Conjuchem, Inc.

Conjuchem Biotechnologies Inc.

Redcell Canada, Inc.

Alan M Ezrin

Dominique P Bridon

Darren L Holmes

Peter G Milner

Serge St Pierre

Benoit L'Archeveque

Anouk Leblanc

Karen Thibaudeau

Yonghong Song

Alexander Krantz

Martin Robitaille

Dominique Bridon

Nissab Boudjellab

Dominique Blanchard

Angelica Fleser

Margaret Hardy

A secretin or secretin derivative protected against peptidase activity. The secretin or derivative comprises a peptidic sequence and a reactive group selected from the group consisting of succinimidyl and maleimido groups capable of reacting with an amino group, hydroxyl group or thiol group on a blood component to form a stable covalent bond. The reactive group is attached at a position along the peptidic sequence that provides, when conjugated to a blood component, a higher stability against peptidase degradation than the unconjugated secretin or derivative, and therefore an increased maintenance of the therapeutic activity compared to the unconjugated secretin or derivative. Such a compound is thus effective to provide a source of secretin having a high stability against peptidases. A method for synthesizing such a compound is also described.

Protection of endogenous therapeutic peptides from peptidase activity through conjugation to blood components

Modified insulinotropic peptides are disclosed. The modified insulinotropic peptides are capable of forming a peptidase stabilized insulinotropic peptide. The modified insulinotropic peptides are capable of forming covalent bonds with one or more blood components to form a conjugate. The conjugates may be formed in vivo or ex vivo. The modified peptides are administered to treat humans with diabetes and other related diseases.

Long lasting synthetic glucagon-like peptide {GLP-1}

A method for protecting a peptide from peptidase activity in vivo, the peptide being composed of between 2 and 50 amino acids and having a C-terminus and an N-terminus and a C-terminus amino acid and an N-terminus amino acid is described. In the first step of the method, the peptide is modified by attaching a reactive group to the C-terminus amino acid, to the N-terminus amino acid, or to an amino acid located between the N-terminus and the C-terminus, such that the modified peptide is capable of forming a covalent bond in vivo with a reactive functionality on a blood component. In the next step, a covalent bond is formed between the reactive group and a reactive functionality on a blood component to form a peptide-blood component conjugate, thereby protecting said peptide from peptidase activity. The final step of the method involves the analyzing of the stability of the peptide-blood component conjugate to assess the protection of the peptide from peptidase activity.

A method of synthesizing a modified therapeutic peptide capable of forming a peptidase-stabilized therapeutic peptide conjugate, the peptide having between 3 and 50 amino acids, is k. In a first step of the method, a therapeutic peptide having a carboxy terminal amino acid and amino terminal amino acid is synthesized. In a second step, pairs of cysteine residues present in the therapeutic peptide are sequentially and selectively oxidized to form disulfide bridges in the therapeutic peptide. In a third step, a protecting group is attached to remaining cysteine residues that do not form disulfide bridges in the therapeutic peptide. Finally, the peptide is coupled to a reactive group capable of reacting with amino groups, hydroxyl groups or thiol groups on a blood component to form a covalent bond therewith.

Long lasting synthetic glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1)

Methods of and compositions for pulmonary delivery of therapeutic agents which are capable of forming covalent bonds with a site of interest or which have formed a covalent bond with a pulmonary solution protein are disclosed. Therapeutic agents useful in the invention include wound healing agents, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, anti-oxidants, anti-proliferatives, immunosupressants, anti-infective and anti-cancer agents.

Pulmonary delivery for bioconjugation

Conjugates are prepared from antinociceptive agents, particularly opioids or opioid analogs, more particularly dynorphins, endorphins, deltorphins, enkephalins or analogs thereof, by combining said antinociceptive agent with a material providing a functionally reactive group capable of reacting with a blood component (preferably a blood cell or protein). Said conjugates permit extension of the therapeutic life of the antinociceptive agent. They may be administered to patients to alleviate pain, produce analgesic effects, or assist in cases of narcotics withdrawal, and may also be used as probes for receptor activity. The administration to the patient may be made either in vivo or ex vivo and may be performed by either introducing the derivative including the reactive functional group into the patient's vascular system or preparing such a conjugate externally (or in vitro) and introducing that conjugate to the patient's vascular system.

Method for alleviating pain or providing an analgesic effect in a patient

Conjugates are prepared from antinociceptive agents, particularly opioids or opioid analogs, more particularly dynorphins, endorphins, deltorphins, enkephalins or analogs thereof, by combining said antinociceptive agent with a material providing a functionally reactive group capable of reacting with a blood component (preferably a blood cell or protein). Said conjugates permit extension of the therapeutic life of the antinociceptive agent. They may be administered to patients to alleviate pain, produce analgesic effects, or assist in cases of narcotics withdrawal, and may also be used as probes for receptor activity. The administration to the patient may be made either in vivo or ex vivo and may be performed by either introducing the derivative including the reactive functional group into the patient's vascular system or preparing such a conjugate externally (or in vitro) and introducing that conjugate to the patient's vascular system

Antinociceptive agent derivative

Long lasting insulinotropic peptides

Long lasting synthetic glucagon like peptide &lcub;GLP-&excl;&rcub;

Conjugate comprising an antinociceptive agent covalently bonded to a blood component

Antibodies to a therapeutic agent and its derivatives and conjugates are disclosed, including antibodies to argatroban and its derivatives and conjugates. The antibodies are useful as reagents in assays and diagnostic kits for determining the concentration of a therapeutic agent or its derivatives and conjugates in biological samples, and further have therapeutic uses in treatment for potential toxicity associated with stable therapeutic conjugates and derivatives, both in vivo and ex vivo.

Antibodies to argatroban derivatives and their use in therapeutic and diagnostic treatments

Conjugated are prepared from antinociceptive a agents, particularly opioids or opioid analoges, more particularly deltorphins, enkephalins or analogs thereof, by combining said antinociceptive agent with a material providing a functionally reactive group capable of reacting with a blood component (preferably cell or protein). Said conjugates permit extension of the therapeutic life of the antinociceptive agent. They may be administered to patients to alleviate pain, produce analgesic effects, or assist in cases of narcotics withdrawal, and may also be used as probes for receptor activity. The administration to the patient ma be made either in vivo or ex vivo and may be performed by either introducing the derivative including the reactive functional group into the patient's vascular system or preparing such a conjugate externally (or in vitro) and introducing that conjugate to the patient's vascular system.

Conjugates of opioids and endogenous carriers

Novel compounds comprising chemically reactive intermediates which can react with available reactive functionalities on blood components to form covalent linkages, where the resulting covalently-bound conjugates are found to have thrombin inhibition activity are provided. Specifically, the thrombin inhibitor compounds of the present invention are derivatives of the known thrombin inhibitor argatroban, which can be covalently linked to chemically reactive functionalities on various blood components. The conjugated thrombin inhibitors thereby have extended lifetimes in the bloodstream, as compared to the unconjugated parent drug, and are, therefore, capable of maintaining thrombin inhibitory activity for extended periods of time as compared to the unconjugated parent drug. Also provided herein are methods for inhibiting thrombin activity in vivo comprising administering to the bloodstream of a mammalian host the novel compounds of the present invention.

Methods and compositions for producing novel conjugates of thrombin inhibitors and endogenous carriers resulting in anti-thrombins with extended lifetimes

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Moraga, CA, United States of America

Alan M Ezrin