Xilio Development, Inc.

Parker Johnson

Huawei Qiu

Dheeraj Singh Tomar

Raphael Rozenfeld

Margaret Karow

Deborah Moore Lai

Ronan O'Hagan

Ugur Eskiocak

Magali Pederzoli-Ribeil

Rebekah Kay O'donnell

The present disclosure provides tumor-specific cleavable linkers and their use in drugs and prodrugs for delivering therapeutics to a tumor cell environment. The present disclosure also provides cleavage products of said drugs and prodrugs, and methods related to the use of the same.

Tumor-specific cleavable linkers

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.

Masked IL-2-Fc fusion polypeptides

Masked cytokine polypeptides

Masked interleukin-12 polypeptides

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.

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Allston, MA, United States of America

Parker Johnson