(19) & (11) EP 1 646 400 B1 (12) EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION (45) Date of publication and mention (51) Int Cl.: of the grant of the patent: A61K 39/00 (2006.01) C07K 14/47 (2006.01) 21.07.2010 Bulletin 2010/29 A61P 37/06 (2006.01) A61P 37/08 (2006.01) (21) Application number: 04722319.3 (86) International application number: PCT/GB2004/001252 (22) Date of filing: 22.03.2004 (87) International publication number: WO 2004/082710 (30.09.2004 Gazette 2004/40) (54) TREATMENT OF ALLERGIC DISEASES USING A MODULATOR OF THE NOTCH SIGNALING PATHWAY BEHANDLUNG VON ALLERGISCHEN ERKRANKUNGEN UNTER VERWENDUNG EINES MODULATORS DES NOTCH SIGNALING PATHWAY TRAITEMENT DE MALADIES ALLERGIQUES UTILISANT UN MODULATEUR DE LA VOIE DE SIGNALISATION NOTCH (84) Designated Contracting States: (73) Proprietor: Celldex Therapeutics Limited AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR Suite 54 HU IE IT LI LU MC NL PL PT RO SE SI SK TR Cambridge Designated Extension States: CB4 0EY (GB) LV (72) Inventors: (30) Priority: 21.03.2003 GB 0306583 • BODMER, Mark William, 21.03.2003 GB 0306582 Lorantis Limited 22.03.2003 GB 0306621 Cambridge CB4 0PE (GB) 22.03.2003 GB 0306622 • BRIEND, Emmanuel Cyrille Pascal, 22.03.2003 GB 0306626 Lorantis Limited 22.03.2003 GB 0306624 Cambridge CB4 OPE (GB) 22.03.2003 GB 0306640 • CHAMPION, Brian Robert, 22.03.2003 GB 0306644 Lorantis Limited 22.03.2003 GB 0306650 Cambridge CB4 0PE (GB) 22.03.2003 GB 0306651 • LENNARD, Andrew Christopher, 22.03.2003 GB 0306654 Lorantis Limited 04.04.2003 PCT/GB03/01525 Cambridge CB4 0PE (GB) 24.05.2003 GB 0312062 • MCKENZIE, Grahame James, 01.08.2003 PCT/GB03/03285 Lorantis Limited 03.10.2003 GB 0323130 Cambridge CB4 0PE (GB) 07.01.2004 PCT/GB2004/000046 • RAGNO, Silvia, 23.01.2004 PCT/GB2004/000263 Lorantis Limited Cambridge CB4 0PE (GB) (43) Date of publication of application: • TUGAL, Tamara, 19.04.2006 Bulletin 2006/16 Lorantis Limited Cambridge CB4 0PE (GB) • WARD, George Albert, Lorantis Limited Cambridge CB4 OPE (GB) • YOUNG, Lesley Lynn, Lorantis Limited Cambridge CB4 0PE (GB) Note: Within nine months of the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent in the European Patent Bulletin, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to that patent, in accordance with the Implementing Regulations. Notice of opposition shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent Convention). EP 1 646 400 B1 Printed by Jouve, 75001 PARIS (FR) (Cont. next page) EP 1 646 400 B1 (74) Representative: Mallalieu, Catherine Louise et al • ZLOBIN A ET AL: "TOWARD THE RATIONAL D Young & Co LLP DESIGN OF CELL FATE MODIFIERS: NOTCH 120 Holborn SIGNALING AS A TARGET FOR NOVEL London EC1N 2DY (GB) BIOPHARMACEUTICALS" CURRENT PHARMACEUTICAL BIOTECHNOLOGY, (56) References cited: BENTHAM SCIENCE PUBLISHERS, BOCA WO-A-00/36089 WO-A-98/20142 RATON,FL, US, vol. 1, no. 1, July 2000 (2000-07), pages 83-106, XP008004456 ISSN: 1389-2010 • HOYNE G F ET AL: "SERRATE-1-INDUCED • OSBORNE B ET AL: "Notch and the immune NOTCH SIGNALLING REGULATES THE system" IMMUNITY, CELL PRESS, US, vol. 11, no. DECISION BETWEEN IMMUNITY AND 6, December 1999 (1999-12), pages 653-663, TOLERANCE MADE BY PERIPHERAL CD4+ T XP002217474 ISSN: 1074-7613 CELLS" INTERNATIONAL IMMUNOLOGY, • HICKS C ET AL: "A SECRETED DELTA1-FC OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, GB, vol. 12, no. 2, FUSION PROTEIN FUNCTIONS BOTH AS AN 2000, pages 177-185, XP000929552 ISSN: ACTIVATOR AND INHIBITOR OF NOTCH1 0953-8178 SIGNALING" JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE • WONG K K ET AL: "Notch ligation by Delta1 RESEARCH, WILEY-LISS, US, vol. 68, no. 6, 15 inhibits peripheral immune responses to June 2002 (2002-06-15), pages 655-667, transplantation antigens by a CD8+ cell- XP009013890 ISSN: 0360-4012 dependent mechanism" JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION, NEW YORK, NY, US, vol. 112, no. 11, December 2003 (2003-12), pages 1741-1750, XP002268827 ISSN: 0021-9738 2 EP 1 646 400 B1 Description Field of the invention 5 [0001] The present invention relates to the modulation of immune function. Background of the invention [0002] International Patent Publication No WO 98/20142 describes how manipulation of the Notch signalling pathway 10 can be used in immunotherapy and in the prevention and/or treatment of T-cell mediated diseases. In particular, allergy, autoimmunity, graft rejection, tumour induced aberrations to the cellT- system and infectious diseases caused, for example, by Plasmodium species, Microfilariae, Helminths, Mycobacteria, HIV, Cytomegalovirus, Pseudomonas, Tox- oplasma, Echinococcus, Haemophilus influenza type B, measles, Hepatitis C or Toxicara, may be targeted. [0003] It has also been shown that it is possible to generate a class of regulatory T cells which are able to transmit 15 antigen-specific tolerance to other T cells, a process termed infectious tolerance (WO98/20142). The functional activity of these cells can be mimicked by over-expression of a Notch ligand protein on their cell surfaces or on the surface of antigen presenting cells. In particular, regulatory T cells can be generated by over-expression of a member of the Delta or Serrate family of Notch ligand proteins. [0004] A description of the Notch signalling pathway and conditions affected by it may be found, for example, in our 20 published PCT Applications as follows: PCT/GB97/03058 (filed on 6 November 1997 and published as WO 98/20142; claiming priority from GB 9623236.8 filed on 7 November 1996, GB 9715674.9 filed on 24 July 1997 and GB 9719350.2 filed on 11 September 1997); PCT/GB99/04233 (filed on 15 December 1999 and published as WO 00/36089; claiming priority from GB 9827604.1 filed on 15 December 1999); 25 PCT/GB00/04391 (filed on 17 November 2000 and published as WO 0135990; claiming priority from GB 9927328.6 filed on 18 November 1999); PCT/GB01/03503 (filed on 3 August 2001 and published as WO 02/12890; claiming priority from GB 0019242.7 filed on 4 August 2000); PCT/GB02/02438 (filed on 24 May 2002 and published as WO 02/096952; claiming priority from GB 0112818.0 filed on 30 25 May 2001); PCT/GB02/03381 (filed on 25 July 2002 and published as WO 03/012111; claiming priority from GB 0118155.1 filed on 25 July 2001); PCT/GB02/03397 (filed on 25 July 2002 and published as WO 03/012441; claiming priority from GB0118153.6 filed on 25 July 2001, GB0207930.9 filed on 5 April 2002, GB 0212282.8 filed on 28 May 2002 and GB 0212283.6 filed on 28 35 May 2002); PCT/GB02/03426 (filed on 25 July 2002 and published as WO 03/011317; claiming priority from GB0118153.6 filed on 25 July 2001, GB0207930.9 filed on 5 April 2002, GB 0212282.8 filed on 28 May 2002 and GB 0212283.6 filed on 28 May 2002); PCT/GB02/04390 (filed on 27 September 2002 and published as WO 03/029293; claiming priority from GB 0123379.0 40 filed on 28 September 2001); PCT/GB02/05137 (filed on 13 November 2002 and published as WO 03/041735; claiming priority from GB 0127267.3 filed on 14 November 2001, PCT/GB02/03426 filed on 25 July 2002, GB 0220849.4 filed on 7 September 2002, GB 0220913.8 filed on 10 September 2002 and PCT/GB02/004390 filed on 27 September 2002); PCT/GB02/05133 (filed on 13 November 2002 and published as WO 03/042246; claiming priority from GB 0127271.5 45 filed on 14 November 2001 and GB 0220913.8 filed on 10 September 2002). [0005] Reference is made also to Hoyne G.F. (1999) Int Arch Allergy Immunol 118:122-124; Hoyne et al. (2000) Immunology 100:281-288; Hoyne G.F. et al (2000) Intl Immunol 12:177-185; Hoyne, G. et al. (2001) Immunological Reviews 182:215-227),. [0006] The present invention seeks to provide further methods of modulating the immune system and in particular 50 immune responses, particularly in the prevention and/or treatment of allergy. Statements of the Invention [0007] According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a product comprising i) a modulator of the Notch 55 signalling pathway and ii) an allergen or antigenic determinant thereof, or a polynucleotide coding for an allergen or antigenic determinant thereof; as a combined preparation for simultaneous, contemporaneous, separate or sequential use for modulation of the immune system, wherein the modulator of the Notch signalling pathway comprises a Notch ligand comprising an N-terminal domain, a DSL domain and the first 3 only EGF repeats of Deltal, or a polynucleotide 3 EP 1 646 400 B1 coding therefor. [0008] Generally, the term "allergen" as used herein may also include allergen "bystander antigens". [0009] According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a combination of a modulator of the Notch signalling pathway and an allergen or antigenic determinant thereof or a polynucleotide coding for an allergen or antigenic 5 determinant thereof; for simultaneous, contemporaneous, separate or sequential use in modulating the immune system, wherein the modulator of the Notch signalling pathway comprises a Notch ligand comprising an N-terminal domain, a DSL domain and the first 3 only EGF repeats of Deltal, or a polynucleotide coding therefor. [0010] According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a modulator of the Notch signalling pathway for use in modulating the immune system in simultaneous, contemporaneous, separate or sequential combination with an 10 allergen or antigenic determinant thereof or a polynucleotide coding for an allergen or antigenic determinant thereof, wherein the modulator of the Notch signalling pathway comprises a Notch ligand comprising an N-terminal domain, a DSL domain and the first 3 only EGF repeats of Deltal, or a polynucleotide coding therefor.