Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Abwiz Bio, Inc

Toshiaki Maruyama

Katherine S Bowdish

John R McWhirter

Anke Kretz-Rommel

Shana Frederickson

Mark Renshaw

Ying-Chi Lin

John Mcwhirter

Shigeru Cj Okumura

Naveen Dakappagari

Shumpei Maruyama

Hong Xin

This disclosure relates to methods for creating engineered templates that are useful for amplification of one or more antibody genes without the use of gene-specific primers. More specifically, templates engineered using these methods in a polymerase chain reaction setting which allows for the specific amplification of one or more antibody genes.

Preparation of gene-specific templates for the use in single primer amplification

Cancer treatments use a therapy that: 1) interferes with the interaction between CD200 and its receptor to block immune suppression thereby promoting eradication of the cancer cells; and 2) directly kills the cancer cells either by complement-mediated or antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity or by targeting cells using a fusion molecule that includes a CD200-targeting portion. The therapy includes the administration of novel antibodies, functional fragments thereof or fusion molecules containing portions thereof.

Polypeptides and antibodies derived from chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells and uses thereof

Templates that are engineered to contain a predetermined sequence and a hairpin structure are provided by a nested oligonucleotide extension reaction. The engineered template allows Single Primer Amplification (SPA) to amplify a target sequence within the engineered template. In particularly useful embodiments, the target sequences from the engineered templates are cloned into expression vehicles to provide a library of polypeptides or proteins, such as, for example, an antibody library.

Nested oligonucleotides containing a hairpin for nucleic acid amplification

This disclosure relates to methods for selecting antibodies having desirable characteristics from a population of diverse antibodies. More specifically, this disclosure provides methods for identifying antibodies which bind to cancer cells, but which do not bind to human red or white blood cells or normal tissue cells. Antibodies of the disclosure can be used for therapeutic and/or diagnostic purposes.

Antibodies against cancer produced using masked cancer cells as immunogen

Methods of amplifying nucleic acid have now been discovered which include the steps of: a) annealing a primer to a template nucleic acid sequence, the primer having a first portion which anneals to the template and a second portion of predetermined sequence; b) synthesizing a polynucleotide that anneals to and is complementary to the portion of the template between the location at which the first portion of the primer anneals to the template and the end of the template, the polynucleotide having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end incorporates the primer; c) separating the polynucleotide synthesized in step (b) from the template; d) annealing a nested oligonucleotide to the second end of the polynucleotide synthesized in step (b), the nested oligonucleotide having a first portion that anneals to the second end of the polynucleotide and a second portion having the same predetermined sequence as the second portion of the primer; e) extending the polynucleotide synthesized in step (b) to provide a terminal portion thereof that is complementary to the predetermined sequence; and f) amplifying the extended polynucleotide using a single primer having the predetermined sequence. In particularly useful embodiments, the methods are used to amplify a repertoire of IgA antibodies.

Engineered templates and their use in single primer amplification

Methods of amplifying nucleic acid have now been discovered which include the steps of: a) annealing a primer to a template nucleic acid sequence, the primer having a first portion which anneals to the template and a second portion of predetermined sequence; b) synthesizing a polynucleotide that anneals to and is complementary to the portion of the template between the location at which the first portion of the primer anneals to the template and the end of the template, the polynucleotide having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end incorporates the primer; c) separating the polynucleotide synthesized in step (b) from the template; d) annealing a nested oligonucleotide to the second end of the polynucleotide synthesized in step (b), the nested oligonucleotide having a first portion that anneals to the second end of the polynucleotide and a second portion having the same predetermined sequence as the second portion of the primer; e) extending the polynucleotide synthesized in step (b) to provide a terminal portion thereof that is complementary to the predetermined sequence; and f) amplifying the extended polynucleotide using a single primer having the predetermined sequence.

Growing community of inventors

La Jolla, CA, United States of America

Toshiaki Maruyama