Patent Application

App. No. 11/051,615

Abstract

Claims (32)

1 . A fusion protein comprising an albumin, or a fragment or a variant or a derivative thereof, and at least one biologically active peptide or protein which activates the ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) receptor, or a fragment or variant or a derivative thereof.

2 . The fusion protein of claim 1 , wherein the at least one peptide or protein which activates the ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) receptor is CNTF or a fragment or variant or a derivative thereof.

3 . The fusion protein of claim 2 , wherein the CNTF is AXOKINE®.

4 . The fusion protein of claim 1 wherein the in-vivo half-life of the fusion protein is greater than the in-vivo half-life of the unfused biologically active peptide or protein.

5 . The fusion protein of claim 1 wherein the shelf-life of the fusion protein is greater than the shelf-life of the unfused biologically active peptide or protein.

6 . The fusion protein of claim 1 which is expressed in yeast.

7 . The fusion protein of claim 1 which is expressed in a mammalian cell.

8 . The fusion protein of claim 1 wherein the mammalian cell is a human cell.

9 . A pharmaceutical composition comprising an effective amount of the fusion protein of claim 1 and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or excipient.

10 . The use of a fusion protein of any of claim 1 for the manufacture of a medicament for treating obesity and diseases associated therewith.

11 . The use according to claim 10 , wherein the disease associated with obesity is diabetes, hyperglycaemia or hyperinsulinaemia.

12 . A method for extending the half-life of a biologically active peptide or protein which activates the ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) receptor, or a fragment or variant or a derivative thereof in a mammal, the method comprising linking said biologically active peptide or protein to an albumin to form an albumin-fused biologically active peptide or protein and administering said albumin-fused biologically active peptide or protein to said mammal, whereby the half-life of said albumin-fused biologically active peptide or protein is extended at least 2-fold over the half-life of the biologically active peptide or protein lacking the linked albumin.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the biologically active peptide or protein is CNTF or a fragment or variant or a derivative thereof.

14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the half-life of said albumin-fused biologically active peptide or protein is extended at least 5-fold over the half-life of the biologically active peptide or protein lacking the linked albumin.

15 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the half-life of said albumin-fused biologically active peptide or protein is extended at least 10-fold over the half-life of the biologically active peptide or protein lacking the linked albumin.

16 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the half-life of said albumin-fused biologically active peptide or protein is extended at least 50-fold over the half-life of the biologically active peptide or protein lacking the linked albumin.

17 . A method for increasing the concentration of a biologically active peptide or protein across the blood brain barrier, the method comprising linking said biologically active peptide or protein to an albumin to form an albumin-fused biologically active peptide or protein and administering said albumin-fused biologically active peptide or protein to said mammal, whereby the concentration of said albumin-fused biologically active peptide or protein is increased across the blood brain barrier over the concentration of the biologically active peptide or protein lacking the linked albumin.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the biologically active peptide or protein activates the ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) receptor, or is a fragment or variant or a derivative thereof.

19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the biologically active peptide or protein is CNTF or a fragment or variant or a derivative thereof.

20 . A method for minimizing side effects associated with the treatment of a mammal with a biologically active peptide or protein activates the ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) receptor, or a fragment or variant or a derivative thereof, the method comprising linking said biologically active peptide or protein to an albumin to form an albumin-fused biologically active peptide or protein and administering said albumin-fused biologically active peptide or protein to said mammal.

21 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the biologically active peptide or protein activates the ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) receptor, or is a fragment or variant or a derivative thereof.

22 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the biologically active peptide or protein is CNTF or a fragment or variant or a derivative thereof.

23 . The method of claim 20 , wherein said side effect is nausea, headache, or a combination of nausea and headache.

24 . A nucleic acid molecule comprising a polynucleotide sequence encoding for a fusion protein according to claim 1 .

25 . A vector comprising the nucleic acid molecule of claim 24 .

25 . A host cell containing the nucleic acid molecule of claim 24 .

26 . A method of activating the CNTF-receptor in a cell, which method comprises the step of contacting said cell with an effective concentration of a fusion protein according to claim 1 .

27 . The method of claim 26 , wherein the cell is a mammalian cell.

28 . The method of claim 27 , wherein the cell is a human cell.

29 . A method of activating the CNTF-receptor in a cell, which method comprises the step of providing said cell with an effective concentration of a fusion protein according to claim 1 , by introducing a nucleic acid molecule according to claim 24 into the cell, enabling said cell to produce a therapeutically effective amount of a fusion protein according to claim 1 .

30 . The method of claim 29 , wherein the cell is a mammalian cell.

31 . The method of claim 30 , wherein the cell is a human cell.

Assignments (8)