申请人:Xilio Development, Inc.
公开号:US11053294B2
公开(公告)日:2021-07-06
Provided herein are cytokines or functional fragments thereof that, in some embodiments, are engineered to be masked by a masking moiety at one or more receptor binding site(s) of the cytokine or functional fragment thereof. In some embodiments, the cytokines are engineered to be activatable by a protease at a target site, such as in a tumor microenvironment, by including a proteolytically cleavable linker. In some embodiments, the proteolytically cleavable linker links the cytokine to the masking moiety, links the cytokine to a half-life extension domain, and/or links the masking moiety to a half-life extension domain. The masking moiety blocks, occludes, inhibits (e.g., decreases) or otherwise prevents (e g masks) the activity or binding of the cytokine to its cognate receptor or protein. Upon proteolytic cleavage of the cleavable linker at the target site, the cytokine becomes activated, which renders it capable of binding to its cognate receptor or protein with increased affinity.
本文提供的细胞因子或其功能片段在某些实施方案中被设计为在细胞因子或其功能片段的一个或多个受体结合位点被掩蔽分子掩蔽。在一些实施方案中,细胞因子被设计为可在靶位点(如肿瘤微环境中)被蛋白酶激活,方法是加入可被蛋白酶裂解的连接体。在一些实施方案中,可被蛋白水解的连接体将细胞因子与掩蔽分子连接起来,将细胞因子与半衰期延长结构域连接起来,和/或将掩蔽分子与半衰期延长结构域连接起来。屏蔽分子可阻断、封闭、抑制(如降低)或以其他方式防止(如屏蔽)细胞因子的活性或与其同源受体或蛋白质的结合。当目标部位的可裂解连接基团被蛋白酶裂解时,细胞因子被激活,从而能够以更高的亲和力与其同源受体或蛋白质结合。