Harvard College

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

University of California

Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

National Institutes of Health, a Component of the US Dept. of Health & Human Services

Emory University

Ipsen Pharma S.a.s.

R John Collier

Bradley Lether Pentelute

Isaac M Chiu

David S Eisenberg

John A T Young

Haian Fu

Kenneth A Bradley

Seunghyon Choe

Jeremy S Mogridge

John J Mekalanos

Richard J Youle

Raymond J Dingledine

Sai Man Liu

Kevin Killeen

Keith Alan Foster

Adva Mechaly

Wei Hai Shen

Stephen F Carroll

Andrew J McCluskey

Bret R Sellman

Shilpa Palan

Liu Xiuhuai

Embodied herein are engineered fusion proteins that bind and target nociceptor neurons, compositions comprising these engineered fusion proteins, and methods for treatment of pain using these engineered fusion proteins or compositions containing the engineered fusion proteins. The engineered fusion proteins contain domains derived from protein toxins such as the anthrax toxin, clostridial botulinum family of toxins, disulphide-containing toxins, and AB component type toxins.

Compositions and methods for treatment of pain

The invention provides compositions and methods for delivering a bioactive moiety comprising at least one non-natural component into a cell cytosol of a eukaryotic cell. The bioactive moiety is linked to an A component of a bacterial toxin, a functional wild-type or modified fragment thereof, or an A component surrogate or mimetic. For delivery, the cell is contacted with the linked bioactive moiety and a corresponding B component of the bacterial toxin or a functional fragment thereof.

Method for delivering agents into cells using bacterial toxins

We described a novel system of targeted cell therapy with a protein toxin, such as anthrax toxin, that has been modified to re-direct it to a desired cell target instead of its natural cell target. The system can be used for, e.g., targeted killing of undesired cells in a population of cells, such as cancer or overly active immune system cells.

Modified microbial toxin receptor for delivering agents into cells

The present invention relates to mammalian anthrax toxin receptor polypeptides and polynucleotides encoding same as well as related polypeptides and polynucleotides, vectors containing the polynucleotides and polypeptides, host cells containing related polynucleotide molecules, and cells displaying no anthrax toxin receptor on an exterior surface of the cells&#x2014;minus cell lines and animals. The present invention also relates to methods for identifying molecules that bind the anthrax toxin receptor and molecules that reduce the toxicity of anthrax toxin. Finally, the present invention provides methods for treating human and non-human animals suffering from anthrax.

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Disclosed is DNA encoding diphtheria toxin polypeptides having multiple mutations, which render the polypeptides useful as vaccines.

Multi-mutant diphtheria toxin vaccines

The present invention relates to mammalian anthrax toxin receptor polypeptides and polynucleotides encoding same as well as related polypeptides and polynucleotides, vectors containing the polynucleotides and polypeptides, host cells containing related polynucleotide molecules, and cells displaying no anthrax toxin receptor on an exterior surface of the cells-minus cell lines and animals. The present invention also relates to methods for identifying molecules that bind the anthrax toxin receptor and molecules that reduce the toxicity of anthrax toxin. Finally, the present invention provides methods for treating human and non-human animals suffering from anthrax.

The invention provides mutant forms of pore-forming toxins. These mutant toxins may be used in vaccines for the prevention of bacterial infection. Additionally, dominant negative mutants may be administered as therapeutics for the treatment of bacterial infection.

Compounds and methods for the treatment and prevention of bacterial infection

Apoptosis-modifying fusion polypeptides, and the corresponding nucleic acid molecules, are disclosed. Pharmaceutical compositions comprising these polypeptides, and the use of these polypeptides to modify apoptosis are also provided.

Receptor-mediated uptake of an extracellular BCL-xL fusion protein inhibits apoptosis

Disclosed are diphtheria toxin polypeptides having multiple mutations, which render the polypeptides useful as vaccines.

Diphtheria toxin polypeptides comprising a mutant R binding domain exhibit reduced target cell binding and may be used as vaccines to immunize a mammal against infection by Corynebacterium diphtheria.

Diphtheria toxin vaccines bearing a mutated R domain

The invention features a polypeptide consisting of amino acids 379-535 of diphtheria toxin, and portions thereof. This region, shown by X-ray crystallographic analysis to comprise the receptor binding domain of diphtheria toxin, is used as an immunogen and clinical therapeutic against diphtheria.

Diphtheria toxin receptor-binding region

The invention provides a cytotoxicity-based genetic selection (TOXSEL) method and related testing kit for the identification and positive selection of molecules or mutations that are capable of disrupting a specific protein--protein interaction. The invention enables positive selection of molecules disruptive of specific protein--protein interactions by virtue of the presence in the TOXSEL system of a toxin reporter gene. A disrupted protein--protein interaction precludes expression of the toxin reporter gene and, consequently, allows survival of the host cell. TOXSEL technology enables large-scale screening for drugs or small molecules capable of disrupting specific protein--protein interactions critical in processes such as cellular signalling, carcinogenesis, etc. The positive selection of molecules or mutations capable of interfering with specific protein--protein interactions permits the identification of amino acid residues or motifs critical in the protein--protein interactions and permits the design of drugs for therapeutic or diagnostic applications.

Cytotoxicity-based genetic selection system (TOXSEL)

A DNA encoding an immunologically cross-reactive form of diphtheria toxin Fragment A, wherein the codons corresponding to Val-147 and Glu-148 of naturally-occurring diphtheria toxin are deleted from the DNA.

Growing community of inventors

Wellesley, MA, United States of America

R John Collier