WO 2019/028281 A2 07 February 2019 (07.02.2019) W !P O PCT
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
(12) INTERNATIONAL APPLICATION PUBLISHED UNDER THE PATENT COOPERATION TREATY (PCT) (19) World Intellectual Property Organization International Bureau (10) International Publication Number (43) International Publication Date WO 2019/028281 A2 07 February 2019 (07.02.2019) W !P O PCT (51) International Patent Classification: (US). HINGORANI, Dina [US/US]; 3957 Nobel Drive, A61K 47/64 (2017.01) A61K 38/16 (2006.01) Unit 219, San Diego, CA 92122 (US). TSIEN, Roger, Y. [US/US]; 85000 Ridgetop Dr., Eugene, OR 97405 (US). (21) International Application Number: ADAMS, Stephen [US/US]; 14123 Terrilee Lane, Poway, PCT/US20 18/045054 CA 92064 (US). (22) International Filing Date: (74) Agent: MACDOUGALL, Christina, A. et al; MORGAN, 02 August 2018 (02.08.2018) LEWIS & BOCKIUS LLP, One Market, Spear Street Tow (25) Filing Language: English er, San Francisco, CA 94105 (US). (26) Publication Language: English (81) Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every kind of national protection available): AE, AG, AL, AM, (30) Priority Data: AO, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BH, BN, BR, BW, BY, BZ, 62/540,5 10 02 August 2017 (02.08.2017) CA, CH, CL, CN, CO, CR, CU, CZ, DE, DJ, DK, DM, DO, 62/659,612 18 April 2018 (18.04.2018) DZ, EC, EE, EG, ES, FI, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, GT, HN, (71) Applicant: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HR, HU, ID, IL, IN, IR, IS, JO, JP, KE, KG, KH, KN, KP, CALIFORNIA [US/US]; 1111Franklin St., Twelfth Floor, KR, KW, KZ, LA, LC, LK, LR, LS, LU, LY, MA, MD, ME, Oakland, CA 94607 (US). MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, MY, MZ, NA, NG, NI, NO, NZ, OM, PA, PE, PG, PH, PL, PT, QA, RO, RS, RU, RW, SA, (72) Inventors; and SC, SD, SE, SG, SK, SL, SM, ST, SV, SY,TH, TJ, TM, TN, (71) Applicants: NGUYEN, Quyen, T. [US/US]; 6502 El TR, TT, TZ, UA, UG, US, UZ, VC, VN, ZA, ZM, ZW. Camino Del Teatro, La Jolla, CA 92037 (US). WHITNEY, Mike [US/US]; 5171 Frink Avenue, San Diego, CA 921 17 (54) Title: OPTIMIZED PEPTIDES FOR TARGETING HUMAN NERVES AND THEIR USE IN IMAGE GUIDED SURGERY, DIAGNOSTICS AND THERAPEUTIC DELIVERY < 00 00 o (57) Abstract: The present invention provides methods for guiding preservation of human neurons or human nerves during surgery by administering a fluorescently-labeled peptide that specifically binds to the human neurons or human nerves. The invention further provides human neuron or nerve targeting molecules comprising fluorescently-labeled peptides that specifically bind to human neurons or human nerves and compositions thereof. O [Continued on nextpage] WO 2019/028281 A2 llll II II 11III II I II I II 11II II IIII II I II (84) Designated States (unless otherwise indicated, for every kind of regional protection available): ARIPO (BW, GH, GM, KE, LR, LS, MW, MZ, NA, RW, SD, SL, ST, SZ, TZ, UG, ZM, ZW), Eurasian (AM, AZ, BY, KG, KZ, RU, TJ, TM), European (AL, AT, BE, BG, CH, CY, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HR, HU, IE, IS, IT, LT, LU, LV, MC, MK, MT, NL, NO, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SI, SK, SM, TR), OAPI (BF, BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, GN, GQ, GW, KM, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG). Published: — without international search report and to be republished upon receipt of that report (Rule 48.2(g)) OPTIMIZED PEPTIDES FOR TARGETING HUMAN NERVES AND THEIR USE IN IMAGE GUIDED SURGERY, DIAGNOSTICS AND THERAPEUTIC DELIVERY CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/659,612, filed April 18, 2018, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/540,510, filed August 02, 2017, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. STATEMENT AS TO RIGHTS TO INVENTIONS MADE UNDER FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH O R DEVELOPMENT [0002] This invention was made with Government support under EB008122 and EB014929 awarded by the National Institutes of Health. The Government has certain rights in the invention BACKGROUND O F THE INVENTION [0003] Preservation of human neurons and human nerves is one of the most important goals of any surgical procedure, because accidental transection of neuron or nerves leads to significant morbidity. Nerves are typically identified by their elongated whitish appearance and relationship t o nearby structures or by electrophysiological studies. However, in instances such as trauma, tumor involvement, inflammation, or infection, nerve identification using these criteria can be difficult. Therefore, there is a need for methods of reliably and conclusively identifying neuron or nerves which overcome the deficiencies in the art. [0004] Neuron or nerve identification prior t o direct exposure during surgery or confirmation of neuron or nerve identity in instances of uncertainty following direct exposure is accomplished by electromyographic (EMG) monitoring. This technique, however, has the disadvantage of not providing visual feedback to the operating surgeon. Thus, even if a nerve has been identified in one location, either through accidental or purposeful stimulation, there is no visual guidance t o the operating surgeon as to how far away from the stimulation site the nerve lies or the direction of travel the nerve takes away from the stimulation site. Furthermore, EMG only traces motor pathways, not sensory fibers. EMG fails if neuron or nerve conduction or neuromuscular transmission is temporarily blocked anywhere distal to the recording site. Such blockade easily occurs due to neuron or nerve compression, trauma, local anesthetics, or neuromuscular blockers. [0005] Neuron or nerve labeling primarily depend on retrograde or anterograde tracing of individually identified axonal tracts via the use of fluorescent dyes. However, methods of labeling neuron or nerves by locally applied fluorescent tracers have several disadvantages. First, this technique can label only one neuron or nerve fiber tract at a time, depending on where the dye has been injected. Second, this technique results in only limited labeling of fluorescent dyes along the axonal tracts, because retrograde axonal tracers typically accumulate in the neural cell body. Third, retrograde transport is relatively slow (on the order of millimeters per day) and therefore takes a long time t o label human neuron or nerves, which are often longer than a meter, such as in the case of the sciatic neuron or nerve and its arborizations. Fourth, the application of fluorescent dyes to innervation targets such as direct intramuscular injections to label motor neuron or nerves is typically messy with a variable amount of the tracer dye remaining at the injection site. As dissection of neuron or nerves depends on accurate visualization of adjacent structures prior to encountering them, a surgical site that is contaminated with fluorescent dyes would not be desirable. Finally, the direct injection of the fluorescent dye itself may be damaging to the target organs or neuron or nerve of interest, either by mechanical damage or by the very high local concentration of dye and vehicle at the injection site. [0006] There has been a need in the art to identify peptides capable of binding to human nerves and neurons, in order to facilitate surgical procedures and human nerve protection. [0007] Nerve-homing peptides sequences were previously identified by their ability to bind mouse nerves for laboratory research. However, the peptide sequences described in the present application were identified by their ability t o bind human nerves, following systemic intravenous injection into human patients and as such these peptides meet the need of being able to more specifically and effectively bind to human nerves compared t o previous sequences. The present invention provides peptide sequences that selective bind to human nerves and/or neurons, as well as methods of using those sequences in surgical procedures, for example to preserve nerves and/or to avoid nerve damage during such procedures. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0008] ] Disclosed herein, in certain embodiments, are targeting molecules comprising a peptide that specifically binds t o a human neuron, human nerve, or component of either. In some embodiments, the peptide is selected from the group consisting of: SGQ.VPWEEPYYVVKKSS (HN P 401; SEQ ID NO:l), WEYHYVDLNWTSQHPQ (HNP 402; SEQ ID NO:2), DLPDIIWDFNWETA (HNP 403; SEQ ID NO:3), DTHAHAKPRVPAFKSV (HNP 404; SEQ ID NO: 16), Ac-SGQVPWEEPYYVVKKSSGGC (HN P401 with GGC linker; SEQ ID NO:4), Ac-WEYHYVDLNWTSQHPQGGC (HNP402 with GGC linker; SEQ ID NO:5), Ac-DLPDI IWDFNWETAGGC (HNP403 with GGC linker; SEQ ID NO:6), Ac- QVPWEEPYYVVKKSSGGC (HN P401-N-2 with GGC linker; SEQ ID NO:7), Ac-PWEEPYYVVKKSSGGC (HN P401-N-4 with GGC linker; SEQ ID NO:8), Ac-EEPYYVVKKSSGGC (HNP401-N-6 with GGC linker; SEQ ID NO:9), Ac-PYYVVKKSSGGC (HN P401-N-8 with GGC linker; SEQ ID NO:10), Ac- SGQVPWEEPYYVVKKGGC (HN P401-C-2 with GGC linker; SEQ ID NO:ll), Ac-SGQVPWEEPYYVVGGC (HNP401-C-4 with GGC linker; SEQ ID NO:12), Ac-SGQVPWEEPYYGGC (HNP401-C-6 with GGC linker; SEQ ID NO:13), Ac-SGQVPWEEPGGC (HNP401-C-8 with GGC linker; SEQ ID NO:14), QVPWEEPYYVVKKSS (HNP401-N-2; SEQ ID NO:20); QVPWEEPYYVVKKSS (HN P401-N-2 with GG linker; SEQ ID NO:21), PWEEPYYVVKKSS (HNP401-N-4; SEQ ID NO:22); EEPYYVVKKSS (HN P401-N-6; SEQ ID NO:23), PYYVVKKSS (HNP401-N-8; SEQ ID NO:24), SGQVPWEEPYYVVKK (HNP401-C-2; SEQ ID NO:25), SGQVPWEEPYYVV (HNP401-C-4; SEQ ID NO:26), SGQVPWEEPYY (HNP401-C-6; SEQ ID NO:27), SGQVPWEEP (HNP401-C-8; SEQ ID NO:28), PWEEPYYVVKKSSGG (HNP401-N-4 with GG linker; SEQ ID NO:118), EEPYYVVKKSSGG (HNP401-N-6 with GG linker; SEQ ID NO: 119), PYYVVKKSSGG (HN P401-N- 8 with GG linker; SEQ ID NO:120), SGQVPWEEPYYVVKKGG (HNP401-C-2; with GG