, and/or wherein the ActRIIB-Fc fusion protein comprises one or more amino acid modifications that alter the pI of the ActRIIB-Fc fusion protein;
wherein the ALK4-Fc fusion protein comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 90% identical to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 76, and wherein the ActRIIB-Fc fusion protein comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 90% identical to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 72.

### Claim 228 (depends on 227)

The method of claim 227, wherein the disorder or condition associated with fibrosis is selected from: pulmonary fibrosis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, idiopathic fibrosis, tuberculosis, pneumonia, cystic fibrosis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, renal (kidney) fibrosis, renal (kidney) failure, chronic renal (kidney) disease, bone fibrosis, myelofibrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, sarcoidosis, granulomatosis with polyangiitis, Peyronie's disease, liver fibrosis, Wilson's disease, glycogen storage diseases (particularly types III, IV, IX, and X), iron-overload, Gaucher disease, Zellweger syndrome, nonalcoholic and alcoholic steatohepatitis, biliary cirrhosis, sclerosing cholangitis, Budd-Chiari syndrome, surgery-associated fibrosis, Crohn's disease, Duputren's contracture, mediastinal fibrosis, nephrogeneic fibrosis, retroperitoneal fibrosis, atrial fibrosis, endomyocardial fibrosis, pancreatic fibrosis.

### Claim 229 (depends on 227)

The method of claim 227, wherein the disorder or condition associated with fibrosis is idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

### Claim at position 5

230-251. (canceled)

### Claim 252

A method for treating kidney disease or a complication of kidney disease, comprising administering to a patient in need thereof an effective amount of a recombinant ALK4:ActRIIB heteromultimer comprising at least one ALK4-Fc fusion protein and at least one ActRIIB-Fc fusion protein,
wherein the ALK4-Fc fusion protein comprises one or more amino acid modifications that alter the isoelectric point (pI) of the ALK4-Fc fusion protein, and/or wherein the ActRIIB-Fc fusion protein comprises one or more amino acid modifications that alter the pI of the ActRIIB-Fc fusion protein;
wherein the ALK4-Fc fusion protein comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 90% to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 76, and wherein the ActRIIB-Fc fusion protein comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 90% to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 72.

### Claim 253 (depends on 252)

The method of claim 252, where in the patient has chronic kidney disease or failure.

### Claim 254 (depends on 252)

The method of claim 252, wherein the patient has acute kidney disease or failure.

### Claim 255 (depends on 252)

The method of claim 252, wherein the patient has stage 1, stage, 2, stage 3, stage 4, or stage 5 kidney disease.

### Claim 256 (depends on 255)

The method of claim 255, wherein the method delays or prevents progression from: stage 1 to stage 2 kidney disease, stage 2 to stage 3 kidney disease, stage 3 to stage 4 kidney disease, or stage 4 to stage 5 kidney disease.

### Claim 257 (depends on 252)

The method of claim 252, wherein the method prevents or reduces kidney inflammation.

### Claim 258 (depends on 252)

The method of claim 252, wherein the method prevents or reduces kidney tissue damage.

### Claim 259 (depends on 252)

The method of claim 252, herein the method prevents or reduces kidney fibrosis.

### Claim 260 (depends on 252)

The method of claim 252, herein the patient has one or more of: non-diabetic kidney diseases, glomerulonephritis, interstitial nephritis, diabetic kidney diseases, diabetic nephropathy, glomerulosclerosis, rapid progressive glomerulonephritis, renal fibrosis, Alport syndrome, IDDM nephritis, mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, crescentic glomerulonephritis, renal interstitial fibrosis, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, membranous nephropathy, minimal change disease, pauci-immune rapid progressive glomerulonephritis, IgA nephropathy, polycystic kidney disease, Dent's disease, nephrocytinosis, Heymann nephritis, autosomal dominant (adult) polycystic kidney disease, autosomal recessive (childhood) polycystic kidney disease, acute kidney injury, nephrotic syndrome, renal ischemia, podocyte diseases or disorders, proteinuria, glomerular diseases, membranous glomerulonephritis, focal segmental glomerulonephritis, pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, kidney lesions, collagen vascular diseases, benign orthostatic (postural) proteinuria, IgM nephropathy, membranous nephropathy, sarcoidosis, diabetes mellitus, kidney damage due to drugs, Fabry's disease, aminoaciduria, Fanconi syndrome, hypertensive nephrosclerosis, interstitial nephritis, sickle cell disease, hemoglobinuria, myoglobinuria, Wegener's Granulomatosis, Glycogen Storage Disease Type 1, chronic kidney disease, chronic renal failure, low Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR), nephroangiosclerosis, lupus nephritis, ANCA-positive pauci-immune crescentic glomerulonephritis, chronic allograft nephropathy, nephrotoxicity, renal toxicity, kidney necrosis, kidney damage, glomerular and tubular injury, kidney dysfunction, nephritic syndrome, acute renal failure (acute kidney injury), chronic renal failure, proximal tubal dysfunction, acute kidney transplant rejection, chronic kidney transplant rejection, non-IgA mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis, postinfectious glomerulonephritis, vasculitides with renal involvement of any kind, any hereditary renal disease, any interstitial nephritis, renal transplant failure, kidney cancer, kidney disease associated with other conditions (e.g., hypertension, diabetes, and autoimmune disease), Dent's disease, nephrocytinosis, Heymann nephritis, a primary kidney disease, a collapsing glomerulopathy, a dense deposit disease, a cryoglobulinemia-associated glomerulonephritis, an Henoch-Schonlein disease, a postinfectious glomerulonephritis, a bacterial endocarditis, a microscopic polyangitis, a Churg-Strauss syndrome, an anti-GBM-antibody mediated glomerulonephritis, amyloidosis, a monoclonal immunoglobulin deposition disease, a fibrillary glomerulonephritis, an immunotactoid glomerulopathy, ischemic tubular injury, a medication-induced tubulo-interstitial nephritis, a toxic tubulo-interstitial nephritis, an infectious tubulo-interstitial nephritis, a bacterial pyelonephritis, a viral infectious tubulo-interstitial nephritis which results from a polyomavirus infection or an HIV infection, a metabolic-induced tubulo-interstitial disease, a mixed connective disease, a cast nephropathy, a crystal nephropathy which may results from urate or oxalate or drug-induced crystal deposition, an acute cellular tubulo-interstitial allograft rejection, a tumoral infiltrative disease which results from a lymphoma or a post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease, an obstructive disease of the kidney, vascular disease, a thrombotic microangiopathy, a nephroangiosclerosis, an atheroembolic disease, a mixed connective tissue disease, a polyarteritis nodosa, a calcineurin-inhibitor induced-vascular disease, an acute cellular vascular allograft rejection, an acute humoral allograft rejection, early renal function decline (ERFD), end stage renal disease (ESRD), renal vein thrombosis, acute tubular necrosis, renal occlusion, acute interstitial nephritis, established chronic kidney disease, renal artery stenosis, ischemic nephropathy, uremia, drug and toxin-induced chronic tubulointerstitial nephritis, reflux nephropathy, kidney stones, Goodpasture's syndrome, normocytic normochromic anemia, renal anemia, diabetic chronic kidney disease, IgG4-related disease, von Hippel-Lindau syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, nephronophthisis, medullary cystic kidney disease, renal cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, nephroblastoma, lymphoma, leukemia, hyposialylation disorder, chronic cyclosporine nephropathy, renal reperfusion injury, renal dysplasia, azotemia, bilateral arterial occlusion, acute uric acid nephropathy, hypovolemia, acute bilateral obstructive uropathy, hypercalcemic nephropathy, hemolytic uremic syndrome, acute urinary retention, malignant nephrosclerosis, postpartum glomerulosclerosis, scleroderma, non-Goodpasture's anti-GBM disease, microscopic polyarteritis nodosa, allergic granulomatosis, acute radiation nephritis, post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis, Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia, analgesic nephropathy, arteriovenous fistula, arteriovenous graft, dialysis, ectopic kidney, medullary sponge kidney, renal osteodystrophy, solitary kidney, hydronephrosis, microalbuminuria, uremia, haematuria, hyperlipidemia, hypoalbuminaemia, lipiduria, acidosis, and hyperkalemia.

### Claim 261 (depends on 260)

The method of claim 260, wherein the patient has Alport Syndrome.

### Claim 262 (depends on 261)

The method of claim 261, wherein the heteromultimer is administered in combination with one or more of: an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor (e.g., benazepril, cilazapril, enalapril, fosinopril, lisinopril, perinopril, ramapril and quinapril), an angiotensin receptor blocker (e.g., candesartan, epresartan, irbesartan, losartan, telmisartan and valsartan), a statin (e.g., fluvastatin), a non-dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker (e.g., diltiazem), cyclosporine, and/or aldosterone inhibitors.

### Claim at position 17

263-269. (canceled)

### Claim 270 (depends on 227)

The method of claim 227, wherein the ALK4-Fc fusion protein comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 76, and wherein the ActRIIB-Fc fusion protein comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 72.

### Claim 271 (depends on 227)

The method of claim 227, wherein the ALK4-Fc fusion protein comprises one or more amino acids selected from:
a) a cysteine at the position corresponding to 234 of SEQ ID NO: 76, a serine at the position corresponding to 251 of SEQ ID NO: 76, an alanine at the position corresponding to 253 of SEQ ID NO: 76, and a valine at the position corresponding to 292 of SEQ ID NO: 76;
b) a positively charged amino acid at the position corresponding to 269 of SEQ ID NO: 76;
c) a positively charged amino acid at the position corresponding to D286 of SEQ ID NO: 76;
d) a positively charged amino acid at the position corresponding to 269 of SEQ ID NO: 76 and a positively charged amino acid at the position corresponding to 286 of SEQ ID NO: 76;
e) a cysteine at the position corresponding to 234 of SEQ ID NO: 76, a serine at the position corresponding to 251 of SEQ ID NO: 76, an alanine at the position corresponding to 253 of SEQ ID NO: 76, a valine at the position corresponding to 292 of SEQ ID NO: 76 (Y292V), and a positively charged amino acid at the position corresponding to 269 of SEQ ID NO: 76;
f) a cysteine at the position corresponding to 234 of SEQ ID NO: 76, a serine at the position corresponding to 251 of SEQ ID NO: 76, an alanine at the position corresponding to 253 of SEQ ID NO: 76, a valine at position 292 of SEQ ID NO: 76, and a positively charged amino acid at the position corresponding to 286 of SEQ ID NO: 76; and
g) a cysteine at the position corresponding to 234 of SEQ ID NO: 76, a serine at the position corresponding to 251 of SEQ ID NO: 76, an alanine at the position corresponding to 253 of SEQ ID NO: 76, and a valine at the position corresponding to 292 of SEQ ID NO: 76, a positively charged amino acid at the position corresponding to 269 of SEQ ID NO: 76, and a positively charged amino acid at the position corresponding to 286 of SEQ ID NO: 76.

### Claim 272 (depends on 227)

The method of claim 227, wherein the ActRIIB-Fc fusion protein comprises one or more amino acid selected from:
a) a cysteine at the position corresponding to 250 of SEQ ID NO: 72, and a tryptophan at position 262 of SEQ ID NO: 72;
b) a negatively charged amino acid at the position corresponding to 256 of SEQ ID NO: 72;
c) a negatively charged amino acid at the position corresponding to 335 of SEQ ID NO: 72;
d) a negatively charged amino acid at the position corresponding to 256 of SEQ ID NO: 72 and a negatively charged amino acid at the position corresponding to 335 of SEQ ID NO: 72;
e) a cysteine at the position corresponding to 250 of SEQ ID NO: 72, a tryptophan at position 262 of SEQ ID NO: 72, and a negatively charged amino acid at the position corresponding to 256 of SEQ ID NO: 72;
f) a cysteine at the position corresponding to 250 of SEQ ID NO: 72, a tryptophan at position 262 of SEQ ID NO: 72, and a negatively charged amino acid at the position corresponding to 335 of SEQ ID NO: 72; and
g) a cysteine at the position corresponding to 250 of SEQ ID NO: 72, a tryptophan at position 262 of SEQ ID NO: 72, a negatively charged amino acid at the position corresponding to 256 of SEQ ID NO: 72, and a negatively charged amino acid at the position corresponding to 335 of SEQ ID NO: 72.

### Claim 273 (depends on 227)

The method of claim 227, wherein the ALK4:ActRIIB heteromultimer, ALK4-Fc fusion protein, or ActRIIB-Fc fusion protein inhibits signaling by one or more ligands selected from the group consisting of: activin A, activin B, GDF8, GDF11, BMP6, BMP10, and GDF3.

### Claim 274 (depends on 227)

The method of claim 227, wherein the ALK4:ActRIIB heteromultimer does not sustainably inhibit BMP9 signaling.

### Claim 275 (depends on 227)

The method of claim 227, wherein the ActRIIB-Fc fusion protein comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least 90%, 95%, 97%, 99%, or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 70, and/or an amino acid sequence that is at least 90%, 95%, 97%, 99%, or 100% identical to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 74.