Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh have identified domains and fragments of human antibodies that can be used to target neutrophil elastase (NE).
Description
NE is a protease considered to be the main contributor to neutrophil protease activity. It has been shown to promote tumor proliferation and is linked to poor prognosis in some cancers. NE is also important in regulating inflammatory response and can degrade all extracellular matrix proteins including collagens and lungs surfactant protein. Two human antibodies have been identified to target neutrophil elastase, inhibiting NE enzyme activity.
Applications
1. Breast cancer
2. Small cell lung cancer
3. Pancreatic cancer
4. Lung fibrosis
5. Acute respiratory distress
6. Immune diseases
Advantages
Immunotherapy is deemed superior to non-specific treatment approaches like chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy making it an attractive approach for cancer therapy due to its specificity.
The targeting of NE by antibodies can be useful in many types of cancers where NE is secreted and overexpressed. Additionally, the targeting of NE, one of the main factors in conditions like lung fibrosis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, further expands the therapeutic potential of this approach.
This is the first known example of antibodies targeting NE, with both antibodies binding to different NE epitopes in a non-competitive manner. Finally, a major advantage of these antibodies is they can be further developed as antibody drug conjugates for cancer therapy.
Invention Readiness
In vitro data have shown effective binding of two human antibodies to non-overlapping epitopes with nM binding affinity.
IP Status
https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2023133338A2
