| Methods of treating autoimmune diseases using il-21 -> Monitor Keywords |
|
|
 
Methods of treating autoimmune diseases using il-21Related Patent Categories: Drug, Bio-affecting And Body Treating Compositions, Lymphokine, InterleukinMethods of treating autoimmune diseases using il-21 description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070048265, Methods of treating autoimmune diseases using il-21. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/951,239, filed Sep. 27, 2004, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/505,919, filed Aug. 25, 2003, which are herein incorporated by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Cytokines generally stimulate proliferation or differentiation of cells of the hematopoietic lineage or participate in the immune and inflammatory response mechanisms of the body. The interleukins are a family of cytokines that mediate immunological responses. Central to an immune response is the T cell, which produces many cytokines and provide adaptive immunity to antigens. Cytokines produced by the T cell have been classified as type 1 and type 2 (Kelso, A. Immun. Cell Biol. 76:300-317, 1998). Type 1 cytokines include IL-2, IFN-.gamma., LT-.alpha., and are involved in inflammatory responses, viral immunity, intracellular parasite immunity and allograft rejection. Type 2 cytokines include IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10 and IL-13, and are involved in humoral responses, helminth immunity and allergic response. Shared cytokines between Type 1 and 2 include IL-3, GM-CSF and TNF-.alpha.. There is some evidence to suggest that Type 1 and Type 2 producing T cell populations preferentially migrate into different types of inflamed tissue. [0003] Mature T cells can be activated, i.e., by an antigen or other stimulus, to produce, for example, cytokines, biochemical signaling molecules, or receptors that further influence the fate of the T cell population. [0004] B cells can be activated via receptors on their cell surface including the B cell antigen receptor and other accessory molecules to perform accessory cell functions, such as production of cytokines and secretion of Antigen-specific immunoglobulin. [0005] Natural killer (NK) cells have a common progenitor cell with T cells and B cells, and play a role in immune surveillance. NK cells, which comprise up to 15% of blood lymphocytes, do not express antigen specific receptors like B cells, but require the lack of self-MHC for target cell lysis. NK cells are involved in the recognition and killing of certain tumor cells and virally infected cells. In vivo, NK cells are believed to require activation, however, in vitro, NK cells have been shown to kill some types of tumor cells without activation. [0006] The immune system is the body's primary defense against diseases caused by pathogens, namely bacteria, viruses, fungi etc, as well as against diseases caused by abnormal growth of the body's own cells and tissues (i.e. cancerous tumors). Normally, the immune system is able to distinguish between the body's normal cells or "self" and foreign pathogens or abnormal cells or "non-self". The processes by which the immune system refrains from reacting to one's own body is called tolerance. Sometimes, the immune system loses the ability to recognize "self" as normal and the subsequent response directed against the tissue or cells, results in loss of tolerance, a state of autoimmunity. The pathologies resulting from autoimmunity often have serious clinical consequences and are one of the major health problems in the world, especially in developed nations. [0007] One example of such an autoimmune disorder is multiple sclerosis (MS), a progressive disease of the central nervous system (CNS). In MS patients, the patient's own immune system destroys myelin, the protective layer that surrounds and insulates the nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. The destruction of the myelin sheath leads to disruption of neurotransmission and scarring damage to the nerve fibers. The end result is the manifestation of numerous symptoms in the affected patient including tingling or numbness, slurred speech, impaired vision, vertigo etc. Over the course of the disease, there is loss of strength in the extremities, leading to problems with movement and in the most severe cases, leading to paralysis of the limbs. Based on clinical diagnosis, there are currently four types of MS classifications, based on which part of the brain or spinal cord are affected, severity, frequency of attacks etc. [0008] Current therapies for MS include corticosteroid drugs (to alleviate symptoms of acute episodes), as well as other drugs like IFN-.beta. and Novantron.RTM.. Novantrone.RTM. has been approved for late stage MS patients, specifically for whom other therapies have not worked. Novantrone.RTM. is cytotoxic to most cells and therefore as one would expect, has an array of side effects and is toxic at doses required for the maximal therapeutic effects. IFN-.beta. is also toxic, limiting dosage of the drug in MS patients. Furthermore, continuous use of these drugs has been shown to desensitize patients to further use of the same drug, thereby limiting the ability to use these drugs as long term therapeutics. The present invention provides methods of treatment for autoimmune diseases by administering IL-21. Patients with autoimmune disease, such as MS, will particularly benefit from treatment with IL-21 because IL-21 does not have toxic side effects associated with currently-used therapies. These and other uses should be apparent to those skilled in the art from the teachings herein. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009] Within one aspect, the present invention provides a method of treating an autoimmune disease comprising administering to a subject in need thereof a therapeutically effective amount of a polypeptide having a functional activity of IL-21. In one embodiment, the IL-21 polypeptide comprises the sequence of amino acid residues shown in SEQ ID NO:2 from residue 30 to residue 162. [0010] In another aspect, the present invention provides a method of treating autoimmune disease comprising administering to subject a therapeutically effective amount of a polypeptide having a functional activity of IL-21, wherein the autoimmune disease is selected from the group consisting of multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, psoriasis, ankylosing spondilitis, scleroderma, Type I diabetes, psoriatic arthritis, osteoarthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, atopic dermatitis and asthma. In one embodiment, the IL-21 polypeptide comprises the sequence of amino acid residues shown in SEQ ID NO:2 from residue 30 to residue 162. [0011] In another aspect, the present invention provides a method of decreasing an autoimmune response in a mammal by administering IL-21 polypeptides. In certain embodiments, the decreased response can be measured as delayed onset of disease or reduction in severity of disease. In any aspects of the invention, the mammal can be a human. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0012] Prior to setting forth the invention in detail, it may be helpful to the understanding thereof to define the following terms: [0013] The term "affinity tag" is used herein to denote a polypeptide segment that can be attached to a second polypeptide to provide for purification or detection of the second polypeptide or provide sites for attachment of the second polypeptide to a substrate. In principal, any peptide or protein for which an antibody or other specific binding agent is available can be used as an affinity tag. Affinity tags include a poly-histidine tract, protein A (Nilsson et al., EMBO J. 4:1075, 1985; Nilsson et al., Methods Enzymol. 198:3, 1991), glutathione S transferase (Smith and Johnson, Gene 67:31, 1988), Glu-Glu affinity tag (Grussenmeyer et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 82:7952-4, 1985), substance P, Flag.TM. peptide (Hopp et al., Biotechnology 6:1204-10, 1988), streptavidin binding peptide, or other antigenic epitope or binding domain. See, in general, Ford et al., Protein Expression and Purification 2: 95-107, 1991. DNAs encoding affinity tags are available from commercial suppliers (e.g., Pharmacia Biotech, Piscataway, N.J.). [0014] The term "allelic variant" is used herein to denote any of two or more alternative forms of a gene occupying the same chromosomal locus. Allelic variation arises naturally through mutation, and may result in phenotypic polymorphism within populations. Gene mutations can be silent (no change in the encoded polypeptide) or may encode polypeptides having altered amino acid sequence. The term allelic variant is also used herein to denote a protein encoded by an allelic variant of a gene. [0015] The terms "amino-terminal" and "carboxyl-terminal" are used herein to denote positions within polypeptides. Where the context allows, these terms are used with reference to a particular sequence or portion of a polypeptide to denote proximity or relative position. For example, a certain sequence positioned carboxyl-terminal to a reference sequence within a polypeptide is located proximal to the carboxyl terminus of the reference sequence, but is not necessarily at the carboxyl terminus of the complete polypeptide. [0016] The term "cancer" or "cancer cell" is used herein to denote a tissue or cell found in a neoplasm which possesses characteristics which differentiate it from normal tissue or tissue cells. Among such characteristics include but are not limited to: degree of anaplasia, irregularity in shape, indistinctness of cell outline, nuclear size, changes in structure of nucleus or cytoplasm, other phenotypic changes, presence of cellular proteins indicative of a cancerous or pre-cancerous state, increased number of mitoses, and ability to metastasize. Words pertaining to "cancer" include carcinoma, sarcoma, tumor, epithelioma, leukemia, lymphoma, polyp, and scirrus, transformation, neoplasm, and the like. [0017] The term "complement/anti-complement pair" denotes non-identical moieties that form a non-covalently associated, stable pair under appropriate conditions. For instance, biotin and avidin (or streptavidin) are prototypical members of a complement/anti-complement pair. Other exemplary complement/anti-complement pairs include receptor/ligand pairs, antibody/antigen (or hapten or epitope) pairs, sense/antisense polynucleotide pairs, and the like. Where subsequent dissociation of the complement/anti-complement pair is desirable, the complement/anti-complement pair preferably has a binding affinity of <10.sup.9 M.sup.-1. [0018] The term "complements of a polynucleotide molecule" denotes a polynucleotide molecule having a complementary base sequence and reverse orientation as compared to a reference sequence. [0019] The term "degenerate nucleotide sequence" denotes a sequence of nucleotides that includes one or more degenerate codons (as compared to a reference polynucleotide molecule that encodes a polypeptide). Degenerate codons contain different triplets of nucleotides, but encode the same amino acid residue (i.e., GAU and GAC triplets each encode Asp). [0020] The term "expression vector" is used to denote a DNA molecule, linear or circular, that comprises a segment encoding a polypeptide of interest operably linked to additional segments that provide for its transcription. Such additional segments include promoter and terminator sequences, and may also include one or more origins of replication, one or more selectable markers, an enhancer, a polyadenylation signal, etc. Expression vectors are generally derived from plasmid or viral DNA, or may contain elements of both. Continue reading about Methods of treating autoimmune diseases using il-21... Full patent description for Methods of treating autoimmune diseases using il-21 Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Methods of treating autoimmune diseases using il-21 patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Methods of treating autoimmune diseases using il-21 or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Methods for treating viral infection using il-28 and il-29 Next Patent Application: Methods of treating cancer using il-21 Industry Class: Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Methods of treating autoimmune diseases using il-21 patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.12831 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Software: Finance , AI , Databases , Development , Document , Navigation , Error 174 |
 * Protect your Inventions * US Patent Office filing 
PATENT INFO |
|
