Anti-alpha synuclein antibodies

1. An antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof which binds to alpha synuclein wherein the antibody or fragment thereof comprises:

a light chain variable region comprising a CDR-L1 according to SEQ ID NO: 1; a CDR-L2 according to SEQ ID NO: 2 and a CDR-L3 according to SEQ ID NO: 3; and

a heavy chain variable region comprising a CDR-H1 according to SEQ ID NO: 4; a CDR-H2 selected from SEQ ID NO: 5 and a CDR-H3 according to SEQ ID NO: 6.

2. The antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof according to claim 1 , wherein the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof binds two or more amino acid residues of alpha synuclein between position 113 and 129 with reference to SEQ ID NO: 8, wherein the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof binds at least amino acid residues D119, N122 and Y125 with reference to SEQ ID NO: 8.

3. The antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof according to claim 1 , wherein the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof is capable of binding alpha synuclein as a monomer and in fibrils.

4. The antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof according to claim 1 which has a higher binding affinity for alpha synuclein in fibrils compared to alpha synuclein as monomer characterized by a constant of dissociation (K D ) at least 10-fold higher for monomeric alpha synuclein than for alpha synuclein in fibrils.

5. The antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof according to claim 1 which has a (K D ) for alpha synuclein in fibrils of 60 pM or less.

6. The antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof according to claim 1 wherein the antibody is a chimeric, humanized antibody.

7. The antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof according to claim 1 , wherein the antibody is a full-length antibody.

8. The antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof according to claim 7 , wherein the full-length antibody is selected from an IgG1, IgG4 or IgG4P.

9. The antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof according to claim 1 , wherein the antigen-binding fragment is selected from a Fab, a Fab′, a F(ab′)2, a scFv, or a diabody.

10. The antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof according to claim 1 , wherein the antibody or fragment thereof comprises:

a light chain variable region according to SEQ ID NO: 13 and a heavy chain variable region selected from SEQ ID NO: 25; or

a light chain variable region according to SEQ ID NO: 17 and a heavy chain variable region selected from SEQ ID NO: 25.

11. The antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof according to claim 1 , wherein the antibody comprises:

a light chain according to SEQ ID NO: 14 and a heavy chain according to SEQ ID NO: 26; or

a light chain according to SEQ ID NO: 18 and a heavy chain according to SEQ ID NO: 26.

12. A pharmaceutical composition comprising the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof according to claim 1 and one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers, excipients or diluents, wherein the pharmaceutical composition optionally comprises one or more additional active ingredients.

13. An isolated polynucleotide encoding the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof according to claim 1 , wherein the polynucleotide encodes:

a light chain variable region, wherein the polynucleotide:

is at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NO: 15 or 19; or

comprises SEQ ID NO: 15 or 19; or

consists of SEQ ID NO: 15 or 19; or

a heavy chain variable region, wherein the polynucleotide:

is at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NO: 27; or

comprises SEQ ID NO: 27; or

consists of SEQ ID NO: 27; or

a light chain, wherein the polynucleotide:

is at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NO: 16 or 20; or

comprises SEQ ID NO: 16 or 20; or

consists of SEQ ID NO: 16 or 20;

a heavy chain, wherein the polynucleotide:

is at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NO: 28; or

comprises SEQ ID NO: 28; or

consists of SEQ ID NO: 28.

14. A cloning or expression vector comprising one or more polynucleotides according to claim 13 .

15. A host cell comprising:

one or more polynucleotides according to claim 13 or

one or more expression vectors comprising said one or more polynucleotides.

16. A process for the production of an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof which binds to alpha synuclein wherein the antibody or fragment thereof comprises:

a light chain variable region comprising a CDR-L1 according to SEQ ID NO: 1; a CDR-L2 according to SEQ ID NO: 2 and a CDR-L3 according to SEQ ID NO: 3; and

a heavy chain variable region comprising a CDR-H1 according to SEQ ID NO: 4; a CDR-H2 according to SEQ ID NO: 5 and a CDR-H3 according to SEQ ID NO: 6, comprising culturing the host cell according to claim 15 under suitable conditions for producing the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof and isolating the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof.

17. A method of treating a synucleinopathy in a patient comprising administering to said patient a therapeutically effective amount of an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof according to claim 1 .

18. The method according to claim 17 wherein the synucleinopathy is selected from Parkinson's disease (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), Diffuse Lewy Body Disease (DLBD), Lewy body variant of Alzheimer's disease (LBVAD), combined Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, multiple system atrophy (MSA), and neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation type-1 (NBIA-1).

19. An antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof which binds to alpha synuclein wherein the antibody or fragment thereof comprises:

a light chain variable region comprising a CDR-L1 according to SEQ ID NO: 1; a CDR-L2 according to SEQ ID NO: 2 and a CDR-L3 according to SEQ ID NO: 3; and

a heavy chain variable region comprising a CDR-H1 according to SEQ ID NO: 4; a CDR-H2 selected from SEQ ID NO: 5 and a CDR-H3 according to SEQ ID NO: 6, wherein amino acid residue glycine (Gly; G) at position 6 with reference to SEQ ID NO: 3 is replaced by alanine (Ala; A).

20. The antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof according to claim 19 , wherein the antibody or fragment thereof comprises:

a light chain variable region according to SEQ ID NO: 21 and a heavy chain variable region selected from SEQ ID NO: 25; or

a light chain according to SEQ ID NO: 22 and a heavy chain according to SEQ ID NO: 26.

21. An isolated polynucleotide encoding the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof according to claim 19 , wherein the polynucleotide encodes:

a light chain variable region, wherein the polynucleotide:

is at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NO: 23; or

comprises SEQ ID NO: 23; or

consists of SEQ ID NO: 23; or

a light chain, wherein the polynucleotide:

is at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NO: 24; or

comprises SEQ ID NO: 24; or

consists of SEQ ID NO: 24;

a heavy chain, wherein the polynucleotide:

is at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NO: 28; or

comprises SEQ ID NO: 28; or

consists of SEQ ID NO: 28.