Proteolytically cleavable fusion proteins with high molar specific activity

US7939632B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• CSL Behring AG · DE

Inventors

• Hubert Metzner · Marburg, DE
• Thomas Weimer · Gladenbach, DE
• Stefan Schulte · Marburg, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 17, 2007
• Grant date: May 10, 2011
• Expiry date: Mar 24, 2029

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C12Y304/21022
• WIPO field: Pharmaceuticals
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

The invention relates to therapeutic fusion proteins in which a coagulation factor is fused to a half-life enhancing polypeptide, and in which both are connected by a linker peptide that is proteolytically cleavable. The cleavage of such linkers liberates the coagulation factor from activity-compromising steric hindrance caused by the half-life enhancing polypeptide and thereby allows the generation of fusion proteins may show relatively high molar specific activity when tested in coagulation-related assays. Furthermore, the fact that the linker is cleavable can enhance the rates of inactivation and/or elimination after proteolytic cleavage of the peptide linker compared to the rates measured for corresponding therapeutic fusion proteins linked by the non-cleavable linker having the amino acid sequence GGGGGGV.