Human PD-L2 antibodies and methods of use thereof

Abstract

To provide an antibody binding to PD-L2 which is used for treating cancer.SOLUTION: Provided are an antibody binding to PD-L2 or an antibody fragment, an engineered cell including nucleic acid encoding the antibody or the antibody fragment, and a pharmaceutical composition for treating cancer in a subject including the antibody or the antibody fragment, and also provided is a method of detecting a PD-L2-expressed cell in a sample from the subject, which includes (a) a process of allowing the sample to contact the antibody or the antibody fragment, and (b) a process of detecting the PD-L2-expressed cell in the sample by binding of the antibody or the antibody fragment to a cell in the sample.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Claiming priority This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 647,546, filed March 23, 2018, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0002] Inclusion of sequence listing The sequence listing contained in the file entitled "UTFC.P1340WO_ST25.txt", which is 22.9 KB (measured in Microsoft Windows®) created on March 13, 2019, has been submitted herewith by electronic submission and is incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] 1. Field This disclosure relates generally to the fields of medicine, oncology, and immunology. More specifically, this disclosure relates to human antibodies that bind to PD-L2 and their use in cancer treatment. [Background technology]

[0004] 2. Description of Related Art Programmed death-1 (PD-1) is a cell surface molecule expressed on B and T cells that regulates adaptive immune responses. The PD-1 receptor on T cells is expressed after T cell activation, accumulates on the cell surface over time, and may be involved in attenuating T cell responses as a mechanism of homeostatic regulation. Binding of PD-1 by its ligands PD-L1 or PD-L2 transmits signals that inhibit T cell proliferation, cytokine production, and cytolytic function, marking a critical checkpoint in cell death.

[0005] PD-L1 expression is very tightly regulated by normal cells and is barely expressed in normal tissues, but can be rapidly upregulated in many different tissue types and by tumors in response to interferon-γ and other inflammatory mediators (Dong et al., 2002). PD-L2 expression is highly restricted to antigen-presenting cells, including dendritic cells and macrophages (Rozali et al., 2012). Exposure of dendritic cells and macrophages to Th2 cytokines, IFNγ, and Toll-like receptor ligands all increase the expression of PD-L2. Human fibroblasts have been shown to express PD-L2, resulting in the suppression of T cells (Pinchuk et al., 2008). Furthermore, normal fibroblasts as well as cancer-associated fibroblasts constitutively express PD-L2 (Nazareth et al., 2007).

[0006] It is widely known that tumors can co-opt normal physiological checkpoints for immune regulation, leading to an imbalance between tumor growth and host surveillance. As tumors grow, they are surrounded by stromal cells that express PD-1 ligands (i.e., PD-L1 and PD-L2). If PD-1 expressing T cells encounter PD-L1 and PD-L2 upon entry into the tumor microenvironment, the cells are rapidly attenuated and the tumor evades immune control. Antibodies that block the PD-1 / PD-L1 binding interface have been in clinical trials since 2010 (Brahmer et al., 2010). Concomitant studies of PD-L1 antibodies have been ongoing since 2012 (Brahmer et al., 2012). However, so far, there have been no clinical trials of PD-L2 antibodies. These interactions make the PD-L2 / PD-1 interface an attractive target for therapeutic intervention. Summary of the Invention

[0007] overview Under such circumstances, in accordance with the present disclosure, there is provided an antibody or antibody fragment that selectively binds to PD-L2 and comprises a heavy and light chain CDR sequence pair of a clone from Table 3 and Table 4, respectively. The antibody or antibody fragment may be encoded by a variable region sequence pair of a clone shown in Table 1, or may be encoded by a light and heavy chain variable region sequence having 70%, 80% or 90% identity to a variable region sequence pair of a clone shown in Table 1, or may be encoded by a light and heavy chain variable region sequence having 95% or higher identity to a sequence pair of a clone shown in Table 1. The antibody or antibody fragment may comprise a light and heavy chain variable region sequence as per a sequence pair of a clone from Table 2, or may comprise a light and heavy chain variable region sequence having 70%, 80% or 90% identity to a sequence pair of a clone from Table 2, or may comprise a light and heavy chain variable region sequence having 95% or higher identity to a sequence pair of a clone from Table 2.

[0008] Also provided is a method of treating cancer in a subject, comprising contacting a PD-L2 positive cancer cell in the subject with an antibody as described above. The PD-L2 positive cancer cell may be a solid tumor cell, e.g., a lung cancer cell, a brain cancer cell, a head and neck cancer cell, a breast cancer cell, a skin cancer cell, a liver cancer cell, a pancreatic cancer cell, a gastric cancer cell, a colon cancer cell, a rectal cancer cell, a uterine cancer cell, a cervical cancer cell, an ovarian cancer cell, a testicular cancer cell, a skin cancer cell, an esophageal cancer cell, a lymphoma cell, a renal cell carcinoma cell, or a leukemia or myeloma, e.g., acute myeloid leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia, or multiple myeloma.

[0009] The method may further include contacting the PD-L2 positive cancer cells with a second anti-cancer agent or therapy, such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, hormone therapy, or toxin therapy. The second anti-cancer agent or therapy may inhibit PD-L2 function in the cells. The second anti-cancer agent or therapy may be administered simultaneously with the first agent, or before and / or after the agent. The PD-L2 positive cancer cells may be metastatic cancer cells, multi-drug resistant cancer cells, or recurrent cancer cells.

[0010] The antibody may be a single chain antibody, a single domain antibody, a chimeric antibody, or a Fab fragment. The antibody may be a human antibody, a murine antibody, an IgG, a humanized antibody, or a humanized IgG. The antibody or antibody fragment may further comprise a label (e.g., a peptide tag, an enzyme, a magnetic particle, a chromophore, a fluorescent molecule, a chemiluminescent molecule, or a dye). The antibody or antibody fragment may further comprise an anti-tumor drug linked thereto (e.g., linked to the antibody or antibody fragment through a photolabile linker or an enzyme-cleavable linker). The anti-tumor drug may be a toxin, a radioisotope, a cytokine, or an enzyme. The antibody or antibody fragment may be conjugated to a nanoparticle or a liposome.

[0011] In another aspect, a method of treating cancer in a subject is provided, comprising delivering to the subject an antibody or antibody fragment having a heavy and light chain CDR sequence pair of a clone from Table 3 and Table 4, respectively. The antibody fragment may be a recombinant scFv (single chain variable region fragment) antibody, a Fab fragment, a F(ab')2 fragment, or an Fv fragment. The antibody may be an IgG. The antibody may be a chimeric antibody. Delivery may include administration of the antibody or antibody fragment, or gene delivery using an RNA or DNA sequence or vector encoding the antibody or antibody fragment.

[0012] The antibody or antibody fragment may be encoded by a light and heavy chain variable region sequence pair of a clone shown in Table 1, or may be encoded by a light and heavy chain variable region sequence pair of a clone having 95% identity to that shown in Table 1, or may be encoded by a light and heavy chain variable region sequence having 70%, 80%, or 90% identity to a sequence pair of a clone from Table 1. The antibody or antibody fragment may comprise a light and heavy chain variable region sequence as per a sequence pair of a clone from Table 2, or may comprise a light and heavy chain variable region sequence having 70%, 80% or 90% identity to a sequence pair of a clone from Table 2, or may comprise a light and heavy chain variable region sequence having 95% identity to a sequence pair of a clone from Table 2.

[0013] Also provided are monoclonal antibodies, in which the antibody or antibody fragment is characterized by the heavy and light chain CDR sequence pairs of the clones from Tables 3 and 4, respectively. The antibody fragment may be a recombinant scFv (single chain variable region fragment) antibody, a Fab fragment, a F(ab')2 fragment, or an Fv fragment. The antibody may be a chimeric antibody, or an IgG.

[0014] The antibody or antibody fragment may be encoded by a light and heavy chain variable region sequence pair of a clone shown in Table 1, or may be encoded by a light and heavy chain variable region sequence pair of a clone having 95% identity to that shown in Table 1, or may be encoded by a light and heavy chain variable region sequence having 70%, 80%, or 90% identity to a sequence pair of a clone from Table 1. The antibody or antibody fragment may comprise a light and heavy chain variable region sequence as per a sequence pair of a clone from Table 2, or may comprise a light and heavy chain variable region sequence having 70%, 80% or 90% identity to a sequence pair of a clone from Table 2, or may comprise a light and heavy chain variable region sequence having 95% identity to a sequence pair of a clone from Table 2.

[0015] In yet another embodiment, a hybridoma or engineered cell is provided that encodes an antibody or antibody fragment, the antibody or antibody fragment being characterized by the heavy and light chain CDR sequence pairs of a clone from Table 3 and Table 4, respectively. The antibody fragment may be a recombinant scFv (single chain variable region fragment) antibody, a Fab fragment, a F(ab')2 fragment, or an Fv fragment. The antibody may be a chimeric antibody or an IgG.

[0016] The antibody or antibody fragment may be encoded by a light and heavy chain variable region sequence pair of a clone shown in Table 1, or may be encoded by a light and heavy chain variable region sequence pair of a clone having 95% identity to that shown in Table 1, or may be encoded by a light and heavy chain variable region sequence having 70%, 80%, or 90% identity to a sequence pair of a clone from Table 1. The antibody or antibody fragment may comprise a light and heavy chain variable region sequence as per a sequence pair of a clone from Table 2, or may comprise a light and heavy chain variable region sequence having 70%, 80% or 90% identity to a sequence pair of a clone from Table 2, or may comprise a light and heavy chain variable region sequence having 95% identity to a sequence pair of a clone from Table 2.

[0017] Further embodiments include cancer vaccines comprising one or more antibodies or antibody fragments characterized by the heavy and light chain CDR sequence pairs of clones from Tables 3 and 4, respectively. At least one antibody fragment may be a recombinant scFv (single chain variable region fragment) antibody, a Fab fragment, a F(ab')2 fragment, or an Fv fragment. At least one of the antibodies may be a chimeric antibody, or an IgG. At least one antibody or antibody fragment may be encoded by a light and heavy chain variable region sequence pair of a clone shown in Table 1, or may be encoded by a light and heavy chain variable region sequence pair of a clone having 95% identity to those shown in Table 1, or may be encoded by a light and heavy chain variable region sequence pair having 70%, 80%, or 90% identity to the sequence pair of a clone from Table 1. At least one antibody or antibody fragment may comprise light and heavy chain variable region sequences according to a sequence pair of a clone from Table 2, or may comprise light and heavy chain variable region sequences having 70%, 80% or 90% identity to a sequence pair of a clone from Table 2, or may comprise light and heavy chain variable region sequences having 95% identity to a sequence pair of a clone from Table 2.

[0018] In another embodiment, a method of detecting PD-L2 expressing cells in a subject is provided, comprising contacting a sample from the subject with an antibody or antibody fragment characterized by the heavy and light chain CDR sequence pairs of clones from Table 3 and Table 4, respectively, and detecting PD-L1 or PD-L2 expressing cells in the sample by binding the antibody or antibody fragment to cells in the sample. The sample may be a body fluid or tissue sample. The cell may be a cancer cell, e.g., a lymphoma cell, a breast cancer cell, or a renal cell carcinoma cell. The cell may be a cell associated with immunosuppression. The cell associated with immunosuppression may be a non-cancerous cell in the tumor microenvironment, e.g., a stromal cell or an endothelial cell. The detection may comprise an ELISA, RIA, or Western blot. The method may further comprise performing the method a second time and determining a change in orthopoxvirus antigen levels compared to the first assay. The antibody or antibody fragment may be encoded by a light and heavy chain variable region sequence pair of a clone shown in Table 1, or may be encoded by a light and heavy chain variable region sequence pair of a clone having 95% identity to that shown in Table 1, or may be encoded by a light and heavy chain variable region sequence having 70%, 80%, or 90% identity to a sequence pair of a clone from Table 1. The antibody or antibody fragment may comprise a light and heavy chain variable region sequence as per a sequence pair of a clone from Table 2, or may comprise a light and heavy chain variable region sequence having 70%, 80% or 90% identity to a sequence pair of a clone from Table 2, or may comprise a light and heavy chain variable region sequence having 95% identity to a sequence pair of a clone from Table 2.

[0019] Also provided is a method of treating immune suppression in a tumor microenvironment, comprising delivering to a subject an antibody or antibody fragment having a heavy and light chain CDR sequence pair of a clone from Table 3 and Table 4, respectively. The antibody or antibody fragment may be encoded by a light and heavy chain variable region sequence pair of a clone shown in Table 1, or a light and heavy chain variable region sequence pair of a clone having 95% identity to that shown in Table 1, or a light and heavy chain variable region sequence having 70%, 80%, or 90% identity to a sequence pair of a clone from Table 1. The antibody or antibody fragment may comprise a light and heavy chain variable region sequence as per a sequence pair of a clone from Table 2, or a light and heavy chain variable region sequence having 70%, 80%, or 90% identity to a sequence pair of a clone from Table 2, or a light and heavy chain variable region sequence having 95% identity to a sequence pair of a clone from Table 2.

[0020] It is contemplated that any method or composition described herein may be implemented with respect to any other method or composition described herein. Other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while showing certain aspects of the present disclosure, are for illustrative purposes only, and various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description herein.

[0021] As used herein, "essentially free" with respect to a named component is used herein to mean that none of the named components are intentionally incorporated into the composition and / or are present only as contaminants or in trace amounts. The total amount of the named components resulting from any unintentional contamination of the composition is preferably less than 0.01%. Most preferred are compositions in which any amount of the named components cannot be detected using standard analytical methods.

[0022] As used in the specification and claims of this application, "a" or "an" can mean one or more. As used in the specification and claims of this application, when used in conjunction with the word "comprising," the word "a" or "an" can mean one or more than one. As used in the specification and claims of this application, "another" or "further" can mean at least a second or more.

[0023] As used in the specification and claims of this application, the term "about" is used to indicate that a value includes the inherent variation of error for the device, the method being employed to determine the value, or the variation that exists in the study subjects.

[0024] [The present invention 1001] An antibody or antibody fragment comprising the heavy and light chain CDR sequence pairs of the clones from Tables 3 and 4, respectively. [The present invention 1002] 1001. An antibody or antibody fragment of the invention, encoded by light and heavy chain variable region sequences as per the sequence pairs of clones from Table 1. [The present invention 1003] 1001. An antibody or antibody fragment of the invention, encoded by light and heavy chain variable region sequences having at least 70%, 80%, or 90% identity to a sequence pair of a clone from Table 1. [The present invention 1004] 1001. An antibody or antibody fragment of the invention, encoded by light and heavy chain variable region sequences having at least 95% identity to the sequence pair of a clone from Table 1. [The present invention 1005] 1001. An antibody or antibody fragment of the invention comprising light and heavy chain variable region sequences according to the sequence pairs of clones from Table 2. [The present invention 1006] 1001. An antibody or antibody fragment of the invention comprising light and heavy chain variable region sequences having 70%, 80% or 90% identity to the sequence pair of a clone from Table 2. [The present invention 1007] 1001. An antibody or antibody fragment of the present invention comprising light and heavy chain variable region sequences having 95% identity to the sequence pair of a clone from Table 2. [The present invention 1008] The antibody or antibody fragment of any one of claims 1001 to 1007, wherein the antibody fragment is a recombinant scFv (single chain variable region fragment) antibody, a Fab fragment, a F(ab')2 fragment, or an Fv fragment. [The present invention 1009] The antibody or antibody fragment of any one of claims 1001 to 1007, wherein the antibody is a chimeric antibody. [The present invention 1010] The antibody or antibody fragment of any one of claims 1001 to 1009, wherein the antibody is an IgG. [The present invention 1011] The antibody or antibody fragment of any of claims 1001 to 1010, further comprising a cell-penetrating peptide and / or being an intrabody. [The present invention 1012] The antibody or fragment of any one of claims 1001 to 1011, which is a human antibody. [The present invention 1013] The antibody or fragment of any one of claims 1001 to 1011, which is a humanized antibody. [The present invention 1014] A method of treating a subject having cancer, comprising delivering to the subject an antibody or antibody fragment having a heavy chain and light chain CDR sequence pair of a clone from Table 3 and Table 4, respectively. [The present invention 1015] The method of the present invention, wherein said antibody or antibody fragment is encoded by a pair of light and heavy chain variable region sequences of a clone shown in Table 1. [The present invention 1016] The method of any one of claims 1014 to 1015, wherein said antibody or antibody fragment is encoded by a pair of light and heavy chain variable region sequences of a clone having 95% identity to those shown in Table 1. [The present invention 1017] The method of claim 1014 or 1015, wherein said antibody or antibody fragment is encoded by light and heavy chain variable region sequences having 70%, 80%, or 90% identity to the sequence pair of a clone from Table 1. [The present invention 1018] The method of the present invention, wherein said antibody or antibody fragment comprises light and heavy chain variable region sequences according to the sequence pair of the clone from Table 2. [The present invention 1019] The method of claim 10, wherein said antibody or antibody fragment comprises light and heavy chain variable region sequences having 70%, 80% or 90% identity to the sequence pair of a clone from Table 2. [The present invention 1020] The method of the present invention 1014, which is encoded by light and heavy chain variable region sequences having 95% identity to the sequence pair of a clone from Table 2. [The present invention 1021] The method according to any one of claims 1014 to 1020, wherein the antibody fragment is a recombinant scFv (single chain variable region fragment) antibody, a Fab fragment, a F(ab')2 fragment, or an Fv fragment. [The present invention 1022] The method of any one of claims 1014 to 1021, wherein the antibody is an IgG. [The present invention 1023] The method of any one of claims 1014 to 1020, wherein the antibody is a chimeric antibody. [The present invention 1024] The method of any of claims 1014 to 1023, wherein the delivery comprises administration of an antibody or an antibody fragment, or gene delivery using an RNA or DNA sequence or vector encoding said antibody or antibody fragment. [The present invention 1025] A hybridoma or engineered cell encoding an antibody or antibody fragment, wherein the antibody or antibody fragment is characterized by the heavy and light chain CDR sequence pairs of a clone from Table 3 and Table 4, respectively. [The present invention 1026] The hybridoma or engineered cell of the present invention 1025, wherein said antibody or antibody fragment is encoded by light and heavy chain variable region sequences as per the sequence pair of the clone from Table 1. [The present invention 1027] The hybridoma or engineered cell of the present invention 1025, wherein the antibody or antibody fragment is encoded by light and heavy chain variable region sequences having at least 70%, 80%, or 90% identity to a pair of variable region sequences of a clone from Table 1. [The present invention 1028] The hybridoma or engineered cell of the present invention 1025, wherein said antibody or antibody fragment is encoded by light and heavy chain variable region sequences having 95% identity to the variable region sequence pair of a clone from Table 1. [The present invention 1029] The hybridoma or engineered cell of the present invention 1025, wherein said antibody or antibody fragment comprises light and heavy chain variable region sequences according to the sequence pair of the clone from Table 2. [The present invention 1030] The hybridoma or engineered cell of the present invention 1025, wherein the antibody or antibody fragment is encoded by light and heavy chain variable region sequences having at least 70%, 80%, or 90% identity to a pair of variable region sequences of a clone from Table 2. [The present invention 1031] The hybridoma or engineered cell of the present invention 1025, wherein said antibody or antibody fragment comprises light and heavy chain variable region sequences having 95% identity to the sequence pair of a clone from Table 2. [The present invention 1032] The hybridoma or engineered cell of any of claims 1025 to 1031, wherein the antibody fragment is a recombinant scFv (single chain variable region fragment) antibody, a Fab fragment, a F(ab')2 fragment, or an Fv fragment. [The present invention 1033] The hybridoma or engineered cell of any of claims 1025 to 1032, wherein the antibody is a chimeric antibody. [The present invention 1034] The hybridoma or engineered cell of any of claims 1025 to 1032, wherein the antibody is an IgG. [The present invention 1035] The hybridoma or engineered cell of any of claims 1025 to 1034, wherein the antibody or antibody fragment further comprises a cell penetrating peptide and / or is an intrabody. [The present invention 1036] A vaccine formulation comprising one or more antibodies or antibody fragments characterized by the heavy and light chain CDR sequence pairs of the clones from Tables 3 and 4, respectively. [The present invention 1037] 1036. The vaccine formulation of the invention, wherein at least one antibody or antibody fragment is encoded by light and heavy chain variable region sequences as per the sequence pair of a clone from Table 1. [The present invention 1038] A vaccine formulation of the invention 1036, wherein at least one antibody or antibody fragment is encoded by light and heavy chain variable region sequences having at least 70%, 80%, or 90% identity to a sequence pair of a clone from Table 1. [The present invention 1039] 1036. The vaccine formulation of the invention, wherein at least one antibody or antibody fragment is encoded by light and heavy chain variable region sequences having at least 95% identity to a sequence pair of a clone from Table 1. [The present invention 1040] 1036. The vaccine formulation of the invention, wherein at least one antibody or antibody fragment comprises light and heavy chain variable region sequences according to the sequence pair of a clone from Table 2. [The present invention 1041] 1036. A vaccine formulation of the invention, wherein at least one antibody or antibody fragment comprises light and heavy chain variable region sequences having 95% identity to a sequence pair of a clone from Table 2. [The present invention 1042] The vaccine formulation of any of claims 1036 to 1041, wherein at least one antibody fragment is a recombinant scFv (single chain variable region fragment) antibody, a Fab fragment, a F(ab')2 fragment, or an Fv fragment. [The present invention 1043] The vaccine preparation of any of claims 1036 to 1041, wherein at least one antibody is a chimeric antibody. [The present invention 1044] The vaccine preparation of any of claims 1036 to 1043, wherein at least one antibody is an IgG. [The present invention 1045] The vaccine formulation of any of claims 1036 to 1044, wherein at least one antibody or antibody fragment further comprises a cell penetrating peptide and / or is an intrabody. [The present invention 1046] 1. A method for detecting PD-L2 expressing cells in a subject, comprising: (a) contacting a sample from the subject with an antibody or antibody fragment having a heavy and light chain CDR sequence pair of a clone from Table 3 and Table 4, respectively; and (b) detecting cells expressing PD-L2 in the sample by binding of the antibody or antibody fragment to cells in the sample. A method comprising: [The present invention 1047] The method of claim 1046, wherein the sample is a body fluid. [The present invention 1048] The method of any one of claims 1046 to 1047, wherein the sample is a tissue sample. [The present invention 1049] The method of any one of claims 1046 to 1047, wherein the detection comprises ELISA, RIA or Western blot. [The present invention 1050] Any of the methods of claims 1046 to 1049, further comprising performing steps (a) and (b) a second time and determining a change in orthopoxvirus antigen levels compared to the first assay. [The present invention 1051] The method of any of claims 1046 to 1050, wherein the antibody or antibody fragment is encoded by a pair of variable region sequences of the clones shown in Table 1. [The present invention 1052] Any of the methods of claims 1046 to 1050, wherein the antibody or antibody fragment is encoded by light chain and heavy chain variable region sequences having 70%, 80%, or 90% identity to the variable region sequence pairs of the clones shown in Table 1. [The present invention 1053] The method of any of claims 1046 to 1050, wherein said antibody or antibody fragment is encoded by light and heavy chain variable region sequences having 95% identity to the sequence pairs of the clones shown in Table 1. [The present invention 1054] The method of any of claims 1046 to 1050, wherein said antibody or antibody fragment comprises light and heavy chain variable region sequences according to the sequence pair of the clone from Table 2. [The present invention 1055] The method of any of claims 1046 to 1050, wherein said antibody or antibody fragment comprises light and heavy chain variable region sequences having 70%, 80% or 90% identity to the sequence pair of the clone from Table 2. [The present invention 1056] The method of any of claims 1046 to 1050, wherein said antibody or antibody fragment comprises light and heavy chain variable region sequences having 95% identity to the sequence pair of a clone from Table 2. [The present invention 1057] The method according to any one of claims 1046 to 1056, wherein the antibody fragment is a recombinant scFv (single chain variable region fragment) antibody, a Fab fragment, a F(ab')2 fragment, or an Fv fragment. [The present invention 1058] The method of any one of claims 1046 to 1057, wherein the cell is a cancer cell. [The present invention 1059] The method of claim 1058, wherein said cancer cells are lymphoma cells, breast cancer cells, or renal cell carcinoma cells. [The present invention 1060] The method according to any one of claims 1046 to 1057, wherein the cells are cells associated with immunosuppression. [The present invention 1061] The method of claim 1060, wherein said cells associated with immune suppression are non-cancerous cells in the tumor microenvironment. [The present invention 1062] The method of claim 1061, wherein the non-cancerous cells in the tumor microenvironment are stromal cells or endothelial cells. [The present invention 1063] A method for treating immunosuppression in a tumor microenvironment, comprising delivering to a subject an antibody or antibody fragment having a heavy chain and light chain CDR sequence pair of a clone from Table 3 and Table 4, respectively. Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating certain particular embodiments of the present invention, are given by way of illustration only, and various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description herein. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0025] The following drawings form part of the present specification and are included to further demonstrate certain aspects of the invention. The invention may be better understood by reference to one or more of these drawings in combination with the detailed description of specific embodiments presented herein.

[0026] [Figure 1A] Figure 1A-B: Identification of PD-L2 antibodies that block PD-L2 binding to PD-1. Candidate antibodies identified as described in the Examples were tested for their ability to bind to PD-L2 and block PD-L2 binding to PD-1. The maximum fluorescence intensity of Alexafluor 532-labeled PD-1 was measured and PD-L2 blockade was examined as a reduction in Alexa532 fluorescence in FACS analysis. Anti-PD-L2 clones 16501, 16425, 16510, and 16478 were evaluated against unstained cells, control antibodies, and the commercially available anti-PD-L2 antibody 10C12. [Figure 1B] See legend to Figure 1A. [Figure 2-1]Figure 2: Identification of PD-L2 antibody subclones that bind to PD-L2. Anti-PD-L2 antibody subclones (A) 16501 or (C) 16425 were tested using a PD-L2:PD-1 assay using CHO-PD-L2 cells capable of stimulating Jurkat T cells to produce luciferase in response to activation. Antibodies were added at the concentrations indicated. Reactions were performed on a ForteBio Octet® platform. Affinities and IC50 values ​​for anti-PD-L2 antibodies (C) 16501 and (D) 16425 were calculated from the curves. [Figure 2-2] A continuation of Figure 2-1 is shown. [Diagram 3] Evaluation of PD-L2 antibodies compared to Keytruda. (Left) Anti-PD-L2 clone 16501 and subclone 20810 were evaluated for cell surface binding and blocking by detecting Alexafluor intensity of PD-1 cells. (Right) Anti-PD-L2 clone 16501 and subclone 20810, along with clone 20237, Keytruda, and an isotype control, were evaluated for their ability to block PD-L2:PD-1 binding in a commercial PD-L2:PD-1 binding assay. Antibodies were used at the concentrations listed. [Figure 4A] Figure 4A-C: PD-L2 antibodies avidly bind to human PD-L2. (Figure 4A) Maximum fluorescence intensity was detected for binding of anti-PD-L2 subclones 16501, 20810, and 20811 to human PD-L2 protein using ForteBio Octet®. [Figure 4B] (Figure 4B) Anti-PD-L2 subclones 16425 and 20816 were tested for binding to human PD-L2 protein and the maximum fluorescence intensity was detected. Avidity curves were generated using ForteBio Octet®. [Figure 4C] (Figure 4C) Blockade of PD-1-FC binding to human PD-L2 by anti-PD-L2 subclones 16501 and 16510. [Diagram 5]Comparability to FDA-approved PD-1 / PD-L2 inhibitors. Candidate antibodies against PD-L2 were assayed using the Promega PD-L2:PD-1 blockade system. Isotype control, Keytruda, Tecentriq, anti-PD-L2 20810, 20811, and 20816 were evaluated for their ability to sequester PD-L2 from PD-1. Fold induction of PD-1-luciferase response at the indicated antibody concentrations is shown. [Figure 6A] Figure 6A-C: Candidate antibodies are active in multiple human mixed lymphocyte reactions. Candidate antibodies, FDA approved antibodies, commercial antibodies, or isotype controls were evaluated in the presence of induced dendritic cells and T cells from separate donors and assessed for IL-2 or IFN-γ production by ELISA. (Figure 6A) Keytruda (anti-PD-1), candidate anti-PD-L2 antibodies 20811 and 20816, and isotype controls were added to IDCs prior to addition to CD4+ T cells. [Figure 6B] (Figure 6B) Anti-PD-L2 antibody 20814 or isotype control was added to IDCs before addition to CD4+ T cells. [Figure 6C] (Figure 6C) Anti-PD-L2 antibody 20814, Keytruda, a PD-L1 monoclonal antibody, an isotype control, or both anti-PD-L1 and 20814 were added to IDC before addition to CD4+ T cells. [Figure 7] Candidate antibodies with ADCC are highly active against human U2940 lymphoma in vivo. After establishing PBML xenograft tumors in SCID mice, mice were treated with either mIgG2a control antibody, Herceptin, Rituxan, or 20810 and tumor volume was assessed at the indicated days. [Figure 8] Candidate antibodies are active against MDA-MB-231. After establishing MDA-MB-231 xenograft tumors in SCID mice, mice were treated with either mIgG2a control antibody, Rituxan, avelumab (anti-PD-L1), or 20810. Tumor volumes were assessed at the indicated days after treatment. [Figure 9]αPD-L2 antibodies are effective in αPD-L1-resistant EL4 lymphoma mouse models. Survival was measured in mice injected with anti-PD-L1-resistant EL4 cells expressing PD-L2 and luciferase. 1.5×105 EL4 cells expressing PD-L2 and luciferase were injected into the tail vein of mice. Mice were treated intraperitoneally with 100μg of the indicated antibodies on days 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15. Treatment with anti-PD-L2 candidate 20810 increased survival compared to treatment with PD-L1 mAb or no treatment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] Description of exemplary embodiments The present inventors have generated monoclonal antibodies with binding specificity for the human PD-L2 protein. Because these antibodies have been demonstrated to bind to PD-L2, they provide an opportunity to block the binding of PD-L2 to PD-1. They may also be used to deliver therapeutic payloads to PD-L2-expressing cancer cells. These and other aspects of the disclosure are described in greater detail below.

[0028] I. PD-L2 A. Structure Programmed cell death ligand 2 (PD-L2) is a protein encoded by the CD273 gene. PD-L2 is a 31 kDa protein that may play a major role in immune suppression during various events such as pregnancy, tissue allografts, autoimmune diseases, cancer, and other disease conditions. Human PD-L2 protein is encoded by the amino acid sequence shown below. TIFF0007624497000001.tif30149

[0029] PD-L2 is initially produced with a signal peptide corresponding to amino acids 1-19 of SEQ ID NO.1, which is then removed to yield the mature protein. The mature PD-L2 protein, corresponding to amino acids 20-273 of SEQ ID NO.1, contains an Ig-like V domain, an Ig-like C2-type domain, a transmembrane domain, and a cytoplasmic tail.

[0030] B. Function PD-L2 is a ligand for its receptor, PD-1. PD-1 can be found on activated T cells, B cells, and myeloid cells. Binding of PD-L2 to PD-1 initiates an immunological cascade that impairs T cell proliferation, cytokine production, cytolytic function, and survival. PD-1 transmits inhibitory signals that reduce proliferation of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells and CD4+ helper T cells. PD-L2 has also been shown to be an independent predictor of responsiveness to the PD-1 antibody pembrolizumab in multiple cancers (Yearley et al., 2017).

[0031] II. Monoclonal Antibodies and Their Generation A. General method Antibodies against PD-L2 can be generated by standard methods well known in the art (see, for example, Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1988; US Patent 4,196,265). Methods for generating monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) generally begin along the same lines as methods for preparing polyclonal antibodies. The first step in both of these methods is the immunization of a suitable host, or the identification of a subject that is immune due to a previous natural infection. As is well known in the art, a given composition for immunization can vary in its immunogenicity. Thus, it is often necessary to boost the host immune system, which can be accomplished by linking a peptide or polypeptide immunogen to a carrier. Exemplary and preferred carriers are keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) and bovine serum albumin (BSA). Other albumins, such as ovalbumin, mouse serum albumin, or rabbit serum albumin, can also be used as carriers. Means for conjugating polypeptides to carrier proteins are well known in the art and include glutaraldehyde, m-maleimidobenzoyl-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester, carbodiimide, and bisdiazotized benzidine.As is also well known in the art, the immunogenicity of a particular immunogen composition can be enhanced by the use of non-specific stimulators of immune response known as adjuvants.Exemplary and preferred adjuvants include complete Freund's adjuvant (non-specific stimulators of immune response containing killed Mycobacterium tuberculosis), incomplete Freund's adjuvant, and aluminum hydroxide adjuvant.

[0032] The amount of immunogen composition used in the production of polyclonal antibodies depends on the nature of the immunogen as well as the animal used for immunization. Various routes can be used to administer the immunogen (subcutaneous, intramuscular, intradermal, intravenous, and intraperitoneal). The production of polyclonal antibodies can be monitored by sampling the blood of the immunized animal at various times after immunization. A second booster injection may be given. The process of boosting and titration is repeated until a suitable titer is achieved. When a desired level of immunogenicity is obtained, the immunized animal can be bled to isolate and store the serum, and / or the animal can be used to generate monoclonal antibodies.

[0033] After immunization, somatic cells with the potential to produce antibodies, specifically B lymphocytes (B cells), are selected for use in mAb generation protocols. These cells can be obtained from biopsied spleens or lymph nodes, or from circulating blood. Antibody-producing B lymphocytes from immunized animals are then fused with immortal myeloma cells, generally cells of the same species as the immunized animal, or human or human / mouse chimeric cells. Myeloma cell lines suitable for use in hybridoma production fusion procedures are preferably non-antibody producing, have high fusion efficiency, and have enzyme deficiencies that make them unable to grow in certain selective media that support the growth of only the desired fused cells (hybridomas).

[0034] As known to those skilled in the art, any of a number of myeloma cells can be used (Goding, pp.65-66, 1986; Campbell, pp.75-83, 1984). For example, if the animal to be immunized is a mouse, P3-X63 / Ag8, X63-Ag8.653, NS1 / 1.Ag 4 1, Sp210-Ag14, FO, NSO / U, MPC-11, MPC11-X45-GTG 1.7 and S194 / 5XX0 Bul can be used, if the animal to be immunized is a rat, R210.RCY3, Y3-Ag 1.2.3, IR983F and 4B210 can be used, and U-266, GM1500-GRG2, LICR-LON-HMy2 and UC729-6 are all useful in connection with human cell fusions. One particular mouse myeloma cell is the NS-1 myeloma cell line (also referred to as P3-NS-1-Ag4-1), which is readily available from the NIGMS Human Genetic Mutant Cell Repository by submitting cell line repository number GM3573. Another mouse myeloma cell line that may be used is the 8-azaguanine-resistant mouse myeloma SP2 / 0 non-producer cell line. More recently, additional fusion partner lines have been described for use with human B cells, including KR12 (ATCC CRL-8658; K6H6 / B5 (ATCC CRL-1823 SHM-D33 (ATCC CRL-1668) and HMMA2.5 (Posner et al., 1987). The antibodies in this disclosure were generated using the SP2 / 0 / mIL-6 cell line, an IL-6-secreting derivative of the SP2 / 0 line.

[0035] Methods for generating hybrids of antibody-producing splenic or lymph node cells with myeloma cells usually involve mixing somatic cells with myeloma cells in a ratio of 2:1, although the ratio can vary from about 20:1 to about 1:1, respectively, in the presence of one or more agents (chemical or electrical) that promote fusion of the cell membranes. A fusion method using Sendai virus is described by Kohler and Milstein (1975; 1976), and a fusion method using polyethylene glycol (PEG), e.g., 37% (v / v) PEG, is described by Gefter et al. (1977). The use of electrically induced fusion methods is also appropriate (Goding, pp.71-74, 1986).

[0036] The fusion procedure typically yields approximately 1 x 10 -6 ~1×10 -8 This produces viable hybrids at a low frequency. However, this is not a problem because viable fused hybrids differentiate from parental unfused cells (especially unfused myeloma cells, which usually continue to divide indefinitely) by culturing in selective medium. Selective medium is generally a medium containing an agent that blocks de novo synthesis of nucleotides in tissue culture medium. Exemplary and preferred agents are aminopterin, methotrexate, and azaserine. Aminopterin and methotrexate block de novo synthesis of both purines and pyrimidines, while azaserine blocks only synthesis of purines. When aminopterin or methotrexate is used, hypoxanthine and thymidine are added to the medium as a source of nucleotides (HAT medium). When azaserine is used, hypoxanthine is added to the medium. When the B cell source is an Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) transformed human B cell line, ouabain is added to eliminate EBV transformed cells that have not fused to the myeloma.

[0037] The preferred selection medium is HAT or HAT with ouabain. Only cells capable of operating the nucleotide salvage pathway can survive in HAT medium. Myeloma cells lack key enzymes in the salvage pathway, such as hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT), and cannot survive. B cells can operate this pathway, but have a limited life span in culture, generally dying within about 2 weeks. Thus, the only cells that can survive in the selection medium are hybrids formed from myeloma and B cells. When the source of B cells used for fusion is a line of EBV-transformed B cells, as in the present case, ouabain is also used for drug selection of the hybrids, since EBV-transformed B cells are sensitive to drug killing, while the myeloma partner used is selected to be ouabain-resistant.

[0038] Culturing provides a population of hybridomas from which specific hybridomas are selected. Typically, hybridoma selection is performed by culturing the cells by dilution of single clones in microtiter plates and then testing the supernatants of individual clones (after about 2-3 weeks) for the desired reactivity. The assay should be sensitive, simple and rapid, such as radioimmunoassay, enzyme immunoassay, cytotoxicity assay, plaque assay dot immunobinding assay, etc.

[0039] The selected hybridomas can then be serially diluted or single cells selected by flow cytometric sorting and cloned into individual antibody-producing cell lines, which can then be propagated indefinitely to provide mAbs. Cell lines can be exploited for MAb production in two basic ways. A sample of the hybridoma can be injected (often into the peritoneal cavity) into an animal (e.g., a mouse). Optionally, the animal is primed with a hydrocarbon, particularly an oil such as pristane (tetramethylpentadecane), prior to injection. When human hybridomas are used in this manner, they are best injected into immunodeficient mice, such as SCID mice, to prevent tumor rejection. The injected animal develops tumors that secrete the specific monoclonal antibody produced by the fused cell hybrid. The animal's body fluids, such as serum or ascites fluid, can then be harvested to provide the mAbs in high concentration. Individual cell lines can also be cultured in vitro, where the mAbs are naturally secreted into the culture medium, from which they can be readily obtained in high concentrations. Alternatively, human hybridoma cell lines can be used in vitro to produce immunoglobulins in the cell supernatant. The cell lines can be adapted for growth in serum-free medium to optimize the ability to recover highly pure human monoclonal immunoglobulins.

[0040] Monoclonal antibodies produced by either means may be further purified, if necessary, using filtration, centrifugation, and various chromatographic methods, such as FPLC or affinity chromatography. Fragments of the monoclonal antibodies of the present disclosure can be obtained from the purified monoclonal antibodies by methods including digestion with enzymes, such as pepsin or papain, and / or by breaking down disulfide bonds by chemical reduction. Alternatively, monoclonal antibody fragments encompassed by the present disclosure can be synthesized using an automated peptide synthesizer.

[0041] It is also contemplated that a molecular cloning approach may be used to generate monoclonal antibodies. For this purpose, RNA can be isolated from a hybridoma line, and antibody genes can be obtained by RT-PCR and cloned into an immunoglobulin expression vector. Alternatively, a combinatorial immunoglobulin phagemid library can be prepared from RNA isolated from a cell line, and phagemids expressing suitable antibodies are selected by panning using viral antigens. The advantage of this approach over traditional hybridoma technology is that it can generate approximately 10 antibodies in a single round. 4 The advantage of this approach is that twice as many antibodies can be produced and screened, and new specificities can be generated by combining heavy and light chains, further increasing the chances of finding a suitable antibody.

[0042] Yeast-based antibody display libraries may be rationally designed and antibodies may be selected and / or isolated from such yeast-based antibody display libraries, for example, as disclosed in WO2012 / 009568, WO2009 / 036379, WO2010 / 105256, WO2003 / 074679, U.S. Patent No. 8,691,730, and U.S. Patent No. 9,354,228. Antibodies may then be expressed as full-length IgG from a desired cell type and purified.

[0043] Other U.S. patents that teach the production of antibodies useful in the present disclosure, each of which is incorporated herein by reference, include U.S. Pat. No. 5,565,332, which describes the production of chimeric antibodies using combinatorial approaches; U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,567, which describes recombinant immunoglobulin preparations; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,973, which describes antibody-therapeutic agent conjugates.

[0044] B. Antibodies of the Present Disclosure Antibodies according to the present disclosure can be defined in a first instance by their binding specificity (i.e., binding to PD-L2). One of skill in the art can determine whether such an antibody falls within the scope of the claims of the present application by assessing the binding specificity / affinity of a given antibody using techniques well known to one of skill in the art. In one aspect, monoclonal antibodies are provided having the heavy and light chain CDR pairs of the clones shown in Tables 3 and 4, respectively. Such antibodies may be produced by the clones discussed below in the Examples section using the methods described herein.

[0045] In a second aspect, antibodies may be defined by their variable region sequences, including additional "framework" regions. These are provided in Tables 1 and 2, which code for or represent the full length variable regions. Furthermore, antibody sequences may, optionally, differ from these sequences using methods discussed in more detail below. For example, the nucleic acid sequence may be such that (a) the variable regions are separated from the light and heavy chain constant domains, (b) the nucleic acid may differ from those set forth above without affecting the residues it codes for, (c) the nucleic acid may differ from those set forth above by a given percentage, e.g., 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98% or 99% homology, (d) the nucleic acid may be modified by low salt and / or high temperature conditions (e.g., from about 0.02 M to about 0.15 M NaCl at a temperature of about 50° C. to about 70° C.). (e) the amino acids may differ from those set forth above by virtue of their ability to hybridize under conditions of high stringency, such as those exemplified by those provided in Table 1), (f) the amino acids may differ from those set forth above by a given percentage of homology, e.g., 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98% or 99%, or (g) the amino acids may differ from those set forth above by allowing for conservative substitutions (discussed below). Each of the above applies to the nucleic acid sequences set forth as Table 1 and the amino acid sequences of Table 2.

[0046] C. Antibody Sequence Modifications In various embodiments, one may choose to modify the sequence of an identified antibody for various reasons, such as improving expression, improving cross-reactivity, or reducing off-target binding. Below is a general discussion of relevant techniques for antibody engineering.

[0047] After culturing the hybridomas, the cells can be lysed and total RNA can be extracted. After generating a cDNA copy of the RNA using random hexamers with RT, PCR can be performed using a multiplexed mixture of PCR primers expected to amplify all human variable gene sequences. The PCR products can be cloned into the pGEM-T Easy vector and then sequenced by automated DNA sequencing using standard vector primers. Binding and neutralization assays can be performed using antibodies recovered from hybridoma supernatants and purified by FPLC using Protein G columns.

[0048] Recombinant full-length IgG antibodies were generated by subcloning the heavy and light chain Fv DNA from the cloning vector into an IgG plasmid vector and transfected into 293 Freestyle cells or CHO cells, and the antibodies were harvested and purified from the cell supernatants of 293 or CHO cells.

[0049] The rapid availability of antibodies produced in the same host cells and cell culture methods as the final cGMP manufacturing process has the potential to reduce the duration of method development programs. Lonza has developed a general method using pooled transfectants grown in CDACF medium for the rapid production of small amounts (up to 50 g) of antibodies in CHO cells. Although somewhat slower than true transient systems, advantages include higher product concentrations and the use of the same host and process as the production cell line. Single-use bioreactors operated in fed-batch mode: In an example of growth and productivity of a GS-CHO pool expressing a model antibody in a single-use bag bioreactor culture (5 L working volume), a harvested antibody concentration of 2 g / L was achieved within 9 weeks of transfection.

[0050] Antibodies, as well as antibody libraries from which such antibodies can be selected and / or isolated, may be rationally designed and synthesized, such as by Adimab® technology, as disclosed in, for example, WO2012 / 009568, WO2009 / 036379, WO2010 / 105256, WO2003 / 074679, U.S. Pat. No. 8,691,730, and U.S. Pat. No. 9,354,228. This method of synthetic antibodies requires that the nucleotide sequence encoding the desired or designed antibody is inserted into a vector for ectopic expression. The desired antibody may then be expressed and purified as a full-length IgG molecule.

[0051] Antibody molecules include, for example, fragments produced by proteolytic cleavage of mAbs (F(ab'), F(ab')2, etc.), or single chain immunoglobulins, which can be produced, for example, via recombinant means. Such antibody derivatives are monovalent. In one embodiment, such fragments can be combined with each other, or with other antibody fragments or receptor ligands to form "chimeric" binding molecules. Notably, such chimeric molecules may contain substituents capable of binding to different epitopes of the same molecule.

[0052] In a related embodiment, the antibody is a derivative of the disclosed antibody, for example, an antibody that contains the same CDR sequence as the CDR sequence in the disclosed antibody (e.g., a chimeric antibody, or a CDR-grafted antibody). Alternatively, it may be desirable to make modifications, such as introducing conservative changes into the antibody molecule. In making such modifications, the hydropathic index of amino acids may be considered. The importance of the hydropathic amino acid index in conferring interactive biological function to a protein is generally understood in the art (Kyte and Doolittle, 1982). It is recognized that the relative hydropathic characteristics of amino acids contribute to the resulting secondary structure of a protein, which in turn determines the interaction of the protein with other molecules (e.g., enzymes, substrates, receptors, DNA, antibodies, antigens, etc.).

[0053] It is also understood in the art that substitutions of like amino acids can be made effectively on the basis of hydrophilicity. U.S. Patent No. 4,554,101, incorporated herein by reference, states that the greatest local average hydrophilicity of a protein, as governed by the hydrophilicity of adjacent amino acids, correlates with a biological property of the protein. As detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,554,101, the following hydrophilicity values ​​are assigned to amino acid residues: basic amino acids: arginine (+3.0), lysine (+3.0), and histidine (-0.5); acidic amino acids: aspartic acid (+3.0±1), glutamic acid (+3.0±1), asparagine (+0.2), and glutamine (+0.2); hydrophilic non-ionic amino acids: serine (+0.3), asparagine (+0.2), glutamine (+0.2), and threonine (-0.4), sulfur-containing amino acids: cysteine ​​(-1.0) and methionine (-1.3); hydrophobic non-aromatic amino acids: valine (-1.5), leucine (-1.8), isoleucine (-1.8), proline (-0.5±1), alanine (-0.5), and glycine (0); Hydrophobic aromatic amino acids: tryptophan (-3.4), phenylalanine (-2.5), and tyrosine (-2.3).

[0054] It is understood that an amino acid can be substituted for another amino acid having a similar hydrophilicity to produce a biologically or immunologically modified protein, with such alterations being preferred with substitutions of amino acids within a hydrophilicity value of ±2, particularly preferred within ±1, and even more particularly preferred within ±0.5.

[0055] As outlined above, amino acid substitutions are generally based on the relative similarity of the amino acid side-chain substituents, e.g., hydrophobicity, hydrophilicity, charge, size, etc. Exemplary substitutions that take into account various of the above characteristics are well known to those of skill in the art and include: arginine and lysine; glutamic acid and aspartic acid; serine and threonine; glutamine and asparagine; and valine, leucine and isoleucine.

[0056] The present disclosure also contemplates isotype modification. By modifying the Fc region to have a different isotype, different functions can be achieved. For example, changing to IgG1 can enhance antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, switching to class A can improve tissue distribution, and switching to class M can improve binding valency.

[0057] The modified antibodies can be prepared by any technique known to those of skill in the art, including expression through standard molecular biology techniques or chemical synthesis of the polypeptide. Methods of recombinant expression are covered elsewhere in this document.

[0058] D. Single chain antibody Single chain variable fragments (scFv) are fusions of the variable regions of immunoglobulin heavy and light chains linked together with a short (usually serine, glycine) linker. This chimeric molecule retains the specificity of the original immunoglobulin despite the removal of the constant region and the introduction of a linker peptide. This modification usually leaves the specificity unchanged. These molecules were historically created to facilitate display by phage, where it is highly convenient to express the antigen binding domain as a single peptide. Alternatively, scFvs can be created directly from subcloned heavy and light chains from hybridomas. Single chain variable fragments lack the constant Fc region found in full antibody molecules and thus the common binding site (e.g., protein A / G) used to purify antibodies. These fragments can often be purified / immobilized using protein L, since protein L interacts with the variable region of the kappa light chain.

[0059] Flexible linkers are generally composed of helix- and turn-promoting amino acid residues, such as alanine, serine, and glycine; however, other residues may also function. Tang et al. (1996) used phage display as a means to rapidly select specialized linkers for single-chain antibodies (scFv) from a protein linker library. A random linker library was constructed in which genes for heavy and light chain variable domains were linked by a segment encoding an 18-amino acid polypeptide of variable composition. The scFv repertoire (approximately 5×10 6 The tethers (10 distinct members) were displayed on filamentous phage and subjected to affinity selection with the hapten. The population of selected variants exhibited a significant increase in binding activity, while retaining considerable sequence diversity. Screening of 1054 individual variants subsequently yielded catalytically active scFvs that were efficiently produced in a soluble form. Sequence analysis identified the V as the only common feature of the selected tethers. H A conserved proline in the linker two residues after the C-terminus of and numerous arginines and prolines in other positions were revealed.

[0060] The recombinant antibody of the present disclosure may also be associated with a sequence or moiety that allows receptor dimerization or multimerization. Such sequences include sequences derived from IgA that allow the formation of multimers in combination with the J chain. Another multimerization domain is the Gal4 dimerization domain. In other embodiments, the chain may be modified with an agent that allows the combination of two antibodies, such as biotin / avidin.

[0061] In another embodiment, single chain antibodies can be produced by linking the light and heavy chains of the receptor using a non-peptide linker or chemical unit. Generally, the light and heavy chains are produced in separate cells, purified, and then linked together in a suitable manner (i.e., the N-terminus of the heavy chain is attached to the C-terminus of the light chain via a suitable chemical bridge).

[0062] Cross-linking reagents, such as stabilizers and coagulants, are used to form molecular bridges that connect the functional groups of two different molecules.However, it is contemplated that the heteromeric complexes can be made that are composed of the same analogue dimer or multimer or different analogues.To link two different compounds in a step-by-step manner, heterobifunctional cross-linking agents can be used, which eliminates undesired homopolymer formation.

[0063] Exemplary heterobifunctional crosslinkers contain two reactive groups, one that reacts with primary amine groups (e.g., N-hydroxysuccinimide) and the other that reacts with thiol groups (e.g., pyridyl disulfide, maleimide, halogens, etc.). Through the primary amine reactive group, the crosslinker may react with lysine residues of one protein (e.g., a selected antibody or fragment), and through the thiol reactive group, the crosslinker already attached to the first protein reacts with cysteine ​​residues (free sulfhydryl groups) of the other protein (e.g., a selective agent).

[0064] Preferably, a crosslinker with reasonable stability in blood is used.Many kinds of disulfide bond-containing linkers are known that can be successfully used to conjugate targeting agents and therapeutic / prophylactic agents.Containing sterically hindered disulfide bond linkers may provide greater stability in vivo and prevent the release of targeting peptide before reaching the site of action.Therefore, these linkers are a group of linking agents.

[0065] Another cross-linking reagent is SMPT, which is a bifunctional cross-linker containing a disulfide bond that is "sterically hindered" by adjacent benzene rings and methyl groups. The steric hindrance of the disulfide bond is believed to function to protect the bond from attack by thiolate anions, such as glutathione, that may be present in tissues and blood, thereby helping to prevent decoupling of the conjugate prior to delivery of the bound agent to the target site.

[0066] Like many other known cross-linking reagents, the SMPT cross-linking reagent offers the ability to cross-link functional groups such as the SH of cysteine ​​or primary amines (e.g., the epsilon-amino group of lysine). Another possible class of cross-linking agents includes heterobifunctional photoreactive phenyl azides containing a cleavable disulfide bond, such as sulfosuccinimidyl-2-(p-azidosalicylamido)ethyl-1,3'-dithiopropionate. The N-hydroxy-succinimidyl group reacts with primary amino groups, and the phenyl azide reacts (by photolysis) nonselectively with any amino acid residue.

[0067] In addition to hindered crosslinkers, unhindered linkers can also be used according to the present invention. Other useful crosslinkers that are not believed to contain or generate protected disulfides include SATA, SPDP, and 2-iminothiolane (Wawrzynczak&Thorpe, 1987). The use of such crosslinkers is well understood in the art. Another embodiment involves the use of flexible linkers.

[0068] US Patent No. 4,680,338 describes a bifunctional linker useful for preparing conjugates of ligands with amine-containing polymers and / or proteins, particularly for forming antibody conjugates with chelators, drugs, enzymes, detectable labels, etc. US Patent Nos. 5,141,648 and 5,563,250 disclose cleavable conjugates that contain labile bonds that can be cleaved under a variety of mild conditions. This linker is particularly useful in that the agent of interest can be directly attached to the linker, and cleavage can result in the release of the active agent. Particular uses include the addition of free amino or free sulfhydryl groups to proteins, such as antibodies, or drugs.

[0069] US Patent No. 5,856,456 provides peptide linkers for use in connecting polypeptide components to prepare fusion proteins, such as single-chain antibodies. The linkers are up to about 50 amino acids in length, contain at least one occurrence of a proline followed by a charged amino acid (preferably arginine or lysine), and are characterized by greater stability and reduced aggregation. US Patent No. 5,880,270 discloses aminooxy-containing linkers useful in various immunodiagnostic and separation techniques.

[0070] E. Purification In certain embodiments, the antibody of the present disclosure may be purified. The term "purified" as used herein is intended to refer to a composition that can be isolated from other components and is purified to any degree compared to the state in which the protein can be obtained in nature. Thus, a purified protein also refers to a protein that is free from the environment in which it can naturally occur. When the term "substantially purified" is used, this designation refers to a composition in which the protein or peptide forms the major component of the composition, for example, constituting about 50%, about 60%, about 70%, about 80%, about 90%, about 95% or more of the protein in the composition.

[0071] Protein purification techniques are well known to those skilled in the art. These techniques involve, at one level, crude fractionation of the cellular environment into polypeptide and non-polypeptide fractions. Once the polypeptide is separated from other proteins, the polypeptide of interest can be further purified using chromatographic and electrophoretic techniques to achieve partial or complete purification (or purification to homogeneity). Analytical methods that are particularly suitable for the preparation of pure peptides are ion exchange chromatography, exclusion chromatography, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, isoelectric focusing. Other methods for protein purification include precipitation with ammonium sulfate, PEG, antibodies, etc., or heat denaturation followed by centrifugation; gel filtration, reverse phase, hydroxylapatite and affinity chromatography; and combinations of such and other techniques.

[0072] In purifying the antibody of the present disclosure, it may be desirable to express the polypeptide in a prokaryotic or eukaryotic expression system and extract the protein using denaturing conditions.The polypeptide can be purified from other cellular components using an affinity column that binds to the tagged portion of the polypeptide.As is generally known in the art, the order of carrying out various purification steps may be changed or certain steps may be omitted, and still result in a suitable method for preparing substantially purified protein or peptide.

[0073] Typically, complete antibodies are fractionated using an agent that binds to the Fc portion of the antibody (i.e., Protein A). Alternatively, the antigen may be used to simultaneously purify and select the appropriate antibodies. Such methods often utilize a selection agent bound to a support such as a column, filter, or beads. The antibody is bound to the support, contaminants are removed (e.g., by washing away), and the antibody is released by applying conditions (salt, heat, etc.).

[0074] Various methods of quantifying the degree of purification of a protein or peptide will be known to those skilled in the art in light of the present disclosure. These include, for example, determining the specific activity of an active fraction or assessing the amount of polypeptides in the fraction by SDS / PAGE analysis. Another way to assess the purity of a fraction is to calculate the specific activity of the fraction and compare it to the specific activity of the initial extract, thus calculating the degree of purity. The actual units used to express the amount of activity will of course depend on the particular assay technique chosen according to purification and whether the expressed protein or peptide exhibits detectable activity.

[0075] It is known that the migration of polypeptides can vary, sometimes significantly, using different conditions of SDS / PAGE (Capaldi et al., 1977). It will therefore be understood that the apparent molecular weight of purified or partially purified expression products may vary under different electrophoretic conditions.

[0076] III. Pharmaceutical Preparations and Cancer Treatment A. Cancer Cancer results from the proliferation of a clonal population of cells from a tissue. The development of cancer, termed carcinogenesis, can be modeled and characterized in a number of ways. The association between cancer development and inflammation has long been recognized. The inflammatory response is involved in host defense against microbial infection and also promotes tissue repair and regeneration. Considerable evidence points to a link between inflammation and risk of cancer development, i.e., chronic inflammation can lead to dysplasia.

[0077] The cancer cells to which the method of the present disclosure can be applied generally include any cells that express PD-L2, more specifically, overexpress PD-L2.Suitable cancer cells can be breast cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, kidney cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer, bone cancer, blood cancer (e.g., leukemia or lymphoma), neural tissue cancer, melanoma, ovarian cancer, testicular cancer, prostate cancer, cervical cancer, vaginal cancer, or bladder cancer cells.In addition, the method of the present disclosure can be applied to a wide range of species, such as humans, non-human primates (e.g., monkeys, baboons, or chimpanzees), horses, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, gerbils, hamsters, rats, and mice. Cancers may also be recurrent, metastatic, and / or multidrug resistant, and the methods of the disclosure may be particularly applied to such cancers to render them resectable, to prolong or reinduce remission, to inhibit angiogenesis, to prevent or limit metastasis, and / or to treat multidrug resistant cancers. At the cellular level, the methods of the disclosure may lead to the killing of cancer cells, the inhibition of cancer cell proliferation, or otherwise the reversal or reduction of the malignant phenotype of tumor cells.

[0078] B. Formulation and Administration The present disclosure provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising anti-PD-L2 antibodies. In certain embodiments, the term "pharmaceutical acceptable" means approved by a federal or state regulatory agency for use in animals, more specifically in humans, or listed in the United States Pharmacopeia or other generally recognized pharmacopoeias. The term "carrier" refers to a diluent, excipient, or vehicle with which a therapeutic is administered. Such pharmaceutical carriers can be sterile liquids, such as water and oils, including those of petroleum, animal, vegetable, or synthetic origin, such as peanut oil, soybean oil, mineral oil, sesame oil, and the like. Other suitable pharmaceutical excipients include starch, glucose, lactose, sucrose, saline, dextrose, gelatin, malt, rice, flour, chalk, silica gel, sodium stearate, glycerol monostearate, talc, sodium chloride, dried skim milk, glycerol, propylene, glycol, water, ethanol, and the like.

[0079] The compositions can be formulated as neutral or salt forms. Pharmaceutically acceptable salts include salts formed with anions such as those derived from hydrochloric acid, phosphoric acid, acetic acid, oxalic acid, tartaric acid, and the like, and salts formed with cations such as those derived from sodium, potassium, ammonium, calcium, ferric hydroxide, isopropylamine, triethylamine, 2-ethylaminoethanol, histidine, procaine, and the like.

[0080] The antibodies of the present disclosure may include classical pharmaceutical preparations. Administration of these compositions according to the present disclosure may be via any common route, so long as the target tissue is available via that route. This includes oral, nasal, buccal, rectal, vaginal or topical. Alternatively, administration may be by intradermal, subcutaneous, intramuscular, intraperitoneal or intravenous injection. Such compositions are usually administered as pharma- ceutically acceptable compositions as described above. Of particular interest are direct intratumoral administration, tumor perfusion, or local or regional administration to tumors, for example in the local or regional vascular or lymphatic system, or in resected tumor beds.

[0081] The active compound may also be administered parenterally or intraperitoneally.The solution of the active compound as a free base or a pharmacologically acceptable salt may be prepared in water, suitably mixed with a surfactant such as hydroxypropylcellulose.Dispersions may also be prepared in glycerol, liquid polyethylene glycol, and mixtures thereof and in oils.Under normal conditions of storage and use, these preparations contain a preservative to prevent the growth of microorganisms.

[0082] C. Combination Therapy In the context of the present disclosure, it is also contemplated that the anti-PD-L2 antibodies described herein may be used in combination with chemotherapeutic or radiotherapeutic interventions or other treatments as well. In particular, it may be effective to combine anti-PD-L2 antibodies with other therapies that target different aspects of PD-L2 function (e.g., peptides and small molecules that target the cytoplasmic domain of PD-L2).

[0083] Using the methods and compositions of this disclosure, a "target" cell is generally contacted with an anti-PD-L2 antibody of this disclosure and at least one other agent to kill the cell, inhibit cell proliferation, inhibit metastasis, inhibit angiogenesis, or otherwise reverse or reduce the malignant phenotype of a tumor cell. These compositions are provided in a combined amount effective to kill the cell or inhibit cell proliferation. The method may involve contacting the cell with an anti-PD-L2 antibody of this disclosure and the other agent or factor simultaneously. This may be accomplished by contacting the cell with a single composition or pharmacological formulation that includes both agents, or by contacting the cell with two separate compositions or formulations, one composition that includes an anti-PD-L2 antibody of this disclosure and the other that includes the other agent.

[0084] Alternatively, anti-PD-L2 antibody therapy may precede or follow treatment with the other agent by intervals ranging from minutes to weeks. In embodiments in which the other agent and the anti-PD-L2 antibody are administered separately to the cells, care is typically taken not to allow a significant period of time to elapse between each delivery, so that the agents and expression constructs can still exert their advantageously combined effect on the cells. In such instances, it is contemplated that the cells will be contacted with both modalities within about 12-24 hours of each other, more preferably within about 6-12 hours, with a delay of only about 12 hours being most preferred. However, in some circumstances, it may be desirable to significantly extend the duration of treatment, such that days (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7) to weeks (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8) elapse between each administration.

[0085] It may be desirable to administer multiple doses of either the anti-PD-L2 antibody or other agents. Various combinations can be used, exemplified below, where the anti-PD-L2 antibody therapy of the disclosure is "A" and the other therapy is "B." TIFF0007624497000002.tif17128

[0086] The administration of the therapeutic agent of the present invention to patients will follow the general protocol for administering a specific secondary therapy, taking into account the toxicity of antibody therapy, if any. It is expected that the treatment cycle will be repeated as necessary. It is also contemplated that in combination with the cancer treatment described, surgical intervention may be applied in addition to various standard therapies.

[0087] Those skilled in the art are directed to "Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences" 15th Edition, Chapter 33, especially pages 624-652. Some variation in dosage will necessarily occur depending on the condition of the subject being treated. The person responsible for administration will, in any event, determine the appropriate dose for the individual subject. Moreover, for human administration, preparations should meet sterility, pyrogenicity, general safety and purity standards as required by FDA Office of Biologics standards.

[0088] 1. Chemotherapy Cancer treatment also includes various combination therapies involving both chemical and radiation-based treatments. Combination chemotherapy includes, for example, cisplatin (CDDP), carboplatin, procarbazine, mechlorethamine, cyclophosphamide, camptothecin, ifosfamide, melphalan, chlorambucil, busulfan, nitrosourea, dactinomycin, daunorubicin, doxorubicin, bleomycin, plicamycin, mitomycin, etoposide (VP16), tamoxifen, raloxifene, estrogen receptor binding agents, taxol, gemcitabine, navelbine, farnesyl-protein transferase inhibitors, transplatinum, 5-fluorouracil, vincristine, vinblastine and methotrexate, temozolomide (aqueous form of DTIC), or any analog or derivative variant of the above. The combination of biological therapy and chemotherapy is known as biochemotherapy. The present invention contemplates any chemotherapeutic agent that may be used or known in the art to treat or prevent cancer.

[0089] 2. Radiation therapy Other agents that cause DNA damage and have been used on a large scale include what are commonly known as gamma radiation, X-rays, and / or tumor cell-directed delivery of radioisotopes. Other forms of DNA damaging agents such as microwave and UV irradiation are also contemplated. All of these agents most likely result in widespread damage to DNA, DNA precursors, DNA replication and repair, and chromosome construction and maintenance. Dose ranges for X-rays range from daily doses of 50-200 roentgens over prolonged periods (3-4 weeks) to single doses of 2000-6000 roentgens. Dose ranges for radioisotopes vary widely and depend on the half-life of the isotope, the strength and type of radiation emitted, and uptake by the neoplastic cells.

[0090] The terms "contacted" and "exposed" when applied to a cell are used herein to describe the manner in which a therapeutic agent and a chemotherapeutic or radiotherapeutic agent are delivered to or placed in direct proximity with a target cell. To achieve cell killing or stasis, both agents are delivered to the cell in a combined amount effective to kill the cell or prevent cell division.

[0091] 3. Immunotherapy Immunotherapeutics generally rely on the use of immune effector cells and molecules to target and destroy cancer cells. The immune effector may be, for example, an antibody specific for some marker on the surface of tumor cells. The antibody may act alone as an effector of therapy or may localize other cells to actually cause cell killing. The antibody may also be conjugated to a drug or toxin (chemotherapeutic agent, radionuclide, ricin A chain, cholera toxin, pertussis toxin, etc.) or may simply act as a targeting agent. Alternatively, the effector may be a lymphocyte with a surface molecule that directly or indirectly interacts with the tumor cell target. Various effector cells include cytotoxic T cells and NK cells. The combination of therapeutic modalities, i.e., direct cytotoxic activity and inhibition or reduction of Fortilin, provides therapeutic benefit in the treatment of cancer.

[0092] Immunotherapy can also be used as part of a combination therapy. The general approach for combination therapy is discussed below. In one aspect of immunotherapy, the tumor cells must have some marker that is suitable for targeting, i.e., not present on the majority of other cells. There are many tumor markers, any of which may be suitable for targeting in the context of the present invention. Common tumor markers include carcinoembryonic antigen, prostate specific antigen, urinary tumor associated antigen, fetal antigen, tyrosinase (p97), gp68, TAG-72, HMFG, sialyl Lewis antigen, MucA, MucB, PLAP, estrogen receptor, laminin receptor, erb B and p155. An alternative aspect of immunotherapy is for anti-cancer effects with immune stimulating effects. There are also immune stimulating molecules, including cytokines, e.g., IL-2, IL-4, IL-12, GM-CSF, gamma-IFN, chemokines, e.g., MIP-1, MCP-1, IL-8, and growth factors, e.g., FLT3 ligand. Combining immune stimulatory molecules, either as proteins or using gene delivery in combination with tumor suppressors such as mda-7, has been shown to enhance antitumor effects (Ju et al., 2000).

[0093] As previously discussed, examples of immunotherapies currently under consideration or in use include immune adjuvants (e.g., Mycobacterium bovis, Plasmodium falciparum, dinitrochlorobenzene, and aromatic compounds) (U.S. Pat. No. 5,801,005, U.S. Pat. No. 5,739,169; Hui and Hashimoto, 1998; Christodoulides et al., 1998), cytokine therapy (e.g., interferon, IL-1, GM-CSF, and TNF) (Bukowski et al., 1998; Davidson et al., 1998; Hellstrand et al., 1998), gene therapy (e.g., TNF, IL-1, IL-2, p53) (Qin et al., 1998; Austin-Ward and Villaseca, 1998; U.S. Patent Nos. 5,830,880 and 5,846,945) and monoclonal antibodies (e.g., anti-ganglioside GM2, anti-HER-2, anti-p185) (Pietras et al., 1998; Hanibuchi et al., 1998; U.S. Patent No. 5,824,311). Herceptin (trastuzumab) is a chimeric (mouse-human) monoclonal antibody that blocks the HER2-neu receptor. It has antitumor activity and has been approved for use in the treatment of malignant tumors (Dillman, 1999). Combination therapy of cancer using Herceptin and chemotherapy has been shown to be more effective than the individual therapies. Therefore, it is contemplated that one or more anticancer therapies may be used with the tumor-associated HLA-restricted peptide therapy described herein.

[0094] In adoptive immunotherapy, the patient's circulating or tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes are isolated in vitro, activated by lymphokines such as IL-2 or transduced with genes for tumor necrosis, and re-administered (Rosenberg et al., 1988; 1989). To achieve this, an immunologically effective amount of activated lymphocytes is administered to an animal or human patient in combination with an adjuvant-incorporated antigenic peptide composition as described herein. The activated lymphocytes are most preferably the patient's own cells that have been previously isolated from blood or tumor samples and activated (or "expanded") in vitro. This form of immunotherapy has caused regression of melanoma and renal cancer in some cases, although the proportion of responders is small compared to non-responders.

[0095] There are many different approaches for passive immunotherapy of cancer, which can be broadly classified as follows: injection of antibodies alone, injection of antibodies linked to toxins or chemotherapeutic agents, injection of antibodies linked to radioactive isotopes, injection of anti-idiotypic antibodies, and finally, purging of the bone marrow for tumor cells.

[0096] Human monoclonal antibodies are used in passive immunotherapy because they cause little or no side effects in patients. However, their application is somewhat limited by their rarity and so far they have only been administered intralesionally. Human monoclonal antibodies against ganglioside antigens have been administered intralesionally to patients with cutaneous recurrent melanoma (Irie & Morton, 1986). Regression was observed in 6 out of 10 patients after daily or weekly intralesional injections. In another study, moderate success was achieved from intralesional injections of two human monoclonal antibodies (Irie et al., 1989). Possible therapeutic antibodies include anti-TNF, anti-CD25, anti-CD3, anti-CD20, CTLA-4-IG, and anti-CD28.

[0097] It may be advantageous to administer more than one monoclonal antibody that targets two different antigens, or even to administer an antibody with multiple antigen specificities. The treatment protocol may also include administration of lymphokines or other immune enhancers, as described by Bajorin et al. (1988). The development of human monoclonal antibodies is described in more detail elsewhere herein.

[0098] 4. Gene Therapy In yet another embodiment, the secondary treatment is gene therapy, in which a therapeutic polynucleotide is administered before, after, or at the same time as the administration of a tumor-associated HLA-restricted peptide. The delivery of a vector encoding a tumor-associated HLA-restricted peptide in combination with a second vector encoding one of the following gene products has a combined anti-hyperproliferative effect on target tissue. Alternatively, a single vector encoding both genes may be used. A variety of proteins are encompassed by the present invention, some of which are described below. A variety of genes that can be targeted by some forms of gene therapy in combination with the present invention are well known to those skilled in the art, and may include any gene involved in cancer.

[0099] Cell proliferation inducer. Cell proliferation inducer proteins are further classified into various categories according to their function. What all of these proteins have in common is their ability to regulate cell proliferation. For example, one form of PDGF, the sis oncogene, is a secreted growth factor. Oncogenes rarely arise from genes that code for growth factors, and currently, sis is the only known naturally occurring oncogenic growth factor. In one aspect of the present invention, it is contemplated that antisense mRNAs targeting specific cell proliferation inducers are used to prevent the expression of cell proliferation inducers.

[0100] The proteins FMS, ErbA, ErbB, and neu are growth factor receptors. Mutations to these receptors result in loss of regulatable function. For example, a point mutation affecting the transmembrane domain of the Neu receptor protein results in the neu oncogene. The erbA oncogene is derived from the intracellular receptor for thyroid hormone. It is believed that the altered oncogenic ErbA receptor competes with the endogenous thyroid hormone receptor, causing uncontrolled growth.

[0101] The largest class of oncogenes includes signal transduction proteins (e.g., Src, Abl and Ras). The protein Src is a cytoplasmic protein tyrosine kinase, and its conversion from a proto-oncogene to an oncogene occurs in some cases through a mutation at tyrosine residue 527. In contrast, the conversion of the GTPase protein ras from a proto-oncogene to an oncogene occurs, in one example, through a valine to glycine mutation at amino acid 12 in the sequence, reducing ras GTPase activity. The proteins Jun, Fos and Myc are proteins that exert their effects on nuclear function directly as transcription factors.

[0102] Cell proliferation inhibitors. Tumor suppressor oncogenes function to inhibit excessive cell proliferation. Inactivation of these genes destroys their inhibitory activity, resulting in uncontrolled proliferation. The most common tumor suppressors are Rb, p53, p21 and p16. Other genes that may be used according to the invention include APC, DCC, NF-1, NF-2, WT-1, MEN-I, MEN-II, zac1, p73, VHL, C-CAM, MMAC1 / PTEN, DBCCR-1, FCC, rsk-3, p27, p27 / p16 fusions, and p21 / p27 fusions.

[0103] Regulators of programmed cell death. Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is an essential process for normal embryonic development, maintenance of homeostasis in adult tissues, and suppression of carcinogenesis (Kerr et al., 1972). Bcl-2 family proteins and ICE-like proteases have been demonstrated to be important regulators and effectors of apoptosis in other systems. Bcl-2 proteins, discovered in association with follicular lymphoma, play prominent roles in controlling apoptosis and promoting cell survival in response to diverse apoptotic stimuli (Bakhshi et al., 1985; Cleary and Sklar, 1985; Cleary et al., 1986; Tsujimoto et al., 1985; Tsujimoto and Croce, 1986). The evolutionarily conserved Bcl-2 proteins are now recognized as members of a family of related proteins and can be classified as death agonists or death antagonists.

[0104] Subsequent to its discovery, Bcl-2 has been shown to act to suppress cell death induced by a variety of stimuli. It is also now clear that there is a family of Bcl-2 cell death regulatory proteins that share common structural and sequence homology. These different family members have similar functions to Bcl-2 (e.g., Bcl XL , Bcl W , Bcl S , Mcl-1, A1, Bfl-1) or antagonize Bcl-2 function to promote cell death (e.g., Bax, Bak, Bik, Bim, Bid, Bad, Harakiri).

[0105] 5. Surgery Approximately 60% of people with cancer will undergo some type of surgery, which includes preventative surgery, diagnostic or staging surgery, curative surgery, and palliative surgery. Curative surgery is a cancer treatment that may be used in combination with other therapies, such as the treatment of the present invention, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, gene therapy, immunotherapy, and / or alternative therapies.

[0106] Curative surgery includes resection, where all or part of the cancerous tissue is physically removed, excised, and / or destroyed. Tumor resection refers to the physical removal of at least a portion of the tumor. In addition to tumor resection, surgical treatment includes laser surgery, cryosurgery, electrosurgery, and microsurgery (Mohs surgery). It is further contemplated that the present invention may be used in combination with the removal of superficial cancers, pre-cancers, or incidental amounts of normal tissue.

[0107] When cancer cells, cancer tissues, or tumors are partially or entirely removed, cavities may be formed in the body. Treatment may be achieved by perfusion, direct injection, or local application of additional anti-cancer therapy to the area. Such treatment may be repeated, for example, every 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 days, or every 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 weeks, or every 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 months. These treatments may also be at different dosages.

[0108] IV. Antibody Conjugates The antibody can be linked to at least one agent to form an antibody conjugate. To enhance the effectiveness of the antibody molecule as a diagnostic or therapeutic agent, it is customary to link or covalently bind or complex at least one desired molecule or moiety. Such molecule or moiety may be, but is not limited to, at least one effector or reporter molecule. Effector molecules include molecules with desired activity, such as immunosuppressive / anti-inflammatory properties. Non-limiting examples of such molecules are given above. Such molecules are optionally attached via a cleavable linker designed to allow the molecule to be released at or near the target site.

[0109] In contrast, a reporter molecule is defined as any moiety that can be detected using an assay. Non-limiting examples of reporter molecules conjugated to antibodies include enzymes, radioactive labels, haptens, fluorescent labels, phosphorescent molecules, chemiluminescent molecules, chromophores, photoaffinity molecules, colored particles or ligands, such as biotin.

[0110] Antibody conjugates are generally preferred for use as diagnostic agents. Antibody diagnostics generally fall into two classes: those for use in in vitro diagnostics, such as in various immunoassays, and those for use in in vivo diagnostic protocols, commonly known as "antibody-directed imaging". Many suitable imaging agents are known in the art, as are methods for their attachment to antibodies (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,021,236, 4,938,948, and 4,472,509). The imaging moieties used can be paramagnetic ions, radioactive isotopes, fluorescent dyes, NMR-detectable substances, and X-ray imaging agents.

[0111] In the case of paramagnetic ions, examples include ions such as chromium (III), manganese (II), iron (III), iron (II), cobalt (II), nickel (II), copper (II), neodymium (III), samarium (III), ytterbium (III), gadolinium (III), vanadium (II), terbium (III), dysprosium (III), holmium (III) and / or erbium (III), with gadolinium being particularly preferred. Ions useful in other contexts, such as X-ray imaging, include, but are not limited to, lanthanum (III), gold (III), lead (II), and especially bismuth (III).

[0112] For radioactive isotopes for therapeutic and / or diagnostic applications, astatine 211 , 14 carbon, 51 chromium, 36 chlorine,57 cobalt, 58 Cobalt, Copper 67 , 152 Eu, gallium 67 , 3 Hydrogen, Iodine 123 , iodine 125 , iodine 131 ,indium 111 , 59 iron, 32 Phosphorus, Rhenium 186 ,rhenium 188 , 75 Selenium, 35 Sulfur, Technicium 99m and / or yttrium 90 Examples include: 125 I is often preferred for use in certain embodiments, and technicium 99m and / or indium 111 are also often preferred due to their low energy and suitability for long distance detection. Radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies can be prepared according to methods well known in the art. For example, monoclonal antibodies can be iodinated by contacting them with sodium and / or potassium iodide and a chemical oxidizing agent, such as sodium hypochlorite, or an enzymatic oxidizing agent, such as lactoperoxidase. Monoclonal antibodies can be iodinated with technetium by ligand exchange methods, for example, by reducing pertechnate with stannous solution, chelating the reduced technetium to a Sephadex column, and applying the antibody to the column. 99m Alternatively, direct labeling techniques may be used, for example, by incubating pertechnetate, a reducing agent, such as SNCl2, a buffer solution, such as sodium-potassium phthalate solution, and the antibody. Intermediate functional groups often used to attach radioisotopes to antibodies and exist as metal ions are diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) or ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA).

[0113] Fluorescent labels contemplated for use as conjugates include Alexa 350, Alexa 430, AMCA, BODIPY 630 / 650, BODIPY 650 / 665, BODIPY-FL, BODIPY-R6G, BODIPY-TMR, BODIPY-TRX, Cascade Blue, Cy3, Cy5,6-FAM, fluorescein isothiocyanate, HEX, 6-JOE, Oregon Green 488, Oregon Green 500, Oregon Green 514, Pacific Blue, REG, Rhodamine Green, Rhodamine Red, Renographin, ROX, TAMRA, TET, tetramethylrhodamine, and / or Texas Red.

[0114] Another type of antibody conjugate that is contemplated is intended primarily for in vitro use, where the antibody is linked to an enzyme (enzyme tag) that produces a colored product upon contact with a secondary binding ligand and / or a chromogenic substrate. Examples of suitable enzymes include urease, alkaline phosphatase, (horseradish) hydrogen peroxidase or glucose oxidase. Preferred secondary binding ligands are biotin and avidin and streptavidin compounds. The use of such labels is well known to those skilled in the art and is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,817,837, 3,850,752, 3,939,350, 3,996,345, 4,277,437, 4,275,149 and 4,366,241.

[0115] Yet another known method of site-specific attachment of molecules to antibodies involves the reaction of the antibody with a hapten-based affinity label. Essentially, the hapten-based affinity label reacts with amino acids in the antigen-binding site, thereby destroying this site and blocking the specific antigen reaction. However, this may not be advantageous as it results in loss of antigen binding by the antibody conjugate.

[0116] Molecules containing azide groups may also be used to form covalent bonds to proteins through reactive nitrene intermediates generated by low intensity ultraviolet light (Potter and Haley, 1983). In particular, 2- and 8-azido analogs of purine nucleotides have been used as site-directed photoprobes to identify nucleotide-binding proteins in crude cell extracts (Owens & Haley, 1987; Atherton et al, 1985). 2- and 8-azido nucleotides have also been used to map nucleotide-binding domains in purified proteins (Khatoon et al, 1989; King et al, 1989; Dholakia et al, 1989) and can be used as antibody binders.

[0117] Several methods are known in the art for the attachment or conjugation of an antibody to its conjugate moiety. Some attachment methods involve, for example, the use of organic chelating agents attached to the antibody, such as diethylenetriaminepentaacetic anhydride (DTPA); ethylenetriaminetetraacetic acid; N-chloro-p-toluenesulfonamide; and / or metal chelate complexes using tetrachloro-3α-6α-diphenylglycouril-3 (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,472,509 and 4,938,948). Monoclonal antibodies may also be reacted with enzymes in the presence of coupling agents, such as glutaraldehyde or periodate. Conjugates with fluorescein markers are prepared in the presence of these coupling agents or by reaction with isothiocyanates. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,948, imaging of breast tumors is achieved using monoclonal antibodies, with a detectable imaging moiety attached to the antibody using a linker, such as methyl-p-hydroxybenzimidate or N-succinimidyl-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propionate.

[0118] In another embodiment, derivatization of immunoglobulins is contemplated by selectively introducing sulfhydryl groups into the Fc region of the immunoglobulin using reaction conditions that do not alter the antibody combination site. Antibody conjugates produced according to this methodology have been disclosed to exhibit improved longevity, specificity and sensitivity (U.S. Pat. No. 5,196,066; incorporated herein by reference). Site-specific attachment of effector or reporter molecules, in which the reporter or effector molecule is conjugated to a carbohydrate residue in the Fc region, has also been disclosed in the literature (O'Shannessy et al, 1987). This approach has been reported to produce diagnostically and therapeutically promising antibodies that are currently undergoing clinical evaluation.

[0119] V. Immunodetection Methods In yet further embodiments, there are immunodetection methods for binding, purifying, removing, quantifying, and otherwise generally detecting PD-L2 and its associated antigens. Some immunodetection methods include enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), radioimmunoassays (RIAs), immunoradiometric assays, fluoroimmunoassays, chemiluminescent assays, bioluminescent assays, and Western blots, to name a few. Competitive assays for the detection and quantification of PD-L2 antibodies, in particular, are also provided. Various useful immunodetection method steps are described in the scientific literature, for example, Doolittle and Ben-Zeev (1999), Gulbis and Galand (1993), De Jager et al. (1993), and Nakamura et al. (1987). In general, immunobinding methods include obtaining a sample and, optionally, contacting the sample with a first antibody according to an embodiment described herein under conditions effective to allow the formation of an immune complex.

[0120] Contacting a selected biological sample with an antibody under conditions effective and for a period of time sufficient to allow the formation of immune complexes (primary immune complexes) generally involves simply adding the antibody composition to the sample and incubating the mixture for a period of time sufficient for the antibody to form immune complexes, i.e., bind to any PD-L2 present. After this time, the sample-antibody composition, e.g., tissue section, ELISA plate, dot blot, or Western blot, is generally washed to remove any non-specifically bound antibody species, allowing only specifically bound antibodies within the primary immune complexes to be detected.

[0121] In general, the detection of immune complex formation is well known in the art and can be achieved through the application of a number of approaches.These methods are generally based on the detection of labels or markers, such as radioactive tags, fluorescent tags, biological tags, and enzyme tags.Patents relating to the use of such labels include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,817,837, 3,850,752, 3,939,350, 3,996,345, 4,277,437, 4,275,149, and 4,366,241.Of course, as known in the art, additional advantages can be found through the use of secondary binding ligands, such as secondary antibodies and / or biotin / avidin ligand binding configurations.

[0122] The antibody used for detection may itself be linked to a detectable label, in which case the amount of primary immune complexes in the composition can be determined by simply detecting this label. Alternatively, the first antibody bound in the primary immune complex may be detected by a second binding ligand that has binding affinity to the antibody. In these cases, the second binding ligand may be linked to a detectable label. The second binding ligand is often itself an antibody, in which case it may be referred to as a "secondary" antibody. The primary immune complexes are contacted with a labeled secondary binding ligand, or antibody, under conditions effective to allow the formation of secondary immune complexes and for a period of time sufficient to do so. The secondary immune complexes are then generally washed to remove any non-specifically bound labeled secondary antibodies or ligands, after which the label remaining in the secondary immune complexes is detected.

[0123] Further methods include the detection of primary immune complexes by a two-step approach. As described above, a second binding ligand, such as an antibody, having binding affinity to the antibody is used to form secondary immune complexes. After washing, the secondary immune complexes are contacted with a third binding ligand or antibody, also having binding affinity to the second antibody, under conditions effective to allow the formation of immune complexes (tertiary immune complexes) for a sufficient period of time. The third ligand or antibody is linked to a detectable label, allowing the detection of the tertiary immune complexes thus formed. This system can provide signal amplification if this is desired.

[0124] One method of immunodetection uses two different antibodies. A first biotinylated antibody is used to detect the target antigen, and then a second antibody is used to detect the biotin bound to the complexed biotin. In that method, the sample to be tested is first incubated in a solution containing the first step antibody. If the target antigen is present, a portion of the antibody binds to the antigen to form a biotinylated antibody / antigen complex. The antibody / antigen complex is then amplified by incubation in successive solutions of streptavidin (or avidin), biotinylated DNA, and / or complementary biotinylated DNA, with each step adding an additional biotin site to the antibody / antigen complex. The amplification steps are repeated until a suitable level of amplification is achieved, at which point the sample is incubated in a solution containing a second step antibody against biotin. This second step antibody is labeled with an enzyme that can be used to detect the presence of the antibody / antigen complex, for example, by histoenzymology using a chromogenic substrate. When suitably amplified, a macroscopically visible conjugate can be produced.

[0125] Another known method of immunodetection utilizes immuno-PCR (polymerase chain reaction) methodology. The PCR method is similar to the Cantor method up to the incubation with biotinylated DNA, but instead of using multiple rounds of streptavidin and biotinylated DNA incubation, the DNA / biotin / streptavidin / antibody complex is washed with a low pH or high salt buffer that releases the antibody. The resulting wash solution is then used to perform a PCR reaction using suitable primers along with appropriate controls. At least in theory, the enormous amplification capacity and specificity of PCR can be utilized to detect single antigen molecules.

[0126] A. ELISA In the simplest sense, immunoassay is binding assay.Some preferred immunoassays are various types of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and radioimmunoassay (RIA) known in the art.Immunohistochemical detection using tissue sections is also particularly useful.However, it is easy to understand that detection is not limited to such techniques, and Western blotting, dot blotting, FACS analysis, etc. may also be used.

[0127] In one exemplary ELISA, the antibodies of the present disclosure are immobilized on a selected surface exhibiting protein affinity, e.g., a well in a polystyrene microtiter plate. A test composition suspected of containing PD-L2 is then added to the well. After binding and washing to remove non-specifically bound immune complexes, the bound antigen can be detected. Detection can be achieved by adding another anti-PD-L2 antibody linked to a detectable label. This type of ELISA is a simple "sandwich ELISA." Detection can also be achieved by adding a second anti-PD-L2 antibody followed by a third antibody linked to a detectable label that has binding affinity for the second antibody.

[0128] In another exemplary ELISA, a sample suspected of containing PD-L2 antigen is immobilized on a well surface and then contacted with an anti-PD-L2 antibody. After binding and washing to remove non-specifically bound immune complexes, the bound anti-PD-L2 antibody is detected. If the first anti-PD-L2 antibody is linked to a detectable label, the immune complexes may be detected directly. Again, the immune complexes may be detected using a second antibody (the second antibody is linked to a detectable label) that has binding affinity for the first anti-PD-L2 antibody.

[0129] Regardless of the format used, ELISAs have certain features in common, such as coating, incubation and binding, washing to remove non-specifically bound species, and detection of bound immune complexes, which are described below.

[0130] Coating a plate with either antigen or antibody generally involves incubating the wells of the plate with a solution of the antigen or antibody overnight or for a specified period of time. The wells of the plate are then washed to remove incompletely adsorbed material. Any remaining available surfaces of the wells are then "coated" with a non-specific protein that is antigenically neutral with respect to the test antiserum. These include solutions of bovine serum albumin (BSA), casein or milk powder. The coating allows for blocking of non-specific adsorption sites on the immobilizing surface, thus reducing the background caused by non-specific binding of antisera onto the surface.

[0131] In ELISA, rather than a direct procedure, it is probably more conventional to use secondary or tertiary detection. Thus, after binding protein or antibody to a well, coating with a non-reactive material to reduce background, and washing to remove unbound material, the biological sample to be tested is contacted with the immobilized surface under conditions effective to allow immune complex (antigen / antibody) formation. Detection of the immune complex then requires a labeled secondary binding ligand or antibody, and a secondary binding ligand or antibody in combination with a labeled tertiary antibody or third binding ligand.

[0132] "Under conditions effective to allow immune complex (antigen / antibody) formation" means that the conditions preferably include diluting the antigen and / or antibody in a solution, such as BSA, bovine gamma globulin (BGG) or phosphate buffered saline (PBS) / Tween. These added agents also tend to aid in the reduction of nonspecific background.

[0133] "Suitable" conditions also mean that the incubation is at a temperature or for a period of time sufficient to allow effective binding. The incubation step is typically carried out for about 1 to 2 to 4 hours, preferably at a temperature of about 25°C to 27°C, or may be carried out overnight at about 4°C.

[0134] After all incubation steps in ELISA, the contacted surface is washed to remove uncomplexed material. A preferred washing procedure involves washing with a solution such as PBS / Tween, or borate buffer. After the formation of specific immune complexes between the test sample and the originally bound material, and subsequent washing, the presence of even minute amounts of immune complexes can be determined.

[0135] To provide detection means, the second or third antibody has an associated label to allow detection.Preferably, this is an enzyme that generates color when incubated with a suitable chromogenic substrate.Thus, it is desirable to contact or incubate the first and second immune complexes with urease, glucose oxidase, alkaline phosphatase or hydrogen peroxidase conjugated antibodies for a period and under conditions that favor the occurrence of further immune complex formation (e.g., incubation in a PBS-containing solution such as PBS-Tween at room temperature for 2 hours).

[0136] After incubation with the labeled antibody and subsequent washing to remove unbound material, the amount of label is quantified, for example, by incubation with a chromogenic substrate, e.g., urea, or bromocresol purple, or 2,2'-azino-di-(3-ethyl-benzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), or H2O2 in the case of peroxidase as the enzyme label. Quantitation is then achieved by measuring the extent of color development, e.g., using a visible spectrum spectrophotometer.

[0137] B. Western Blot Western blot (or protein immunoblot) is an analytical technique used to detect specific proteins in a given sample of tissue homogenate or extract. It uses gel electrophoresis to separate native or denatured proteins by polypeptide length (denaturing conditions) or by the 3D structure of the protein (native / non-denaturing conditions). The proteins are then transferred to a membrane (typically nitrocellulose or PVDF) and probed (detected) using an antibody specific for the target protein.

[0138] Samples can be taken from whole tissues or from cell cultures. In most cases, solid tissues are first mechanically disrupted using a blender (for large sample volumes), a homogenizer (for small volumes), or by sonication. Cells may be disrupted by one of the mechanical methods mentioned above. However, it should be noted that bacterial, viral, or environmental samples may be the source of proteins and Western blotting is not limited to cell studies only. A combination of detergents, salts, and detergents may be used to promote cell lysis and solubilize proteins. Protease and phosphatase inhibitors are often added to prevent digestion of the sample by its own enzymes. Tissue preparation is often performed at low temperatures to avoid denaturation of proteins.

[0139] Gel electrophoresis is used to separate the proteins of a sample. Proteins can be separated by isoelectric point (pi), molecular weight, charge, or a combination of these factors. The nature of the separation depends on the treatment of the sample and the nature of the gel. This is a very useful method for determining proteins. Two-dimensional (2-D) gels can also be used, which spread the proteins from a single sample in two dimensions. Proteins are separated according to their isoelectric point (pH at which they have a neutral total charge) in the first dimension and according to molecular weight in the second dimension.

[0140] To make proteins accessible for antibody detection, they are transferred from within the gel onto a membrane made of nitrocellulose or polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF). The membrane is placed on top of the gel and a stack of filter papers is placed on top of it. The whole stack is placed in a buffer solution, which migrates by capillary action upwards towards the paper, carrying the proteins with it. Another method of transferring proteins is called electroblotting, which uses an electric current to draw the proteins from the gel into a PVDF or nitrocellulose membrane. The proteins migrate from within the gel onto the membrane while maintaining their organization within the gel. As a result of this blotting process, the proteins are exposed on a thin surface layer for detection (see below). Both types of membranes are chosen for their nonspecific protein binding properties (i.e., they bind all proteins equally). Protein binding is based on charge interactions between the membrane and the proteins, as well as hydrophobic interactions. Nitrocellulose membranes are cheaper than PVDF but are much more fragile and do not withstand repeated probing as well. The uniformity and overall effectiveness of the transfer of proteins from the gel to the membrane can be checked by staining the membrane with Coomassie Brilliant Blue or Ponceau S dye. Once the proteins have been transferred, they are detected using a labeled primary antibody, or using an unlabeled primary antibody followed by indirect detection using labeled Protein A or a secondary labeled antibody that binds to the Fc region of the primary antibody.

[0141] C. Immunohistochemistry The antibodies may also be used in combination with either fresh frozen and / or formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue blocks prepared for study by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Methods for preparing tissue blocks from these particulate specimens have been used successfully in prior IHC studies of various prognostic factors and are well known to those skilled in the art (Brown et al., 1990; Abbondanzo et al., 1990; Allred et al., 1990).

[0142] Briefly, frozen sections can be prepared by rehydrating 50 ng of frozen "ground" tissue in a small plastic capsule in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) at room temperature, pelleting the particles by centrifugation, resuspending them in viscous embedding medium (OCT), inverting the capsule and / or pelleting again by centrifugation, snap cooling in isopentane at -70°C, cutting the plastic capsule and / or removing the frozen tissue cylinder, mounting the tissue cylinder on a cryostat microtome chuck, and / or cutting 25-50 serial sections from the capsule. Alternatively, the entire frozen tissue sample may be used for cutting serial sections.

[0143] Permanent sections can be prepared by a similar method involving rehydrating 50 mg of sample in a plastic microcentrifuge tube, pelleting, resuspending in 10% formalin and fixing for 4 hours, washing / pelleting, resuspending in warm 2.5% agar, pelleting, chilling in ice-cold water to solidify the agar, removing the tissue / agar block from the tube, infiltrating and / or embedding the block in paraffin, and / or cutting up to 50 serial permanent sections. Again, the entire tissue sample may be substituted.

[0144] D. Immunodetection Kits In yet a further aspect, there is an immunodetection kit for use with the immunodetection methods described above. The immunodetection kit thus comprises, in suitable container means, a first antibody that binds to the PD-L2 antigen, and optionally an immunodetection reagent.

[0145] In certain embodiments, the PD-L2 antibody may be pre-bound to a solid support, such as a column matrix and / or a well of a microtiter plate. The immunodetection reagent of the kit may be in any one of a variety of forms, such as a detectable label associated or linked to a given antibody. Detectable labels associated or linked to a secondary binding ligand are also contemplated. An exemplary secondary ligand is a secondary antibody that has binding affinity for the first antibody.

[0146] Further suitable immunodetection reagents for use in the kits of the present invention include two-component reagents that include a second antibody having binding affinity to the first antibody, together with a third antibody having binding affinity to the second antibody, the third antibody being linked to a detectable label. As noted above, numerous exemplary labels are known in the art, and all such labels can be used in connection with the embodiments described herein.

[0147] The kit may further comprise a suitably dispensed composition of PD-L2 antigen, which may be labeled or unlabeled, so that it may be used to generate a standard curve for the detection assay.The kit may contain the antibody-label conjugate in fully conjugated form, in the form of intermediates, or as separate moieties that are conjugated by the user of the kit.The components of the kit may be packaged either in aqueous media or in lyophilized form.

[0148] The container means of the kits will generally include at least one vial, test tube, flask, bottle, syringe or other container means into which the antibody may be placed, or preferably suitably dispensed. The kits will also include means, the containers, for containing the antibody, antigen, and any other reagents in close confinement for commercial sale. Such containers may include injection- or blow-molded plastic containers into which the desired vials may be retained. EXAMPLES

[0149] VI. Working Examples The following examples are included to demonstrate preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the techniques disclosed in the following examples represent techniques that the inventors have discovered to work well in the practice of the present invention, and therefore can be considered to constitute preferred modes for its practice. However, those skilled in the art should understand in light of this disclosure that many changes can be made in the specific embodiments disclosed and still obtain the same or similar results without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0150] Example 1 - Materials and Methods Antibody Selection, Generation, and Production Although additional details may be provided in the Examples that follow, the selection, generation, and production of the disclosed antibodies was generally performed as follows.

[0151] Materials and Methods: Antigens were biotinylated using Pierce's EZ-Link Sulfo-NHS-Biotinylation Kit. Goat F(ab')2 anti-human kappa-FITC (LC-FITC), ExtrAvidin-PE (EA-PE) and streptavidin-AF633 (SA-633) were obtained from Southern Biotech, Sigma and Molecular Probes, respectively. Streptavidin microbeads and MACS LC separation columns were purchased from Miltenyi Biotec. Goat anti-human IgG-PE (Human-PE) was obtained from Southern Biotech.

[0152] Naive Discovery: Approx. 10 9Eight naive human synthetic yeast libraries, each with a diversity of 10 were grown as previously described (see, e.g., Xu et al., 2013, WO2009036379, WO2010105256, and WO2012009568). For the first two rounds of selection, magnetic bead sorting techniques utilizing the Miltenyi MACS system were performed as previously described (see, e.g., Siegel et al., 2004). Briefly, yeast cells (approximately 10 10 The yeast (cells / library) were incubated with 3 ml of 10 nM biotinylated Fc fusion-antigen in wash buffer (phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) / 0.1% bovine serum albumin (BSA)) for 15 min at 30°C. After one wash with 40 ml of ice-cold wash buffer, the cell pellet was resuspended in 20 mL of wash buffer and streptavidin microbeads (500 μl) were added to the yeast and incubated at 4°C for 15 min. The yeast were then pelleted, resuspended in 20 mL of wash buffer and loaded onto a Miltenyi LS column. After loading 20 mL, the column was washed three times with 3 ml of wash buffer. The column was then removed from the magnetic field and the yeast were eluted with 5 mL of growth medium and then grown overnight. Subsequent rounds of selection were performed using flow cytometry. Approximately 2 × 10 7Yeast were pelleted, washed three times with wash buffer, and incubated at 30°C under equilibrium conditions with either 10 nM Fc fusion antigen or, in later rounds, decreasing concentrations (100-1 nM) of biotinylated antigen, or with 100 nM biotinylated antigen of a different species (mouse) to obtain species cross-reactivity, or with multispecific depletion reagent (PSR) to remove non-specific antibodies from the selection. For PSR depletion, the library was incubated with a 1:10 dilution of biotinylated PSR reagent as previously described (see, e.g., Xu et al., 2013). Yeast were then washed twice with wash buffer and stained with LC-FITC (diluted 1:100) and either SA-633 (diluted 1:500) or EAPE (diluted 1:50) secondary reagents for 15 min at 4°C. After washing twice with wash buffer, the cell pellet was resuspended in 0.3 mL of wash buffer and transferred to a strainer-capped sorting tube. Sorting was performed using a FACS ARIA sorter (BD Biosciences) to determine sorting gates to select for antibodies with the desired characteristics. Selection rounds were repeated until a population with all of the desired characteristics was obtained. After the final round of sorting, yeast was plated and individual colonies were picked for characterization.

[0153] Light chain batch shuffling (LCBS): The primary discovery also included a light chain batch diversification protocol from the heavy chain plasmids from the naive selection: the heavy chain plasmids from the naive round 4 selection output were extracted from yeast and 5 × 10 6 A light chain library with a diversity of 100 was transformed into a light chain library with a diversity of 1000. Selection was performed by one round of MACS and three rounds of FACS using the same conditions as for naive discovery.

[0154] Antibody optimization: Antibody optimization was performed by introducing diversity into the heavy and light chain variable regions as described below. A combination of some of these approaches was used for each antibody.

[0155] Selection of CDRH1 and CDRH2: 1×108 A single antibody CDRH3 was recombined to a pre-made library with CDRH1 and CDRH2 variants with a diversity of 1000 and selected by one round of MACS and four rounds of FACS as described in naive discovery. In the FACS rounds, the library was examined for PSR binding, species cross-reactivity, antigen cross-reactivity, and affinity pressure, and selection was performed to obtain a population with the desired characteristics. For these selections, affinity pressure was applied by either down-titrating biotinylated monomeric antigen or by pre-incubating biotinylated antigen with parental Fab for 30 minutes and then applying the pre-combined mixture to the yeast library for a period that allowed the selection to reach equilibrium. Antibodies with higher affinity could then be selected.

[0156] Selection of VH Mut: The heavy chain variable region (VH) was mutagenized by error-prone PCR. The library was then generated by transforming the mutagenized VH and heavy chain expression vectors into yeast already containing the parental light chain plasmid. Selection was performed as in the previous cycle using three rounds of FACS sorting. In the FACS rounds, the library was examined for cross-reactivity and affinity pressure, and selection was performed to obtain a population with the desired characteristics.

[0157] Selection of CDRL1, CDRL2, and CDRL3: Oligos were ordered from IDT that contained CDRL3 and were diversified by NNK diversity. CDRL3 oligos were double stranded using primers that anneal to the flanking regions of CDRL3. These double stranded CDRL3 oligos were then split into 3x10 5The CDRL1 and CDRL2 variants were recombined into a pre-made library with a diversity of 1000 and selected by one round of MACS and three rounds of FACS as described in naive discovery. In the FACS rounds, the library was examined for PSR binding, cross-reactivity, and affinity pressure, and selection was performed to obtain a population with the desired characteristics. The affinity pressure for these selections was performed as described above for the selection of CDRH1 and CDRH2.

[0158] Antibody production and purification: Yeast clones were grown to saturation and then induced for 48 hours at 30°C with shaking. After induction, yeast cells were pelleted and the supernatant was collected for purification. IgG was purified using a Protein A column and eluted with acetic acid at pH 2.0. Fab fragments were generated by papain digestion and purified using KappaSelect (GE Healthcare LifeSciences).

[0159] ForteBio K DMeasurements: ForteBio affinity measurements were performed on an Octet RED384 as generally described previously (see, for example, Estep et al., High throughput solution-based measurement of antibody-antigen affinity and epitope binning. Mabs 5 (2), 270-278 (2013)). Briefly, ForteBio affinity measurements were performed by loading IgG online onto the AHQ sensor. The sensor was equilibrated offline in assay buffer for 30 min and then monitored online for 60 s to establish a baseline. The sensor with loaded IgG was exposed to 100 nM antigen for 3 min and then transferred to assay buffer for 3 min to measure the dissociation rate. For monovalent affinity evaluation, Fab was used instead of IgG. For this evaluation, non-biotinylated Fc fusion antigen was loaded online onto the AHQ sensor. The sensor was equilibrated offline in assay buffer for 30 min and then monitored online for 60 s to establish a baseline. Sensors with loaded antigen were exposed to 100 nM Fab for 3 min, after which they were transferred to assay buffer for 3 min for measurement of dissociation rates. All kinetics were analyzed using a 1:1 binding model.

[0160] ForteBio epitope binning / ligand blocking: Epitope binning / ligand blocking was performed using a standard sandwich format reciprocal blocking assay. A control anti-target IgG was loaded onto the AHQ sensor and unoccupied Fc binding sites on the sensor were blocked with an irrelevant human IgG1 antibody. The sensor was then exposed to 100 nM target antigen followed by a second anti-target antibody or ligand. Additional binding by the second antibody or ligand after antigen association indicates an unoccupied epitope (non-competitor) and no binding indicates epitope blocking (competitor or ligand blocking).

[0161] MSD-SET K DMeasurements: Equilibrium affinity measurements of selected high affinity antibodies were performed generally as described previously (Estep et al., Mabs, Vol.5 (2), pp.270-278 (2013)). Briefly, solution equilibrium titrations (SET) were performed in PBS + 0.1% IgG-free BSA (PBSF) with antigen held constant at 50 pM and incubated with 3-5 fold serial dilutions of Fab starting at 20 nM. Standard binding MSD-ECL plates were coated with antibody (20 nM in PBS) overnight at 4°C or for 30 min at room temperature. Plates were then blocked with BSA for 30 min with shaking at 700 rpm, followed by washing 3 times with wash buffer (PBSF + 0.05% Tween 20). SET samples were applied and incubated on the plate for 150 s with shaking at 700 rpm, followed by one wash. Antigen captured on the plate was detected by incubating the plate with 250 ng / mL sulfo-tagged streptavidin in PBSF for 3 minutes. Plates were washed 3 times with wash buffer and then read on an MSD Sector Imager 2400 instrument using 1× Read Buffer T with detergent. The percent free antigen was plotted in Prism as a function of titrated antibody and fitted to a quadratic equation to obtain the K D To improve throughput, a liquid-handling robot was used throughout the MSD-SET experiment, including SET sample preparation.

[0162] Cell binding analysis: Approximately 100,000 cells overexpressing the antigen were washed with wash buffer and incubated with 100ul of 100nM IgG for 5 minutes at room temperature. The cells were then washed twice with wash buffer and incubated with 100ul of 1:100 Human-PE for 15 minutes on ice. The cells were then washed twice with wash buffer and analyzed on a FACS Canto II analyzer (BD Biosciences).

[0163] Antibody screening and characterization. Candidate antibodies generated from the methods presented above were tested for their ability to bind PD-L2 and block PD-L2 binding to PD-1. 5 μg / mL of antibodies were bound to CHO-PD-L2 cells, and then recombinant PD-1 (RnD Systems) labeled with Alexa 532 (ThermoFisher) was added for 1 h. The maximum fluorescence intensity of PD-1 was measured. Blockade of PD-1 binding was measured by the reduction of Alexa 532 fluorescence by flow cytometry. To generate affinity KD for human PD-L2, anti-PD-L2 Ab was loaded onto an Anti-Human Fc Capture (AHC) biosensor at 100 nM (15 μg / mL), and the association and dissociation of human PD-L2 protein was tested in a dilution series from 30 to 0.37 nM. Binding and release of the analyte (PD-L2) was recorded in real time by an Octet instrument, which was then used to measure the KD, K on , and K dis was calculated. Results are derived from 2:1 global fit modeling with subtraction of reference wells. To generate affinity KD for mouse PD-L2, anti-PD-L2 Ab was covalently immobilized at 100 nM (15 μg / mL) on an activated Amine Reactive 2nd Generation (AR2G) biosensor (quenched with 1 M ethanolamine, pH 8.5 after protein loading) and the association and dissociation of mouse PD-L2 protein was tested in a dilution series from 300 to 1 nM. Binding and release of the analyte (PD-L2) was recorded in real time by the Octet instrument and then used to calculate the KD, K on , and K dis was calculated. Results are derived from 2:1 global fit modeling with subtraction of reference wells.

[0164] Antibody activity. Varying concentrations of PD-L2 antibodies with a human IgG1 backbone were added to CHO cells expressing either human or mouse PD-L2 (CHO-PD-L2 cells). Binding was detected by the addition of an anti-human IgG1 secondary antibody conjugated to phycoerythrin (PE). FACS analysis was performed to detect phycoerythrin and determine the fluorescent activity at various antibody concentrations. EC50 was calculated using GraphPad Prism® software.

[0165] Candidate antibodies prevent PD-1 / PD-L2 binding. Candidate PD-L2 monoclonal antibodies and FDA-approved antibodies were assayed using the Promega PD-L2:PD-1 blockade system. Various concentrations of antibodies were added to CHO-PD-L2 cells. PD-1 effector cells are Jurkat T cells, which can be stimulated by CHO-PD-L2 cells. PD-1 effector cells, which produce firefly luciferase in response to activation, were incubated with antibodies and CHO cells for 6 hours, and then the results were read in a luminometer using a Bio-glo assay kit (Promega) according to the manufacturer's instructions. For competition assays, biotin-rhPD-1-Fc protein was added to the cells and antibodies, followed by the addition of streptavidin-APC conjugate. Blockade was evaluated as an increase in luciferase signal. Analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism® software. For competition assays, x was converted to LogX and analyzed by nonlinear regression (curve fit), dose-response inhibition, and Log(inhibitor) versus response.

[0166] PD-L2 activity in mixed lymphocyte reaction. CD14+ monocytes were isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells using CD14 microbeads. Cells were seeded at 1 million / ml and stimulated with IL-4 and GM-CSF in 10% FCS / RPMI / P / S cell culture medium. Cells were cultured for 7 days to differentiate into immature dendritic cells (IDCs) and various concentrations of PD-L2 antibodies or commercial antibodies were added. CD4+ T cells were then stimulated using IDCs at a CD4:IDC ratio of 10:1. IL-2 and IFN-γ were assayed by ELISA following the protocol provided by R&D systems.

[0167] Antibody activity against xenograft tumors. U2940 PMBL or MDA-MB-231 triple-negative breast cancer xenograft tumors were established in immunodeficient mice. Tumors were grown to a volume of 150 mm 3 It reached 150mm. 3 After reaching a tumor mass of 100 μg / kg, mice were treated with the indicated antibody therapy at 10 mg / kg twice weekly for 3 weeks with 9 mice per treatment group. Tumor volumes were calculated using caliper measurements of tumor width, length, and depth.

[0168] Survival of αPD-L1-resistant EL4 lymphoma mouse model. Survival was measured in mice injected with αPD-L1-resistant EL4 cells expressing PD-L2 and luciferase. 5 EL4 cells were injected into the tail vein of mice. Mice were treated intraperitoneally with 100 μg of the indicated antibodies on days 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15.

[0169] Epitope binning of PD-L2 antibodies. The binding specificity of various PD-L2 antibodies was compared using a binding competition assay performed using the ForteBio Octet® platform. The target HIS-tagged protein (human PD-L2) was loaded onto a pre-charged nickel-NTA biosensor at 1 μg / mL. The first antibody, Ab1, was saturated at 100 nM in the target-loaded biosensor and a reference (buffer only) well was included to determine the maximum Ab2 binding signal. The second Ab2 was also screened for binding signal at 100 nM and Ab1 was included to determine the background self-blocking signal. Data Analysis HT 9.0 software was used to generate a matrix of raw signal responses for Ab2 binding, which were then converted and expressed as a percentage of the unblocked Ab2 binding signal. A response of less than 15% was considered competitive blocking.

[0170] Example 2 - Results Identification of PD-L2 antibodies that block PD-L2 binding to PD-1. Candidate antibodies identified as described in Example 1 above were tested for their ability to bind to PD-L2 and block PD-L2 binding to PD-1. The maximum fluorescence intensity of Alexafluor 532-labeled PD-1 was measured, and PD-L2 blockade was examined as a reduction in Alexa532 fluorescence in FACS analysis. Anti-PD-L2 clones 16501, 16425, 16510, and 16478 were evaluated against unstained cells, a control Ig antibody, and commercial antibody 24F. It was found that there was a significant reduction in PD-L2 binding to PD-1 when clones 16501, 16425, and 16478 were used. Subclones were tested using a PD-L2:PD-1 assay using CHO-PD-L2 cells that can stimulate Jurkat T cells to produce luciferase in response to activation (Figure 2). IC from PD-L2:PD-1 assay curve 50The clones were evaluated against Keytruda for their ability to block PD-L2:PD-1 binding (Figure 3). Each clone evaluated (16501, 20810, 20237) was found to prevent PD-L2 binding to PD-1 better than the FDA-approved antibody therapy, Keytruda (Figure 3).

[0171] PD-L2 antibodies bind tightly to human PD-L2. Avidity curves were generated for subclones 16425, 16501, 20810, 20811, and 20816 on a ForteBio Octet®. Antibody subclones were immobilized on an Anti-Human Fc Capture (AHC) biosensor at 100 nM (15 μg / mL) and the association and dissociation of human PD-L2 protein was tested in a dilution series from 30 to 0.37 nM (Figure 4A-B). Affinity was calculated from the data for subclones 20810, 20811, and 20816 (Table 5). Blockade of PD-1-FC binding to human PD-L2 by the addition of anti-PD-L2 was observed with increasing antibody concentration (Figure 4C).

[0172] Comparability to FDA-approved PD-1 / PD-L2. Candidate antibodies against PD-L2 were assayed using the Promega PD-L2:PD-1 blockade system. Compared to isotype controls, each of 20810, 20811, and 20816 were found to cause significant sequestration of PD-L2 from PD-1, thereby inducing the production of firefly luciferase (Figure 5). The candidate antibodies induced luciferase production at least comparably to the FDA-approved immunotherapeutics: Keytruda and Tecentriq (Figure 5).

[0173] Candidate antibodies are active against multiple human mixed lymphocyte reactions. Candidate antibodies were evaluated in the presence of induced dendritic cells and T cells derived from separate donors. 20811, 20814, and 20816 were found to induce more IL-2 production than the isotype control (Figure 6A-B). Treatment with candidate antibody 20814 induced more IFN-γ production than treatment with the isotype control at concentrations greater than 10 nM. Treatment with the combination of anti-PD-L1 + 20814 significantly induced IFN-γ production better than Keytruda or PD-L1 mAb alone (Figure 6C).

[0174] Candidate antibodies with ADCC are highly active against human U2940 lymphoma in vivo. After establishing PBML xenograft tumors in SCID mice, mice were treated with either mIgG2a control antibody, Herceptin, Rituxan, or candidate antibody 20810. 20810 was shown to significantly reduce tumor growth over the course of treatment when compared to Herceptin as well as Rituxan (Figure 7). Similarly, 20810 also reduced MDA-MB-231 xenograft tumor growth as well as or better than avelumab or Rituxan (Figure 8).

[0175] Survival of αPD-L1-resistant EL4 lymphoma mouse model. Survival was measured in mice injected with αPD-L1-resistant EL4 cells expressing PD-L2 and luciferase. 5 EL4 cells were injected into the tail vein of mice. Mice were treated intraperitoneally with 100 μg of the indicated antibodies on days 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15. Treatment with anti-PD-L2 candidate 20810 increased survival compared to treatment with PD-L1 mAb or no treatment (Figure 9).

[0176] Binding overlap of candidate antibodies. The percent overlap of candidate antibodies was assessed in a tandem competition assay using ForteBio Octet®. Based on the competition studies, candidate antibodies 20810 and 16510 bind to very similar epitopes on PD-L2 (Table 6).

[0177] Table 1: Nucleic acid sequences of antibody variable regions TIFF0007624497000003.tif188149TIFF0007624497000004.tif165139

[0178] Table 2: Protein sequences of antibody variable regions TIFF0007624497000005.tif144150

[0179] Table 3: Heavy chain CDR sequences TIFF0007624497000006.tif55151

[0180] Table 4: Light chain CDR sequences TIFF0007624497000007.tif54128

[0181] Table 5. Measured affinity of antibodies binding to PD-L2 TIFF0007624497000008.tif31155

[0182] Table 6. Antibody overlap TIFF0007624497000009.tif38144

[0183] All of the methods disclosed and claimed herein can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of this disclosure. Although the compositions and methods of the present invention have been described in connection with preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications may be applied to the methods and steps described herein, or to the sequence of steps of the methods, without departing from the concept, spirit and scope of the invention. More specifically, it will be apparent that certain chemically and physiologically related agents may be substituted for the agents described herein, and still achieve the same or similar results. All such similar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit, scope and concept of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

[0184] VII. References The following references, to the extent that they provide exemplary procedural or other details supplementary to those set forth herein, are specifically incorporated herein by reference. TIFF0007624497000010.tif196144TIFF0007624497000011.tif230142TIFF0007624497000012.tif196142

[0185] Sequence information SEQUENCE LISTING <110> Board of Regents, The University of Texas System <120> HUMAN PD-L2 ANTIBODIES AND METHODS OF USE THEREFOR <150> US 62 / 647,546 <151> 2018-03-23 <160> 51 <170> PatentIn version 3.5 <210> 1 <211> 273 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 1 Met Ile Phe Leu Leu Leu Met Leu Ser Leu Glu Leu Gln Leu His Gln 1 5 10 15 Ile Ala Ala Leu Phe Thr Val Thr Val Pro Lys Glu Leu Tyr Ile Ile 20 25 30 Glu His Gly Ser Asn Val Thr Leu Glu Cys Asn Phe Asp Thr Gly Ser 35 40 45 His Val Asn Leu Gly Ala Ile Thr Ala Ser Leu Gln Lys Val Glu Asn 50 55 60 Asp Thr Ser Pro His Arg Glu Arg Ala Thr Leu Leu Glu Glu Gln Leu 65 70 75 80 Pro Leu Gly Lys Ala Ser Phe His Ile Pro Gln Val Gln Val Arg Asp 85 90 95 Glu Gly Gln Tyr Gln Cys Ile Ile Ile Tyr Gly Val Ala Trp Asp Tyr 100 105 110 Lys Tyr Leu Thr Leu Lys Val Lys Ala Ser Tyr Arg Lys Ile Asn Thr 115 120 125 His Ile Leu Lys Val Pro Glu Thr Asp Glu Val Glu Leu Thr Cys Gln 130 135 140 Ala Thr Gly Tyr Pro Leu Ala Glu Val Ser Trp Pro Asn Val Ser Val 145 150 155 160 Pro Ala Asn Thr Ser His Ser Arg Thr Pro Glu Gly Leu Tyr Gln Val 165 170 175 Thr Ser Val Leu Arg Leu Lys Pro Pro Pro Gly Arg Asn Phe Ser Cys 180 185 190 Val Phe Trp Asn Thr His Val Arg Glu Leu Thr Leu Ala Ser Ile Asp 195 200 205 Leu Gln Ser Gln Met Glu Pro Arg Thr His Pro Thr Trp Leu Leu His 210 215 220 Ile Phe Ile Pro Phe Cys Ile Ile Ala Phe Ile Phe Ile Ala Thr Val 225 230 235 240 Ile Ala Leu Arg Lys Gln Leu Cys Gln Lys Leu Tyr Ser Ser Lys Asp 245 250 255 Thr Thr Lys Arg Pro Val Thr Thr Thr Lys Arg Glu Val Asn Ser Ala 260 265 270 Ile <210> 2 <211> 381 <212> DNA <213> Homo sapiens <400> 2 caggtgcagc tggtgcagtc tggggctgag gtgaagaagc ctgggtcctc ggtgaaggtc 60 tcctgcaagg cttctggagg caccttcagc agctatgcta tcagctgggt gcgacaggcc 120 cctggacaag ggcttgagtg gatgggaagc atcatcccta tctttggtac agcaaactac 180 gcacagaagt tccagggcag agtcacgatt accgcggacg aatccacgag cacagcctac 240 atggagctga gcagcctgag atctgaggac acggcggtgt actactgcgc cagagatggt 300 gtgacagcag cagcagccag catcacctat tactatggta tggatgtgtg gggccaggga 360 acaactgtca ccgtctcctc a 381 <210> 3 <211> 318 <212> DNA <213> Homo sapiens <400> 3 gacatccaga tgacccagtc tccatcctcc ctgtctgcat ctgtaggaga cagagtcacc 60 atcacttgcc aggcgagtca ggacattagc aactatttaa attggtatca gcagaaacca 120 gggaaagccc ctaagctcct gatctacgat gcatccaatt tggaaacagg ggtcccatca 180 aggttcagtg gaagtggatc tgggacagat tttactttca ccatcagcag cctgcagcct 240 gaagatattg caacatatta ctgtcagcag gccgataact actacacttt tggcggaggg 300 accaaggttg agatcaaa 318 <210> 4 <211> 357 <212> DNA <213> Homo sapiens <400> 4 caggtgcagc tggtgcagtc tggggctgag gtgaagaagc ctgggtcctc ggtgaaggtc 60 tcctgcaagg cttctggagg caccttcagc agctatgcta tcagctgggt gcgacaggcc 120 cctggacaag ggcttgagtg gatgggaggg atcatcccta tctttggtac agcaaactac 180 gcacagaagt tccagggcag agtcacgatt accgcggacg aatccacgag cacagcctac 240 atggagctga gcagcctgag atctgaggac acggcggtgt actactgcgc cagagtgcaa 300 aaacaatata cctacttcga cctatggggg agaggtacct tggtcaccgt ctcctca 357 <210> 5 <211> 321 <212> DNA <213> Homo sapiens <400> 5 gacatccagt tgacccagtc tccatcctcc ctgtctgcat ctgtaggaga cagagtcacc 60 atcacttgcc aggcgagtca ggacattagc aactttttaa attggtatca gcagaaacca 120 gggaaagccc ctaagctcct gatctacgat gcatccaatt tggaaacagg ggtcccatca 180 aggttcagtg gaagtggatc tgggacagat tttactttca ccatcagcag cctgcagcct 240 gaagatattg caacatatta ctgtcagcag ctcgtcggcg cacctcctac ttttggcgga 300 gggaccaagg ttgagatcaa a 321 <210> 6 <211> 357 <212> DNA <213> Homo sapiens <400> 6 caggtgcagc tggtgcagtc tggggctgag gtgaagaagc ctgggtcctc ggtgaaggtc 60 tcctgcaagg cttctggagg caccttcagc aattatgcta tccattgggt gcgacaggcc 120 cctggacaag ggcttgagtg gatgggaggg atcatcccta ttttggtac agcatggtac 180 gcacagaagt tccagggcag agtcacgatt accgcggacg aatccacgag cacagcctac 240 atggagctga gcagcctgag atctgaggac acggcggtgt actactgcgc cagacttcct 300 agaacatggt cagctttcga catatggggt cagggtacaa tggtcaccgt ctcctca 357 <210> 7 <211> 321 <212> DNA <213> Homo sapiens <400> 7 gaaattgtgt tgacacagtc tccagccacc ctgtctttgt ctccagggga aagagccacc 60 ctctcctgca gggccagtca gagtgttagc agctacttag cctggtacca acagaaacct 120 ggccaggctc ccaggctcct catctatgat gcatccaaca gggccactgg catcccagcc 180 aggttcagtg gcagtgggtc tgggacagac ttcactctca ccatcagcag cctagagcct 240 gaagattttg cagtttatta ctgtcagcag gtagtcacct tgcctcctac ttttggcgga 300 gggaccaagg ttgagatcaa a 321 <210> 8 <211> 357 <212> DNA <213> Homo sapiens <400> 8 caggtgcagc tggtgcagtc tggggctgag gtgaagaagc ctgggtcctc ggtgaaggtc 60 tcctgcaagg cttctggagg caccttcagc agcgcggcta tccattgggt gcgacaggcc 120 cctggacaag ggcttgagtg gatgggaggg atcatcccta tctttggttt ggcacagtac 180 gcacagaagt tccagggcag agtcacgatt accgcggacg aatccacgag cacagcctac 240 atggagctga gcagcctgag atctgaggac acggcggtgt actactgcgc cagacttcct 300 agaacatggt cagctttcga catatggggt cagggtacaa tggtcaccgt ctcctca 357 <210> 9 <211> 321 <212> DNA <213> Homo sapiens <400> 9 gaaattgtgt tgacacagtc tccagccacc ctgtctttgt ctccagggga aagagccacc 60 ctctcctgca gggccagtca gagtgttagc agctacttag cctggtacca acagaaacct 120 ggccaggctc ccaggctcct catctatgat gcatccaaca gggccactgg catcccagcc 180 aggttcagtg gcagtgggtc tgggacagac ttcactctca ccatcagcag ctagagcct 240 gaagattttg cagtttatta ctgtcagcag gtagtcacct tgcctcctac ttttggcgga 300 gggaccaagg ttgagatcaa a 321 <210> 10 <211> 357 <212> DNA <213> Homo sapiens <400> 10 caggtgcagc tggtgcagtc tggggctgag gtgaagaagc ctgggtcctc ggtgaaggtc 60 tcctgcaagg cttctggagg caccttcagc agctatctga tcgcttgggt gcgacaggcc 120 cctggacaag ggcttgagtg gatgggaggg atcatccctc attttggtgt ggcaaactac 180 gcacagaagt tccagggcag agtcacgatt accgcggacg aatccacgag cacagcctac 240 atggagctga gcagcctgag atctgaggac acggcggtgt actactgcgc cagagtccct 300 cagtatcacg gctacttcga cctatggggg agaggtacct tggtcaccgt ctcctca 357 <210> 11 <211> 318 <212> DNA <213> Homo sapiens <400> 11 gacatccaga tgacccagtc tccatcttcc gtgtctgcat ctgtaggaga cagagtcacc 60 atcacttgtc gggcgagtca gggtattagc agctggttag cctggtatca gcagaaacca 120 gggaaagccc ctaagctcct gatctatgct gcatccaatt tgcaaagtgg ggtcccatca 180 aggttcagcg gcagtggatc tgggacagat ttcactctca ccatcagcag cctgcagcct 240 gaagattttg caacttatta ctgtcagcag ggaaatagtt tccctacttt tggcggaggg 300 accaaggttg agatcaaa 318 <210> 12 <211> 127 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 12 Gln Val Gln Leu Val Gln Ser Gly Ala Glu Val Lys Lys Pro Gly Ser 1 5 10 15 Ser Val Lys Val Ser Cys Lys Ala Ser Gly Gly Thr Phe Ser Ser Tyr 20 25 30 Ala Ile Ser Trp Val Arg Gln Ala Pro Gly Gln Gly Leu Glu Trp Met 35 40 45 Gly Ser Ile Ile Pro Ile Phe Gly Thr Ala Asn Tyr Ala Gln Lys Phe 50 55 60 Gln Gly Arg Val Thr Ile Thr Ala Asp Glu Ser Thr Ser Thr Ala Tyr 65 70 75 80 Met Glu Leu Ser Ser Leu Arg Ser Glu Asp Thr Ala Val Tyr Tyr Cys 85 90 95 Ala Arg Asp Gly Val Thr Ala Ala Ala Ala Ser Ile Thr Tyr Tyr Tyr 100 105 110 Gly Met Asp Val Trp Gly Gln Gly Thr Thr Val Thr Val Ser Ser 115 120 125 <210> 13 <211> 106 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 13 Asp Ile Gln Met Thr Gln Ser Pro Ser Ser Leu Ser Ala Ser Val Gly 1 5 10 15 Asp Arg Val Thr Ile Thr Cys Gln Ala Ser Gln Asp Ile Ser Asn Tyr 20 25 30 Leu Asn Trp Tyr Gln Gln Lys Pro Gly Lys Ala Pro Lys Leu Leu Ile 35 40 45 Tyr Asp Ala Ser Asn Leu Glu Thr Gly Val Pro Ser Arg Phe Ser Gly 50 55 60 Ser Gly Ser Gly Thr Asp Phe Thr Phe Thr Ile Ser Ser Leu Gln Pro 65 70 75 80 Glu Asp Ile Ala Thr Tyr Tyr Cys Gln Gln Ala Asp Asn Tyr Tyr Thr 85 90 95 Phe Gly Gly Gly Thr Lys Val Glu Ile Lys 100 105 <210> 14 <211> 119 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 14 Gln Val Gln Leu Val Gln Ser Gly Ala Glu Val Lys Lys Pro Gly Ser 1 5 10 15 Ser Val Lys Val Ser Cys Lys Ala Ser Gly Gly Thr Phe Ser Ser Tyr 20 25 30 Ala Ile Ser Trp Val Arg Gln Ala Pro Gly Gln Gly Leu Glu Trp Met 35 40 45 Gly Gly Ile Ile Pro Ile Phe Gly Thr Ala Asn Tyr Ala Gln Lys Phe 50 55 60 Gln Gly Arg Val Thr Ile Thr Ala Asp Glu Ser Thr Ser Thr Ala Tyr 65 70 75 80 Met Glu Leu Ser Ser Leu Arg Ser Glu Asp Thr Ala Val Tyr Tyr Cys 85 90 95 Ala Arg Val Gln Lys Gln Tyr Thr Tyr Phe Asp Leu Trp Gly Arg Gly 100 105 110 Thr Leu Val Thr Val Ser Ser 115 <210> 15 <211> 107 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 15 Asp Ile Gln Leu Thr Gln Ser Pro Ser Ser Leu Ser Ala Ser Val Gly 1 5 10 15 Asp Arg Val Thr Ile Thr Cys Gln Ala Ser Gln Asp Ile Ser Asn Phe 20 25 30 Leu Asn Trp Tyr Gln Gln Lys Pro Gly Lys Ala Pro Lys Leu Leu Ile 35 40 45 Tyr Asp Ala Ser Asn Leu Glu Thr Gly Val Pro Ser Arg Phe Ser Gly 50 55 60 Ser Gly Ser Gly Thr Asp Phe Thr Phe Thr Ile Ser Ser Leu Gln Pro 65 70 75 80 Glu Asp Ile Ala Thr Tyr Tyr Cys Gln Gln Leu Val Gly Ala Pro Pro 85 90 95 Thr Phe Gly Gly Gly Thr Lys Val Glu Ile Lys 100 105 <210> 16 <211> 119 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 16 Gln Val Gln Leu Val Gln Ser Gly Ala Glu Val Lys Lys Pro Gly Ser 1 5 10 15 Ser Val Lys Val Ser Cys Lys Ala Ser Gly Gly Thr Phe Ser Asn Tyr 20 25 30 Ala Ile His Trp Val Arg Gln Ala Pro Gly Gln Gly Leu Glu Trp Met 35 40 45 Gly Gly Ile Ile Pro Ile Phe Gly Thr Ala Trp Tyr Ala Gln Lys Phe 50 55 60 Gln Gly Arg Val Thr Ile Thr Ala Asp Glu Ser Thr Ser Thr Ala Tyr 65 70 75 80 Met Glu Leu Ser Ser Leu Arg Ser Glu Asp Thr Ala Val Tyr Tyr Cys 85 90 95 Ala Arg Leu Pro Arg Thr Trp Ser Ala Phe Asp Ile Trp Gly Gln Gly 100 105 110 Thr Met Val Thr Val Ser Ser 115 <210> 17 <211> 107 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 17 Glu Ile Val Leu Thr Gln Ser Pro Ala Thr Leu Ser Leu Ser Pro Gly 1 5 10 15 Glu Arg Ala Thr Leu Ser Cys Arg Ala Ser Gln Ser Val Ser Ser Tyr 20 25 30 Leu Ala Trp Tyr Gln Gln Lys Pro Gly Gln Ala Pro Arg Leu Leu Ile 35 40 45 Tyr Asp Ala Ser Asn Arg Ala Thr Gly Ile Pro Ala Arg Phe Ser Gly 50 55 60 Ser Gly Ser Gly Thr Asp Phe Thr Leu Thr Ile Ser Ser Leu Glu Pro 65 70 75 80 Glu Asp Phe Ala Val Tyr Tyr Cys Gln Gln Val Val Thr Leu Pro Pro 85 90 95 Thr Phe Gly Gly Gly Thr Lys Val Glu Ile Lys 100 105 <210> 18 <211> 119 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 18 Gln Val Gln Leu Val Gln Ser Gly Ala Glu Val Lys Lys Pro Gly Ser 1 5 10 15 Ser Val Lys Val Ser Cys Lys Ala Ser Gly Gly Thr Phe Ser Ser Ala 20 25 30 Ala Ile His Trp Val Arg Gln Ala Pro Gly Gln Gly Leu Glu Trp Met 35 40 45 Gly Gly Ile Ile Pro Ile Phe Gly Leu Ala Gln Tyr Ala Gln Lys Phe 50 55 60 Gln Gly Arg Val Thr Ile Thr Ala Asp Glu Ser Thr Ser Thr Ala Tyr 65 70 75 80 Met Glu Leu Ser Ser Leu Arg Ser Glu Asp Thr Ala Val Tyr Tyr Cys 85 90 95 Ala Arg Leu Pro Arg Thr Trp Ser Ala Phe Asp Ile Trp Gly Gln Gly 100 105 110 Thr Met Val Thr Val Ser Ser 115 <210> 19 <211> 107 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 19 Glu Ile Val Leu Thr Gln Ser Pro Ala Thr Leu Ser Leu Ser Pro Gly 1 5 10 15 Glu Arg Ala Thr Leu Ser Cys Arg Ala Ser Gln Ser Val Ser Ser Tyr 20 25 30 Leu Ala Trp Tyr Gln Gln Lys Pro Gly Gln Ala Pro Arg Leu Leu Ile 35 40 45 Tyr Asp Ala Ser Asn Arg Ala Thr Gly Ile Pro Ala Arg Phe Ser Gly 50 55 60 Ser Gly Ser Gly Thr Asp Phe Thr Leu Thr Ile Ser Ser Leu Glu Pro 65 70 75 80 Glu Asp Phe Ala Val Tyr Tyr Cys Gln Gln Val Val Thr Leu Pro Pro 85 90 95 Thr Phe Gly Gly Gly Thr Lys Val Glu Ile Lys 100 105 <210> 20 <211> 119 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 20 Gln Val Gln Leu Val Gln Ser Gly Ala Glu Val Lys Lys Pro Gly Ser 1 5 10 15 Ser Val Lys Val Ser Cys Lys Ala Ser Gly Gly Thr Phe Ser Ser Tyr 20 25 30 Leu Ile Ala Trp Val Arg Gln Ala Pro Gly Gln Gly Leu Glu Trp Met 35 40 45 Gly Gly Ile Ile Pro His Phe Gly Val Ala Asn Tyr Ala Gln Lys Phe 50 55 60 Gln Gly Arg Val Thr Ile Thr Ala Asp Glu Ser Thr Ser Thr Ala Tyr 65 70 75 80 Met Glu Leu Ser Ser Leu Arg Ser Glu Asp Thr Ala Val Tyr Tyr Cys 85 90 95 Ala Arg Val Pro Gln Tyr His Gly Tyr Phe Asp Leu Trp Gly Arg Gly 100 105 110 Thr Leu Val Thr Val Ser Ser 115 <210> 21 <211> 106 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 21 Asp Ile Gln Met Thr Gln Ser Pro Ser Ser Val Ser Ala Ser Val Gly 1 5 10 15 Asp Arg Val Thr Ile Thr Cys Arg Ala Ser Gln Gly Ile Ser Ser Trp 20 25 30 Leu Ala Trp Tyr Gln Gln Lys Pro Gly Lys Ala Pro Lys Leu Leu Ile 35 40 45 Tyr Ala Ala Ser Asn Leu Gln Ser Gly Val Pro Ser Arg Phe Ser Gly 50 55 60 Ser Gly Ser Gly Thr Asp Phe Thr Leu Thr Ile Ser Ser Leu Gln Pro 65 70 75 80 Glu Asp Phe Ala Thr Tyr Tyr Cys Gln Gln Gly Asn Ser Phe Pro Thr 85 90 95 Phe Gly Gly Gly Thr Lys Val Glu Ile Lys 100 105 <210> 22 <211> 9 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 22 Gly Thr Phe Ser Ser Tyr Ala Ile Ser 1 5 <210> 23 <211> 17 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 23 Ser Ile Ile Pro Ile Phe Gly Thr Ala Asn Tyr Ala Gln Lys Phe Gln 1 5 10 15 Gly <210> 24 <211> 20 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 24 Ala Arg Asp Gly Val Thr Ala Ala Ala Ala Ser Ile Thr Tyr Tyr Tyr 1 5 10 15 Gly Met Asp Val 20 <210> 25 <211> 9 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 25 Gly Thr Phe Ser Ser Tyr Ala Ile Ser 1 5 <210> 26 <211> 17 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 26 Gly Ile Ile Pro Ile Phe Gly Thr Ala Asn Tyr Ala Gln Lys Phe Gln 1 5 10 15 Gly <210> 27 <211> 12 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 27 Ala Arg Val Gln Lys Gln Tyr Thr Tyr Phe Asp Leu 1 5 10 <210> 28 <211> 9 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 28 Gly Thr Phe Ser Asn Tyr Ala Ile His 1 5 <210> 29 <211> 17 <212> PRT <213> homo sapiens <400> 29 Gly Ile Ile Pro Ile Phe Gly Thr Ala Trp Tyr Ala Gln Lys Phe Gln 1 5 10 15 Gly <210> 30 <211> 12 <212> PRT <213> homo sapiens <400> 30 Ala Arg Leu Pro Arg Thr Trp Ser Ala Phe Asp Ile 1 5 10 <210> 31 <211> 9 <212> PRT <213> homo sapiens <400> 31 Gly Thr Phe Ser Ser Ala Ala Ile His 1 5 <210> 32 <211> 17 <212> PRT <213> homo sapiens <400> 32 Gly Ile Ile Pro Ile Phe Gly Leu Ala Gln Tyr Ala Gln Lys Phe Gln 1 5 10 15 Gly <210> 33 <211> 12 <212> PRT <213> homo sapiens <400> 33 Ala Arg Leu Pro Arg Thr Trp Ser Ala Phe Asp Ile 1 5 10 <210> 34 <211> 9 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 34 Gly Thr Phe Ser Ser Tyr Leu Ile Ala 1 5 <210> 35 <211> 17 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 35 Gly Ile Ile Pro His Phe Gly Val Ala Asn Tyr Ala Gln Lys Phe Gln 1 5 10 15 Gly <210> 36 <211> 12 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 36 Ala Arg Val Pro Gln Tyr His Gly Tyr Phe Asp Leu 1 5 10 <210> 37 <211> 11 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 37 Gln Ala Ser Gln Asp Ile Ser Asn Tyr Leu Asn 1 5 10 <210> 38 <211> 7 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 38 Asp Ala Ser Asn Leu Glu Thr 1 5 <210> 39 <211> 8 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 39 Gln Gln Ala Asp Asn Tyr Tyr Thr 1 5 <210> 40 <211> 11 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 40 Gln Ala Ser Gln Asp Ile Ser Asn Phe Leu Asn 1 5 10 <210> 41 <211> 7 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 41 Asp Ala Ser Asn Leu Glu Thr 1 5 <210> 42 <211> 9 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 42 Gln Gln Leu Val Gly Ala Pro Pro Thr 1 5 <210> 43 <211> 11 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 43 Arg Ala Ser Gln Ser Val Ser Ser Tyr Leu Ala 1 5 10 <210> 44 <211> 7 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 44 Asp Ala Ser Asn Arg Ala Thr 1 5 <210> 45 <211> 9 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 45 Gln Gln Val Val Thr Leu Pro Pro Thr 1 5 <210> 46 <211> 11 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 46 Arg Ala Ser Gln Ser Val Ser Ser Tyr Leu Ala 1 5 10 <210> 47 <211> 7 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 47 Asp Ala Ser Asn Arg Ala Thr 1 5 <210> 48 <211> 9 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens <400> 48 Gln Gln Val Val Thr Leu Pro Pro Thr 1 5 <210> 49 <211> 11 <212> PRT <213> homo sapiens <400> 49 Arg Ala Ser Gln Gly Ile Ser Ser Trp Leu Ala 1 5 10 <210> 50 <211> 7 <212> PRT <213> homo sapiens <400> 50 Ala Ala Ser Asn Leu Gln Ser 1 5 <210> 51 <211> 8 <212> PRT <213> homo sapiens <400> 51 Gln Gln Gly Asn Ser Phe Pro Thr 1 5

Claims

1. An antibody or antibody fragment comprising heavy chain CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 having the sequences set forth in SEQ ID NOs: 34, 35, and 36, respectively, and light chain CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 having the sequences set forth in SEQ ID NOs: 49, 50, and 51, respectively, and which binds to PD-L2.

2. 2. The antibody or antibody fragment of claim 1, comprising a light chain variable sequence and a heavy chain variable sequence encoded by the nucleic acid sequences shown in SEQ ID NOs: 11 and 10, respectively.

3. 2. The antibody or antibody fragment of claim 1, comprising a light chain variable sequence and a heavy chain variable sequence encoded by a nucleic acid sequence having at least 90% or 95% identity to SEQ ID NO: 11 and 10, respectively.

4. 2. The antibody or antibody fragment of claim 1, comprising a light chain variable sequence and a heavy chain variable sequence as shown in SEQ ID NOs: 21 and 20, respectively.

5. 2. The antibody or antibody fragment of claim 1, comprising a light chain variable sequence and a heavy chain variable sequence having at least 90% or 95% identity to SEQ ID NO: 21 and 20, respectively.

6. The antibody fragment may be a recombinant scFv (single chain variable region fragment) antibody, a Fab fragment, a F(ab') 2 2. The antibody or antibody fragment of claim 1, which is a Fv fragment or an Fv fragment.

7. The antibody or antibody fragment of claim 1, wherein the antibody is a chimeric antibody.

8. The antibody or antibody fragment of claim 1, wherein the antibody is an IgG.

9. The antibody or antibody fragment of claim 1, further comprising a cell penetrating peptide and / or being an intrabody.

10. The antibody or antibody fragment of claim 1, which is a humanized antibody.

11. A pharmaceutical composition for treating cancer in a subject, comprising the antibody or antibody fragment of claim 1.

12. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 11, wherein the antibody or antibody fragment comprises a light chain variable sequence and a heavy chain variable sequence encoded by a nucleic acid sequence having at least 90% or 95% identity to SEQ ID NOs: 11 and 10, respectively.

13. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 11, wherein the antibody or antibody fragment comprises a light chain variable sequence and a heavy chain variable sequence as shown in SEQ ID NOs: 21 and 20, respectively.

14. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 11, wherein the antibody or antibody fragment comprises a light chain variable sequence and a heavy chain variable sequence having at least 90% or 95% identity to SEQ ID NO: 21 and 20, respectively.

15. An engineered cell comprising a nucleic acid encoding an antibody or antibody fragment, wherein the antibody or antibody fragment is characterized by heavy chain CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 having the sequences set forth in SEQ ID NOs: 34, 35, and 36, respectively, and light chain CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 having the sequences set forth in SEQ ID NOs: 49, 50, and 51, respectively, and binds to PD-L2.

16. A pharmaceutical formulation comprising one or more antibodies or antibody fragments characterized by heavy chain CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 having the sequences set forth in SEQ ID NOs: 34, 35, and 36, respectively, and light chain CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 having the sequences set forth in SEQ ID NOs: 49, 50, and 51, respectively, and which bind to PD-L2.

17. 17. The pharmaceutical formulation of claim 16, wherein at least one antibody or antibody fragment comprises a light chain variable sequence and a heavy chain variable sequence encoded by a nucleic acid sequence having at least 90% or 95% identity to SEQ ID NOs: 11 and 10, respectively.

18. 17. The pharmaceutical formulation of claim 16, wherein at least one antibody or antibody fragment comprises a light chain variable sequence and a heavy chain variable sequence having at least 90% or 95% identity to SEQ ID NOs: 21 and 20, respectively.

19. 1. A method for detecting PD-L2 expressing cells in a sample from a subject, comprising: (a) contacting said sample with an antibody or antibody fragment according to any one of claims 1 to 10, and (b) detecting cells in the sample that express PD-L2 by binding of the antibody or antibody fragment to cells in the sample. A method comprising:

20. A pharmaceutical composition for treating immunosuppression in a tumor microenvironment comprising the antibody or antibody fragment of claim 1.

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