IP Library Granted Patent US 12,429,487
Granted Patent B2
US 12,429,487 · App. 17/299,660 · Granted Sep 30, 2025

Neurofilament protein for guiding therapeutic intervention in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Inventors: Toby Arlo Ferguson (Concord, MA); Danielle LeeZetta Graham (Concord, MA); Steve Sang-Woo Han (Needham, MA); Alexander Reid Vincent McCampbell (Andover, MA); Giulio Srubek-Tomassy (Cambridge, MA)
Assignee: Biogen MA Inc.
G01N33/6887A61K31/7115A61P25/28C12N15/1137C12N2310/11C12N2310/315C12N2310/321C12N2310/322C12N2310/3341G01N2800/28
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,429,487
App. No.
17/299,660
Granted
Sep 30, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

In one aspect, the invention provides a method for alleviating a symptom in a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, comprising administering an efficacious therapeutic that is efficacious to the patient, the efficacious therapeutic, when administered to the patient, resulting in a level of a neurofilament protein in a biological sample of the patient that is lower than a level of neurofilament protein in a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis not administered the therapeutic. In some embodiments, the patient is currently being administered with or has formerly been administered with either a non-efficacious therapeutic or a therapeutic that is different than the efficacious therapeutic.

Claims (40)

1. A method comprising:

(a) administering a dose comprising an antisense compound to a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), wherein the antisense compound has the following formula:

mCes Aeo Ges Geo Aes Tds Ads mCds Ads Tds Tds Tds mCds Tds Ads mCeo Aes Geo mCes Te (nucleobase sequence of SEQ ID NO:8), wherein,

A=an adenine,

mC=a 5-methylcytosine,

G=a guanine,

T=a thymine,

e=a 2′-O-methoxyethylribose modified sugar,

d=a 2′-deoxyribose sugar,

s=a phosphorothioate internucleoside linkage, and

o=a phosphodiester internucleoside linkage; and

(b) determining a level of a neurofilament protein in a biological sample from the patient,

wherein the level of the neurofilament protein in the biological sample of the patient is lower than a level of neurofilament protein in a patient with ALS not administered the antisense compound, and

wherein the neurofilament protein is a phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain or a neurofilament light chain.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising administering additional doses of the antisense compound to the patient after measuring a neurofilament protein level in the biological sample of the patient that is lower than the neurofilament protein level in the patient with ALS not administered the antisense compound.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the patient has a mutation in the superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) gene associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the mutation in the SOD1 gene is A4V.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the mutation in the SOD1 gene is A4V, H46R, G93S, A4T, G141X, D133A, V148G, N139K, G85R, G93A, V14G, C6S, 1113T, G37R, A89V, E100G, D90A, T137A, E100K, G41A, G41D, G41S, G13R, G72S, L8V, F20C, Q22L, H48R, T54R, 5591, V87A, T88deltaTAD, A89T, V97M, S105deltaSL, V118L, D124G, L114F, D90A, G12R, or G147R.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the biological sample comprises blood, serum, plasma, or cerebral spinal fluid.

7. A method comprising:

(a) measuring a neurofilament protein level in a first biological sample obtained from a human subject;

(b) administering one or more doses of an antisense compound to the human subject, wherein the antisense compound has the following formula:

mCes Aeo Ges Geo Aes Tds Ads mCds Ads Tds Tds Tds mCds Tds Ads mCeo Aes Geo mCes Te (nucleobase sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8), wherein,

A=an adenine,

mC=a 5-methylcytosine,

G=a guanine,

T=a thymine,

e=a 2′-O-methoxyethylribose modified sugar,

d=a 2′-deoxyribose sugar,

s=a phosphorothioate internucleoside linkage, and

o=a phosphodiester internucleoside linkage;

or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof; and

(c) measuring a neurofilament protein level in a second biological sample obtained from the human subject after administering the one or more doses of the antisense compound,

wherein the neurofilament protein level in the second biological sample is lower than the neurofilament protein level in the first biological sample, and

wherein the neurofilament protein is a phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain or a neurofilament light chain.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising administering additional doses of the antisense compound to the human subject after measuring a neurofilament protein level in the second biological sample that is lower than the neurofilament protein level in the first biological sample.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the patient-er the human subject has a mutation in the superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) gene associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the mutation in the SOD1 gene is A4V.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the mutation in the SOD1 gene is A4V, H46R, G93S, A4T, G141X, D133A, V148G, N139K, G85R, G93A, V14G, C6S, I113T, G37R, A89V, E100G, D90A, T137A, E100K, G41A, G41D, G41S, G13R, G72S, L8V, F20C, Q22L, H48R, T54R, S591, V87A, T88deltaTAD, A89T, V97M, S105deltaSL, V118L, D124G, L1 14F, D90A, G12R, or G147R.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first biological sample and the second biological sample comprise blood, serum, plasma, or cerebral spinal fluid.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 19, 2021
From: FERGUSON, TOBY ARLO; GRAHAM, DANIELLE LEEZETTA; HAN, STEVE SANG-WOO; MCCAMPBELL, ALEXANDER REID VINCENT; SRUBEK-TOMASSY, GIULIO
To: BIOGEN MA INC.
Reel/Frame 056905/0422 →
Continuity (4)
Provisional Application 62842063 · May 2, 2019
Provisional Application 62840431 · Apr 30, 2019
Provisional Application 62776253 · Dec 6, 2018
Related Publication 20220034907A1 · Feb 3, 2022
References Cited (83)
US 8465727B2 · Bowser · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 10385341B2 · Swayze · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 10669546B2 · Swayze · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 10968453B2 · Swayze · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 11474113B2 · Farwell · 2022 [cited by applicant]
US 20050019915A1 · Bennett et al. · 2005 [cited by applicant]
US 20100267073A1 · Przedborski et al. · 2010 [cited by applicant]
US 20150285822A1 · Zhang et al. · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 20170037410A1 · Swayze · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20170087212A1 · Passini et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20170363643A1 · Rigo et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20190298708A1 · Jain · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20200040342A1 · Swayze · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20200239912A1 · Sah · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20200354723A1 · Swayze · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 20210041459A1 · Farwell · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20210172963A1 · Benatar · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 20220128578A1 · Plavina · 2022 [cited by applicant]
US 20230107651A1 · Farwell et al. · 2023 [cited by applicant]
CN 104853778 · 2015 [cited by applicant]
CN 106459972 · 2017 [cited by applicant]
CN 107109407 · 2017 [cited by applicant]
RU 2655811 · 2018 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2007002390 · 2007 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2010129021 · 2010 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2010148249 · 2010 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2014110291 · 2014 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2015153800 · 2015 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2015153800A2 · 2015 [cited by examiner]
WO WO2015161170 · 2015 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2016040748 · 2016 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2018218219 · 2018 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2019147960 · 2019 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2020061355 · 2020 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2020117772 · 2020 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2020123783 · 2020 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2020167715 · 2020 [cited by applicant]
Breder, CD, and Kozauer, NA, Food and Drug Administration Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Medical Review(s) Application No. 209176Orig1s000. Published May 2, 2017. (Year: 2017). [cited by examiner]
Rowland LP, Shneider NA. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. N Engl J Med. May 31, 2001;344(22):1688-700. doi: 10.1056/NEJM200105313442207. PMID: 11386269. (Year: 2001). [cited by examiner]
Lu CH, et al. Neurofilament light chain: A prognostic biomarker in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Neurology. Jun. 2, 2015;84(22):2247-57. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000001642. (Year: 2015). [cited by examiner]
Benatar et al., “Neurofilament Light: A Candidate Biomarker of Presymtomatic Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Phenoconversion: Neurofilament Light in Presymptomatic ALS”, Annals of Neurology, Jul. 2018, 84(1):130-139. [cited by applicant]
Daniela et al., CSF Neurofilament Proteins as Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarkers for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Journal of Neurology, Jan. 2018, 265(3):510-521. [cited by applicant]
Lu et al., “Neurofilament Light Chain: A Prognostic Biomarker in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis”, American Academy of Neurology, 2015, 84:2247-2257. [cited by applicant]
Lu et al., “Plasma Neurofilament Heavy Chain Levels Correlate to Markers of Late State Disease Progression and Treatment Response in SOD1G93A Mice that Model ALS”, PLoS One, Jul. 2012, 7(7):e40998. [cited by applicant]
McCampbell et al., “Antisense Oligonucleotides Extend Survival and Reverse Decrement in Muscle Response in ALS Models”, The Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2018, 128(8):3558-3567. [cited by applicant]
Puentes et al., “Immune Reactivity to Neurofilament Proteins in the Clinical Staging of Amytrophic Lateral Sclerosis”, Journal Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, Sep. 2013, pp. 1-5. [cited by applicant]
Rosengren et al., “Patients with Amyotrohic Lateral Sclerosis and other Neurodegenerative Diseases have Increased Levels of Neurofilament Protein in CSF”, Journal of Neurochemistry, Nov. 1996, 67(5):2013-2018. [cited by applicant]
Rossi, D. et al., CSF neurofilament proteins as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Journal of Neurology, 265(3):510-521 (2018). [cited by applicant]
Kharkevich, [cited by applicant]
Verde et al., “Neurofilament light chain in serum for the diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,” J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry, Feb. 2018,90(2):157-164. [cited by applicant]
Bacioglu et al., “Correction: Update—Neurofilament Light Chain in Blood as CSF as Marker of Disease Progression in Mouse Models and in Neurodegenerative Diseases,” Neuron, Jul. 20, 2016, 91(2):494-496. [cited by applicant]
Amor et al., “Neurofilament Light Antibodies in Serum Reflect Response to Natalizumab Treatment in Multiple Sclerosis”, Multiple Sclerosis Journal, Sep. 2014, 20(10:1355-1362. [cited by applicant]
Bacioglu et al., “Neurofilament Light Chain in Blood CSF as Marker of Disease Progression in Mouse Models and in Neurodegenerative Diseases”, Neuron, Jul. 2016, 91(1):56-66 Typo (marked). [cited by applicant]
Boido et al., “Neuromuscular Junctions as Key Contributors and Therapeutic Targets in Spinal Muscular Atrophy,” Front Neuroanat, Feb. 3, 2016, 10(6):1-10. [cited by applicant]
Byme et al., “Neurofilament light protein in blood as a potential biomarker of neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease: a retrospective cohort analysis,” Lancet Neuro., Aug. 2017, 16: 601-609. [cited by applicant]
Calabresi et al., “Serum Neurofilament Light (NFL): Towards a Blood Test for Prognosis and Disease/Treatment Monitoring in Multiple Sclerosis Patients”, Neurology, Apr. 2018, 90(15):Supp. 1. [cited by applicant]
Chiriboga et al., “Nusinersen for the Treatment of Spinal Muscular Atrophy,” Expert Rev Neurother, Sep. 8, 2017, 17(10):955-962. [cited by applicant]
Cifuentes-Diaz et al., “Neurofilament Accumulation at the Motor Endplate and Lack of Axonal Sprouting in a Spinal Muscular Atrophy Mouse Model”, Human Molecular Genetics, Jun. 2002, 11(12): 1439-1447. [cited by applicant]
Costa et al., “Prognostic Value of Serum Neurofilaments with Clinically Isolated Syndromes”, Neurology, Jan. 2019, 92(7):e733-e741 Typo (marked). [cited by applicant]
Costa et al., “Serum Neurofilament Light Chain Levels are Increased at the Onset of PML in Natalizumab Treated MS Patients” 70th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, Apr. 2018, 1 page. [cited by applicant]
Costa et al., “Serum Neurofilament Light Chain Levels are Increased at the Onset of PML in Natalizumab-treated MS Patients”, 4th Congress of the European-Academy-of-Neurology, Jun. 2018, p. 327. [cited by applicant]
Disanto et al., “Serum Neurofilament Light: A Biomarker of Neuronal Damage in Multiple Sclerosis: Serum NFL as a Biomarker in MS”, Annals of Neurology, Jun. 2017, 81(6):857-870. [cited by applicant]
Fitzner et al., “Molecular Biomarkers in Cerebrospinal Fluid of Multiple Sclerosis Patients”, Autoimmunity Reviews, Oct. 2015, 14(10):903-913. [cited by applicant]
Gunnarson et al., “Axonal Damage in Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis is Markedly Reduced by Natalizumab”, Annals of Neurology, Jan. 2011, 69(1):83-89. [cited by applicant]
International Preliminary Report on Patentability in International Appln. No. PCT/US2019/015185, dated Aug. 6, 2020, 8 pages. [cited by applicant]
International Preliminary Report on Patentability in International Appln. No. PCT/US2019/051992, dated Apr. 1, 2021, 12 pages. [cited by applicant]
International Preliminary Report on Patentability in International Appln. No. PCT/US2020/017600, dated Aug. 26, 2021, 8 pages. [cited by applicant]
International Search Report and Written Opinion in International Appln. No. PCT/US2019/015185, dated Apr. 10, 2019, 16 pages. [cited by applicant]
International Search Report and Written Opinion in International Appln. No. PCT/US2019/051992, dated Jun. 24, 2020, 21 pages. [cited by applicant]
International Search Report and Written Opinion in International Appln. No. PCT/US2020/017600, dated May 26, 2020, 15 pages. [cited by applicant]
Khalil et al., “Neurofilaments as biomarkers in neurological disorders,” Nature Reviews Neurology, Oct. 2018, 14:577-589. [cited by applicant]
Kiernan, “Progress towards therapy in motor neuron disease,” Nature Reviews Neurology, Jan. 2018, 2 pages. [cited by applicant]
Kuhle et al., “Neurofilament Light and Heavy Subunits Compared as Therapeutic Biomarkers in Multiple Sclerosis,” ACTA Neurologica Scandinavica, Dec. 2013, 128(6):E33-E36. [cited by applicant]
Linker et al., “Innovative Monoclonal Antibody Therapies in Multiple Sclerosis”, Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders, Jul. 2008, 1(1):33-42. [cited by applicant]
Novakova et al., “Monitoring Disease Activity in Multiple Sclerosis using Serum Neurofilament Light Protein”, Neurology, Nov. 2017, 89(22):2230-2237. [cited by applicant]
Novakova et al., “Reduced Cerebrospinal Fluid Concentrations of Oxysterols in Response to Natalizumab Treatment of Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis”, Journal of Neurological Sciences, Aug. 2015, 358(1):201-206. [cited by applicant]
Spinraza (nusinersen) injection, for intrathecal use, FDA, Label Dec. 2016, 13 pages. [cited by applicant]
Totzeck et al., “Neurofilament Heavy Chain and Tau Protein Are Not Elevated in Cerebrospinal Fluid of Adult Patients with Spinal Muscular Atrophy during Loading with Nusinersen,” Int. J. Mol. Sci., Oct. 2019, 20(5397):1… [cited by applicant]
Weston et al., “Serum neurofilament light in familial Alzheimer disease,” Neurology, Nov. 2017, 89:2167-2175. [cited by applicant]
Wurster et al., “Neurochemical Markers in CSF of Adolescent and Adult SMA Patients Undergoing Nusinersen Treatment”, Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders, May 2019, pp. 1-8. [cited by applicant]
Wurster et al., “Neurofilament Light Chain in Serum of Adolescent and Adult SMA Patients Under Treatment with Nusinersen”, Journal of Neurology, 2020, 267:36-44. [cited by applicant]
Yuan et al., “Neurofilaments and Neurofilament Proteins in Health and Disease,” Cold Spring Harb Persepct Biol., Apr. 2017, 9:a018309:1-24. [cited by applicant]
PCT International Search Report and Written Opinion in International Appln. No. PCT/US2019/064190, dated Mar. 4, 2020, 16 pages. [cited by applicant]