U.S. patent application number 16/352879 was filed with the patent office on 2019-07-04 for use of akt phosphorylation as a biomarker for prognosing neurodegenerative diseases and treating same.
This patent application is currently assigned to Yeda Research and Development Co. Ltd.. The applicant listed for this patent is Universitatsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Yeda Research and Development Co. Ltd.. Invention is credited to Irun R. COHEN, Johannes HERKEL, Raanan MARGALIT, Eran OVADIA, Meirav PEVSNER-FISCHER.
Application Number | 20190204340 16/352879 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47217830 |
Filed Date | 2019-07-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20190204340 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
OVADIA; Eran ; et
al. |
July 4, 2019 |
USE OF AKT PHOSPHORYLATION AS A BIOMARKER FOR PROGNOSING
NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES AND TREATING SAME
Abstract
The present invention relates to uses of a peptide comprising an
amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID
NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 2, analogues and derivatives thereof, for the
treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis (ALS). The present invention further provides a
method for assessing responsiveness to treatment with the peptide
of the invention. In addition, the present invention relates to
prognosis of ALS progression, using Akt and phosphorylated Akt as
biomarkers.
Inventors: |
OVADIA; Eran; (Mevasseret
Zion, IL) ; COHEN; Irun R.; (Rehovot, IL) ;
HERKEL; Johannes; (Hamburg, DE) ; MARGALIT;
Raanan; (Rehovot, IL) ; PEVSNER-FISCHER; Meirav;
(Nes Ziona, IL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Yeda Research and Development Co. Ltd.
Universitatsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf |
Rehovot
Hamburg |
|
IL
DE |
|
|
Assignee: |
Yeda Research and Development Co.
Ltd.
Rehovot
IL
Universitatsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf
Hamburg
DE
|
Family ID: |
47217830 |
Appl. No.: |
16/352879 |
Filed: |
March 14, 2019 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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14883685 |
Oct 15, 2015 |
10288622 |
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16352879 |
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14119891 |
Nov 25, 2013 |
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PCT/IL2012/050185 |
May 23, 2012 |
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14883685 |
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61488806 |
May 23, 2011 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61K 38/08 20130101;
G01N 33/6854 20130101; A61K 38/1833 20130101; A61K 38/185 20130101;
A61K 45/06 20130101; G01N 33/54306 20130101; A61K 38/1866 20130101;
A61K 38/30 20130101; A61K 38/1841 20130101; A61P 21/00 20180101;
A61K 38/1866 20130101; G01N 2800/52 20130101; C07K 7/06 20130101;
A61K 38/08 20130101; G01N 33/6896 20130101; A61K 38/1808 20130101;
A61K 38/1825 20130101; A61K 38/1891 20130101; A61K 38/30 20130101;
A61K 31/343 20130101; A61K 38/1808 20130101; G01N 2800/28 20130101;
A61P 25/28 20180101; A61K 38/1891 20130101; A61K 38/1841 20130101;
A61K 38/1825 20130101; A61K 31/343 20130101; A61K 2300/00 20130101;
A61K 2300/00 20130101; A61K 2300/00 20130101; A61K 38/185 20130101;
A61K 2300/00 20130101; A61K 2300/00 20130101; A61K 2300/00
20130101; A61K 2300/00 20130101; A61K 2300/00 20130101; A61K
2300/00 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G01N 33/68 20060101
G01N033/68; G01N 33/543 20060101 G01N033/543; A61K 31/343 20060101
A61K031/343; A61K 45/06 20060101 A61K045/06; C07K 7/06 20060101
C07K007/06; A61K 38/30 20060101 A61K038/30; A61K 38/18 20060101
A61K038/18; A61K 38/08 20060101 A61K038/08 |
Claims
1. A method for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in a
subject in need thereof, comprising administering to a subject
having a rapidly progressing ALS a therapeutically effective amount
of an agent capable of activating a Akt pathway, thereby treating
the ALS.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said agent capable of
activating said Akt pathway comprises a peptide comprising an amino
acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1,
SEQ ID NO: 2 and an analog or a derivative thereof.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said agent capable of
activating said Akt pathway is selected from the group consisting
of a insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-I), vascular endothelial
growth factor (VEGF), angiogenin, naphtho[1,2-b]furan-4,5-dione
(NFD), ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), brain-derived
neurotrophic factor (BDNF), growth factor-beta (TGF-beta),
glial-cell-line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), Hepatic growth
factor (HGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and epidermal growth
factor (EGF).
4. A method for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in a
subject in need thereof, comprising (a) assessing the level of pAkt
and pAkt:tAkt ratio in bodily sample derived from the subject; and
(b) administering a therapeutically effective amount of a peptide
comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group
consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 2 and an analog or a
derivative thereof, to a subject having pAkt level or pAkt:tAkt
ratio significantly below a control value.
5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the bodily sample is
derived from the peripheral blood, the lymph system or the muscle
of the subject.
6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said peripheral blood
or said lymph system comprises lymphocytes.
7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the control value
corresponds to pAkt level or pAkt:tAkt ratio in a sample selected
from the group consisting of: a bodily sample of a healthy
individual, a bodily sample of an individual not afflicted with
ALS, and a sample derived from a ALS subject having a slow
disease.
8. The method according to claim 4, wherein the peptide is
comprised in a pharmaceutical composition in combination with at
least one more therapeutic drug.
9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the at least one more
therapeutic drug is selected from the group consisting of: an
oxidative agent, non-halogen activated-oxygen compounds, non-oxygen
activated-halogen compounds, N-halo compounds and riluzole.
10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the pharmaceutical
composition further comprises a pharmaceutical acceptable
excipient, carrier or diluent.
11. The method according to claim 4, wherein treating comprises
attenuating the progression of said ALS, alleviating symptoms of
said ALS, delaying the appearance of ALS symptoms or improving
management of said ALS.
12. The method according to claim 4, wherein treating comprises
administering the peptide by a route of administration selected
from the group consisting of: oral, transdermal, parenteral,
transmucosal, intrathecal, intracerebroventricular (ICV),
intranasal, sublingual, intravenous and intraperitoneal.
13. The method according to claim 4, wherein the peptide consists
of an amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 2
and an analog or a derivative thereof.
14. A method for assessing responsiveness to treatment of a ALS
with a peptide comprising an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1,
SEQ ID NO: 2 or an analog or a derivative thereof, or a
pharmaceutical composition comprising same, the method comprising:
treating the subject with the peptide; and assessing the level of
pAkt or pAkt:tAkt ratio in bodily sample derived from a subject,
wherein responsiveness to treatment is indicated by a pAkt level or
pAkt:tAkt ratio significantly above a value of a pAkt level or
pAkt:tAkt ratio in said subject prior to said treatment.
15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the bodily sample is
derived from the peripheral blood, the lymph system or a muscle of
said subject.
16. The method according to claim 15, wherein said peripheral blood
or said lymph system comprises lymphocytes.
17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the control value
corresponds to pAkt level or pAkt:tAkt ratio in a sample selected
from the group consisting of: a bodily sample of a healthy
individual, a bodily sample of an individual not afflicted with any
neurodegenerative disease and a sample derived from a ALS subject
having a slow disease.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a division of U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 14/883,685 filed on Oct. 15, 2015 which is a division of
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/119,891 filed on Nov. 25, 2013,
which is a National Phase of PCT Patent Application No.
PCT/IL2012/050185 having International filing date of May 23, 2012,
which claims the benefit of priority under 35 USC .sctn. 119(e) of
U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/488,806 filed on May 23,
2011. The contents of the above applications are all incorporated
by reference as if fully set forth herein in their entirety.
SEQUENCE LISTING STATEMENT
[0002] The ASCII file, entitled 77084SequenceListing.txt, created
on Mar. 1, 2019 comprising 909 bytes, submitted concurrently with
the filing of this application is incorporated herein by
reference.
FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention relates to uses of a AKT activating
agents for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The present invention relates
to uses of a peptide comprising an amino acid sequence selected
from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 2, analogues
and derivatives thereof, for the treatment of neurodegenerative
diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The present
invention further provides a method for assessing responsiveness to
treatment with the peptide of the invention. In addition, the
present invention relates to prognosis of neurodegenerative
diseases, such as ALS progression, using Akt and phosphorylated Akt
as biomarkers.
[0004] The serine/threonine protein kinase Akt, also known as
protein kinase B (PKB) or RAC-PK, was initially identified as one
of the downstream targets of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K).
Activated Akt plays a key role in mediating signals for cell
growth, cell survival (anti-apoptotic), cell-cycle progression,
differentiation, transcription, translation and glucose
metabolism.
[0005] The Akt pathway is damaged in skeletal muscles of
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients, as in SOD1 mice (a
mice model for ALS). Although no difference in Akt mRNA levels is
found in ALS patients when compared to control subjects, at the
protein level, ALS patients, have a significantly lower content of
the active phosphorylated Akt protein in comparison to healthy
control subjects (Leger et al., FASEB J. 2006; 20(3):583-585). Akt
pathway dysfunction has also been shown in motoneurons of both
sporadic and familial ALS patients (Dewil et al., Neuropathol Appl
Neurobiol., 2007; 33(5):499-509).
[0006] The peptides LPPLPYP (SEQ ID NO: 1; also known as
Stressin-1) and PYPLPPL (SEQ ID NO: 2, where all residues are in
the "D" isomeric form) were first disclosed in WO 2006/021954,
where their efficacy in ameliorating stress-induced cell death and
p53-mediated response was demonstrated. According to the
disclosure, these peptides are also useful in treating inflammatory
and autoimmune diseases. Nowhere in the background art was it
taught or suggested that the activity of peptides comprising SEQ ID
NO: 1 or SEQ ID NO: 2 or derivatives thereof is affected by the
level of Akt and Akt phosphorylation, such that, the therapeutic
effect of these peptides would be significantly higher in subjects
having low levels of pAkt and, optionally, low levels of pAkt:tAkt
ratio. In addition, the background art does not teach or even
suggests the use of pAkt and pAkt:tAkt ratio as effective markers
for ALS and moreover for staging the progression of ALS in ALS
patients.
[0007] ALS is a devastating and rapidly fatal disease with
currently only one available, FDA-approved, modestly effective
treatment. The approve therapy, Rilutek.RTM. (Riluzole), has a
modest benefit estimated to be a three month extension in patient
survival.
[0008] There is therefore an urgent need for new therapies. Recent
attempts to find molecules that could provide a beneficial therapy
for ALS include the finding of
1,4-Diaza-bicyclo[3.2.2]non-6-en-4-yl)-heterocyclyl-methanone
ligands disclosed in US Patent Application, Publication No.
2010/0298306. The ligands are directed to treatment of any
Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors, inter alia, ALS. In addition, US
Patent Application, Publication No. 2010/0099700, discloses use of
hydrogenated pyrido(4,3-b)indole for treating ALS. US Patent
Application, Publication No. 2009/0324549 discloses methods for
treating ALS comprising administration to a patient in need
thereof, proteins and/or peptides characterized in that they
originate from the gene which results from the retention of the
intron 3 of the gene SMN (or survival motor neuron) identified in
the gene bank with the access number AY876898.
[0009] WO 2011/017030 discloses a method of treating a disease
associated with excess activation of monocytes to activated
macrophages, including, inter alia, ALS said method comprising
administering a therapeutically-effective amount of an oxidative
agent to a subject in need thereof, wherein said oxidative agent is
selected from the group consisting of non-halogen activated-oxygen
compounds, non-oxygen activated-halogen compounds, and N-halo
compounds. According to WO 2011/017030 the non-halogen
activated-oxygen compounds are selected from potassium nitrate
(KNO.sub.3), permanganate salts, ammonium cerium(IV) nitrate,
hexavalent chromium compounds, chromate/dichromate compounds,
ammonium silver nitrate, sulfoxides, persulfuric acid, osmium
tetroxide (OsO.sub.4), nitric acid, nitrous oxide (N.sub.2O),
hydrogen peroxide, organic peroxides, superoxides, and ozone; the
non-oxygen activated-halogen compounds are selected from fluorine,
chlorine, bromine, and iodine; the N-halo compounds are selected
from the group consisting of N-halophthalimide, N-halosuccinimide,
N-halosaccharin, N,N-dihalourethane, N-haloacetanilide,
1,3-dihalo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin, trihaloisocyanuric acid and
sodium dihaloisocyanurate; and the oxidative agent is selected from
1,3-dichloro-5,5-dimethylhydantoin and chloramine-T.
[0010] The development of the first genetically based mouse model
of ALS in 1994, energized the field of preclinical testing despite
numerous unforeseen complexities along the way. Transgenic mutant
SOD1 mice, the only ALS mouse models currently available, have
mutations in the Cu/Zn Superoxide Dismutase 1 gene (SOD1) which
account for .about.20% of Familial ALS (FALS) cases, corresponding
to 2-3% of all ALS cases. Transgenic mutant SOD1 mice exhibit all
of the histopathological hallmarks observed clinically in sporadic
and familial ALS.
[0011] Because there is no obvious mutational hotspot and no clear
correlation between the level of enzymatic activity of the mutant
SOD1 protein and the observed disease phenotype or clinical
progression, SOD1 is thought to act primarily via a toxic gain of
function in ALS, although loss of function may also contribute to
disease pathophysiology. It is generally thought that the different
mutant SOD1 proteins are likely to cause ALS by a similar
mechanism.
[0012] Several transgenic mouse models have been generated to model
mutations found in FALS patients. In all of these mouse models,
massive death of motor neurons in the ventral horn of the spinal
cord and loss of myelinated axons in ventral motor roots ultimately
leads to paralysis and muscle atrophy. All of these mouse models
have been reported to exhibit the same histopathological hallmarks
associated with ALS in humans: progressive accumulation of
detergent-resistant aggregates containing SOD1 and ubiquitin and
aberrant neurofilament accumulations in degenerating motor neurons.
In addition to neuronal degeneration, reactive astroglia and
microglia have also been detected in diseased tissue in the mice,
similar to that observed in humans.
[0013] Despite these histopathological similarities, the timing of
onset and rate of disease progression differ (often dramatically)
among the various SOD1 transgenic mouse models.
[0014] ALS is commonly assessed by neurological score and weight
loss. As used herein, the term "neurological score" and "neurologic
score" are interchangeably used herein to describe the common
standards for assessing the presence or stage of a neurologic
disease, such as ALS. Some example of commonly used neurological
scoring systems include: measurements of splay (or other measures
of paralysis) and beam walk.
[0015] In SOD1 mice, regardless of which neurological scoring
system is used, scores are typically assessed for both hind legs of
the SOD1 mice. The example neurological scoring system below
employs a scale of zero to four
(www(dot)researchals(dot)org/uploaded_files/p41_jax_sod1manual_20091-
202_29aPcx(dot)pdf). Example of score criteria used to assign each
score under this system are as follows: [0016] Score of 0: full
extension of hind legs away from lateral midline when mouse is
suspended by its tail, and mouse can hold this for two seconds,
suspended two to three times. [0017] Score of 1: collapse or
partial collapse of leg extension towards lateral midline
(weakness) or trembling of hind legs during tail suspension. [0018]
Score of 2: toes curl under at least twice during walking of 12
inches, or any part of foot is dragging along cage bottom/table.
[0019] Score of 3: rigid paralysis or minimal joint movement, foot
not being used for generating forward motion. [0020] Score of 4:
mouse cannot right itself within 30 seconds after being placed on
either side.
[0021] U.S. Pat. No. 7,659,243 discloses the use of angiogenin, or
a fragment or variant thereof, to treat diseases characterized by
neuronal injury or death, or axonal degeneration, especially
neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS. According to the
disclosure, the neuroprotective effect of angiogenin involves the
activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway.
[0022] U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,030,090 and 7,517,857 disclose a peptide
that stimulates Akt phosphorylation via activation of formyl
peptide receptor or formyl peptide receptor-like 1, the peptide
comprises an amino acid sequence of WX1X2MX3X4, where X1=K, R, E, H
or D, X2=G, Y, H, E or W, X3=V or G and X4=D-Me or G.
[0023] U.S. Pat. No. 7,622,455 discloses a method of treating ALS
comprising administering to the cerebrospinal fluid of a subject in
need thereof antisense oligonucleotides complementary to SOD1
nucleic acids.
[0024] There is an unmet need for novel methods for slowing down
the rate of progression of neurodegenerative diseases, such as ALS,
assessing responsiveness to treatment of the disease, and staging
the disease in a manner that is specific, safe and effective.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0025] The present invention provides methods for treating
neurodegenerative diseases, such as ALS and variants of this
disease, the method comprises assessing pAkt level and the level of
ratio pAkt to total Akt (tAkt) in a subject in need thereof,
followed by administering to a subject having pAkt and/or pAkt:tAkt
ratio significantly below a predetermined threshold level, a
composition comprising a peptide having an amino acid sequence
comprising a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID
NO: 1 and SEQ ID NO: 2.
[0026] While use of the peptides of the invention for ameliorating
stress-induced cell death and p53-mediated response has been
described, the present invention demonstrates that said peptides
are useful in increasing the levels of Akt phosphorylation, thereby
better defining the population that would benefit from treatment
with the peptide.
[0027] It is now disclosed for the first time that a peptide having
an amino acid sequence consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1 or SEQ ID NO:2
activates the Akt pathway. The peptide-induced activation of the
Akt pathway in a specific manner was detected shortly after
introducing said peptide to macrophages culture. The peptide's
induced activation of the Akt pathway was also observed in vivo.
Thereby, the invention demonstrates that the peptides of the
invention are useful for treating diseases associated with low Akt
phosphorylation (pAkt) or low pAkt:tAkt ratio.
[0028] Surprisingly, administering the peptide of the invention to
SOD1 mice enhanced survival and prolonged the life span of said
mice in a significant manner (10 days longer; P=0.008) in
comparison to non-treated mice. In addition to extended survival,
the peptide of the invention significantly delays disease
progression by delaying the appearance of the disease symptoms,
primarily, the challenged mobility.
[0029] Without wishing to be bound by theory or mechanism, the
advantages of the peptide of the invention over other treatments of
ALS known to date may be attributed to the fact that the peptide
was tested, and shown to be effective not only before disease onset
but also after disease onset including at very late stage of
disease.
[0030] Advantageously, use of the peptide of the invention is
relatively safe, as administration of the peptide in a dose that is
four times higher than the effective dose, daily, for 28 days, did
not initiate any detectable side effect in healthy mice.
Accordingly, the peptide of the invention is suitable for chronic
use. In addition, the peptide of the invention was shown effective
when administered intravenously (IV), intraperitoneally (IP) or in
combination of these two modes of delivery.
[0031] The present invention also highlights the use of Akt
phosphorylation and pAkt:tAkt ratio as biomarkers that are
significantly useful for staging and monitoring the progression of
ALS. Based on the teaching of the present invention, Akt
phosphorylation and pAkt:tAkt ratio distinguish between fast
progression to low progression of ALS. Specifically, low Akt
phosphorylation and, optionally, low pAkt:tAkt ratio indicate
rapidly progressing ALS whereas high levels of Akt phosphorylation
and, optionally, high pAkt:tAkt ratio indicate slow progression of
the disease. The biomarkers of the invention are also useful for
establishing responsiveness to treatment with the peptides of the
invention. It is shown that high levels of pAkt and high levels of
pAkt:tAkt ratio (e.g. above 1) correlate with responsiveness to
treatment of ALS with the peptides of the invention.
[0032] According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present
invention there is provided a method for prognosticating the
progression of a neurodegenerative disease in a subject, comprising
(a) assessing the value of at least one marker selected from: pAkt
and pAkt:tAkt ratio, in a bodily sample derived from the subject;
and (b) obtaining the ratio between the value of the marker and the
value of the marker in a control sample, wherein a level of pAkt or
pAkt:tAkt ratio significantly below a control value indicates a
rapid disease.
[0033] According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present
invention there is provided a method for treating a
neurodegenerative disease in a subject in need thereof, comprising
administering to a subject having a rapidly progressing
neurodegenerative disease a therapeutically effective amount of an
agent capable of activating a Akt pathway, thereby treating the
neurodegenerative disease.
[0034] According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present
invention there is provided a method for treating a
neurodegenerative disease in a subject in need thereof, comprising
(a) assessing the level of pAkt and pAkt:tAkt ratio in a bodily
sample derived from the subject; and (b) administering a
therapeutically effective amount of a peptide comprising an amino
acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1,
SEQ ID NO: 2 and an analog or a derivative thereof, to a subject
having pAkt level or pAkt:tAkt ratio significantly below a control
value.
[0035] According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present
invention there is provided a method for treating amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis (ALS) in a subject in need thereof, comprising
(a) assessing the level of pAkt and pAkt:tAkt ratio in bodily
sample derived from the subject; and (b) administering a
therapeutically effective amount of a peptide comprising an amino
acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1,
SEQ ID NO: 2 and an analog or a derivative thereof, to a subject
having pAkt level or pAkt:tAkt ratio significantly below a control
value.
[0036] According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present
invention there is provided a method for assessing responsiveness
to treatment of a disease with a peptide comprising an amino acid
sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 2 or an analog or a derivative
thereof, or a pharmaceutical composition comprising same, the
method comprising: assessing the level of pAkt or pAkt:tAkt ratio
in bodily sample derived from a subject, wherein responsiveness to
treatment is indicated by a pAkt level or pAkt:tAkt ratio
significantly above a value of a pAkt level or pAkt:tAkt ratio in
the subject prior to the treatment.
[0037] According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present
invention there is provided a kit for diagnosing a
neurodegenerative disease or prognosticating its progression in a
subject comprising i) means for collecting a bodily sample from a
subject and ii) means for determining the level of pAkt and tAkt in
the sample.
[0038] According to an aspect of some embodiments of the present
invention there is provided a method of determining the efficacy of
treatment of a neurodegenerative disease in a subject in need
thereof comprising determining in a sample from the subject the
effect of a peptide comprising an amino acid sequence selected from
the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 2 on the level of
pAkt and pAkt:tAkt ratio, wherein an increase in the level
indicates that the subject is responsive to treatment with the
peptide.
[0039] According to some embodiments of the invention, the disease
is selected from the group consisting of: amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis (ALS), primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) and spinal
muscular atrophy (SMA).
[0040] According to some embodiments of the invention, the disease
is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
[0041] According to some embodiments of the invention, the disease
is selected from the group consisting of: Alzheimer's disease,
Parkinson's disease, glaucoma, macular degeneration, hypoxia,
fulminant toxic liver, kidney failure and infertility.
[0042] According to some embodiments of the invention, the bodily
sample is selected from the group consisting of: muscle, blood,
blood plasma, lymph fluid, lymphocytes and leukocytes.
[0043] According to some embodiments of the invention, the control
value corresponds to pAkt level or pAkt:tAkt ratio in a sample
selected from the group consisting of: a bodily sample of a healthy
individual, a bodily sample of an individual not afflicted with any
neurodegenerative disease, a bodily sample of an individual
afflicted with a slowly progressing neurodegenerative disease and a
sample derived from an ALS subject having a slow disease.
[0044] According to some embodiments of the invention, the agent
capable of activating the Akt pathway comprises a peptide
comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group
consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 2 and an analog or a
derivative thereof.
[0045] According to some embodiments of the invention, the agent
capable of activating the Akt pathway is selected from the group
consisting of a insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-I), vascular
endothelial growth factor (VEGF), angiogenin,
naphtho[1,2-b]furan-4,5-dione (NFD), ciliary neurotrophic factor
(CNTF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), growth
factor-beta (TGF-beta), glial-cell-line-derived neurotrophic factor
(GDNF), Hepatic growth factor (HGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF)
and epidermal growth factor (EGF).
[0046] According to some embodiments of the invention, the agent
capable of activating the Akt pathway is administered by a route of
administration selected from the group consisting of: oral,
transdermal, parenteral, transmucosal, intrathecal,
intracerebroventricular (ICV), intranasal, sublingual, intravenous
and intraperitoneal.
[0047] According to some embodiments of the invention, determining
a progression of the neurodegenerative disease is effected
according to the method of the present invention.
[0048] According to some embodiments of the invention, the bodily
sample is derived from the peripheral blood, the lymph system or a
muscle of the subject.
[0049] According to some embodiments of the invention, the
peripheral blood or the lymph system comprises lymphocytes.
[0050] According to some embodiments of the invention, the peptide
is comprised in a pharmaceutical composition in combination with at
least one more therapeutic drug.
[0051] According to some embodiments of the invention, the at least
one more therapeutic drug is selected from the group consisting of:
an oxidative agent, non-halogen activated-oxygen compounds,
non-oxygen activated-halogen compounds, N-halo compounds and
riluzole.
[0052] According to some embodiments of the invention, the
pharmaceutical composition further comprises a pharmaceutical
acceptable excipient, carrier or diluent.
[0053] According to some embodiments of the invention, treating
comprises attenuating the progression of the disease, alleviating
symptoms of the disease, delaying the appearance of disease
symptoms or improving management of the disease.
[0054] According to some embodiments of the invention, the
administering the peptide by a route of administration selected
from the group consisting of: oral, transdermal, parenteral,
transmucosal, intrathecal, intracerebroventricular (ICV),
intranasal, sublingual, intravenous and intraperitoneal.
[0055] According to some embodiments of the invention, the peptide
consists of an amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ
ID NO: 2 and an analog or a derivative thereof.
[0056] According to some embodiments of the invention, the bodily
sample is derived from the peripheral blood, the lymph system or
the muscle of the subject.
[0057] According to some embodiments of the invention, the
peripheral blood or the lymph system comprises lymphocytes.
[0058] According to some embodiments of the invention, treating
comprises administering the peptide by a route of administration
selected from the group consisting of: oral, transdermal,
parenteral, transmucosal, intrathecal, intracerebroventricular
(ICV), intranasal, sublingual, intravenous and intraperitoneal.
[0059] According to some embodiments of the invention, the kit
further comprises a standard, a calibration curve or an index
indicating a control value of the pAkt and the tAkt.
[0060] According to some embodiments of the invention, the control
value corresponds to pAkt level or pAkt:tAkt ratio in a sample
selected from the group consisting of: a bodily sample of a healthy
individual, a bodily sample of an individual not afflicted with any
neurodegenerative disease, a bodily sample of an individual
afflicted with a slowly progressing neurodegenerative disease and a
sample derived from a subject having a slow disease.
[0061] According to some embodiments of the invention, the means
for determining the levels of pAkt comprise at least one antibody
directed to pAkt.
[0062] According to some embodiments of the invention, the means
for determining the levels of tAkt comprise at least one antibody
directed to tAkt.
[0063] These and other embodiments of the present invention will
become apparent in conjunction with the figures, description and
claims that follow.
[0064] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and/or scientific
terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by
one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains.
Although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those
described herein can be used in the practice or testing of
embodiments of the invention, exemplary methods and/or materials
are described below. In case of conflict, the patent specification,
including definitions, will control. In addition, the materials,
methods, and examples are illustrative only and are not intended to
be necessarily limiting.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0065] Some embodiments of the invention are herein described, by
way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
With specific reference now to the drawings in detail, it is
stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for
purposes of illustrative discussion of embodiments of the
invention. In this regard, the description taken with the drawings
makes apparent to those skilled in the art how embodiments of the
invention may be practiced.
[0066] In the drawings:
[0067] FIG. 1A presents Akt phosphorylation in macrophages treated
with a peptide having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1.
[0068] FIG. 1B shows Akt phosphorylation in mice treated with the
peptide of SEQ ID NO: 1 as compared to non-treated mice.
[0069] FIG. 2 shows survival curve after disease onset (week 15
onwards) of treated (light squares) and untreated (control; dark
squares) SOD1 mice together with the extent of significance, as
evaluated by Chi test (* for P=<0.05; ** for P=<0.01 and ***
for P=<0.001). Mice were treated with the peptide of the
invention starting at disease onset as indicated by weigh loss
(average--90 days, 400 .mu.g 200 IP+200 IV) and were compared to
control (n=21+21) mice (untreated or treated with PBS).
[0070] FIG. 3 exhibits the average neurologic disability score in
treated (light squares) and untreated (control; dark squares) SOD1
mice together with the extent of significance, as evaluated by
Student's T test (* for P=<0.05; ** for P=<0.01 and *** for
P=<0.001). Mice were treated with the peptide of the invention
starting at disease onset (average 90 days, 400 .mu.g 200 IP+200
IV) and were compared to control (n=21+21) mice (untreated or
treated with PBS).
DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0071] The present invention provides methods for treating diseases
associated with low Akt phosphorylation levels, such as ALS,
comprising administering to a subject in need thereof a
pharmaceutical composition comprising a peptide comprising an amino
acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1,
SEQ ID NO: 2, analogues or derivatives thereof. The present
invention also provides methods for assessing responsiveness to
treatment of diseases associated with low Akt phosphorylation
levels, such as ALS with the peptide of the invention, comprising
evaluating the level of Akt phosphorylation and pAkt:tAkt ratio
prior to treatment, and comparing the values to a control value,
thereby determining responsiveness to therapy with the peptide of
the invention.
[0072] According to one embodiment, there is provided a method for
treating a neurodegenerative disease in a subject in need thereof,
comprising administering to a subject having a rapidly progressing
neurodegenerative disease a therapeutically effective amount of an
agent capable of activating a Akt pathway, thereby treating the
neurodegenerative disease.
[0073] According to one embodiment, there is provided a method for
treating a neurodegenerative disease in a subject in need thereof,
comprising (a) assessing the level of pAkt and pAkt:tAkt ratio in a
bodily sample derived from the subject; and (b) administering a
therapeutically effective amount of a peptide comprising an amino
acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1,
SEQ ID NO: 2 and an analog or a derivative thereof, to a subject
having pAkt level or pAkt:tAkt ratio significantly below a control
value.
[0074] The term "treating" as used herein includes prophylactic and
therapeutic uses, and refers to the alleviation of symptoms of a
particular disease in a patient, and/or improvement of an
ascertainable measurement associated with a particular disorder.
More specifically, in the context of this invention "treating a
disease associated with low levels of Akt phosphorylation",
particularly ALS, means attenuating the progression of said disease
and/or alleviating symptoms of said disease and/or improving
management of said disease. This modulation can be measured by
assessing the level of Akt phosphorylation upon treatment and prior
to treatment, where assessment of Akt phosphorylation may be
carried out in ways which are routine in the art, for example, mass
spectroscopy.
[0075] As used herein the term "subject" refers to a mammalian
subject, e.g. human subject, who is at risk of developing a
neurodegenerative disease or who exhibits clinical signs of a
neurodegenerative disease. The subject may be of any age and
gender.
[0076] Examples of neurodegenerative diseases which may be treated
according to the present invention include, but are not limited to,
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), primary lateral sclerosis
(PLS), spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), Alzheimer's disease,
Parkinson's disease, glaucoma, macular degeneration, hypoxia,
fulminant toxic liver, kidney failure, infertility, type 1
diabetes, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosis,
autoimmune uveitis, graft versus host disease, graft rejection,
arthritis, systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS),
inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), adult respiratory distress
syndrome (ARDS), psoriasis, atherosclerosis.
[0077] According to a specific embodiment, the neurodegenerative
disease is ALS.
[0078] As used herein "amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)" also
referred to as "Lou Gehrig's disease" refers to a progressive,
fatal, neurodegenerative disease caused by the degeneration of
motor neurons, the nerve cells in the central nervous system that
control voluntary muscle movement. The term ALS includes sporadic
and familial ALS, ALS at any rate of progression (i.e. rapid or
slow progression) and ALS at any stage (e.g. prior to onset, at
onset and late stages of ALS).
[0079] ALS typically causes muscle weakness and atrophy throughout
the body as both the upper and lower motor neurons degenerate,
ceasing to send messages to muscles. Unable to function, the
muscles gradually weaken, develop fasciculations (twitches) because
of denervation, and eventually atrophy because of that denervation.
Affected subjects may ultimately lose the ability to initiate and
control all voluntary movement; bladder and bowel sphincters and
the muscles responsible for eye movement are usually, but not
always, spared.
[0080] Cognitive function is generally spared except in certain
situations such as when ALS is associated with frontotemporal
dementia. However, there are reports of more subtle cognitive
changes of the frontotemporal type in many patients when detailed
neuropsychological testing is employed. Sensory nerves and the
autonomic nervous system, which controls functions like sweating,
generally remain functional. ALS as used herein refers to all the
above exemplary manifestations. ALS, as used herein refers to
hereditary and sporadic ALS.
[0081] Both hereditary causes and environmental risks may
contribute to onset of disease. For instance, an inherited genetic
defect on chromosome 21 (coding for superoxide dismutase) is
associated with approximately 20% of familial cases of ALS. This
mutation is believed to be autosomal dominant. The most common ALS
causing SOD1 mutation in North America is A4V, characterized by an
exceptionally rapid progression from onset to death. The children
of those diagnosed with familial ALS have a higher risk factor for
developing the disease; however, those who have close family
members diagnosed with sporadic ALS have no greater a risk factor
than the general population, suggesting an environmental or other
non-genetic cause.
[0082] Furthermore, environmental causative factors have been
suggested for the increased incidence of ALS. These include,
prolonged exposure to a dietary neurotoxin called BMAA produced by
cyanobacteria which is one of several possible neurotoxic compounds
found in the seed of the cycad Cycas circinalis, a tropical plant
found in Guam; Exposure to pesticides; toxic exposure such as nerve
gas.
[0083] As mentioned above, the method of the invention is directed,
inter alia, for treating ALS. The treatment may be initiated at any
stage of the disease, including following detection of ALS
symptoms.
[0084] Detection of ALS may be determined by the appearance of
different symptoms depending on which motor neurons in the body are
damaged first (and consequently which muscles in the body are
damaged first). In general, ALS symptoms include the earliest
symptoms which are typically obvious weakness and/or muscle
atrophy. Other symptoms include muscle fasciculation (twitching),
cramping, or stiffness of affected muscles, muscle weakness
affecting an arm or a leg and/or slurred and nasal speech. Most ALS
patients experience first symptoms in the arms or legs. Others
first notice difficulty in speaking clearly or swallowing. Other
symptoms include difficulty swallowing, and loss of tongue
mobility. A small proportion of patients experience respiratory
difficulties.
[0085] The symptoms may be also classified by the part of neuronal
system that is degenerated, namely, upper motor neurons and lower
motor neurons. Symptoms of upper motor neuron degeneration include
tight and stiff muscles (spasticity) and exaggerated reflexes
(hyperreflexia) including an overactive gag reflex. Symptoms of
lower motor neuron degeneration include muscle weakness and
atrophy, muscle cramps, and fleeting twitches of muscles that can
be seen under the skin (fasciculations). To be diagnosed with ALS,
patients must have signs and symptoms of both upper and lower motor
neuron damage that cannot be attributed to other causes.
[0086] Alternatively, treatment may be initiated at progressive
stages of the disease, e.g. when muscle weakness and atrophy spread
to different parts of the body and the subject has increasing
problems with moving [e.g. the subject may suffer from tight and
stiff muscles (spasticity), from exaggerated reflexes
(hyperreflexia), from muscle weakness and atrophy, from muscle
cramps, and/or from fleeting twitches of muscles that can be seen
under the skin (fasciculations)], swallowing (dysphagia), speaking
or forming words (dysarthria).
[0087] The present invention further provides a method for treating
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in a subject in need thereof,
the method comprising administering to the subject a
therapeutically effective amount of a peptide comprising an amino
acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1,
SEQ ID NO: 2 and an analog or a derivative thereof, thereby
treating the ALS.
[0088] The present invention contemplates treatment using the
peptide comprising an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID
NO: 2 or an analog or a derivative thereof.
[0089] The present invention encompasses any analog, derivative,
and conjugate containing the peptides of the invention, the amino
acid sequence of which is shown herein so long as the peptide is
capable of inducing Akt phosphorylation. Thus, the present
invention encompasses peptides containing non-natural amino acid
derivatives or non-protein side chains.
[0090] The term "analog" includes any peptide or polypeptide having
an amino acid sequence substantially identical to one of the
sequences specifically shown herein in which one or more residues
have been conservatively substituted with a functionally similar
residue and which displays the abilities as described herein.
Examples of conservative substitutions include the substitution of
one non-polar (hydrophobic) residue such as isoleucine, valine,
leucine or methionine for another, the substitution of one polar
(hydrophilic) residue for another such as between arginine and
lysine, between glutamine and asparagine, between glycine and
serine, the substitution of one basic residue such as lysine,
arginine or histidine for another, or the substitution of one
acidic residue, such as aspartic acid or glutamic acid for
another.
[0091] A peptide derivative refers to a molecule comprising the
amino acid sequence of a peptide of the invention subject to
various changes, including, but not limited to, chemical
modifications, substitutions, insertions, extensions and deletions
where such changes do not destroy the anti-inflammatory or
anti-apoptotic activity of the peptide, and such derivative is not
a known peptide or protein. "Peptide derivative" is intended to
include peptide mimetics, as described hereinbelow.
[0092] Peptide derivatives having chemical modifications include,
for example, peptides having one or more residues chemically
derivatized by reaction of side chains or functional groups. Such
derivatized molecules include, for example, those molecules in
which free amino groups have been derivatized to form amine
hydrochlorides, p-toluene sulfonyl groups, carbobenzoxy groups,
t-butyloxycarbonyl groups, chloroacetyl groups or formyl groups.
Free carboxyl groups may be derivatized to form salts, methyl and
ethyl esters or other types of esters or hydrazides. Free hydroxyl
groups may be derivatized to form O-acyl or O-alkyl derivatives.
The imidazole nitrogen of histidine may be derivatized to form
N-im-benzylhistidine. Also included as chemical derivatives are
those peptides, which contain one or more naturally occurring amino
acid derivatives of the twenty standard amino acid residues. For
example: 4-hydroxyproline may be substituted for proline;
5-hydroxylysine may be substituted for lysine; 3-methylhistidine
may be substituted for histidine; homoserine may be substituted or
serine; and ornithine may be substituted for lysine.
[0093] In addition, a peptide derivative can differ from the
natural sequence of the peptides of the invention by chemical
modifications including, but are not limited to, terminal-NH.sub.2
acylation, acetylation, or thioglycolic acid amidation, and by
terminal-carboxyl-amidation, e.g., with ammonia, methylamine, and
the like.
[0094] Preferred peptide derivatives are retro-inverso peptides. In
particular embodiment the methods of the invention provides uses of
a peptide having the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1
or a retro-inverso derivative thereof as set forth in SEQ ID NO:
2.
[0095] As used herein, the term "retro-inverso peptide" of the
peptide of SEQ ID NO: 1, for example, as used in a variation of the
invention, is intended to encompass peptides in which the sequence
of the amino acids is reversed as compared to the sequence in SEQ
ID NO: 1 and consist of D-amino acids in reversed order.
Retro-inverso peptides consist of D-amino acids in reversed order,
resulting in an altered peptide backbone but unchanged orientation
of the side chains. Retro-inverso peptides are usually advantageous
over the original peptide as they are resistant to proteases.
[0096] Peptides of the present invention also include any peptide
having one or more additions and/or deletions of residues relative
to the sequence of the peptides of the invention, the sequence of
which are shown herein, so long as the requisite induction activity
of Akt phosphorylation is maintained.
[0097] Addition of amino acid residues may be performed at either
terminus of the peptides of the invention for the purpose of
providing a "linker" by which the peptides of this invention can be
conveniently bound to a carrier. Such linkers are usually of at
least one amino acid residue and can be of 40 or more residues,
more often of 1 to 10 residues. Typical amino acid residues used
for linking are tyrosine, cysteine, lysine, glutamic and aspartic
acid, or the like.
[0098] A peptide of the invention may also be conjugated to itself
or aggregated in such a way as to produce a large complex
containing the peptide. Such large complex may be advantageous
because it has new biological properties such as longer half-life
in circulation or greater activity.
[0099] Peptidomimetics are small molecules that can bind to
proteins by mimicking certain structural aspects of peptides and
proteins. They are used extensively in science and medicine as
agonists and antagonists of protein and peptide ligands of cellular
and other receptors, and as substrates and substrate analogs for
enzymes.
[0100] A primary goal in the design of peptide mimetics has been to
reduce the susceptibility of mimics to cleavage and inactivation by
peptidases. In one approach, one or more amide bonds have been
replaced in an essentially isosteric manner by a variety of
chemical functional groups, including, but not limited to urea
bond, carbamate bond, sulfonamide bond, hydrazine bond, or any
other covalent bond. In another approach, a variety of uncoded or
modified amino acids such as D-amino acids and N-methyl amino acids
have been used to modify mammalian peptides.
[0101] As mentioned, treating the neurodegenerative disease may be
affected by administration of a therapeutically effective amount of
an agent capable of activating a Akt pathway.
[0102] As used herein, the phrase "agent capable of activating a
Akt pathway" refers to a molecule that upregulates phosphorylation
of Akt per se or a down-stream signaling effector thereof (i.e.,
indirect activation).
[0103] Any agent capable of activating a Akt pathway may be used in
accordance with the present teachings. Exemplary agents which may
used include, but are not limited to, insulin-like growth factor 1
(IGF-I), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), angiogenin,
naphtho[1,2-b]furan-4,5-dione (NFD), ciliary neurotrophic factor
(CNTF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), growth
factor-beta (TGF-beta), glial-cell-line-derived neurotrophic factor
(GDNF), Hepatic growth factor (HGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF)
and epidermal growth factor (EGF).
[0104] Each of the agents capable of activating a Akt pathway or
the peptide comprising an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ
ID NO: 2 or an analog or a derivative thereof as described
hereinabove can be administered to the subject per se or as part of
a pharmaceutical composition.
[0105] As used herein a "pharmaceutical composition" refers to a
preparation comprising the peptide of the invention, with other
chemical components such as physiologically suitable carriers and
excipients. The purpose of a pharmaceutical composition is to
facilitate administration of a compound to a patient in need
thereof.
[0106] The composition of the invention may be administered by any
conventional and appropriate route of administration, including,
but not limited to, oral, intravenous, intramuscular, subcutaneous,
intrathecal, topical, rectal, buccal, inhalational, intranasal
transdermal, parenteral, transmucosal, sublingual, intravenous and
intraperitoneal.
[0107] Hereinafter, the term "oral administration" includes, but is
not limited to, administration by mouth for absorption through the
gastrointestinal tract (peroral) wherein the drug is swallowed, or
for trans-mucosal absorption in the oral cavity by buccal,
gingival, lingual, sublingual and oro-pharyngeal administration.
Compositions for oral administration include powders or granules,
suspensions or solutions in water or non-aqueous media, sachets,
capsules or tablets. The oral composition can optionally contain
inert pharmaceutical excipients such as thickeners, diluents,
flavorings, dispersing aids, emulsifiers, binders, preservatives
and the like.
[0108] The term "parenteral administration" as used herein
indicates any route of administration other than via oral
administration and includes, but is not limited to, administration
by intravenous drip (IV) or bolus injection, intraperitoneal (IP),
intrathecal, subcutaneous, or intra muscular injection, topical,
transdermal, rectal, intranasal (IN) administration or by
inhalation.
[0109] According to one embodiment, the peptide as set forth in SEQ
ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 2 and an analog or a derivative thereof is
administered via a combination of two routes (e.g. intraperitoneal
and intravenous routes).
[0110] According to one embodiment, the peptide of the invention is
administered orally.
[0111] Formulations for parenteral administration include but are
not limited to sterile aqueous solutions which can also contain
buffers, diluents and other suitable additives.
[0112] For injection, the compounds of the invention may be
formulated in aqueous solutions, preferably in physiologically
compatible buffers such as Hank's solution, Ringer's solution, or
physiological saline buffer. For transmucosal administration,
penetrants appropriate to the barrier to be permeated are used in
the formulation. Such penetrants for example DMSO, or polyethylene
glycol are generally known in the art.
[0113] Pharmaceutical compositions, which can be used orally,
include push-fit capsules made of gelatin as well as soft, sealed
capsules made of gelatin and a plasticizer, such as glycerol or
sorbitol. The push-fit capsules may contain the active ingredients
in admixture with filler such as lactose, binders such as starches,
lubricants such as talc or magnesium stearate and, optionally,
stabilizers.
[0114] In soft capsules, the active compounds may be dissolved or
suspended in suitable liquids, such as fatty oils, liquid paraffin,
or liquid polyethylene glycols. In addition, stabilizers may be
added. All formulations for oral administration should be in
dosages suitable for the chosen route of administration.
[0115] Alternatively, the compounds of the present invention can be
incorporated into oral liquid preparations such as aqueous or oily
suspensions, solutions, emulsions, syrups, or elixirs, for example.
Moreover, formulations containing these compounds can be presented
as a dry product for constitution with water or other suitable
vehicle before use. Such liquid preparations can contain
conventional additives, like suspending agents, such as sorbitol
syrup, methyl cellulose, glucose/sugar syrup, gelatin,
hydroxyethylcellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, aluminum stearate
gel, and hydrogenated edible fats; emulsifying agents, such as
lecithin, sorbitan monooleate, or acacia; nonaqueous vehicles
(which can include edible oils), such as almond oil, fractionated
coconut oil, oily esters, propylene glycol, and ethyl alcohol; and
preservatives, such as methyl or propyl p-hydroxybenzoate and
sorbic acid.
[0116] For administration by inhalation, the peptides for use
according to the present invention are conveniently delivered in
the form of an aerosol spray presentation from a pressurized pack
or a nebulizer with the use of a suitable propellant, e.g.,
dichlorodifluoromethane, trichlorofluoromethane,
dichloro-tetrafluoroethane or carbon dioxide. In the case of a
pressurized aerosol, the dosage unit may be determined by providing
a valve to deliver a metered amount. Capsules and cartridges of,
e.g., gelatin for use in an inhaler or insufflator may be
formulated containing a powder mix of the peptide and a suitable
powder base such as lactose or starch.
[0117] The pharmaceutical compositions of the invention are also
useful for topical application. As used herein, the term "topical"
means "pertaining to a particular surface area", e.g. skin and
mucosa, and the topical agent applied to a certain area of said
surface will affect only the area to which it is applied. The
formulations of the peptides/peptide analogs may be administered
topically as a gel, ointment, cream, emulsion, sustained release
formulation including a transdermal patch, and may comprise
liposomes and any other pharmaceutically acceptable carrier
suitable for administration of the drug topically. The
pharmaceutical compositions herein described may also comprise
suitable solid of gel phase carriers or excipients. Examples of
such carriers or excipients include, but are not limited to,
calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, various sugars, starches,
cellulose derivatives, gelatin and polymers such as polyethylene
glycols.
[0118] The preparation of pharmaceutical compositions which contain
peptides or polypeptides as active ingredients is well known in the
art. Typically, such compositions are prepared as indictable,
either as liquid solutions or suspensions, however, solid forms,
which can be suspended or solubilized prior to injection, can also
be prepared. The preparation can also be emulsified. The active
therapeutic ingredient is mixed with inorganic and/or organic
carriers, which are pharmaceutically acceptable and compatible with
the active ingredient. Carriers are pharmaceutically acceptable
excipients (vehicles) comprising more or less inert substances when
added to a pharmaceutical composition to confer suitable
consistency or form to the composition. Suitable carriers are, for
example, water, saline, dextrose, glycerol, ethanol, or the like
and combinations thereof. In addition, if desired, the composition
can contain minor amounts of auxiliary substances such as wetting
or emulsifying agents and pH buffering agents, which enhance the
effectiveness of the active ingredient.
[0119] Toxicity and therapeutic efficacy of the peptides described
herein can be determined by standard pharmaceutical procedures in
cell cultures or experimental animals, e.g., by determining the
IC.sub.50 (the concentration which provides 50% inhibition) and the
LD.sub.50 (lethal dose causing death in 50% of the tested animals)
for a subject compound. The data obtained from these cell culture
assays and animal studies can be used in formulating a range of
dosage for use in human. The dosage may vary depending upon the
dosage form employed and the route of administration utilized. The
exact formulation, route of administration and dosage can be chosen
by the individual physician in view of the patient's condition.
[0120] The amount of active agent used in an administration
composition of the present invention is an amount effective to
accomplish the purpose of the particular active agent for the
target indication. The amount of active agent in the compositions
typically is a pharmacologically, biologically, therapeutically, or
chemically effective amount. However, the amount can be less than
that amount when the composition is used in a dosage unit form
because the dosage unit form may contain a plurality of compounds
or active agents in a single composition or may contain a divided
pharmacologically, biologically, therapeutically, or chemically
effective amount. The total effective amount can then be
administered in cumulative units containing, in total, an effective
amount of the active agent.
[0121] A therapeutically effective amount of a peptide of the
invention is an amount that when administered to a patient for
treating a neurodegenerative disease, is capable of attenuating the
progression of said disease, alleviating symptoms of said disease
and improving management of said disease.
[0122] Although an appropriate dosage of a peptide of the invention
varies depending on the administration route, age, body weight, sex
or conditions of the patient, and should be determined by the
physician in the end, the dose suitable for adult humans can
generally be between about 0.2-2000 mg/kg body weight, about
0.2-1500 mg/kg body weight, about 0.2-1000 mg/kg body weight, about
0.2-500 mg/kg body weight, about 0.2-200 mg/kg body weight, about
0.2-100 mg/kg body weight, about 1-2000 mg/kg body weight, about
1-1500 mg/kg body weight, about 1-1000 mg/kg body weight, about
1-500 mg/kg body weight, about 1-100 mg/kg body weight, or
preferably between about 1-200 mg/kg.
[0123] The pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention
comprise one or more compounds of the present invention, and one or
more excipients, carriers or diluents.
[0124] Carriers are pharmaceutically acceptable vehicles comprising
more or less inert substances when added to a pharmaceutical
composition to confer suitable consistency or form to the
composition. Suitable carriers are, for example, water, saline,
dextrose, glycerol, ethanol, or the like and combinations thereof.
In addition, if desired, the composition can contain minor amounts
of auxiliary substances such as wetting or emulsifying agents and
pH buffering agents, which enhance the effectiveness of the active
ingredient.
[0125] Herein the term "excipient" refers to an inert substance
added to a pharmaceutical composition to further facilitate
administration of a compound. Examples, without limitation, of
excipients include calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, various
sugars and types of starch, cellulose derivatives, gelatin,
vegetable oils and polyethylene glycols.
[0126] The compositions comprising the compounds and active agents
have utility in the delivery of active agents to selected
biological systems and in an increased or improved bioavailability
of the active agent compared to administration of the active agent
without the delivery agent. Delivery can be improved by delivering
more active agent over a period of time, or in delivering active
agent in a particular time period (such as to effect quicker or
delayed delivery) or over a period of time (such as sustained
delivery).
[0127] Pharmaceutical compositions for use in accordance with the
present invention thus may be formulated in conventional manner
using one or more physiologically acceptable carriers comprising
excipients and auxiliaries, which facilitate processing of the
active compounds into preparations which can be used
pharmaceutically. Proper formulation is dependent upon the route of
administration chosen.
[0128] The present invention further contemplates administration of
other therapeutic drugs to the subject. Exemplary drugs which may
be administered include, but are not limited to, oxidative agents,
non-halogen activated-oxygen compounds, non-oxygen
activated-halogen compounds, N-halo compounds and riluzole.
[0129] As mentioned above, in accordance with the present
invention, the level of Akt phosphorylation (pAkt) and pAkt:tAkt
ratio may be assessed.
[0130] As used herein, the term "Akt" refers to the
serine/threonine-specific protein kinase also known as Protein
Kinase B (PKB). Three genes in the Akt family, in humans: Akt1
(also called Akt), Akt2, and Akt3, encode for enzymes that are
members of this serine/threonine-specific protein kinase family.
Akt1 is involved in cellular survival pathways, by inhibiting
apoptotic processes and is able to induce protein synthesis
pathways, which renders it a key signaling protein in the cellular
pathways that lead to skeletal muscle hypertrophy, and general
tissue growth. Since it can block apoptosis, and thereby promote
cell survival, Akt1 has been implicated as a major factor in many
types of cancer. Akt2 is an important signaling molecule in the
Insulin signaling pathway and is required to induce glucose
transport. The role of Akt3 is less clear, though it appears to be
predominantly expressed in brain.
[0131] As used herein, the term "pAkt" refers to the phosphorylated
form of Akt. According to exemplary embodiments, the Akt is
phosphorylated on serine and/or theronine site(s), such as serine
308 and theronine 473.
[0132] As used herein, the term "pAkt:tAkt ratio" refers to the
level of phosphorylated Akt divided by the level of total Akt in
the cell or biological sample.
[0133] Phosphorylation is probably the most common of protein post
translational modifications (PTMs), with 30% of eukaryotic proteins
estimated to be modified this way. Phosphorylation is essential to
the cell by playing a central role in signal transduction cascades,
regulation of protein activity and protein-protein interactions.
Protein phosphorylation can be detected as a mass shift (+79.99 Da)
in mass spectra, which corresponds to the addition of HPO.sub.3 to
a peptide, generally at serine, threonine or tyrosine residues.
[0134] Methods for measuring protein and peptide phosphorylation
(i.e. pAkt) are known in the art and include Kinase Activity
Assays, Western blots (i.e. with an anti-pAkt antibody) or
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA, i.e. with an anti-pAkt
antibody) and Mass Spectrometry (e.g. Donahue et al., Methods in
Enzymology, Volume 434, p. 131-150). Similarly, total Akt (tAkt)
levels may be assed using e.g. Western blot (i.e. with an anti-Akt
antibody) or Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA i.e. with an
anti-Akt antibody).
[0135] Without being bound by any theory or mechanism, Akt pathway
dysfunction in ALS patients may result from multiple effects of the
underlying ALS disease process. Akt is the major signaling pathway
activated by at least four major factors and hormones: GH, IGF1,
HGF and VEGF. Akt pathway induction by all four is impaired in ALS:
[0136] i. GH levels are drastically reduced as a direct result of
oxidative stress and other primary disease processes of ALS. [0137]
ii. The IGF1 signaling pathway, a major fallback option of GH, is
disturbed by up-regulation of IGFBP1 and direct carbonylation
damage to the IGF1 Receptor. [0138] iii. Later in the disease,
IGF1, HGF and VEGF levels are also decreased, further reducing the
natural stress response of the neuro-musculature system.
[0139] As shown in Examples 4 and 5 of the Examples section which
follows, the present inventors have shown that pAkt correlates with
the state of the disease, i.e. in rapidly progressing ALS disease
the ratio of muscle/lymph pAkt is significantly lower compared to
slow progressing ALS disease. Moreover, the present inventors have
shown that pAkt can be used to assess responsiveness to treatment,
i.e. when the subject responds to treatment, there is a significant
elevation in pAkt levels.
[0140] Assessing the level of pAkt or pAkt:tAkt ratio may thus be
carried out prior to treatment, upon treatment and following
treatment and may be used for various applications as specified in
further detail below.
[0141] According to one embodiment, there is provided a method of
assessing responsiveness to treatment of a disease (e.g. ALS) with
the peptide of the present invention, the method comprising:
assessing the level of pAkt and pAkt:tAkt ratio in bodily sample,
such as, a bodily sample derived from the muscle, the blood or
lymphatic system of the subject (e.g. comprising lymphocytes),
wherein responsiveness to treatment is indicated by a pAkt level or
pAkt:tAkt ratio which is significantly above a value of pAkt level
and pAkt:tAkt ratio in the subject prior to the treatment.
[0142] As used herein, the terms "above" or "increase" as used
herein, refer to at least about 10%, at least about 20%, at least
about 30%, at least about 40%, at least about 50%, at least about
60%, at least about 70%, at least about 80%, at least about 90% or
at least about 100% higher level of pAkt level or pAkt:tAkt ratio
in the subject following treatment as compared to a level of same
in a subject prior to treatment or to commonly used control samples
taken from sick individual (e.g. an individual with a disease, e.g.
ALS, corresponding to the subject being treated).
[0143] In another aspect, the present invention includes a method
for determining the efficacy of treatment for a neurodegenerative
disease in a subject in need thereof, the method comprises
determining in a sample from the subject whether a composition
comprising a therapeutically effective amount of a peptide
comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group
consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 2 and an analog or a
derivative thereof induces an increase in the level of pAkt and
pAkt:tAkt ratio. According to the principles of the present
invention, an increase in the level of pAkt and pAkt:tAkt ratio
indicates that the subject will show responsiveness to treatment
with said peptide.
[0144] In some embodiments, the level of pAkt:tAkt ratio (also
denoted "pAkt/tAkt" standing for phosphorylated Akt divided by
total Akt) in said bodily sample is evaluated, wherein
responsiveness to treatment is determined for a subject having a
pAkt/tAkt ratio which is significantly lower than a corresponding
control value.
[0145] As used herein, the terms "below" or "lower" as used herein,
refer to at least about 10%, at least about 20%, at least about
30%, at least about 40%, at least about 50%, at least about 60%, at
least about 70%, at least about 80%, at least about 90% or at least
about 100% lower level of pAkt level or pAkt:tAkt ratio in the
subject following treatment as compared to a level of same in a
control sample (e.g. a sample taken from healthy individual).
[0146] Preferably, the control value corresponds to pAkt level or
pAkt/Akt ratio in a sample derived from a healthy individual, or
from a panel of control samples obtained from a set of healthy
individuals, or from a stored set of data corresponding to control
individuals (e.g. healthy individuals or individuals that are not
afflicted with neurodegenerative disease, particularly ALS).
[0147] According to yet another embodiment, the control value
corresponds to pAkt level in a sample derived from a bodily sample
of an individual afflicted with a neurodegenerative disease, e.g.
ALS, but manifesting a milder version of the disease according to
measureable criteria (e.g. slowly progressing disease).
[0148] In the methods of the invention, the terminology of
"significant reduction", "significant decline", "significantly
below" and the like, in the level or amount of pAkt of an
individual, is interchangeable and refers to a statistically
significant reduction recognized by a skilled artisan, as compared
to control. Statistical significance may be evaluated by any method
known in the art, such as, Student's T-test, Analysis of variance
(ANOVA) and Chi-square test, among others.
[0149] The present invention also highlights the use of Akt
phosphorylation as a biomarker. Specifically, the present invention
provides a method for assessing whether the progression of ALS is
slow or rapid.
[0150] By "rapid progression" or "rapid disease" it is meant that
the symptoms of ALS progress continuously and significant
degradation of motor neurons can be observed within less than a
year. Rapid disease in human patients corresponds to survival of up
to 4 years from diagnosis. In contrast, "slow progression" or "slow
disease" refers to a condition where the ALS symptoms appear slowly
with long periods, i.e. many months or years. Slow disease in human
patients also typically corresponds to survival of more than 4
years from diagnosis.
[0151] According to one embodiment, there is provided a method for
prognosticating the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
(ALS) in an ALS patient, comprising (a) assessing the value of at
least one marker selected from: pAkt and pAkt:tAkt ratio, in a
bodily sample derived from the ALS patient; and (b) obtaining the
ratio between the value of said marker and the value of the marker
in a control sample, wherein a level of pAkt or pAkt:tAkt ratio
significantly below a control value indicates a rapid disease.
[0152] The present invention further provides kits suitable for use
in methods of the invention. Specifically, the present invention
provides kits for diagnosing neurodegenerative diseases and kits
for diagnosing ALS. In addition, the present invention provides
kits for prognosticating the progression of neurodegenerative
diseases and kits for prognosticating the progression of ALS in an
ALS patient.
[0153] A kit according to the present invention preferably
comprises i) means for collecting a bodily sample from a subject
ii) means for determining the level of the markers pAkt and tAkt
(total Akt) in the sample and iii) a standard sample for comparison
of the tested sample.
[0154] In certain embodiments, the means for determining the levels
of said markers comprise at least one antibody directed to pAkt and
at least one antibody directed to total Akt. In some embodiments,
the level of pAkt and tAkt are determined by Western blot analysis,
or applying Akt phosphorylation assays as been demonstrated by
Armentero et al. (Neurobiol Aging, Jan. 25, 2010). In other
embodiments, the level of pAkt and tAkt are determined by FACS
(fluorescence-activated cell sorting) assays.
[0155] According to one embodiment, the kits further comprise a
standard, a calibration curve or an index indicating a control
value of the pAkt and the tAkt.
[0156] Typically a control value corresponds to pAkt level or
pAkt:tAkt ratio in a sample comprising a bodily sample of a healthy
individual, a bodily sample of an individual not afflicted with any
neurodegenerative disease, such as ALS, a bodily sample of an
individual afflicted with a slowly progressing neurodegenerative
disease, such as ALS.
[0157] The kits for prognosticating the progression of ALS, may
preferably comprise (a) means for determining pAkt levels and tAkt
level in a bodily sample, such as, a bodily sample derived from the
peripheral or lymphatic systems, (b) means for determining pAkt
levels in and tAkt level in a bodily sample derived from the
muscles of a subject and iii) a standard sample for comparison of
the tested sample.
[0158] In certain embodiments, the detection of pAkt and tAkt may
be performed using an immunoassay such as an enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay (ELISA) testing kit. In such assays samples are
typically incubated in the presence of an immobilized first
specific binding agent (e.g. an antibody) capable of specifically
binding pAkt or an immobilized first specific binding agent capable
of binding tAkt. Binding of pAkt or tAkt to said first specific
binding agent may be measured using any one of a variety of known
methods, such as using a labeled second specific binding agent
capable of specifically binding pAkt or tAkt, respectively, (at a
different epitope) or capable of specifically binding the first
specific binding agent.
[0159] Exemplary specific binding agents include e.g. monoclonal
antibodies, polyclonal antibodies, and antibody fragments such as
recombinant antibody fragments, single-chain antibodies (scFv) and
the like.
[0160] Exemplary anti-pAkt antibodies which may be used in
accordance with the present teachings may be commercially purchased
from e.g. Cell Signaling Technology (e.g. #9275), Millipore (e.g.
STAR phospho-Akt1 (Thr308) ELISA kit), BioLegend and Epitomics
Inc.
[0161] Exemplary anti-tAkt antibodies (i.e. anti-Akt antibodies)
which may be used in accordance with the present teachings may be
commercially purchased from e.g. Cell Signaling Technology (e.g.
#9272), Millipore (e.g. STAR Akt ELISA kit), Enzo Life Sciences
Inc., BioLegend and Proteintech Group Inc.
[0162] In some embodiments, various conventional tags or labels may
be used, such as a radioisotope, an enzyme, a chromophore or a
fluorophore. A typical radioisotope is iodine-125 or sulfur-35.
Typical enzymes for this purpose include horseradish peroxidase,
horseradish galactosidase and alkaline phosphatase.
[0163] Alternately, other immunoassays may be used; such techniques
are well known to the ordinarily skilled artisan and have been
described in many standard immunology manuals and texts.
[0164] In some embodiments, the methods of the invention are
suitable for automated or semi-automated analysis, and may enable
clinical, medium or high-throughput screening of multiple samples.
For example, automated ELISA systems such as Biotest's
Quickstep.RTM. ELISA Processor, Maxmat Automated microwell ELISA
analyzer (Maxmat S. A., France), or DSX.TM. Four-Plate System
(Dynex Technologies) may conveniently be used.
[0165] Other suitable assays include for example flow cytometry
assays (such as singleplex and multiplex bead-based Luminex.RTM.
assays (Invitrogen).
[0166] Alternately, pAkt or tAkt may be captured on an antibody
microarray. The antibody microarray comprises an anti-pAkt antibody
or an anti-tAkt antibody, or, for example, a combination of
anti-pAkt antibodies and anti-tAkt antibodies. In general, the
sample (e.g., peripheral blood) obtained from the subject is placed
on the active surface of a chip for a sufficient time to allow
binding. Then, unbound molecules are washed from the surface using
a suitable eluant, such as phosphate buffered saline. In general,
the more stringent the eluant, the more tightly pAkt or tAkt must
be bound to be retained after the wash. As a result, the retained
pAkt or tAkt can be detected by appropriate means.
[0167] Additional exemplary assays may be based on dipstick
technology, as demonstrated, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos.
4,632,901; 4,313,734; 4,786,589 5,656,448 and EP 0125118. For
example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,901, discloses a flow-through type
immunoassay device comprising antibody (specific to a target
antigen analyte) bound to a porous membrane or filter to which is
added a liquid sample. As the liquid flows through the membrane,
target analyte binds to the antibody. The addition of sample is
followed by addition of labeled antibody. The visual detection of
labeled antibody provides an indication of the presence of target
antigen analyte in the sample. EP 0125118 discloses a sandwich type
dipstick immunoassay in which immunochemical components such as
antibodies are bound to a solid phase. The assay device is "dipped"
for incubation into a sample suspected of containing unknown
antigen analyte. Enzyme-labeled antibody is then added, either
simultaneously or after an incubation period. The device next is
washed and then inserted into a second solution containing a
substrate for the enzyme. The enzyme-label, if present, interacts
with the substrate, causing the formation of colored products which
either deposit as a precipitate onto the solid phase or produce a
visible color change in the substrate solution.
[0168] For example, the method may be performed by the steps
comprising:
[0169] a) collecting a bodily sample from the subject;
[0170] b) contacting the sample, under conditions such that a
specific antigen-antibody complex may be formed, with at least one
antibody, said antibody being directed to either pAkt or tAkt;
[0171] c) quantifying the amount of antigen-antibody complex
formed, wherein said amount is indicative of the amount of pAkt or
tAkt in said sample.
[0172] An antibody "directed to" an antigen, as used herein is an
antibody which is capable of specifically binding the antigen. The
term "specifically bind" as used herein means that the binding of
an antibody to an antigen is not competitively inhibited by the
presence of non-related molecules. Antibodies directed to pAkt and
antibodies directed to tAkt may be prepared using well known
methods, for example as detailed hereinabove. Alternatively,
antibodies, or ELISA kits for determining the presence of these
antigens, may be purchased from a variety of sources.
[0173] The following examples are to be considered merely as
illustrative and non-limiting in nature. It will be apparent to one
skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains that
many modifications, permutations, and variations may be made
without departing from the scope of the invention.
[0174] As used herein the term "about" refers to .+-.10%.
[0175] The terms "comprises", "comprising", "includes",
"including", "having" and their conjugates mean "including but not
limited to".
[0176] The term "consisting of" means "including and limited
to".
[0177] The term "consisting essentially of" means that the
composition, method or structure may include additional
ingredients, steps and/or parts, but only if the additional
ingredients, steps and/or parts do not materially alter the basic
and novel characteristics of the claimed composition, method or
structure.
[0178] As used herein, the singular form "a", "an" and "the"
include plural references unless the context clearly dictates
otherwise. For example, the term "a compound" or "at least one
compound" may include a plurality of compounds, including mixtures
thereof.
[0179] Throughout this application, various embodiments of this
invention may be presented in a range format. It should be
understood that the description in range format is merely for
convenience and brevity and should not be construed as an
inflexible limitation on the scope of the invention. Accordingly,
the description of a range should be considered to have
specifically disclosed all the possible subranges as well as
individual numerical values within that range. For example,
description of a range such as from 1 to 6 should be considered to
have specifically disclosed subranges such as from 1 to 3, from 1
to 4, from 1 to 5, from 2 to 4, from 2 to 6, from 3 to 6 etc., as
well as individual numbers within that range, for example, 1, 2, 3,
4, 5, and 6. This applies regardless of the breadth of the
range.
[0180] Whenever a numerical range is indicated herein, it is meant
to include any cited numeral (fractional or integral) within the
indicated range. The phrases "ranging/ranges between" a first
indicate number and a second indicate number and "ranging/ranges
from" a first indicate number "to" a second indicate number are
used herein interchangeably and are meant to include the first and
second indicated numbers and all the fractional and integral
numerals therebetween.
[0181] As used herein the term "method" refers to manners, means,
techniques and procedures for accomplishing a given task including,
but not limited to, those manners, means, techniques and procedures
either known to, or readily developed from known manners, means,
techniques and procedures by practitioners of the chemical,
pharmacological, biological, biochemical and medical arts.
[0182] It is appreciated that certain features of the invention,
which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate
embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single
embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention, which
are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment,
may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination
or as suitable in any other described embodiment of the invention.
Certain features described in the context of various embodiments
are not to be considered essential features of those embodiments,
unless the embodiment is inoperative without those elements.
[0183] Various embodiments and aspects of the present invention as
delineated hereinabove and as claimed in the claims section below
find experimental support in the following examples.
EXAMPLES
[0184] Reference is now made to the following examples, which
together with the above descriptions, illustrate the invention in a
non limiting fashion.
[0185] Generally, the nomenclature used herein and the laboratory
procedures utilized in the present invention include molecular,
biochemical, microbiological and recombinant DNA techniques. Such
techniques are thoroughly explained in the literature. See, for
example, "Molecular Cloning: A laboratory Manual" Sambrook et al.,
(1989); "Current Protocols in Molecular Biology" Volumes I-III
Ausubel, R. M., ed. (1994); Ausubel et al., "Current Protocols in
Molecular Biology", John Wiley and Sons, Baltimore, Md. (1989);
Perbal, "A Practical Guide to Molecular Cloning", John Wiley &
Sons, New York (1988); Watson et al., "Recombinant DNA", Scientific
American Books, New York; Birren et al. (eds) "Genome Analysis: A
Laboratory Manual Series", Vols. 1-4, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Press, New York (1998); methodologies as set forth in U.S. Pat.
Nos. 4,666,828; 4,683,202; 4,801,531; 5,192,659 and 5,272,057;
"Cell Biology: A Laboratory Handbook", Volumes I-III Cellis, J. E.,
ed. (1994); "Current Protocols in Immunology" Volumes I-III Coligan
J. E., ed. (1994); Stites et al. (eds), "Basic and Clinical
Immunology" (8th Edition), Appleton & Lange, Norwalk, Conn.
(1994); Mishell and Shiigi (eds), "Selected Methods in Cellular
Immunology", W. H. Freeman and Co., New York (1980); available
immunoassays are extensively described in the patent and scientific
literature, see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,791,932; 3,839,153;
3,850,752; 3,850,578; 3,853,987; 3,867,517; 3,879,262; 3,901,654;
3,935,074; 3,984,533; 3,996,345; 4,034,074; 4,098,876; 4,879,219;
5,011,771 and 5,281,521; "Oligonucleotide Synthesis" Gait, M. J.,
ed. (1984); "Nucleic Acid Hybridization" Hames, B. D., and Higgins
S. J., eds. (1985); "Transcription and Translation" Hames, B. D.,
and Higgins S. J., Eds. (1984); "Animal Cell Culture" Freshney, R.
I., ed. (1986); "Immobilized Cells and Enzymes" IRL Press, (1986);
"A Practical Guide to Molecular Cloning" Perbal, B., (1984) and
"Methods in Enzymology" Vol. 1-317, Academic Press; "PCR Protocols:
A Guide To Methods And Applications", Academic Press, San Diego,
Calif. (1990); Marshak et al., "Strategies for Protein Purification
and Characterization--A Laboratory Course Manual" CSHL Press
(1996); all of which are incorporated by reference as if fully set
forth herein. Other general references are provided throughout this
document. The procedures therein are believed to be well known in
the art and are provided for the convenience of the reader. All the
information contained therein is incorporated herein by
reference.
Example 1
The Effect of the Peptide of SEQ ID NO: 1 on the Akt Pathway in
Cells
[0186] Raw264.7 macrophages were treated with 50 mM of the peptide
having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 (10.times..sup.5 per
well) in quadruplicates. Akt phosphorylation was found to be
induced shortly after introduction of the peptide (FIG. 1A). Akt
and pAkt were detected using western blot analysis with Cell
Signaling Technology #9272 and #9275 antibodies. This observation
demonstrates that the peptide triggers activation of the Akt
pathway in a specific manner.
[0187] Next, mice were injected with the peptide of SEQ ID NO: 1
(400 .mu.l) and after 30 minutes lymph nodes were assessed for
pAkt, compared to lymph samples obtained from non-treated mice. Akt
phosphorylation was measured using ELISA compared to a standard,
using Millipore's STAR Akt and STAR phospho-Akt1 (Thr308) ELISA
kits.
[0188] As shown in FIG. 1B, Akt phosphorylation was higher in
treated mice compared to non-treated mice.
Example 2
The Effect of the Peptide of SEQ ID NO: 1 on Survival of a Mice
Model for ALS
[0189] ALS is characterized by apoptosis of motor neurons. The
SOD1G93A mouse model of familial ALS was used in the following
examples. Initially, doses less than optimal were applied, and
model irregularities due to gene counts were detected. These
deficiencies were repaired in later studies.
[0190] Mice were purchased from Jackson and were administered with
a dose of at least 200 microgram a day of the peptide of SEQ ID NO:
1. Overall, the studies included 142 mice. Eventually all mice died
of neurologic disease. Mice (a few) that died before the detection
of a symptomatic disease were not included, as recommended by Scott
et al. (Amyotroph Lateral Scler. 2008; 9(1):4-15). Of the 142 mice,
99 mice were treated intraperitoneally (IP), intranasally (IN),
intravenously (IV) or with a combined delivery, and 43 mice were
used as control (untreated or treated with PBS).
[0191] Allocation of the mice to the experimental groups was done
by matching weight and, when applicable (particularly in study III)
also by gender match. In studies II and III, where treatment
started after disease onset, the primary grouping criteria was date
of onset. In fact, age at onset and weight at onset reflect to a
certain degree the disease severity, thereby allowing to perform an
even distribution of animals according to the phenotypic
manifestation of the disease. Although genotypic distribution and
separation of siblings is recommended, siblings in the same groups
were used, preferring the phenotypic criteria as an indicator of
the severity of the disease itself, and as in many cases too many
of the mice were from the same pedigree.
[0192] Exclusion (censoring) criteria were employed to exclude data
that do not include any measurements taken from animals that died
before detection of the neurological damage or animals that died
due to non-disease associated reasons (such as physical
wounds).
[0193] In this example, 40 female mice (purchased from Jackson)
were included. 30 mice were treated (IN or IV; peptide of SEQ ID
NO: 1) and 10 mice were controls. Disease onset was measured by
Rotarod exertion value (measuring mobility on a Rotarod vs. time),
defined as Rotarod values below 180 (i.e. 3 min.). The animals were
divided into groups according to weight match.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Study design Age Group Treatment Route
Schedule at treatment initiation n 1 PBS (control) IV Daily 75 days
10 2 200 .mu.g peptide IV Daily 75 days 10 3 400 .mu.g peptide IV
Daily 75 days 10 4 400 .mu.g peptide IN Daily 75 days 10
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Total survival of mice treated with the
peptide Added survival Survival of Survival compared to 50% Mean
control Group (days) (days) P (Logrank) (days) Control 125 128.1 --
400 IN 139 132.4 4-14 200 IV 145 144.3 0.02 16-20 400 IV 139 136.2
8-14 All 139 139.2 0.017* 11-14 treatment groups *Significance
equivalent to p = 0.05 for 3 combined groups
[0194] The results summarized in Table 2 above clearly indicate
that the peptide of the invention induces a significant (p=0.05)
increase in survival, additional 11 to 14 days as compared to
control, irrespective of the disease stage. The significantly
prolonged survival induced by the peptide of the invention is also
shown in FIG. 2.
[0195] Similar results are shown in the `all stages` columns of
Table 3, below. As detailed in Table 3, the most pronounced effect
of the protein of the invention is exerted during late stages of
the disease, which is characterized by low Rotarod index (less than
120).
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Disease duration at different stages of the
disease (late and early) upon treatment with the peptide of the
invention at 200 .mu.g or 400 .mu.g for 7 successive days.sup.a
Late disease Early disease All stages of the (Y < 120).sup.a
(180 > Y > 120).sup.b disease Duration Duration Duration
Group (days) (days) (days) 400 .mu.g IN 26.9 17.7 44.6 (n = 10) 200
.mu.g IV 34.8 16.2 51.0 (n = 10) 400 .mu.g IV 25.7 15.8 41.5 (n =
10) All 29.2 16.6 45.7 treatments (n = 30) Control 15.5 15.7 31.2
(10) .sup.aMice stayed on the Rotarod for less than 120 seconds,
i.e. Rotarod index (Y) < 120. .sup.bMice that stayed on the
Rotarod for more than 120 seconds but less than 180 seconds.
[0196] The results indicate that daily treatments with the peptide
of the invention via any way of administration (IN or IV) leads to
increased survival at advanced (late) stages of the disease
(measured by Rotarod exertion values below 120 seconds). Treatment
with the peptide of the invention prolonged the duration at the
late stage by 88% while not affecting disease onset or disease
progression at the earlier stages. In this study, onset in all
groups was at an average age of 93-97 days, and there were no
differences between the groups. Late-stage disease started at age
of about 110 days.
[0197] In another study (FIG. 2) the differences between 21 mice
treated with 400 microgram (200 IP+200 IV) of the SEQ ID NO: 1
peptide and 21 non-treated mice are observed in weeks 18-20. At
week 18, 21/21 treated vs. 16/21 non-treated manifested at 20%
difference in survival (*, P=0.02); at week 19, 19/21 treated vs.
9/21 non-treated manifested 50% difference in survival (***,
P=0.001); and at week 20, 14/21 treated vs. 6/21 non-treated
manifested a 40% difference in survival (**, P=0.005).
[0198] The following analysis (Table 4, below) shows the effect of
the peptide of the invention on all treatments, irrespective of the
stage of disease, but subject to the method of administration.
TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Summary of 50% survival in all groups
(treatments and control) No. of No. of Age at Treatment Control
Average .+-. Average treatment animals animals SD of added added
initiation (number (number of survival Significance 50% Study
Treatment (days) of groups) groups) (days) (Logrank) survival Total
200-600 .mu.g 89.75 99 (9) 43 (3) *7.2 .+-. 12.6 0.008 10 IP/IV/IN
.sctn.Disease onset was observed *Adjusted according to control
values
[0199] The data shows that the 50% survival of the 99 mice treated
with the peptide of SEQ ID NO: 1 was about 10 days longer,
significantly (P=0.008) as compared to control. The most effective
route of administration seems to be a combined IV/IP
administration.
Example 3
The Effect of the Peptide of the Invention on Disease
Progression
[0200] The protective effect of the peptide of the invention is not
only limited to prolonged survival, but also involves significant
delay in the progression of disease symptoms, as monitored by the
neurologic disability score, thereby postponing development of
end-stage disease.
[0201] Mice were administered with the peptide of SEQ ID NO: 1 or
placebo (PBS) starting at disease onset as measured by weight loss.
It was at average age of about 90 days. The mice were treated
daily. During the period of weeks 16-19, the neurologic score was
assessed, and was found lower by a factor of about 2 in treated
mice compared to controls (FIG. 3).
Example 4
The Effect of the Peptide of SEQ ID NO: 1 on the Akt Pathway In
Vivo
[0202] Twenty SOD1 mice at the age of 75 days (i.e. prior to
disease onset) were treated daily with 200 .mu.IV+200 .mu.g IP of
the peptide of SEQ ID NO: 1 or with PBS, and monitored for body
weight and neurological score. At the age of 120 days, the mice
were sacrificed, and phosphorylated Akt (pAkt) and total Akt (tAkt)
in lymphocytes (lymph node) and muscle cells (hind legs) were
measured (see Tables 5-6, below). Two treated mice died prior to
age 120 days without any preceding signs of neurologic damage. Two
non-treated mice died prior to age 120 days after detection of
severe signs of neurologic disease.
TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 The effect of the peptide of SEQ ID NO: 1 on
Akt phosphorylation Muscles Lymph node pAkt pAkt/tAkt pAkt
pAkt/tAkt Control (n = 8) 150 1.61 95 0.96 SEQ ID NO: 1 149 1.83
129 1.35 (n = 8) Difference -1% +14% +36% +42%
TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 Treatment with the peptide of SEQ ID NO: 1
significantly increases the combined pAkt/Akt ratio of lymph nodes
and muscles Muscle Average Percentage of Lymph node pAKT Average
pAKT mice with high Treatment pAKT ratio ratio pAKT ratio pAkt
content PBS 0.96 1.61 121 1.27 12.5% SEQ ID 1.35 1.83 140 1.61
62.5% NO: 1 Percent 42% 14% 16% 26% change P value 0.11 0.45 0.037
0.07 0.04 chi square
[0203] The peptide of SEQ ID NO: 1 increased the phosphorylation
level of lymphocytes by 36%, and even more in terms of the
pAkt/tAkt ratio (42%). There was a minimal effect on muscle cells,
which were predominantly highly phosphorylated (70% higher
pAkt/tAkt ratio in muscles compared to lymphocytes, before
treatment with the peptide of the invention). The average increase
of pAkt in both muscles and lymphocytes was statistically
significant--P=0.04.
[0204] Preliminary measurements of weight loss and neurologic score
among non-treated mice with naturally elevated peripheral (muscle
and lymph) pAkt showed differences in clinical parameters, as
detailed in Table 7, below. This table demonstrates that low
lymphocyte and muscle pAkt corresponds to rapid disease
(characterized by high neurologic score and weight loss at 120
days) wherein relatively high lymphocyte pAkt and muscle pAkt
corresponds to slow disease (i.e. a disease characterized by low
neurologic score and weight loss at 120 days).
[0205] It is to be understood that a combination of weight loss and
neurological score is considered one of the most reliable and
gentle (i.e. not introducing additional stressors) ways to assess
the presence, progression and staging of ALS.
TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 7 The effect of Akt phosphorylation on disease
parameters in non-treated SOD1 mice aged 120 days. Muscle- Previous
Muscle Lymphocyte lymph Neurologic week pAkt pAkt pAkt score weight
loss Lower 138 94 116 0.67 4.7% peripheral pAkt (3) Higher 151 111
131 0.33 1.4% peripheral pAkt (3) Change +9% +18% +13% -50%
-71%
[0206] The correlation of Akt phosphorylation with disease
progression is even more striking when peripheral (muscle and
lymph) pAkt of mice with rapid disease, both treated and
non-treated, is compared to peripheral pAkt of mice with slow
disease, in both treated and non-treated SOD1 mice, as described in
Table 8 below.
TABLE-US-00008 TABLE 8 The effect of Akt phosphorylation on rapid
and slow disease Neurologic Muscle + lymph score pAkt Score
0.5-1.25 (n = 7, SOD1 mice with 0.8 120 Rapid Disease) Score 0-0.25
(n = 9, SOD1 mice with 0.05 139 Slow Disease) Significance P =
0.01
[0207] In this study, animals at day 120 were divided into groups
by the disease state. The results of this analysis indicate that
the pAKT correlates with the state of the disease.
[0208] Specifically, in mice where the disease progressed rapidly
(neurological score of 0.8 at 120 days), the ratio of muscle:lymph
pAkt is significantly (P=0.01) lower than this ratio in mice where
the disease progressed slowly (neurological score of 0.05 at 120
days). Thus, the results indicate that pAkt phosphorylation is a
reliable indication for distinguishing the stage of the ALS disease
(slow/fast).
[0209] When these mice were divided according to pAkt ratio of
lymph node and muscle, 10 mice with low pAkt had a significantly
(P=0.005) 10 times higher clinical score (0.6) as compared to 6
mice with high pAkt (0.06).
[0210] Thus, the peptide of the invention might employ increased
pAkt in both muscles and lymphocytes for reduction of ALS
progression rate in SOD1 mice, and might contribute to the
treatment of sporadic ALS.
Example 5
Responsiveness to Treatment
[0211] The following analysis reflects the significant therapeutic
effect of the peptide of the invention on ALS and emphasizes the
importance in assessing responsiveness to treatment in terms of
increased biomarker during the treatment.
[0212] Mice, age 75 days, were treated for 45 days with 400 .mu.g
of the peptide of SEQ ID NO: 1, administered as follows: 200 .mu.g
IV and 200 .mu.g IP. At age of 120 days, 6 of the peptide treated
mice responded to treatment, having a slow disease e.g. low weight
loss (only 3.3%) and low neurological score (0.08) compared to
placebo (PBS) treated mice which kept losing weight, reaching a
weight loss of 5.4% and neurological score of 0.8. The six
responding mice had 49% higher pAkt (P=0.01) compared to the
placebo treated mice.
[0213] Two other mice treated with the peptide of the invention did
not respond to treatment, having a significantly higher
neurological score of 1.1 (93%; P=0.05) and higher weight loss
(6.3%). Those mice resulted with a significantly lower pAkt
phosphorylation (-37%; P=0.004 in comparison with the responding
group).
[0214] The data is summarized in Table 9, below.
TABLE-US-00009 TABLE 9 pAkt in responding and non-responding SOD1
mice at 120 days Average score (age Lymphocyte Effect on 110-120
Effect on pAkt pAkt* days) score** Weight loss.sup..sctn. Placebo
95 100% 0.8 100% 5.4% (PBS; n = 10) (8 survivors, 2 died earlier)
Responding 142 +49% pAkt* 0.08 -90% score* 3.3% (SEQ ID P = 0.01 P
= 0.02 NO: 1; n = 6) Non 90 -37% pAkt** 1.1 +1400%** 6.3%
responding P = 0.004 score (SEQ ID P = 0.05 NO: 1; n = 2) *The
effect of treatment on pAkt and neurologic score relative to
placebo (100%). **The effect of treatment on pAkt and neurologic
score in non-responders relative to responders .sup..sctn.Average
weight loss (compared to the weight on the week prior to
treatment)
Example 6
Measuring the Effect of the Peptide of SEQ ID NO: 1 on Slow and
Rapid Disease
[0215] SOD1 mice were treated IP and IV using the peptide of SEQ ID
NO: 1 starting at disease onset, detected by weight loss, at an
average age of 90 days.
[0216] In order to check if mice with rapid disease respond to
treatment differently from mice with slow disease, a comparison was
made separately of the 50% control and treated mice that survived
less than or equal to the median survival and 50% control and
treated mice that survived longer than the median survival.
[0217] According to this comparison, demonstrated in Table 10
below, SD values were 40% lower for treated mice, demonstrating
that treatment reduced the diversity and range between rapid and
slow disease, making the rapid disease look more like slow disease,
and the extension of survival was much larger (11 days comparing to
3 days), and much more significant (P=0.0001 compared to P=0.8),
for mice with fast disease.
TABLE-US-00010 TABLE 10 Systemic treatment with the peptide of SEQ
ID NO: 1 starting at the onset of weight loss (age 90 days) N SD
50% fast 50% slow control/ control/ control/ control/ treatment
treatment treatment treatment PBS 21 13.8 125.2 146.7 SEQ ID NO: 1
21 8.7 136.0 149.7 Significance P = 0.0001 P = 0.8
[0218] The absence of an effect on long-term survivors was also
reflected by the survival and disease progression curves: they
showed the convergence of control and treatment curves for
long-term surviving mice and at late study stages, which
demonstrate the lack of effect on the fraction of 25% of mice with
the longest survival (FIGS. 2 and 3).
[0219] Although the invention has been described in conjunction
with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many
alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to
those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace
all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall
within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.
[0220] All publications, patents and patent applications mentioned
in this specification are herein incorporated in their entirety by
reference into the specification, to the same extent as if each
individual publication, patent or patent application was
specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated herein
by reference. In addition, citation or identification of any
reference in this application shall not be construed as an
admission that such reference is available as prior art to the
present invention. To the extent that section headings are used,
they should not be construed as necessarily limiting. In addition,
any priority document(s) of this application is/are hereby
incorporated herein by reference in its/their entirety.
Sequence CWU 1
1
217PRTArtificial sequenceStressin-1 synthetic
peptidemisc_feature(1)..(7)D stereo isomer 1Leu Pro Pro Leu Pro Tyr
Pro1 527PRTArtificial sequenceStressin-1 sequence reversed
synthetic peptide 2Pro Tyr Pro Leu Pro Pro Leu1 5
* * * * *