申请人:NEORX CORPORATION
公开号:EP0318948A2
公开(公告)日:1989-06-07
The present invention provides a cleavable immunoconjugate whose linker contains a labile bond that is cleavable under a variety of mild conditions, including weakly acidic. Since the agent may be bonded directly to the linker, cleavage can result in release of native agent. The invention also provides methods for producing a cleavable immunoconjugate. Preferred agents include drugs, toxins, biological response modifiers, radiodiagnostic compounds, radiotherapeutic compounds, and derivatives thereof. The antibody employed in the invention may be an intact molecule, a fragment thereof, or a functional equivalent thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the specific antibody is a monoclonal antibody directed towards a tumor-associated antigen in man. The invention further provides a method for delivering to the cytoplasm of a target cell an agent free of its antibody carrier. A diagnostically or therapeutically effective dose of a cleavable immunoconjugate is administered to a mammal such as man.
Another aspect of the invention provides a method for isolating a compound containing an available nucleophilic group, such as a free sulfhydryl, amino, or hydroxyl group. The compound binds covalently to a solid phase which has been derivatized with the linker described above and is released in native form by a variety of mild conditions.
An additional aspect of the invention provides a method for introducing into a compound a free sulfhydryl, amine, or hydroxyl group by use of a reagent structurally related to the linker described above. Preferred uses of the method are to add a free amino or a free sulfhydryl group to a protein, such as an antibody. This method has broad application in the field of compound modification, especially protein modification.
本发明提供了一种可裂解的免疫结合剂,其连接体含有可在包括弱酸性在内的各种温和条件下裂解的易变键。由于药剂可直接与连接体结合,因此裂解可导致原生药剂的释放。本发明还提供了生产可裂解免疫结合剂的方法。首选的药剂包括药物、毒素、生物反应调节剂、放射性诊断化合物、放射性治疗化合物及其衍生物。本发明中使用的抗体可以是完整的分子、其片段或其功能等同物。在一个优选的实施方案中,特异性抗体是针对人类肿瘤相关抗原的单克隆抗体。本发明进一步提供了一种向靶细胞的细胞质输送不含抗体载体的药剂的方法。将诊断或治疗有效剂量的可裂解免疫结合剂施用给哺乳动物,如人类。
本发明的另一方面提供了一种分离含有可用亲核基团(如游离巯基、氨基或羟基)的化合物的方法。该化合物与固相共价结合,固相已用上述连接剂衍生化,并在各种温和条件下以原生形式释放。
本发明的另一方面提供了一种方法,通过使用与上述连接剂结构相关的试剂,将游离的巯基、胺基或羟基引入化合物中。该方法的首选用途是向蛋白质(如抗体)中添加游离氨基或游离巯基。这种方法在化合物修饰领域,特别是蛋白质修饰领域有着广泛的应用。