Antibodies having specificity for BTN2 and uses thereof

1. A method of treating an autoimmune or inflammatory disorder or transplant rejection in a subject in need thereof, comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of an anti-BTN2 antibody, wherein the anti-BTN2 antibody comprises

a. the H-CDR1, H-CDR2, HCDR3, L-CDR1, L-CDR2 and L-CDR3 of the mAb 4.15 of SEQ ID NOs:3-8 respectively;

b. the H-CDR1, H-CDR2, HCDR3, L-CDR1, L-CDR2 and L-CDR3 of the mAb 5.28 of SEQ ID NOs:11-16 respectively;

c. the H-CDR1, H-CDR2, HCDR3, L-CDR1, L-CDR2 and L-CDR3 of the mAb 7.28 of SEQ ID NOs:19-24 respectively;

d. the H-CDR1, H-CDR2, HCDR3, L-CDR1, L-CDR2 and L-CDR3 of the mAb 7.48 of SEQ ID NOs:27-32 respectively;

e. the H-CDR1, H-CDR2, HCDR3, L-CDR1, L-CDR2 and L-CDR3 of the mAb 8.15 of SEQ ID NOs:35-40 respectively; or

f. the H-CDR1, H-CDR2, HCDR3, L-CDR1, L-CDR2 and L-CDR3 of the mAb 8.16 of SEQ ID NOs:43-48 respectively.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the anti-BTN2 antibody comprises

a. a heavy chain wherein the VH region has the sequence SEQ ID NO:9 and a light chain wherein the VL region has the sequence SEQ ID NO:10;

b. a heavy chain wherein the VH region has the sequence SEQ ID NO:17 and a light chain wherein the VL region has the sequence SEQ ID NO:18;

c. a heavy chain wherein the VH region has the sequence SEQ ID NO:25 and a light chain wherein the VL region has the sequence SEQ ID NO:26;

d. a heavy chain wherein the VH region has the sequence SEQ ID NO:33 and a light chain wherein the VL region has the sequence SEQ ID NO:34;

e. a heavy chain wherein the VH region has the sequence SEQ ID NO:41 and a light chain wherein the VL region has the sequence SEQ ID NO:42; or

f. a heavy chain wherein the VH region has the sequence SEQ ID NO:49 and a light chain wherein the VL region has the sequence SEQ ID NO:50.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the autoimmune or inflammatory disorder is selected from the group consisting of: rheumatoid arthritis (RA), insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (Type 1 diabetes), multiple sclerosis (MS), Crohn's disease, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), scleroderma, Sjogren's syndrome, pemphigus vulgaris, pemphigoid, Addison's disease, ankylosing spondylitis, aplastic anemia, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, autoimmune hepatitis, coeliac disease, dermatomyositis, Goodpasture's syndrome, Graves' disease, Guillain-Barre syndrome, Hashimoto's disease, idiopathic leucopenia, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, male infertility, mixed connective tissue disease, myasthenia gravis, pernicious anemia, phacogenic uveitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, primary myxoedema, Reiter's syndrome, stiff man syndrome, thyrotoxicosis, ulcerative colitis, and Wegener's granulomatosis.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the anti-BTN2 antibody has specificity for both human butyrophilin-2A1 (BTN2A1) and human butyrophilin-2A2 (BTN2A2).

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the anti-BTN2 antibody does not cross-react with human CD277.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the anti-BTN2 antibody is a human, chimeric or humanized antibody.