Cetus Corporation

Chiron Corporation

Roche Molecular Systems, Inc.

The United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of

The United States of America As Represented by the Department of Health

Cetus Oncology Corporation

Walter J Laird

Kirston E Koths

Robert F Halenbeck

Cynthia A Cowgill

David B Ring

Arthur E Frankel

Richard J Youle

Michael A Zoccoli

Virginia G Johnson

Michael J Bjorn

Larry Greenfield

David Edward Birch

Ira H Pastan

Danute E Nitecki

Lois Aldwin

David J FitzGerald

Margaret Moreland

Mark C Willingham

Nandini Katre

Michael Piatak, Jr

Jeffrey L Winkelhake

John Niemiec

Lawrence I Greenfield

Robert Ferris

Anne W Emerick

Paula J Shadle

Jeffrey L Windelhake

Julie A Lane

Kriston Koths

John D Young

The present invention provides modified primers for use in the amplification of a nucleic acid sequence. Amplifications carried out using the modified primers result in less template-independent non-specific product (primer dimer) compared to amplifications carried out using unmodified primers.

Amplification using modified primers

The present invention is directed to an isolated and purified, recombinant, unglycosylated and dimeric CSF-1, the dimeric CSF-1 being biologically active and essentially endotoxin and pyrogen-free, the dimeric CSF-1 consisting essentially of two monomeric human CSF-1 subunits. The present invention is further directed to pharmaceutical compositions comprising the same.

Recombinant human CSF-1 dimer and compositions thereof

The present invention is directed to a biologically active CSF-1 dimer comprising a first CSF-1 monomer and a second CSF-1 monomer, wherein at least one of the monomers is truncated at the C-terminus after residue position 223. The dimers also include point mutations in one or both of the CSF-1 monomer. The invention also includes pharmaceutical compositions that comprise the CSF-1 dimer in a pharmaceutical excipient.

A potent and specific immunotoxin is prepared by coupling an inactivated diphtheria toxin to a binding moiety such as a monoclonal antibody or transferrin. The immunotoxins are specific for human tumors and leukemias and are indistinguishable in cell toxicity from that of the native toxin linked to the binding domain without the toxicity to other cells. The immunotoxin is useful in treating graft versus host disease as well as selectively killing tumor cells, such as medulloblastoma and glioblastoma cells.

Mutant diphtheria toxin conjugates

The present invention provides methods for the amplification of nucleic acids using a reversibly inactivated thermostable enzyme. The reversibly inactivated enzyme is the result of a chemical modification of the protein which inactivates the enzyme. The activity of the inactivated enzyme is recovered by an incubation of the reaction mixture at an elevated temperature prior to, or as part of, the amplification reaction. Non-specific amplification is reduced because the reaction mixture does not support the formation of extension products prior to the activating incubation.

Nucleic acid amplification using a reversibly inactivated thermostable

Nucleic acid amplification using a reersibly inactivated thermostable

The present invention relates to the production of CSF-1 heterodimers and pharmaceutical formulations of the heterodimers. The heterodimers can be formed using CSF-1 monomers that have variations in sequence, N or C-terminal processing. For example, CSF/C.gradient.150 can be dimerized with LCSF/C.gradient. 190 to form a heterodimer. Dimerization may occur by separately preparing homodimers and mixing them together under the appropriate conditions. Thereafter, homodimers may be separated from the heterodimers by various chromatographic techniques. Once the heterodimers are isolated, pharmaceutical preparations can be prepared.

Heterodimers forms of CSF-1 and pharmaceutical compositions thereof

A potent and specific immunotoxin is prepared by coupling an inactivated diphteria toxin to a binding moiety such as a monoclonal antibody or transferrin. The immunotoxins are specific for human tumors and leukemias and are indistinguishable in cell toxicity from that of the native toxin linked to the binding domain without the toxicity to other cells. The immunotoxin is useful in treating graft versus host disease as well as selectively killing tumor cells, such as medulloblastoma and glioblastoma cells.

Method of preparing diphtheria immunotoxins

Murine monoclonal antibodies, or fragments thereof, that bind selectively to human breast cancer cells, are IgGs or IgMs, and when conjugated to ricin A chain, exhibit a TCID 50% against at least one of MCF-7, CAMA-1, SKBR-3, or BT-20 cells of less than about 10 nM. Methods for diagnosing, monitoring, and treating human breast cancer with the antibodies or immunotoxins made therefrom are described.

Monoclonal anti-human breast cancer antibodies

Conjugation of polymer to colony stimulating factor-1

Immunotoxins comprising a cytotoxic moiety and monoclonal antibodies which bind to human ovarian cancer tissue having at least one of the following capabilities are claimed: cytotoxic ID.sub.50 of 10 nM or less against human ovarian cancer cells, retardation of human ovarian cancer tumor growth in mammals or extension of survival of a mammal carrying a human ovarian cancer tumor. Antigens to which the monoclonal antibody of the immunotoxin bind are identified and characterize the immunotoxins. Methods of killing human ovarian cancer cells, retarding the growth of human ovarian cancer tumors in mammals or extending the survival of mammals carrying human ovarian cancer tumors are claimed.

Anti-human ovarian cancer immunotoxins and methods of use thereof

Immunotoxins comprising a cytotoxic moiety and an antigen binding portion selected from the group consisting of Fab, Fab' and F(ab').sub.2 fragments of a monoclonal antibody, which binds to human ovarian cancer tissue, having one of the following capabilities are claimed: cytotoxic ID.sub.50 of about 10 nM or less against human ovarian cancer cells, retardation of human ovarian cancer tumor growth in mammals, or extension of survival of a mammal carrying a human ovarian cancer tumor. Antigens or epitopes to which the monoclonal antibodies bind are identified and characterize the immunotoxins. In a preferred embodiment an immunotoxin comprising at least an antigen binding portion of a monoclonal antibody, which binds to human transferrin receptor, but does not block binding of transferrin to the receptor, is described and claimed. Immunotoxin comprising the F(ab').sub.2 region of the antitransferrin monoclonal antibody are also claimed. Methods of killing human ovarian cancer cells, retarding the growth of human ovarian cancer tumors in mammals and extending the survial of mammals carrying human ovarian cancer tumors are claimed.

Recombinant diphtheria toxin A fragment muteins which are enzymatically inactive but immunologically crossreactive with diphtheria toxin are disclosed. Intermediates and methods for preparing such proteins using recombinant techniques are also described.

Recombinant diphtheria vaccines

A system for expression of coding sequences for desired heterologous proteins in procaryotic hosts whereby the protein is produced intracellularly in soluble, biologically active form, is disclosed. The expression is obtained by ligation of the coding sequence downstream of, and proximally to, but out of reading frame with, the terminated leader encoding sequence for a secreted bacterial protein, such as alkaline phosphatase. The resultant proteins are influenced by the leader sequence codons to effect the desired three-dimensional conformation, but not to effect secretion.

Production of soluble recombinant proteins

A process for recovering dimeric, biologically active CSF-1 from bacterially expressed recombinant CSF1 genes is described. The process comprises recovery of the solubilized monomeric form, followed by dimerization under refolding conditions and further purification of the dimer. Heterodimers may also be produced by this process.

Growing community of inventors

Pinole, CA, United States of America

Walter J Laird