Kazal-type anti-serine protease inhibitor (SPIK) antibodies, immunoconjugates, and methods of use

Abstract

Anti-AS-SPIK antibodies are disclosed, along with methods for producing such antibodies, compositions, including pharmaceutical compositions, containing such antibodies, and their use for diagnosing and / or treating disorders characterized by expression of AS-SPIK (e.g., liver cancer). Diagnostic methods involving the anti-AS-SPIK antibodies and kits comprising the antibodies are also disclosed.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 871,565, filed July 8, 2019, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] Government Rights Notice This invention was made with Government support under Grant No. 2R44CA165314-02A1 and FAIN No. R44CA165314 awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. The Government has certain rights in this invention.

[0003] Anti-AS-SPIK antibodies are disclosed, along with methods for producing such antibodies, compositions, including pharmaceutical compositions, containing such antibodies, and their uses for diagnosing and / or treating disorders characterized by expression of AS-SPIK, such as liver cancer. Diagnostic methods involving the anti-AS-SPIK antibodies and kits comprising the antibodies are also disclosed. [Background technology]

[0004] The liver is one of the largest organs in the body. It has many functions, including the production of enzymes and bile required for food digestion, regulation of glycogen storage, synthesis of plasma proteins, production of hormones, and detoxification of various metabolic products. Liver disorders, including liver cancer such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), viral infections, cirrhosis, and other inflammatory disorders of the liver, affect millions of people worldwide. For example, more than 5 million people in the United States and more than 450 million people worldwide are infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV), and more than 30% of these infected people are at high risk of developing liver cancer. Kew et al., Pathologie-biologie 2010;58(4):273-277;Saraswat et al., J Viral Hepat. 2015;22 Suppl 1:6-25;El-Serag et al., Hepatology 2014;60(5):1767-1775;Kanwal et al., Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology 2015;13(4):805-807. Despite advances in diagnosis and treatment, liver cancer remains a significant cause of both morbidity and mortality. El-Serag, The New England journal of medicine 2011;365(12):1118-1127. The 5-year survival rate for primary liver cancer, i.e. cancer that first arises in the liver, is less than 10%. However, if liver cancer is detected early and at its most treatable stage, survival increases to almost 40%. El-Serag et al., Therapeutic advances in gastroenterology 2011;4(1): 5-10. Patients with early-stage liver cancer may have few or no symptoms. Current detection methods, such as serological methods, ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) scanning, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and angiography, may be unreliable due to low sensitivity and potential operator error. Imaging techniques are costly and may be less accurate in detecting smaller, earlier-stage tumors.Yu et al., Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology 2011;9 (2):161-167;Bruix et al., Hepatology 2011;53(3): 1020-1022. Liver biopsy is still considered the most reliable method for distinguishing benign from malignant tumors, but it is invasive and requires a surgical procedure. Lok et al., Gastroenterology 2001;122 (7):2092-2093. There is a continuing need for new methods to diagnose and treat liver cancer, especially for patients with cirrhosis, viral infections of the liver, and inflammatory disorders. Summary of the Invention

[0005] An aspect of the present invention is (a) a heavy chain variable region, (i) CDRH1 having two or less substitutions in any of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 21 to 30, and / or (ii) CDRH2 having two or less substitutions in any of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 31 to 40, and / or (iii) CDRH3 having two or less substitutions in any of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 41 to 50 The heavy chain variable region comprising (b) a light chain variable region, (i) CDRL1 having two or less substitutions in any of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 51 to 60, and / or (ii) CDRL2 having two or less substitutions in any of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 61 to 70, and / or (iii) CDRL3 having two or less substitutions in any of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 71 to 80 The light chain variable region comprising The present invention includes an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof that specifically binds to AS-SPIK, comprising:

[0006] In some embodiments, the CDRH1, CDRH2, and CDRH3 sequences are present within a framework sequence, and the CDRL1, CDRL2, and CDRL3 sequences are present within a framework sequence, in some embodiments, at least a portion of the framework sequences comprise a human consensus framework sequence.

[0007] In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment comprises: (a) a CDRH1 sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 21 to 30, and / or (b) a CDRH2 sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 31 to 40, and / or (c) a CDRH3 sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 41 to 50, and / or (d) a CDRL1 sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 51 to 60, and / or (e) a CDRL2 sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 61 to 70, and / or (f) a CDRL3 sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 71 to 80 Includes.

[0008] In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment comprises: (a) a CDRH1 sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 21 to 30; and (b) a CDRH2 sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 31 to 40; and (c) a CDRH3 sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 41 to 50; and (d) a CDRL1 sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 51 to 60; and (e) a CDRL2 sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 61-70; and (f) a CDRL3 sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 71 to 80; Includes.

[0009] In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment comprises: (a) a CDRH1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 21, a CDRH2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 31, a CDRH3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 41, a CDRL1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 51, a CDRL2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 61, and a CDRL3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 71, or (b) a CDRH1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 22, a CDRH2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 32, a CDRH3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 42, a CDRL1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 52, a CDRL2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 62, and a CDRL3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 72; or (c) a CDRH1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 23, a CDRH2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 33, a CDRH3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 43, a CDRL1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 53, a CDRL2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 63, and a CDRL3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 73, or (d) a CDRH1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 24, a CDRH2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 34, a CDRH3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 44, a CDRL1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 54, a CDRL2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 64, and a CDRL3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 74, or (e) a CDRH1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 25, a CDRH2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 35, a CDRH3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 45, a CDRL1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 55, a CDRL2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 65, and a CDRL3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 75, or (f) a CDRH1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 26, a CDRH2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 36, a CDRH3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 46, a CDRL1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 56, a CDRL2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 66, and a CDRL3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 76, or (g) a CDRH1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 27, a CDRH2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 37, a CDRH3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 47, a CDRL1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 57, a CDRL2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 67, and a CDRL3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 77, or (h) a CDRH1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 28, a CDRH2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 38, a CDRH3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 48, a CDRL1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 58, a CDRL2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 68, and a CDRL3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 78, or (i) a CDRH1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 29, a CDRH2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 39, a CDRH3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 49, a CDRL1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 59, a CDRL2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 69, and a CDRL3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 79, or (j) a CDRH1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 30, a CDRH2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 40, a CDRH3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 50, a CDRL1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 60, a CDRL2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 70, and a CDRL3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 80 Includes.

[0010] In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment comprises a heavy chain variable region having at least 95% sequence identity to any one of the sequences in SEQ ID NOs: 1-10 and / or a light chain variable region having at least 95% sequence identity to any one of the sequences in SEQ ID NOs: 11-20. In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment comprises a heavy chain variable region sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 1-10 and / or a light chain variable region sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 11-20. In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment comprises (a) a heavy chain variable region sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 and a light chain variable region sequence of SEQ ID NO: 11, or (b) a heavy chain variable region sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 and a light chain variable region sequence of SEQ ID NO: 12, or (c) a heavy chain variable region sequence of SEQ ID NO: 3 and a light chain variable region sequence of SEQ ID NO: 13, or (d) a heavy chain variable region sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4 and a light chain variable region sequence of SEQ ID NO: 14, or (e) a heavy chain variable region sequence of SEQ ID NO:5 and a light chain variable region sequence of SEQ ID NO:15; or (f) a heavy chain variable region sequence of SEQ ID NO:6 and a light chain variable region sequence of SEQ ID NO:16, or (g) a heavy chain variable region sequence of SEQ ID NO: 7 and a light chain variable region sequence of SEQ ID NO: 17, or (h) a heavy chain variable region sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8 and a light chain variable region sequence of SEQ ID NO: 18, or (i) a heavy chain variable region sequence of SEQ ID NO: 9 and a light chain variable region sequence of SEQ ID NO: 19, or (j) a heavy chain variable region sequence of SEQ ID NO: 10 and a light chain variable region sequence of SEQ ID NO: 20 Includes.

[0011] An aspect of the present invention is (a) a heavy chain variable region comprising a CDRH1 sequence, a CDRH2 sequence, and a CDRH3 sequence in a human VH framework, wherein the CDRH sequence has two or less substitutions in a CDR sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 21 to 50; (b) a light chain variable region comprising a CDRL1 sequence, a CDRL2 sequence, and a CDRL3 sequence in a human VL framework, wherein the CDRL sequence has two or less substitutions in the CDR sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 51 to 80; In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprises: (a) a heavy chain variable region comprising a CDRH1 sequence, a CDRH2 sequence, and a CDRH3 sequence in a human VH framework, wherein the CDRH sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 21 to 50; (b) a light chain variable region comprising a CDRL1 sequence, a CDRL2 sequence, and a CDRL3 sequence in a human VL framework, wherein the CDRL sequence is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs: 51 to 80; Includes.

[0012] An aspect of the present invention is (a) the CDRH1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 21, the CDRH2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 31, and the CDRH3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 41 in a human VH framework, and the CDRL1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 51, the CDRL2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 61, and the CDRL3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 71 in a human VL framework; or (b) the CDRH1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 22, the CDRH2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 32, and the CDRH3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 42 in a human VH framework, and the CDRL1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 52, the CDRL2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 62, and the CDRL3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 72 in a human VL framework; or (c) the CDRH1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 23, the CDRH2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 33, and the CDRH3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 43 in a human VH framework, and the CDRL1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 53, the CDRL2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 63, and the CDRL3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 73 in a human VL framework; or (d) the CDRH1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 24, the CDRH2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 34, and the CDRH3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 44 in a human VH framework, and the CDRL1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 54, the CDRL2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 64, and the CDRL3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 74 in a human VL framework; or (e) a CDRH1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 25, a CDRH2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 35, and a CDRH3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 45 in a human VH framework, and a CDRL1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 55, a CDRL2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 65, and a CDRL3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 75 in a human VL framework; or (f) a CDRH1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 26, a CDRH2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 36, and a CDRH3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 46 in a human VH framework, and a CDRL1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 56, a CDRL2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 66, and a CDRL3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 76 in a human VL framework; or (g) a CDRH1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 27, a CDRH2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 37, and a CDRH3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 47 in a human VH framework, and a CDRL1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 57, a CDRL2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 67, and a CDRL3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 77 in a human VL framework; or (h) the CDRH1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 28, the CDRH2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 38, and the CDRH3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 48 in a human VH framework, and the CDRL1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 58, the CDRL2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 68, and the CDRL3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 78 in a human VL framework; or (i) the CDRH1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 29, the CDRH2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 39, and the CDRH3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 49 in a human VH framework, and the CDRL1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 59, the CDRL2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 69, and the CDRL3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 79 in a human VL framework; or (j) a CDRH1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 30, a CDRH2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 40, and a CDRH3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 50 in a human VH framework, and a CDRL1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 60, a CDRL2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 70, and a CDRL3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 80 in a human VL framework. The present invention relates to an isolated anti-AS-SPIK antibody, or an antigen-binding fragment thereof, which specifically binds to AS-SPIK and does not bind to NS-SPIK, comprising:

[0013] In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment is multispecific. In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment is bispecific. In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment has binding affinity for effector cells. In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment has binding affinity for T cell antigen. In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment has binding affinity for CD3.

[0014] In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment is monoclonal. In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment is in a CAR-T format.

[0015] Aspects of the invention include immunoconjugates comprising an antibody described herein covalently linked to a cytotoxic agent, which in some embodiments is selected from the group consisting of a toxin, a chemotherapeutic agent, a drug moiety, an antibiotic, a radioisotope, and a nuclease.

[0016] An embodiment of the present invention is a compound of the formula Ab-(LD)p, wherein (a) Ab is an antibody as described herein; (b) L is a linker, (c) D is a drug moiety; (d) p is an integer ranging from 1 to 8. In some embodiments, D is selected from the group consisting of maytansinoids, auristatins, and dolostatins. In some embodiments, L comprises one or more linkers selected from the group consisting of 6-maleimidocaproyl (MC), maleimidopropanoyl (MP), valine-citrulline (val-cit), alanine-phenylalanine (ala-phe), p-aminobenzyloxycarbonyl (PAB), N-succinimidyl 4-(2-pyridylthio)pentanoate (SPP), N-succinimidyl 4-(N-maleimidomethyl)cyclohexane-1-carboxylate (SMCC), N-hydroxysuccinimide ester of 4-(2-pyridyldithio)butyric acid (SPDB), and N-succinimidyl (4-iodoacetyl)aminobenzoate (SIAB).

[0017] Aspects of the invention include pharmaceutical compositions comprising the antibodies, antigen-binding fragments, or immunoconjugates described herein.

[0018] An embodiment of the invention includes a method for treating a disorder characterized by expression of AS-SPIK, the method comprising administering to a subject having the disorder an antibody, antigen-binding fragment, or immunoconjugate described herein, or a pharmaceutical composition described herein.

[0019] Aspects of the invention include the use of an antibody, antigen-binding fragment, or immunoconjugate described herein in the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment of a disorder characterized by expression of AS-SPIK.Aspects of the invention include an antibody, antigen-binding fragment, or immunoconjugate described herein for use in the treatment of a disorder characterized by expression of AS-SPIK.

[0020] In some embodiments, the disorder is a liver disorder. In some embodiments, the liver disorder is hepatocellular carcinoma. In some embodiments, the liver disorder is intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. In some embodiments, the liver disorder is a viral infection. In some embodiments, the liver disorder is an inflammatory liver disorder. In some embodiments, the inflammatory liver disorder is cirrhosis.

[0021] Aspects of the invention include a polynucleotide encoding an antibody or antigen-binding fragment described herein, a vector comprising said polynucleotide, or a host cell comprising said vector.

[0022] Aspects of the invention include a method of producing an antibody, antigen-binding fragment, or immunoconjugate described herein, comprising culturing a host cell described herein under conditions permissive for expression of said antibody or antigen-binding fragment, and isolating said antibody or antigen-binding fragment from said cell.

[0023] An embodiment of the invention is a diagnostic method for determining whether a subject has or is at risk of developing a disorder characterized by expression of AS-SPIK, comprising: (a) contacting a biological test sample from the subject with an AS-SPIK antibody or antigen-binding fragment described herein to generate an AS-SPIK-antibody complex; (b) detecting the concentration of the AS-SPIK-antibody complex in the biological test sample; and (c) comparing the concentration of the AS-SPIK-antibody complex with a reference value to determine whether the subject has or is at risk for developing the disorder. The method includes the above method.

[0024] An embodiment of the invention is a diagnostic method for determining whether a subject has or is at risk of developing a disorder characterized by expression of AS-SPIK, comprising: (a) contacting a biological test sample from the subject with a first antibody or antigen-binding fragment that specifically binds to SPIK to form a SPIK-antibody complex; (b) contacting the SPIK-antibody complex with an AS-SPIK antibody or antigen-binding fragment described herein to form an AS-SPIK-antibody complex; (c) detecting the concentration of the AS-SPIK-antibody complex in the biological test sample; and (d) comparing the concentration of the AS-SPIK-antibody complex with a reference value to determine whether the subject has or is at risk for developing the disorder. The method includes the above method.

[0025] In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment comprises a detectable label. In some embodiments, the disorder is a liver disorder. In some embodiments, the liver disorder is selected from the group consisting of hepatocellular carcinoma, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, viral liver infection, inflammatory liver disorder, and cirrhosis.

[0026] Aspects of the invention include kits comprising an antibody, antigen-binding fragment, or immunoconjugate described herein. In some embodiments, the kit further comprises an antibody or antigen-binding fragment that specifically binds to SPIK. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 shows the results of an ELISA demonstrating the relative binding activity of various monoclonal antibodies to AS-SPIK and NS-SPIK. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 shows the results of detection of antibody-antigen complexes in samples containing the antibody IM-E2. [Diagram 3]FIG. 1 shows an alignment of the VH regions of ten antibodies, namely, IM-A1, IM-A6, IM-B10, IM-C6, IM-D3, IM-D5, IM-E2, IM-F5, IM-G6, and IM-G7. The consensus sequences of all antibodies are provided. The antibodies provided herein may be referred to by their long names including the letters "IM", such as IM-A1, IM-A6, etc., or by their abbreviations without the use of "IM", such as A1 or A6, etc. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 shows an alignment of the VL regions of ten antibodies A1, A6, B10, C6, D3, D5, E2, F5, G6, and G7. The consensus sequences of all antibodies are listed. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 shows an alignment of the VH CDRs of ten antibodies A1, A6, B10, C6, D3, D5, E2, F5, G6, and G7. The consensus sequences for each CDR are listed. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 shows an alignment of the VL CDRs of ten antibodies A1, A6, B10, C6, D3, D5, E2, F5, G6, and G7. The consensus sequences for each CDR are listed. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 shows amino acid and nucleic acid sequence information. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0028] The practice of the present invention employs, unless otherwise indicated, conventional techniques of molecular biology (including recombinant techniques), microbiology, cell biology, biochemistry, and immunology, which are within the skill of the art. Such techniques are described in “Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual”, second edition (Sambrook et al., 1989); “Oligonucleotide Synthesis” (MJ Gait, ed., 1984); “Animal Cell Culture” (RI Freshney, ed., 1987); “Methods in Enzymology” (Academic Press, Inc.); Ausubel et al., eds., 1987, and periodic updates);“PCR: The Polymerase Chain Reaction”, (Mullis et al., ed., 1994);“A Practical Guide to Molecular Cloning” (Perbal Bernard V., 1988);“Phage Display: A Laboratory Manual” (Barbas et al., 2001);Harlow, Lane and Harlow, Using Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual: Portable Protocol No. I, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (1998); and Harlow and Lane, Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory; (1988).

[0029] Where a range of values ​​is given, it is to be understood that each value interposed between the upper and lower limits of that range, to the lowest tenth unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, and any other stated or intervening value in that stated range, is encompassed within the invention. The upper and lower limits of these smaller ranges may independently be included in the smaller ranges and are also encompassed within the invention, provided that any limit is specifically excluded in that stated range. Where the stated range includes one or both of the limits, ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are also encompassed within the invention.

[0030] Unless otherwise specified, antibody residues herein are numbered according to the Kabat numbering system (e.g., Kabat et al., Sequences of Immunological Interest. 5th Ed. Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md. (1991)).

[0031] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without one or more of these specific details. In other instances, features and procedures well known to those skilled in the art have not been described in order to avoid obscuring the present invention.

[0032] All references cited throughout this disclosure, including patent applications and publications, are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0033] Definition of Terms For purposes of understanding this specification, the following definitions apply and whenever appropriate, terms used in the singular will also include the plural and vice versa. In the event that any definition set forth conflicts with any document incorporated herein, the definition set forth below shall control.

[0034] An "epitope" is a site on the surface of an antigen molecule to which a single antibody molecule binds. Generally, an antigen has several or many different epitopes and reacts with many different antibodies. The term specifically encompasses linear and conformational epitopes. The term encompasses any molecular determinant capable of specific binding to an antibody. In certain embodiments, epitope determinants encompass chemically active surface groupings of molecules such as amino acids, sugar side chains, phosphoryls, or sulfonyls, and in certain embodiments may have specific three-dimensional structural characteristics, and / or specific charge characteristics. An epitope is a region of an antigen to which an antibody binds. A "binding region" is an area on a binding target that is bound by a binding molecule.

[0035] "Epitope mapping" is the process of identifying the binding site of an antibody on a target antigen, i.e., the epitope. Antibody epitopes can be linear or conformational epitopes. Linear epitopes are formed by a contiguous sequence of amino acids in a protein. Conformational epitopes are formed from amino acids that are discontinuous in the protein sequence but come together when the protein folds into its three-dimensional structure.

[0036] "Epitope binning" as defined herein is the process of classifying antibodies based on the epitopes they recognize. More specifically, epitope binning encompasses methods and systems for clustering antibodies based on their epitope recognition characteristics and distinguishing the epitope recognition characteristics of different antibodies combined with computational processes for identifying antibodies with distinct binding specificities.

[0037] If two antibodies recognize the same or sterically overlapping epitopes, the antibody binds to "essentially the same epitope" as the reference antibody. The most widely used and rapid method to determine whether two antibodies bind to the same or sterically overlapping epitopes is a competitive assay, which can be configured in any number of different ways, using either labeled antigen or labeled antibody. Typically, the antigen is immobilized on a 96-well plate, and a radioactive or enzyme label is used to measure the ability of unlabeled antibody to block the binding of labeled antibody.

[0038] As used herein, a "modification" of an amino acid residue / position refers to a change in the primary amino acid sequence compared to an original amino acid sequence resulting from a sequence change involving said amino acid residue / position. For example, common modifications include the substitution of a residue (or at said position) with another amino acid (e.g., conservative or non-conservative substitution), the insertion of one or more (generally less than 5 or 3) amino acids adjacent to said residue / position, and the deletion of said residue / position. An "amino acid substitution" or variant thereof refers to the replacement of an existing amino acid residue in a given (original) amino acid sequence with a different amino acid residue. Generally and preferably, the modification alters at least one physical or biochemical activity of the variant polypeptide compared to a polypeptide comprising the original (or "wild type") amino acid sequence. For example, in the case of an antibody, the altered physical or biochemical activity may be the binding affinity, binding ability, and / or binding effect for a target molecule.

[0039] The term "antibody" encompasses monoclonal antibodies (including full-length antibodies having an immunoglobulin Fc region), single chain molecules, and antibody fragments (e.g., Fab, F(ab')2, and Fv). As used herein, the term "immunoglobulin" (Ig) is used synonymously with "antibody." The basic four-chain antibody unit is a heterotetrameric glycoprotein composed of two identical light (L) chains and two identical heavy (H) chains. Unless otherwise specified, the term "antibody" is used herein in the broadest sense and specifically includes all isotypes, subclasses, and forms of antibodies, including IgG, IgM, IgA, IgD, and IgE antibodies and fragments thereof, preferably antigen-binding fragments.

[0040] Unless otherwise specified, the term "antibody" specifically includes naturally occurring human and non-human IgG1, IgG2 (IgG2a, IgG2b), IgG3, IgG4, IgE, IgA, IgD and IgM antibodies, including naturally occurring variants.

[0041] As used herein, the term "monoclonal antibody" refers to an antibody obtained from a population of substantially homogeneous antibodies, i.e., the individual antibodies constituting said population are identical except for possible naturally occurring mutations that may be present in minor amounts. Monoclonal antibodies are highly specific, being directed against a single antigenic site. Moreover, in contrast to conventional (polyclonal) antibody preparations which usually include different antibodies directed against different determinants (epitopes), each monoclonal antibody is directed against a single determinant on the antigen. The modifier "monoclonal" indicates the character of the antibody as being obtained from a substantially homogeneous population of antibodies and is not to be construed as requiring the production of the antibody by any particular method. For example, the monoclonal antibodies used in accordance with the present invention may be produced by the hybridoma method first described by Kohler et al. (1975) Nature 256:495, or may be produced by recombinant DNA methods (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,567). The "monoclonal antibodies" may also be isolated from phage antibody libraries using the techniques described in, for example, Clackson et al. (1991) Nature 352:624-628; and Marks et al. (1991) J. Mol. Biol. 222:581-597.

[0042] Monoclonal antibodies herein specifically include "chimeric" antibodies (immunoglobulins) in which portions of the heavy and / or light chains are identical or homologous to corresponding sequences in antibodies derived from a particular species, while remaining portions of the chain(s) are identical or homologous to corresponding sequences in fragments of such antibodies from another species (so long as they exhibit the desired biological activity) (U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,567; and Morrison et al. (1984) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 81:6851-6855).

[0043] "Humanized" forms of non-human (e.g., murine) antibodies are antibodies that contain minimal sequence derived from non-human immunoglobulin. In most cases, humanized antibodies are human immunoglobulins (recipient antibody) in which residues from a hypervariable region of the recipient are replaced by residues from a hypervariable region of a non-human species (donor antibody) such as mouse, rat, rabbit, or non-human primate having the desired specificity, affinity, and capacity. In some cases, Fv framework region (FR) residues of the human immunoglobulin are also replaced by corresponding non-human residues. Furthermore, humanized antibodies may comprise residues that are not present in the recipient antibody or in the donor antibody. These modifications are made to further improve antibody performance. In general, the humanized antibody will contain substantially all of at least one, and typically two, variable domains, in which all or substantially all of the hypervariable loops correspond to those of a non-human immunoglobulin, and all or substantially all of the FR regions are FR regions of a human immunoglobulin sequence. The humanized antibody optionally also will comprise at least a portion of an immunoglobulin constant region (Fc), typically that of a human immunoglobulin. For further details, see Jones et al. (1986) Nature 321:522-525; Riechmann et al. (1988) Nature 332:323-329; and Presta (1992) Curr. Op. Struct. Biol. 2:593-596.

[0044] "Percent (%) indicated amino acid sequence identity" to a reference polypeptide sequence is defined as the percentage of amino acid residues in a candidate sequence that are identical to the amino acid residues in the reference polypeptide sequence after aligning the sequences and introducing gaps, if necessary, to achieve the maximum percent indicated sequence identity, without considering conservative substitutions as part of the sequence identity. Alignment for purposes of determining percent indicated amino acid sequence identity can be achieved in a variety of ways that are within the skill of the art, for example, using publicly available computer software such as BLAST, BLAST-2, ALIGN, or Megalign (DNASTAR) software. Those skilled in the art can determine appropriate parameters for aligning sequences, including any algorithms required to achieve maximum alignment over the entire length of the sequences being compared. However, for purposes herein, percent indicated amino acid sequence identity values ​​are obtained using the sequence comparison computer program ALIGN-2.

[0045] As used herein, the term "percent sequence identity" refers to the degree of homology between any given query sequence and a subject sequence. For example, a naturally occurring AS-SPIK or NS-SPIK polypeptide may be the query sequence, and a fragment of an AS-SPIK or NS-SPIK polypeptide may be the subject sequence. Similarly, a fragment of an AS-SPIK or NS-SPIK polypeptide may be the query sequence, and a biologically active variant thereof may be the subject sequence.

[0046] As used herein, the term "consensus sequence" means an amino acid or nucleotide residue sequence that represents the most frequently occurring residue at each position in a sequence alignment after aligning the sequences and introducing gaps, if necessary, to achieve maximum sequence identity, without taking into account any conservative substitutions as part of the sequence identity.

[0047] An "isolated" antibody herein is one that has been identified and separated and / or recovered from components of its natural environment in recombinant host cells. Contaminant components of the antibody's natural environment are materials that would interfere with diagnostic or therapeutic uses of the antibody and may include enzymes, hormones, and other proteinaceous or nonproteinaceous solutes, as well as undesired by-products of production. In a preferred embodiment, an isolated antibody herein will be purified (1) to greater than 95%, or greater than 98%, or greater than 99% by weight as measured by SDS-PAGE or SEC-HPLC methods, (2) to a degree sufficient to obtain at least 15 residues of N-terminal or internal amino acid sequence by use of an amino acid sequencer, or (3) to homogeneity by SDS-PAGE under reducing or non-reducing conditions using Coomassie blue staining, preferably silver staining. Ordinarily, an isolated antibody will be prepared by at least one purification step.

[0048] For IgG, the four-chain unit is generally about 150,000 daltons. Each L chain is linked to the H chain by one covalent disulfide bond, while the two H chains are linked to each other by one or more disulfide bonds depending on the isotype of the H chain. Each H and L chain also has regularly spaced intrachain disulfide bridges. Each H chain has a variable domain (VH) at the N-terminus, followed by three constant domains (CH) for each of the α and γ chains, and four CH domains for the μ and ε isotypes. Each L chain has a variable domain (VL) at the N-terminus, followed by a constant domain at its other end. The VL aligns with the VH, and the CL aligns with the first constant domain (CH1) of the heavy chain. It is believed that certain amino acid residues form an interface between the variable domains of the light and heavy chains. Pairing of VH and VL with each other forms a single antigen-binding site.

[0049] The term "polypeptide" is used herein in the broadest sense to include peptide sequences. The term "peptide" generally refers to a linear molecular chain of amino acids containing up to about 60, preferably up to about 30, amino acids covalently linked by peptide bonds.

[0050] The terms "specific binding" or "specifically binds to" or "specific for" refer to binding of an antibody to a target antigen, e.g., an epitope on a particular polypeptide, peptide, or other target (e.g., a glycoprotein target), and mean binding that is measurably different from non-specific interactions (e.g., non-specific interactions can be binding to bovine serum albumin or casein). Specific binding can be measured, for example, by measuring the binding of an antibody to a target molecule compared to binding to a control molecule. For example, specific binding can be determined by competition with a control molecule similar to the target, e.g., excess unlabeled target. In this case, specific binding is indicated if binding of the labeled target to the probe is competitively inhibited by excess unlabeled target. For example, a molecule having a Kd for a target of at least about 200 nM, alternatively at least about 150 nM, alternatively at least about 100 nM, alternatively at least about 60 nM, alternatively at least about 50 nM, alternatively at least about 40 nM, alternatively at least about 30 nM, alternatively at least about 20 nM, alternatively at least about 10 nM, alternatively at least about 8 nM, alternatively at least about 6 nM, alternatively at least about 4 nM, alternatively at least about 2 nM, alternatively at least about 1 nM, or more, can be referred to as "specific binding to" or "specific binding to" or "specific for" a particular polypeptide or epitope on a particular polypeptide target, as used herein. In certain cases, the term "specific binding" refers to binding in which a molecule binds to a particular polypeptide or an epitope on a particular polypeptide without substantially binding to any other polypeptide or polypeptide epitope.

[0051] "Binding affinity" refers to the strength of the sum of non-covalent interactions between a single binding site of a molecule (e.g., an antibody) and its binding partner (e.g., an antigen). Unless otherwise indicated, as used herein, "binding affinity" refers to the inherent binding affinity that reflects a 1:1 interaction between members of a binding pair (e.g., an antibody and an antigen). The affinity of a molecule X for a partner Y can generally be expressed as a dissociation constant (Kd). For example, the Kd may be about 200nM, 150nM, 100nM, 60nM, 50nM, 40nM, 30nM, 20nM, 10nM, 8nM, 6nM, 4nM, 2nM, 1nM, or stronger. Affinity can be measured by common methods known in the art, including those described herein. Low affinity antibodies generally bind antigens slowly and tend to dissociate easily, while high affinity antibodies generally bind antigens faster and tend to remain bound longer. Various methods of measuring binding affinity are known in the art.

[0052] As used herein, "Kd" or "Kd value" refers to the dissociation constant measured by a technique appropriate for the antibody-target pair, e.g., using a surface plasmon resonance assay, e.g., using a BIAcore™-2000 or BIAcore™-3000 (BIAcore, Inc., Piscataway, NJ), using an immobilized antigen CM5 chip at 25°C, at approximately 10 response units (RU).

[0053] As used herein, the term "valent" refers to the presence of a specific number of binding sites on an antibody. Thus, the term "bivalent" refers to the presence of two binding sites.

[0054] "Polyepitopic specificity" refers to the ability to specifically bind to two or more different epitopes on the same or different target(s). "Monospecific" refers to the ability to bind to only one epitope. In some embodiments, an antibody has at least 10 -7 M or 10 -8 Each epitope binds with an affinity of M or better.

[0055] The terms "target" or "binding target" are used in the broadest sense and specifically include, but are not limited to, polypeptides, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, lipids, cells, and other molecules with or without biological function when the molecule occurs in nature.

[0056] The term "antigen" refers to an entity or fragment thereof that can bind to an antibody or elicit a cellular immune response. Immunogen refers to an antigen that can elicit an immune response in an organism, particularly an animal, more particularly a mammal, including humans. The term antigen, as defined above, encompasses regions known as antigenic determinants or epitopes.

[0057] As used herein, the term "immunogenic" refers to a substance that induces the production of antibodies and / or activates T cells and / or other reactive immune cells directed against the immunogenic antigen.

[0058] The "antigen-binding site" or "antigen-binding region" of an antibody of the present invention typically comprises six hypervariable regions (HVRs) that contribute to different degrees to the affinity of the binding site for the antigen. As used herein, the term "complementarity determining region" or "CDR" is used synonymously with the term "hypervariable region" or "HVR". There are three heavy chain variable domain HVRs (HVR-H1, HVR-H2, and HVR-H3) and three light chain variable domain HVRs (HVR-L1, HVR-L2, and HVR-L3). The extent of the HVRs and framework regions (FRs) is determined by comparison to a compiled database of amino acid sequences in which these regions are defined according to intersequence variability and / or structural information from the antibody / antigen complex. Also included within the scope of the present invention are functional antigen-binding sites composed of fewer HVRs (i.e., where the binding specificity is determined by three, four, or five HVRs). Less than a complete set of six HVRs may be sufficient to bind some binding targets. Thus, in some cases, the HVR of the VH or VL domain alone may be sufficient. Furthermore, a particular antibody may have non-HVR-associated binding sites for an antigen. Such binding sites are expressly encompassed within this definition.

[0059] For purposes herein, a "naked antibody" is an antibody that is not conjugated to a cytotoxic moiety or radiolabel.

[0060] By "antibody drug conjugate" (ADC) or immunoconjugate is meant an antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, conjugated to a cytotoxic agent, such as a chemotherapeutic agent, a drug, a growth inhibitory agent, a toxin (e.g., an enzymatically active toxin of bacterial, fungal, plant, or animal origin, or fragments thereof), or a radioactive isotope (i.e., a radioconjugate).

[0061] As used herein, the term "host cell" refers to any type of cell line that can be engineered to produce an antibody according to the invention. In one embodiment, Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells are used as host cells.

[0062] As used herein, the expressions "cell," "cell line," and "cell culture" are used interchangeably and all such designations include progeny. Thus, the words "transformants" and "transformed cells" include the primary subject cell and cultures derived from that cell without regard for the number of transfers. It will also be understood that not all progeny will be precisely identical in DNA content, due to deliberate or inadvertent mutations. Mutant progeny that have the same function or biological activity as screened for in the originally transformed cell are included.

[0063] A nucleic acid is "operably linked" when it is placed into a functional relationship with another nucleic acid sequence. For example, DNA of a precursor sequence or secretory leader is operably linked to DNA of a polypeptide if it is expressed as a protein precursor that participates in the secretion of the polypeptide; a promoter or enhancer is operably linked to a coding sequence if it affects the transcription of the coding sequence; or a ribosome binding site is operably linked to a coding sequence if it is positioned so as to facilitate translation. Generally, "operably linked" means that the DNA sequences being linked are contiguous, and, in the case of a secretory leader, contiguous and in reading frame, although enhancers need not be contiguous. Linkage occurs by ligation at convenient restriction enzyme recognition sites. If such sites do not exist, synthetic oligonucleotide adaptors or linkers are used in accordance with conventional practice.

[0064] The terms "anti-AS-SPIK antibody," "AS-SPIK antibody," or "antibody that binds to AS-SPIK" all refer to an antibody that is capable of binding to AS-SPIK with sufficient affinity as follows, such that the antibody is useful as a diagnostic and / or therapeutic agent targeting AS-SPIK.

[0065] In one embodiment, as used herein, "AS-SPIK antibody" is used specifically to refer to an anti-AS-SPIK monoclonal antibody that (i) comprises a heavy chain variable domain sequence shown in any one of SEQ ID NOs: 1-10 and / or a light chain variable domain sequence shown in any one of SEQ ID NOs: 11-20; or (ii) comprises one, two, three, four, five, or six of the CDRs shown in SEQ ID NOs: 21-80.

[0066] The term "variable" refers to the fact that the sequences of certain segments of the variable domains vary extensively among antibodies. The "variable" or "V" domains mediate antigen binding and define the specificity of a particular antibody for its particular antigen. However, the variability is not evenly distributed throughout the 110 amino acid span of the variable domains. Instead, the V regions are composed of relatively invariant stretches of 15-30 amino acids called framework regions (FRs) separated by shorter regions of extreme variability called "hypervariable regions", each 9-12 amino acids long. Naturally occurring heavy and light chain variable domains each adopt a predominantly β-sheet configuration and contain four FRs connected by three hypervariable regions that form loops that connect and in some cases form part of the β-sheet structure. The hypervariable regions in each chain are held in close proximity by the FRs, along with the hypervariable regions from the other chain, and contribute to the formation of the antigen-binding site of antibodies (see Kabat et al., Sequences of Proteins of Immunological Interest, 5th Ed. Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD. (1991)).

[0067] An "intact" antibody is an antibody that comprises an antigen-binding site of a particular antibody class, as well as a light chain constant domain (CL) and at least a heavy chain constant domain. For example, an intact IgG antibody comprises an antigen-binding site, a light chain constant domain CL, and at least the heavy chain constant domains CH1 (Cγ1), CH2 (Cγ2), and CH3 (Cγ3). An intact IgM antibody comprises an antigen-binding site, a light chain constant domain CL, and at least the heavy chain constant domains CM1 (Cμ1), CM2 (Cμ2), CM3 (Cμ3), and CM4 (Cμ4). An intact IgA antibody comprises an antigen-binding site, a light chain constant domain CL, and at least the heavy chain constant domains CA1 (Cα1), CA2 (Cα2), and CA3 (Cα3). An intact IgD antibody comprises an antigen-binding site, a light chain constant domain CL, and at least the heavy chain constant domains CD1 (Cδ1), CD2 (Cδ2), and CD3 (Cδ3). An intact IgE antibody comprises an antigen-binding site, a light chain constant domain CL, and at least the heavy chain constant domains CE1 (Cε1), CE2 (Cε2), CE3 (Cε3), and CE4 (Cε4). The constant domains may be native sequence constant domains (e.g. human native sequence constant domains) or amino acid sequence variants thereof. Preferably, the intact antibody has one or more effector functions.

[0068] An "antibody fragment" or "antigen-binding fragment" of an antibody comprises a portion of an intact antibody, preferably the antigen-binding or variable region of said intact antibody. Non-limiting examples of antibody fragments include Fab, Fab', F(ab')2, and Fv fragments; diabodies; linear antibodies (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,641,870, Example 2; Zapata et al., Protein Eng. 8(10): 1057-1062 (1995)); single-chain antibody molecules; and multispecific antibodies formed from antibody fragments. In one embodiment, an antibody fragment comprises the antigen-binding site of an intact antibody and thus retains the ability to bind to antigen. One skilled in the art will appreciate that an antibody fragment can be generated from any intact antibody, e.g., an IgG, IgM, IgA, IgD, or IgE antibody, by separating at least the antigen-binding portion of the antibody from the light and heavy chains of the antibody to produce an antigen-binding fragment. In certain embodiments, an antibody fragment may comprise an antigen-binding region of an antibody and one or more additional domains of the light and / or heavy chains of the antibody. For example, in some embodiments, an antibody fragment may comprise an antigen-binding region comprising the VH and VL domains, the light chain constant domain CL, and one or more heavy chain constant domains, such as the CH1 (Cγ1) domain, the CM1 (Cμ1) domain, the CA1 (Cα1) domain, the CD1 (Cδ1) domain, or the CE1 (Cε1) domain.

[0069] In the case of IgG antibody fragments, papain digestion produces two identical antigen-binding fragments called "Fab" fragments and an "Fc" fragment, a name that reflects the ability of the remaining portion to crystallize easily. The Fab fragment consists of the entire L chain together with the variable region domain (VH) of the H chain and the first constant domain (CH1) of one heavy chain. Each Fab fragment is monovalent with respect to antigen binding, i.e., it has a single antigen-binding site. Pepsin treatment of IgG antibodies produces a single large F(ab')2 fragment that roughly corresponds to two disulfide-linked Fab fragments with bivalent antigen-binding activity and still capable of cross-linking antigen. Fab' fragments differ from Fab fragments in that they have several additional residues at the carboxy terminus of the CH1 domain, including one or more cysteines from the antibody hinge region. Fab'-SH is the designation used herein for Fab' in which the cysteine ​​residue(s) of the constant domains bear a free thiol group. F(ab')2 antibody fragments originally were produced as pairs of Fab' fragments which have hinge cysteines between them. Other chemical couplings of antibody fragments are also known.

[0070] The Fc fragment of an IgG antibody contains the carboxy-terminal portions of both H chains linked by disulfides. The effector functions of the antibody are determined by the sequence of the Fc region, which is also the region recognized by Fc receptors (FcRs) present on certain types of cells.

[0071] A "native sequence Fc region" comprises an amino acid sequence identical to the amino acid sequence of an Fc region found in nature. Native sequence human Fc regions include, for example, native sequence human IgG1 Fc region (non-A and A allotypes); native sequence human IgG2 Fc region; native sequence human IgG3 Fc region; and native sequence human IgG4 Fc region, as well as naturally occurring variants thereof.

[0072] A "variant Fc region" comprises an amino acid sequence that differs from that of a native sequence Fc region by at least one amino acid modification, preferably one or more amino acid substitution(s). A variant Fc region preferably has at least one amino acid substitution, e.g., about 1 to about 10 amino acid substitutions, preferably about 1 to about 5 amino acid substitutions, in the native sequence Fc region or in the Fc region of the parent polypeptide, compared to the native sequence Fc region or the Fc region of the parent polypeptide. A variant Fc region herein preferably has at least about 80% homology with the native sequence Fc region and / or the Fc region of the parent polypeptide, most preferably at least about 90% homology, more preferably at least about 95% homology with the Fc region.

[0073] The human IgG1 amino acid sequence is represented by UniProtKB No. P01857, which is incorporated herein in its entirety. The human IgG2 amino acid sequence is represented by UniProtKB No. P01859, which is incorporated herein in its entirety. The human IgG3 amino acid sequence is provided by UniProtKB No. P01860, which is incorporated herein in its entirety. The human IgG4 amino acid sequence is represented by UniProtKB No. P01861, which is incorporated herein in its entirety.

[0074] An "Fv" is the smallest antibody fragment that contains a complete antigen recognition and binding site. This fragment is composed of a dimer of one heavy and one light chain variable domain in tight non-covalent association. In single chain Fv (scFv) species, one heavy and one light chain variable domain can be covalently linked by a flexible peptide linker, so that the light and heavy chains can associate into a "dimeric" structure similar to that in two chain Fv species. The folding of these two domains gives rise to six hypervariable loops (three loops each from the H and L chains) that contribute amino acid residues for antigen binding and confer antigen binding specificity to the antibody. However, even a single variable domain (or half of an Fv containing only three HVRs specific for an antigen) has the ability to recognize and bind antigen, albeit with a lower affinity than the entire binding site.

[0075] "Single-chain Fv", also abbreviated as "sFv" or "scFv", is an antibody fragment comprising the VH and VL antibody domains linked into a single polypeptide chain. Preferably, the sFv polypeptide further comprises a polypeptide linker between the VH and VL domains, which enables the sFv to form the desired structure for antigen binding. For a review of sFv, see Pluckthun in The Pharmacology of Monoclonal Antibodies, vol. 113, Rosenburg and Moore eds., Springer-Verlag, New York, pp. 269-315 (1994); Borrebaeck 1995, infra.

[0076] The term "chimeric antigen receptor" or "CAR" is used in the broadest sense herein to refer to an engineered receptor that fuses a desired binding specificity (e.g., the antigen-binding region of a monoclonal antibody or other ligand) to a transmembrane domain and an intracellular signaling domain. Typically, such receptors are used to fuse the specificity of a monoclonal antibody onto a T cell to create a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) (Dai et al., J Natl Cancer Inst, 2016;108(7):djv439; and Jackson et al., Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology, 2016;13:370-383.).

[0077] As used herein, the term "effector cell" refers to an immune cell that is involved in the effector stage of an immune response, as opposed to the cognitive and activation stages of the immune response. Some effector cells express specific Fc receptors and perform specific immune functions. In some embodiments, effector cells, such as natural killer cells, are capable of inducing antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). For example, monocytes and macrophages that express FcR are involved in the specific killing of target cells and presenting antigens to other components of the immune system, or binding to cells that present antigens. In some embodiments, effector cells may phagocytose target antigens or target cells.

[0078] "Human effector cells" are leukocytes that express a receptor, such as a T cell receptor or FcR, and perform effector function. Preferably, the cells express at least FcγRIII and perform ADCC effector function. Examples of human leukocytes that mediate ADCC include natural killer (NK) cells, monocytes, cytotoxic T cells, and neutrophils, with NK cells being preferred. The effector cells can be isolated from their natural source, e.g., blood or PBMCs as described herein.

[0079] The term "immune cell" is used herein in the broadest sense and includes, but is not limited to, cells of myeloid or lymphoid origin, such as lymphocytes (such as B cells and T cells, including cytolytic T cells (CTLs)); killer cells; natural killer (NK) cells; macrophages; monocytes; eosinophils; polymorphonuclear cells such as neutrophils, granulocytes, mast cells, and basophils.

[0080] The term "effector function" of an antibody refers to a biological activity attributable to the Fc region of an antibody (either a native sequence Fc region or an amino acid sequence variant Fc region). Examples of antibody effector functions include C1q binding, complement-dependent cytotoxicity, Fc receptor binding, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), phagocytosis, down-regulation of cell surface receptors (e.g., B cell receptor; BCR), and the like.

[0081] "Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity" and "ADCC" refer to a cell-mediated reaction in which nonspecific cytotoxic cells expressing Fc receptors (FcR), such as natural killer (NK) cells, neutrophils, and macrophages, recognize bound antibodies on target cells and subsequently lyse the target cells. NK cells, the primary cells for mediating ADCC, express only FcγRIII, whereas monocytes express FcγRI, FcγRII, and FcγRIII. Expression of FcR on hematopoietic cells is summarized in Table 3 on page 464 of Ravetch and Kinet, Annu. Rev. Immunol 9:457-92 (1991). To assess ADCC activity of a molecule of interest, an in vitro ADCC assay, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,500,362 or 5,821,337, may be performed. Useful effector cells for such assays include peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and Natural Killer (NK) cells. Alternatively, or additionally, ADCC activity of the molecule of interest may be assessed in vivo, e.g., in an animal model such as that disclosed in Clynes et al. PNAS (USA) 95:652-656 (1998).

[0082] "Complement-dependent cytotoxicity" or "CDC" refers to the ability of a molecule to lyse a target in the presence of complement. The complement activation pathway is initiated by the binding of the first component of the complement system (C1q) to a molecule (e.g., an antibody) complexed with a cognate antigen. To assess complement activation, a CDC assay may be performed, e.g., as described in Gazzano-Santoro et al., J. Immunol. Methods 202:163 (1996).

[0083] A "blocking" or "antagonist" or "antagonistic" antibody is an antibody that inhibits or reduces the biological activity of the antigen to which it binds. Preferred blocking or antagonist antibodies are capable of substantially or completely inhibiting the biological activity of the antigen.

[0084] An antibody that "binds" to an antigen of interest, e.g., an AS-SPIK or NS-SPIK polypeptide, is an antibody that binds to the antigen with sufficient affinity so that it is useful as a therapeutic agent in targeting cells or tissues expressing the antigen, and does not significantly cross-react with other proteins. With respect to the binding of an antibody to a target molecule, the term "specific binding" to a particular polypeptide or epitope on a particular polypeptide target, or "specifically binds" or "specifically" refers to binding that is measurably different from non-specific interactions. Specific binding can be measured, for example, by measuring the binding of a molecule compared to the binding of a control molecule, which is generally a molecule of similar structure that does not have binding activity. For example, specific binding can be measured by competition with a control molecule similar to the target, e.g., an excess of unlabeled target. In this case, specific binding is indicated if the binding of the labeled target to the probe is competitively inhibited by an excess of unlabeled target. In one embodiment, the term "specific binding" refers to binding by a molecule to a particular polypeptide or an epitope on a particular polypeptide without substantially binding to any other polypeptides or polypeptide epitopes.

[0085] The terms "cancer" and "cancerous" generally refer to or describe the physiological condition in mammals characterized by unregulated cell growth. A "tumor" comprises one or more cancerous cells. Examples of cancer include, but are not limited to, carcinoma, lymphoma, blastoma, sarcoma, and leukemia or lymphoid malignancies. More particular examples of such cancers include squamous cell cancer (e.g., epithelial squamous cell cancer), skin cancer, melanoma, lung cancer, including small cell lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer ("NSCLC"), lung adenocarcinoma, and lung squamous cell carcinoma, cancer of the peritoneum, gastric or stomach cancer, including gastrointestinal cancer, pancreatic cancer (e.g., pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma), glioblastoma, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer (e.g., high-grade serous ovarian cancer), liver cancer (e.g., hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC)), bladder cancer (e.g., urothelial bladder cancer), testicular cancer (germ cell tumor), hepatocellular carcinoma, breast cancer, brain cancer (e.g., astrocytoma), colon cancer, rectal cancer, colorectal cancer, endometrial or uterine cancer, salivary gland cancer, kidney cancer, or renal cancer. Cancers include, but are not limited to, retinoblastoma, theca cell carcinoma, androgenitoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), multiple myeloma, and hematological malignancies including acute hematological malignancies, endometrial or uterine cancer, endometriosis, fibrosarcoma, choriocarcinoma, salivary gland cancer, vulvar cancer, thyroid cancer, esophageal cancer, liver cancer, anal cancer, penile cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, laryngeal cancer, Kaposi's sarcoma, melanoma, skin cancer, Schwannoma, oligodendroglioma, neuroblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, osteosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, and urinary tract cancer.

[0086] The term "metastatic cancer" refers to a cancerous condition in which cancer cells from a tissue of origin migrate by blood or lymphatic vessels from the primary site to one or more other sites in the body and form one or more secondary tumors in one or more organs other than the tissue of origin.

[0087] As used herein, an "AS-SPIK-associated disorder" in "a disorder characterized by expression of AS-SPIK" refers to a disorder associated with expression or overexpression of the AS-SPIK gene or gene product (AS-SPIK polypeptide), and the disorder may be any disorder characterized by cells expressing normal or elevated levels of AS-SPIK compared to a suitable control cell. A suitable control cell may be a cell from an individual not suffering from a cancer that expresses or overexpresses AS-SPIK, or a non-cancerous cell from any subject in need, or a non-cancerous cell from another individual suffering from a cancer that expresses or overexpresses AS-SPIK. One prominent example of an AS-SPIK-associated disorder is liver cancer.

[0088] The terms "cell proliferative disorder" and "proliferative disorder" refer to a disorder associated with any degree of abnormal cell proliferation. In one embodiment, the cell proliferative disorder is cancer.

[0089] As used herein, "tumor" refers to all neoplastic cell growth and proliferation, whether malignant or benign, and all pre-cancerous and cancerous cells and tissues.

[0090] As used herein, the terms "predicted" and "foreseen" are synonymous in the sense that a prediction or prognostic method enables a person performing the method to select (usually, but not necessarily, prior to treatment) patients who are believed to be more likely to respond to treatment with anti-cancer drugs, including anti-AS-SPIK antibodies.

[0091] As used herein, the terms "treat," "treatment," or "treating" refer to both therapeutic treatment and prophylactic or preventative measures, the latter of which are aimed at preventing or slowing (reducing) the targeted pathological condition or disorder. Subjects in need of treatment include those already suffering from the particular disease or disorder as well as those susceptible to the disorder or in whom the disorder is to be prevented.

[0092] Detailed Description of the Invention The present invention is based, at least in part, on the discovery that certain disorders are characterized by the expression of a specific form of Kazal-type serine protease inhibitor (SPIK). A prominent example is liver cancer, including but not limited to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). More specifically, the inventors have found that certain cancers, such as liver cancer, express a form of SPIK that contains an additional 23 amino acids at the N-terminus of the secreted SPIK polypeptide. This 23 amino acid segment (SEQ ID NO: 81) is not present in SPIK polypeptides secreted from normal cells, such as pancreatic cells. This is consistent with the inventors' previous report that the first 9 amino acids of this 23 amino acid segment may be present in unprocessed SPIK secreted by liver cancer cell lines. Lu et al., Immunology 2011;134(4):398-408. This long form of SPIK may be referred to as AS-SPIK, i.e., Abnormal Secreted SPIK. AS-SPIK produced by liver cancer cells may also be referred to as LC-SPIK, i.e., Liver Cancer Secreted SPIK. The terms AS-SPIK and LC-SPIK are used interchangeably herein. An exemplary AS-SPIK polypeptide may have the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 82. The inventors may refer to the form of SPIK secreted by normal cells, such as pancreatic cells, as NS-SPIK, i.e., Normal Secreted SPIK. An exemplary NS-SPIK polypeptide may have the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 83. The inventors have also found that the conformation (e.g., 3D structure) of AS-SPIK is different from that of NS-SPIK.

[0093] Thus, aspects of the invention include compositions such as antibodies that specifically or preferentially bind to AS-SPIK and do not bind to NS-SPIK. AS-SPIK complexes are also provided. An AS-SPIK complex according to an embodiment of the invention comprises an antibody that specifically or preferentially binds to AS-SPIK and an AS-SPIK polypeptide, or a fragment thereof.

[0094] Aspects of the invention include antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) comprising an antibody (Ab) described herein, a linker (L), and a drug moiety (D). In some embodiments, the ADC has the formula Ab-(LD)p, where p is an integer ranging from 1 to 8.

[0095] Embodiments of the invention also include methods of using the subject antibodies for the detection of disorders characterized by expression of AS-SPIK, eg, liver disorders, such as liver cancer, eg, HCC or ICC.

[0096] Although the inventors believe that they understand the specific events that occur upon expression of AS-SPIK, the compositions and methods of the present invention are not limited to compositions and methods that function by affecting any particular cellular mechanism. Without wishing to be bound by theory, the inventors hypothesize that because SPIK is a protease inhibitor, overexpression of SPIK in cancer cells suppresses the activity of signal peptide peptidases, which are a type of protease, resulting in the secretion of non-attenuated full-length protein from the cancer cells.

[0097] composition The compositions provided herein include antibodies that specifically or preferentially bind to AS-SPIK and do not bind to NS-SPIK.

[0098] Kazal-type serine protease inhibitor (SPIK), also known as SPINK1, PSTI, and TATI, is a small protein that has been shown to broadly regulate the activity of many cellular proteases, including trypsin-like and chymotrypsin-like proteases. Greene, LJ, J Surg Oncol. 1975;7(2):151-154;Horii et al., Biochemical and biophysical research communications 1987;149(2):635-641;Stenman, UH, Clin Chem. 2002;48(8):1206-1209. SPIK may also play a role in the inhibition of apoptosis. Lu et al., Immunology 2011;134(4):398-408. Exemplary human SPIK amino acid sequences include GenBank Accession No.: M11949, GI No.: 190687; GenBank Accession No.: NM003122, GI: 657940887; and GeneBank Accession No.: BC025790, GI: 19343607.

[0099] antibody Antibodies provided herein may include antibodies that specifically or preferentially bind to an epitope within amino acids 1-23 of SEQ ID NO:82, or an epitope that includes at least one amino acid within this region. The epitope may be a conformational epitope (conformation-specific epitope) or a linear epitope. In some embodiments, the antibody specifically or preferentially binds to an epitope in the AS-SPIK protein sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:81. In some embodiments, the antibody specifically or preferentially binds to a conformation-specific epitope that includes at least one amino acid of SEQ ID NO:81.

[0100] Antibodies according to embodiments of the invention may be polyclonal or monoclonal, in particular monoclonal, and may be produced by human, murine, rabbit, sheep or goat cells or by hybridomas derived from these cells. In some embodiments, the antibodies may be humanized or chimeric antibodies.

[0101] Antibodies according to the present invention may assume a variety of configurations and may include proteins consisting of one or more polypeptides substantially encoded by immunoglobulin genes. Any one of a variety of antibody structures may be used, including intact antibodies, antibody multimers, or antibody fragments or other variants thereof, which contain the functional, antigen-binding regions of the antibody. The term "immunoglobulin" may be used synonymously with "antibody." The antibody may be of monoclonal or polyclonal origin. Regardless of the source of the antibody, suitable antibodies include intact antibodies, e.g., IgG tetramers having two heavy (H) chains and two light (L) chains, single chain antibodies, chimeric antibodies, humanized antibodies, complementarity determining region (CDR)-grafted antibodies, and antibody fragments, e.g., Fab, Fab', F(ab')2, scFv, Fv, and recombinant antibodies derived from such fragments, e.g., camelbodies, microantibodies, diabodies, and bispecific antibodies.

[0102] An intact antibody is one that comprises antigen-binding variable regions (VH and VL) as well as a light chain constant domain (CL) and heavy chain constant domains, CH1, CH2, and CH3. The constant domains may be native sequence constant domains (e.g., human native sequence constant domains) or amino acid sequence variants thereof. As is well known in the art, the VH and VL regions are further subdivided into regions of hypervariability called "complementarity determining regions" (CDRs) interspersed with more conserved framework regions (FRs). The CDRs of an antibody typically comprise amino acid sequences that together define the binding affinity and specificity of the native Fv region of a native immunoglobulin binding site.

[0103] Anti-AS-SPIK antibodies may be derived from any class of immunoglobulins, such as IgA, IgG, IgE, IgD, IgM (and subtypes thereof, such as IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, and IgG4), and the light chains of the immunoglobulins may be of the kappa or lambda type. Recognized human immunoglobulin genes include the kappa, lambda, alpha (IgA1 and IgA2), gamma (IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgG4), delta, epsilon, and mu constant region genes, as well as the myriad immunoglobulin variable region genes.

[0104] The term "antigen-binding portion" of an immunoglobulin or antibody generally refers to a portion of an immunoglobulin that specifically or preferentially binds to a target, in this case an epitope that includes amino acid residues on AS-SPIK but not on NS-SPIK (SEQ ID NO: 81). Thus, an antigen-binding portion of an immunoglobulin is a molecule in which one or more immunoglobulin chains are not full-length, but which specifically or preferentially binds to a cellular target. Examples of antigen-binding portions or fragments include (i) a Fab fragment, a monovalent fragment consisting of the VLC, VHC, CL, and CH1 domains; (ii) a F(ab')2 fragment, a bivalent fragment containing two Fab fragments linked by a disulfide bridge at the hinge region; (iii) an Fv fragment consisting of the VLC and VHC domains of a single arm of an antibody; and (v) an isolated CDR, e.g., a variable region antigen-binding portion, having sufficient framework to specifically or preferentially bind. The antigen-binding portion of the light chain variable region and the antigen-binding portion of the heavy chain variable region, e.g., the two domains of an Fv fragment, VLC and VHC, can be joined using recombinant techniques by a synthetic linker that allows the VLC and VHC regions to pair into a single protein chain to form a monovalent molecule, known as a single-chain Fv (scFv). Such scFvs are encompassed by the term "antigen-binding portion" of an antibody.

[0105] An "Fv" fragment is the minimum antibody fragment that contains a complete antigen recognition and binding site. This region consists of a dimer of one heavy-chain variable domain and one light-chain variable domain in tight covalent association. In this configuration, the three hypervariable regions of each variable domain interact to define an antigen binding site on the surface of the VH-VL dimer. The six hypervariable regions confer antigen binding specificity, but even a single variable domain (i.e., half of an Fv containing only three hypervariable regions specific for an antigen) has the ability to recognize and bind antigen, albeit with a lower affinity than the entire binding site. To improve stability, the VH-VL domains may be connected by a flexible peptide linker, such as (Gly4Ser)3, to form single-chain Fv or scFv antibody fragments, or may be engineered to form disulfide bonds by introducing two cysteine ​​residues into the framework regions to generate disulfide-stabilized Fvs (dsFvs).

[0106] Fragments of antibodies are suitable for use in the provided methods, so long as the fragment retains the desired specificity of the full-length antibody and / or sufficient specificity to bind to AS-SPIK and not to NS-SPIK.

[0107] The antigen-binding domain of the antibody described herein can be used to generate T cell engaging molecules (e.g., bispecific T cell engaging, also known as BiTE molecules) as well as CAR-T structures. T cell engaging molecules are described, for example, in Huehls et al., Bispecific T cell engagers for cancer immunotherapy, Immunol Cell Biol. 2015 Mar;93(3):290-296. CAR-T structures that include single domain antibodies as binding (targeting) domains are described, for example, in Iri-Sofla et al., 2011, Experimental Cell Research 317:2630-2641 and Jamnani et al., 2014, Biochim Biophys Acta, 1840:378-386.

[0108] Methods for preparing antibody fragments include both biochemical methods (e.g., proteolytic digestion of intact antibodies followed by chemical cross-linking) as well as recombinant DNA-based methods in which immunoglobulin sequences are genetically engineered to direct the synthesis of the desired fragment. Antibody fragments can be obtained by proteolysis of whole immunoglobulins with the non-specific thiol protease papain. Papain digestion produces two identical antigen-binding fragments, called "Fab fragments," each with a single antigen-binding site, and a residual "Fc fragment." The various fractions can be separated by protein A-Sepharose or ion exchange chromatography. The usual procedure for preparing F(ab')2 fragments from IgG from rabbit and human origin is limited proteolysis with the enzyme pepsin. Pepsin treatment of intact antibodies produces F(ab')2 fragments that have two antigen-binding sites and still have the ability to cross-link antigen. Fab fragments contain the constant domain of the light chain and the first constant domain (CH1) of the heavy chain. Fab' fragments differ from Fab fragments by the addition of a few residues at the carboxyl terminus of the heavy chain CH1 domain including one or more cysteine(s) from the antibody hinge region. F(ab')2 antibody fragments originally were produced as pairs of Fab' fragments which have hinge cysteines between them.

[0109] Methods for producing anti-AS-SPIK antibodies are also within the scope of the invention. For example, the variable regions can be constructed by modifying the DNA sequences encoding the immunoglobulin chains using PCR mutagenesis (e.g., using methods used to generate humanized immunoglobulins).

[0110] Monoclonal antibodies are homogeneous antibodies of the same antigen specificity produced by a single clone of antibody-producing cells, whereas polyclonal antibodies generally recognize different epitopes on the same antigen and are produced by multiple clones of antibody-producing cells. Each monoclonal antibody is directed against a single determinant on the antigen. The modifier monoclonal indicates that the character of the antibody is obtained from a population of substantially homogeneous antibodies and is not to be construed as requiring that the antibody be produced by any particular method.

[0111] The monoclonal antibodies herein may include chimeric antibodies, i.e., antibodies that typically have a portion of the heavy and / or light chains that are identical or homologous to corresponding sequences in antibodies derived from a particular species or belonging to a particular antibody class or subclass, and the remaining portions of the chain(s) are identical or homologous to corresponding sequences in antibodies derived from another species or belonging to another antibody class or subclass, as well as fragments of such antibodies so long as they exhibit the desired biological activity. Chimeric antibodies of interest include primatized antibodies that contain variable domain antigen-binding sequences derived from a non-human primate (e.g., ape, Old World monkey, New World monkey, prosimian) and human constant region sequences.

[0112] Mouse or rabbit monoclonal antibodies were generated by immunizing mice or rabbits with a specifically designed recombinant protein that has an additional 23 amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO: 81) that is not present in NS-SPIK and is present in AS-SPIK in addition to the common region (SEQ ID NO: 83), which is an amino acid sequence that is present in both NS-SPIK and AS-SPIK. In some embodiments, the recombinant protein may not need to have the entire 23 amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO: 81) to generate an antibody that is effective in binding only to AS-SPIK and not to NS-SPIK. Methods for screening and selecting antibodies that specifically or preferentially bind to AS-SPIK are described in Example 1.

[0113] Figure 1 shows the results of testing monoclonal antibodies, which indicate that the antibodies of the present invention can specifically or preferentially recognize AS-SPIK but cannot recognize NS-SPIK, including but not limited to IM-A1, IM-A6, IM-B10, IM-C6, IM-D3, IM-D5, IM-E2, IM-F5, IM-G6, and IM-G7. See Example 1 for a description of the testing.

[0114] The sequences of the variable regions of the light chain (VL) and heavy chain (VH) of monoclonal antibodies that specifically or preferentially bind to AS-SPIK (and not to NS-SPIK) were determined (SEQ ID NOs: 1-20). All CDRs of these antibodies were also determined (SEQ ID NOs: 21-80). Figures 3-6 show the consensus amino acid sequences of these regions. Tables 1-3 show the SEQ ID NOs of the various VH and VL regions of ten exemplary antibodies of the invention.

[0115] For example, the IM-A1 antibody has a VH region shown in SEQ ID NO: 1 and a VL region shown in SEQ ID NO: 11. The VH region has three CDR regions corresponding to SEQ ID NOs: 21, 31, and 41. The VL region has three CDR regions corresponding to SEQ ID NOs: 51, 61, and 71.

[0116] The IM-A6 antibody has a VH region shown in SEQ ID NO: 2 and a VL region shown in SEQ ID NO: 12. The VH region has three CDR regions corresponding to SEQ ID NOs: 22, 32, and 42. The VL region has three CDR regions corresponding to SEQ ID NOs: 52, 62, and 72.

[0117] The IM-B10 antibody has a VH region as shown in SEQ ID NO: 3 and a VL region as shown in SEQ ID NO: 13. The VH region has three CDR regions corresponding to SEQ ID NOs: 23, 33, and 43. The VL region has three CDR regions corresponding to SEQ ID NOs: 53, 63, and 73.

[0118] The IM-C6 antibody has a VH region shown in SEQ ID NO: 4 and a VL region shown in SEQ ID NO: 14. The VH region has three CDR regions corresponding to SEQ ID NOs: 24, 34, and 44. The VL region has three CDR regions corresponding to SEQ ID NOs: 54, 64, and 74.

[0119] The IM-D3 antibody has a VH region shown in SEQ ID NO:5 and a VL region shown in SEQ ID NO:15. The VH region has three CDR regions corresponding to SEQ ID NOs:25, 35, and 45. The VL region has three CDR regions corresponding to SEQ ID NOs:55, 65, and 75.

[0120] The IM-D5 antibody has a VH region shown in SEQ ID NO: 6 and a VL region shown in SEQ ID NO: 16. The VH region has three CDR regions corresponding to SEQ ID NOs: 26, 36, and 46. The VL region has three CDR regions corresponding to SEQ ID NOs: 56, 66, and 76.

[0121] The IM-E2 antibody has a VH region as shown in SEQ ID NO: 7 and a VL region as shown in SEQ ID NO: 17. The VH region has three CDR regions corresponding to SEQ ID NOs: 27, 37, and 47. The VL region has three CDR regions corresponding to SEQ ID NOs: 57, 67, and 77.

[0122] The IM-F5 antibody has a VH region shown in SEQ ID NO: 8 and a VL region shown in SEQ ID NO: 18. The VH region has three CDR regions corresponding to SEQ ID NOs: 28, 38, and 48. The VL region has three CDR regions corresponding to SEQ ID NOs: 58, 68, and 78.

[0123] The IM-G6 antibody has a VH region shown in SEQ ID NO: 9 and a VL region shown in SEQ ID NO: 19. The VH region has three CDR regions corresponding to SEQ ID NOs: 29, 39, and 49. The VL region has three CDR regions corresponding to SEQ ID NOs: 59, 69, and 79.

[0124] The IM-G7 antibody has a VH region shown in SEQ ID NO: 10 and a VL region shown in SEQ ID NO: 20. The VH region has three CDR regions corresponding to SEQ ID NOs: 30, 40, and 50. The VL region has three CDR regions corresponding to SEQ ID NOs: 60, 70, and 80.

[0125] Furthermore, an antibody according to an embodiment of the present invention may be any non-naturally occurring (artificial) antibody that specifically or preferentially binds to AS-SPIK and does not bind to NS-SPIK.

[0126] In some embodiments, the antibody has a VH region having a sequence as set forth in any one of SEQ ID NOs: 1-10, or a VH region having a sequence having at least about 80%, at least about 85%, at least about 90%, at least about 95%, or at least about 99% identity to the heavy chain variable region sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs: 1-10, provided that the resulting antibody or antigen-binding fragment specifically or preferentially binds to AS-SPIK and does not bind to NS-SPIK.

[0127] In some embodiments, the antibody has a VL region having a sequence set forth in any one of SEQ ID NOs: 11-20, or has a VL comprising a sequence having at least about 80%, at least about 85%, at least about 90%, at least about 95%, or at least about 99% identity to the heavy chain variable region sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOs: 11-20, provided that the resulting antibody or antigen-binding fragment specifically or preferentially binds to AS-SPIK and does not bind to NS-SPIK.

[0128] In some embodiments, the antibody has a sequence as set forth in any one of SEQ ID NOs: 21-30, or comprises a VH CDR1 region having no more than two amino acid mutations as set forth in any one of SEQ ID NOs: 21-30, so long as the resulting antibody specifically or preferentially binds to AS-SPIK and not NS-SPIK. In some embodiments, the VH CDR1 region may comprise the following structural formula, where X represents a variable amino acid, which may be any of the identified amino acids: S X1X2X3X4S (SEQ ID NO: 107), where X1 is S or A, X2 is Y or N, X3 is A, G, P, or V, and X4 is I or V.

[0129] In some embodiments, the antibody has a sequence as set forth in any one of SEQ ID NOs: 31-40, or comprises a VH CDR2 region having no more than two amino acid mutations as set forth in any one of SEQ ID NOs: 31-40, so long as the resulting antibody specifically or preferentially binds to AS-SPIK and not NS-SPIK. In some embodiments, the VH CDR2 region may comprise the following structural formula, where X represents a variable amino acid, which is one of the identified amino acids: X5I X6X7X8G X9X 10 X 11 YASWAKS (SEQ ID NO: 108), wherein X8 is S, G, or Y; and X5, X6, X7, X9, X 10 , and X 11 is any amino acid.

[0130] In some embodiments, the antibody has a sequence as set forth in any one of SEQ ID NOs: 41-50, or comprises a VH CDR3 region having no more than two amino acid mutations as set forth in any one of SEQ ID NOs: 41-50, so long as the resulting antibody specifically or preferentially binds to AS-SPIK and not to NS-SPIK. In some embodiments, the VH CDR3 region may comprise the following structural formula, where X represents a variable amino acid, which is one of the identified amino acids: RX 12 X 13 X 14 X 15 X16 X 17 X 18 X 19 X 20 X 21 (SEQ ID NO: 109), wherein X 12 , X 13 , X 14 , X 15 , X 16 , X 17 , X 18 , X 19 , X 20 , and X 21 is any amino acid.

[0131] In some embodiments, the antibody has a sequence as set forth in any one of SEQ ID NOs: 51-60, or comprises a VL CDR1 region having no more than two amino acid mutations as set forth in any one of SEQ ID NOs: 51-60, so long as the resulting antibody specifically or preferentially binds to AS-SPIK and not NS-SPIK. In some embodiments, the VL CDR1 region may comprise the following structural formula, where X represents a variable amino acid, which is an identified amino acid: QASX. 22 X 23 IX 24 X 25 X 26 LX 27 (SEQ ID NO: 110), wherein X 22 is Q or E, and X 23 is S, G, D, or N, and X 24 is S, N, E, or G, and X 25 is any amino acid, and X 26 is Y or A, and X 27 is any amino acid.

[0132] In some embodiments, the antibody has a sequence as set forth in any one of SEQ ID NOs: 61-70, or comprises a VL CDR2 region having no more than two amino acid mutations as set forth in any one of SEQ ID NOs: 61-70, so long as the resulting antibody specifically or preferentially binds to AS-SPIK and not NS-SPIK. In some embodiments, the VL CDR2 region may comprise the following structural formula, where X represents a variable amino acid, which is an identified amino acid: X 28 AX 29 X 30 LX 31 S (SEQ ID NO: 111), wherein X 28 is any amino acid, and X 29 is S or T, and X 30 is T, Y, or K, and X 31 is A, P, or V.

[0133] In some embodiments, the antibody has a sequence as set forth in any one of SEQ ID NOs: 71-80, or comprises a VL CDR3 region having no more than two amino acid mutations as set forth in any one of SEQ ID NOs: 71-80, so long as the resulting antibody specifically or preferentially binds to AS-SPIK and not to NS-SPIK. In some embodiments, the VL CDR3 region may comprise the following structural formula, where X represents a variable amino acid, which is an identified amino acid: X 32 QX 33 YX 34 X 35 X 36 X 37 X 38 X 39 X 40 X 41 (SEQ ID NO: 112), wherein X 32 is Q or H, and X 33 is G or D, and X 34 is any amino acid, and X 35 is any amino acid, and X 36 is S or N, and X 37 is N, D, V, or G, and X 38 is V, D, or I, and X39 is D, G, or N, and X 40 is N or V, and X 41 is any amino acid.

[0134] Antibodies according to embodiments of the present invention may comprise any of the VH, VL, VH CDR1, VH CDR2, or VH CDR3, or VL CDR1, VL CDR2, or VL CDR3 regions described herein, or any combination of these regions, including sequences having the aforementioned homologies or percent identities, so long as the antibody binds to AS-SPIK and not NS-SPIK.

[0135] The structural formulas and consensus sequences presented herein were determined using the software program "BioEdit" developed by North Carolina State University.

[0136] All of these antibodies were examined for their high binding activity to AS-SPIK, and the results are shown in Example 1.

[0137] The method of producing monoclonal antibodies may include a purification step. For example, the antibodies may be further purified, typically using, for example, filtration, centrifugation, and various chromatographic methods, such as HPLC or affinity chromatography, all of which are techniques well known to those of skill in the art. Each of these purification techniques involves fractionation to separate the desired antibody from other components of the mixture. Analytical methods particularly suited to antibody preparations include, for example, Protein A-Sepharose and / or Protein G-Sepharose chromatography.

[0138] The anti-AS-SPIK antibodies of the invention may contain CDRs of human or non-human origin. "Humanized" antibodies are generally chimeric or mutated monoclonal antibodies of mouse, rat, hamster, rabbit, or other species origin, with human constant and / or variable region domains or specific alterations. The immunoglobulin framework may be human, humanized, or non-human framework (e.g., mouse framework modified to reduce antigenicity in humans), or synthetic framework (e.g., consensus sequence). Humanized immunoglobulins are immunoglobulins in which the framework residues correspond to human germline sequences and the CDRs are derived from V(D)J recombination and somatic mutation. However, humanized immunoglobulins may also contain amino acid residues not encoded in human germline immunoglobulin nucleic acid sequences (e.g., mutations introduced by ex vivo random or site-specific mutagenesis). Antibody variable domain genes based on germline sequences but with framework mutations introduced, for example, by in vivo somatic mutation processes, are referred to as "human".

[0139] Humanized antibodies may be engineered by a variety of methods known in the art, including, for example, (1) grafting non-human complementarity determining regions (CDRs) onto human framework and constant regions, a process known in the art as humanization, or (2) grafting entire non-human variable domains, but giving them a human-like surface by substitution of surface residues, a process known in the art as veneering. Humanized antibodies may include both humanized and veneered antibodies. Similarly, human antibodies can be produced by introducing human immunoglobulin loci into transgenic animals, e.g., mice in which the endogenous immunoglobulin genes have been partially or completely inactivated. Upon challenge, production of human antibodies is observed, which closely resembles that seen in humans in all respects, including gene rearrangement, assembly, and antibody repertoire.

[0140] In addition to chimeric and humanized antibodies, fully human antibodies can be derived from transgenic mice carrying human immunoglobulin genes. In some embodiments, antibodies can be produced and identified by scFv-phage display libraries.

[0141] The anti-AS-SPIK antibodies can also be modified to modulate the antigen-binding affinity of the antibody, the effector functions of the antibody, or the pharmacokinetics of the antibody. In particular, random mutations can be made in the CDRs and the products screened to identify antibodies with higher affinity and / or higher specificity. Typically, the CDRs only need to differ by one or two amino acids.

[0142] CDR shuffling and grafting techniques may be used, for example, with the antibodies provided herein. CDR shuffling inserts CDR sequences into a particular framework region. CDR grafting techniques allow CDR sequences to be randomly combined into a single master framework. Using such techniques, for example, the CDR sequences of the present anti-AS-SPIK antibodies may be subjected to mutagenesis to generate multiple different sequences, which are then incorporated into a scaffold sequence, and the resulting antibody variants may be screened for desired properties, for example, higher affinity.

[0143] The function of SPIK has been investigated by the present inventors and has revealed that SPIK can bind to granzyme A (GzmA) and inhibit granzyme A from inducing apoptosis. Lu et al., Immunology 2011;134(4):398-408. GzmA is a cytotoxic serine protease secreted by activated CTL and NK cells, which kills target cells during immune surveillance. The role of GzmA-induced apoptosis in the elimination of malignant cells, such as tumor precursor / tumor germ cells, has been confirmed. Pardo et al., Eur J Immunol 2002;32(10):2881-2887. Thus, overexpression of AS-SPIK in liver cancer cells may render the cells resistant to apoptosis induced by GzmA during immune clearance. This allows these cancer cells to escape killing by immune pathways. Lu et al., Immunology 2011;134(4):398-408. Based on this hypothesis, without being bound by theory, we conclude that suppressing the overexpression of the above-mentioned AS-SPIK or inhibiting the activity of the overexpressed AS-SPIK may restore the immune killing of cancer cells induced by GzmA during immune clearance in the human body.

[0144] Anti-AS-SPIK antibodies according to embodiments of the present invention can inhibit the activity of AS-SPIK, as shown by the disclosure of PCT Application No. PCT / US19 / 20999, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety. Thus, anti-AS-SPIK antibodies can be used to block the binding of AS-SPIK to GzmA, liberating GzmA and restoring apoptotic killing of these cancer cells via immune clearance. To this end, anti-SPIK antibodies can be used to treat disorders characterized by the expression of AS-SPIK, including, but not limited to, cancer, viral infections, and inflammation.

[0145] One therapeutic use of antibodies is through humanization. Humanized monoclonal antibody therapy is a rapidly developing area, and the specificity and efficacy of such antibodies have been thoroughly studied. Rothernberg, ME, Cell 2016;165(3):509. The subject anti-AS-SPIK monoclonal antibodies, including but not limited to IM-A1, IM-A6, IM-B10, IM-C6, IM-D3, IM-D5, IM-E2, IM-F5, IM-G6, and IM-G7, as well as other antibodies of the invention capable of inhibiting the activity of SPIK, can also be humanized and used to treat disease.

[0146] For example, recombinant techniques using phagemid technology have made it possible to prepare antibodies with desired specificity from recombinant genes encoding various antibodies. A particular recombinant technique involves the isolation of antibody genes by immunological screening of combinatorial immunoglobulin phage expression libraries prepared from RNA isolated from the spleens of immunized animals. In such a method, a combinatorial immunoglobulin phagemid library can be prepared from RNA isolated from the spleens of immunized animals, and phagemids expressing appropriate antibodies can be selected by panning with cells expressing the antigen and control cells.

[0147] In addition to the combinatorial immunoglobulin phage expression libraries disclosed above, one molecular cloning approach is to prepare antibodies from transgenic mice containing human antibody libraries. Such transgenic animals can be used to produce human antibodies of a single isotype, more particularly an isotype that is essential for B cell maturation, such as IgM and possibly IgD.

[0148] The anti-AS-SPIK immunoglobulins can be modified to reduce or eliminate glycosylation. The immunoglobulin lacking glycosylation can be an immunoglobulin that is not glycosylated at all, is not fully glycosylated, or is irregularly glycosylated (i.e., the glycosylation pattern of the mutant is different from that of the corresponding wild-type immunoglobulin). The IgG polypeptides contain one or more (e.g., one, two, or more) mutations that reduce glycosylation, i.e., mutations that result in an IgG CH2 domain that is lacking glycosylation, is not fully glycosylated, or is irregularly glycosylated. The oligosaccharide structure can also be modified, for example, by removing fucose moieties from N-linked glycans.

[0149] Antibodies can also be modified to increase in vivo stability and / or solubility by conjugation with a nonproteinaceous polymer, such as polyethylene glycol. Any PEGylation method can be used so long as the anti-AS-SPIK antibody retains the ability to selectively bind to AS-SPIK and not to NS-SPIK.

[0150] A wide variety of antibody / immunoglobulin frameworks or scaffolds can be used, so long as the resulting polypeptide contains at least one binding region specific for the target, i.e., AS-SPIK. Such frameworks or scaffolds include the five major idiotypes of human immunoglobulins, or fragments thereof (such as those disclosed elsewhere herein), as well as immunoglobulins of other animal species, preferably with a humanized context. Single heavy chain antibodies, such as those identified in camelids, are of particular interest in this regard.

[0151] The anti-AS-SPIK antibody of the present invention specifically or preferentially binds to an epitope on AS-SPIK and does not bind to an epitope on NS-SPIK. An epitope refers to an antigenic determinant on a target that is specifically bound by a paratope, i.e., a binding site of an antibody. Epitopic determinants are usually composed of chemically active surface groups of molecules, such as amino acids or sugar side chains, and usually have specific three-dimensional structural features, as well as specific charge characteristics. Epitopes generally have about 4 to about 10, preferably 4 to 8, contiguous amino acids (linear or continuous epitopes), or may be a set of non-contiguous amino acids that define a specific structure (e.g., conformational epitopes). Thus, epitopes may be composed of at least 4, at least 6, at least 8, at least 10, and at least 12 such amino acids. Methods for determining the spatial conformation of amino acids are known in the art and include, for example, x-ray crystallography, 2-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance, and precise epitope mapping using CLIPS (Chemically Linked Peptides on Scaffolds) peptide arrays (Timmerman, Puijk et al., J Mol Recognit, 20(5), 283-299, (2007)).

[0152] Other methods for predicting potential epitopes to which an antibody may bind include Kyte-Doolittle analysis (Kyte and Dolittle, J. Mol. Biol. 157:105-132 (1982)), Hopp and Woods analysis (Hopp and Woods, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 78:3824-3828 (1981); Hopp and Woods, Mol. Immunol. 20:483-489 (1983); Hopp, J. Immunol. Methods 88:1-18 (1986)), Jameson-Wolf analysis (Jameson and Wolf, Comput. Appl. Biosci. 4:181-186 (1988)), and Emini analysis (Emini et al., Virology 140:13-20 (1985)), Chou and Fasman analysis (Ponomarenko et al., Virology 140:13-20 (1985)). & Regenmortel, Structural Bioinformatics, 2009), Karplus-Schulz analysis (Kolaskar and Tongaonkar Analysis Kolaskar & Tongaonkar, FEBS Letters, 172-174 (1990)), and Parker analysis. In some embodiments, potential epitopes are determined by correlation with known antigenic sites from other studies, and these prediction techniques can be combined with structural data, such as X-ray crystallographic data. Epitope prediction can also include techniques that predict both continuous and discontinuous epitopes. Methods for predicting discontinuous epitopes include, but are not limited to, the following: DiscoTope, BEpro, ElliPro, SEPPA, EPITOPIA, EPCES, Bpredictor, and EPMeta (Yao et al., PLOS ONE, (2013)). In some embodiments, potential epitopes are identified by determining theoretical extracellular domains.Analytical algorithms such as TMpred (Hofmann and Stoffel, Biol. Chem. 374:166 (1993)) or TMHMM (see Krogh et al., J. Mol. Biol., 305(3):567-580 (2001)) can be used to make such predictions. Other algorithms such as SignalP 3.0 (Bednsten et al., J. Mol. Biol. 340(4):783-795 (2004)) can be used to predict the presence of signal peptides and where those peptides are cleaved from full-length proteins. Portions of proteins that are on the outside of the cell can serve as targets for antibody interaction.

[0153] The compositions of the invention include antibodies described herein that (1) exhibit a threshold level of binding activity; (2) do not significantly cross-react with known related polypeptide molecules; (3) bind to AS-SPIK; and (4) do not bind to NS-SPIK. The binding affinity of an antibody can be readily determined by one of skill in the art, for example, by Scatchard analysis (Scatchard, Ann. NY Acad, Sci. 51:660-672 (1949)).

[0154] In some embodiments, the anti-AS-SPIK antibodies can bind to the target AS-SPIK at least 1.5-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10-fold, 100-fold, 10-fold, 10-fold, 10-fold, 10-fold, or more than to other proteins, e.g., NS-SPIK, that are predicted to have a certain degree of homology to AS-SPIK, for their target epitopes or mimic decoys.

[0155] In some embodiments, the anti-AS-SPIK antibody is -4 M or less, 10 -7 M or less, 10 -9In some embodiments, the binding affinity of the anti-AS-SPIK antibodies to their respective targets is at least 1×10 6 In some embodiments, the binding affinity of the anti-AS-SPIK antibody to AS-SPIK is at least 5×10 6 Ka, at least 1 × 10 7 Ka, at least 2×l0 7 Ka, at least 1 × 10 8 Antibodies may also be described or specified in terms of their binding affinity to AS-SPIK. In some embodiments, the binding affinity is a Kd of 5×10 -2 M, 10 -2 M, 5×10 -3 M, 10 -3 M, 5×10 -3 M, 10 -4 M, 5×10 -5 M, 10 -5 M, 5×10 -6 M, 10 -6 M, 5×10 -7 M, 10 -7 M, 5×10 -8 M, 10 -8 M, 5×10 -9 M, 10 -9 M, 5×10 -10 M, 10 -10 M, 5×10 -11 M, 10 -11 M, 5×10 -12 M, 10 -12 M, 5×10 -13 M, 10 -13 M, 5×10 -14 M, 10 -14 M, 5×10 -15 M or 10 -15Examples of the binding affinity of AS-SPIK include those having a binding affinity of 0.1 M or less. That is, as used herein, the terms "specific binding," "specifically binding," or "specifically binds" to / with respect to AS-SPIK, for example, refer to an antibody that binds to AS-SPIK and does not bind to NS-SPIK. Without being bound by theory, it is believed that an antibody of the present invention that specifically binds to AS-SPIK binds to an epitope that is present only within the first 1-23 amino acids (SEQ ID NO: 82) that are present in AS-SPIK but not in NS-SPIK. The antibody of the present invention may bind to an epitope that not only spans the 1-23 amino acids of AS-SPIK but also includes some amino acids in the common region (SEQ ID NO: 83). Alternatively, the antibody may not only bind to at least one amino acid in the first 1-23 amino acids (SEQ ID NO: 82) of AS-SPIK, but also bind to at least one amino acid in the common region (SEQ ID NO: 83). In these cases, the antibody may also bind to NS-SPIK, but at a level of binding below background levels. This is referred to herein as "preferentially binding" or "preferential binding." Antibodies that preferentially bind AS-SPIK are still useful in diagnostic methods, since assays can be developed to subtract background levels of binding as "noise." Thus, the assays show that only a certain level of binding (above a certain threshold level and above background noise) will be acceptable to diagnose patients with disorders characterized by expression of AS-SPIK, such as liver disorders, such as liver cancer.

[0156] The antibody of the present invention is -4 M or less, 10 -7 M or less, 10 -9In some embodiments, the binding affinity of the anti-AS-SPIK antibodies to their respective targets is at least 1×10 6 In some embodiments, the binding affinity of the anti-AS-SPIK antibody to AS-SPIK is at least 5×10 6 Ka, at least 1 × 10 7 Ka, at least 2 × 10 7 Ka, at least 1 × 10 8 In some embodiments, the binding affinity is a Kd of 5×10 or higher. -2 M, 10 -2 M, 5×10 -3 M, 10 -3 M, 5×10 -3 M, 10 -4 M, 5×10 -5 M, 10 -5 M, 5×10 -6 M, 10 -6 M, 5×10 -7 M, 10 -7 M, 5×10 -8 M, 10 -8 M, 5×10 -9 M, 5×10 -10 M, 10 -10 M, 5×10 -11 M, 10 -11 M, 5×10 -12 M, 10 -12 M, 5×10 -13 M, 10 -13 M, 5×10 -14 M, 10 -14 M, 5×10 -15 M or 10 -15 In contrast, as used herein, for example with respect to NS-SPIK, "non-specific binding" refers to an affinity that is 1.5, 2, 5, 1 / 10, 1 / 100, 1 / 10, or less than the binding affinity measured for "specific binding" for example with AS-SPIK. 3 , 1 / 10 4, 1 / 10 5 , 1 / 10 6 Affinity, such as Kd, refers to a binding affinity that is less than or equal to Kd. Affinity, such as Kd, can be measured by a radiolabeled antigen binding assay (radioimmunoassay, RIA) performed using a Fab version of the antibody of interest and its antigen. According to another embodiment, Kd can be measured using a surface plasmon resonance assay with immobilized antigen. In a preferred embodiment, the antibody of the present invention specifically or preferentially binds to AS-SPIK and does not specifically bind to NS-SPIK, and the affinity of the antibody for AS-SPIK is at least 1.5-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, 10 ... 3 Double, 10 4 Double, 10 5 Double, or 10 6 Twice as big.

[0157] In some embodiments, the antibody does not bind to a known related polypeptide molecule, e.g., the antibody binds to AS-SPIK but not to a known related polypeptide, e.g., NS-SPIK. Antibodies may be screened against known related polypeptides to isolate an antibody population that specifically or preferentially binds to AS-SPIK. For example, antibodies specific for AS-SPIK will be passed through a column containing NS-SPIK attached to an insoluble matrix under appropriate buffer conditions. Such screening allows for the isolation of polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies that are non-cross-reactive to closely related polypeptides. Other methods for screening and isolating specific antibodies include, but are not limited to, simultaneous immunoelectrophoresis, radioimmunoassay (RIA), radioimmunoprecipitation, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), dot blot or Western blot assays, inhibition or competition assays, and sandwich assays.

[0158] The antibodies according to the embodiments of the present invention may include a detectable label, sometimes referred to as a reporter (e.g., a detectable reporter). In some embodiments, the detectable label may be any molecule covalently attached to the antibody (e.g., an anti-AS-SPIK antibody) or a biologically active fragment thereof that allows for qualitative and / or quantitative assessment of the expression or activity of the tagged peptide. The activity may include biological activity, physicochemical activity, or a combination thereof. Both the form and location of the detectable label may vary, so long as the labeled antibody retains biological activity. Many different labels can be used, and the choice of a particular label will depend on the desired application. The labeled anti-AS-SPIK antibody can be used, for example, to assess the level of AS-SPIK in a biological sample, such as urine, saliva, cerebrospinal fluid, blood, or a biopsy sample.

[0159] Detectable labels can include enzymes, photoaffinity ligands, radioisotopes, and fluorescent or chemiluminescent compounds. Exemplary enzyme labels can include horseradish peroxidase, alkaline phosphatase, β-galactosidase, and urease. Covalent attachment of anti-AS-SPIK antibodies to enzymes can be accomplished in a variety of ways, for example, by conjugation with glutaraldehyde via free amino groups. Alternatively, anti-AS-SPIK antibodies can be attached to the enzymes via sugar residues. Other enzymes that contain carbohydrates can also be attached to antibodies in this manner. Attachment of enzymes can also be accomplished by linking the amino groups of the antibody with the free thiol groups of enzymes such as β-galactosidase using heterobifunctional linkers such as succinimidyl 6-(N-maleimido)hexanoate. Horseradish peroxidase detection systems can be used, for example, with the chromogenic substrate tetramethylbenzidine (TMB), which in the presence of hydrogen peroxide produces a soluble product detectable at 450 nm. An alkaline phosphatase detection system can be used, for example, with the chromogenic substrate p-nitrophenyl phosphate, which produces a soluble product easily detectable at 405 nm. Similarly, a β-galactosidase detection system can be used with the chromogenic substrate o-nitrophenyl-PD-galactopyranoside (ONPG), which produces a soluble product detectable at 410 nm. A urease detection system can be used with substrates such as urea-bromocresol purple.

[0160] The detectable label may be a fluorescent label, including, but not limited to, fluorescein isothiocyanate, rhodamine, phycoerytherin, phycocyanin, allophycocyanin, o-phthalaldehyde, and fluorescamine; a chemiluminescent compound selected from the group consisting of luminol, isoluminol, an aromatic acridinium ester, imidazole, an acridinium salt, and an oxalate ester; a liposome or dextran; or a bioluminescent compound, such as luciferin, luciferase, and aequorin. Alternatively, or in addition, detectable labels include radio-opaque agents or contrast agents such as, but not limited to, barium, diatrizoate, ethiodized oil, gallium citrate, iocarmic acid, iosetamic acid, iodamide, iodipamide, iodoxamic acid, ioglamide, iohexol, iopamidol, iopanoic acid, ioprocemic acid, iosephamic acid, ioselic acid, iosuramide meglumine, iosemetic acid, iotasul, iotetric acid, iothalamic acid, iotroxic acid, ioxaglic acid, ioxotrizoic acid, ipodate, meglumine, metrizamide, metrizoate, propriodone, and thallium chloride.

[0161] Labels can be added during or after synthesis. Recombinant anti-AS-SPIK antibodies or biologically active variants thereof can also be labeled by adding a labeled precursor (e.g., a radiolabeled amino acid) to the culture medium in which transformed cells are grown. In some embodiments, peptide analogs or variants may be used to facilitate the incorporation of detectable markers. For example, the N-terminal phenylalanine residue can be replaced by 125 Alternatively, a closely related aromatic amino acid such as tyrosine may be substituted, which can be readily labeled with I. In some embodiments, additional functional groups may be added to the anti-AS-SPIK antibody or biologically active variant fragments thereof to aid in efficient labeling. For example, a 3-tributyltin benzoyl group may be added to the N-terminus of the native structure, followed by the addition of the tributyltin group. 125 Substitution with I results in the generation of a radiolabeled iodobenzoyl group.

[0162] Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs) An embodiment of the present invention includes an immunoconjugate, or an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), comprising an antibody conjugated with a cytotoxic agent, such as a chemotherapeutic agent, a drug, a growth inhibitory agent, a toxin (e.g., an enzymatically active toxin of bacterial, fungal, plant, or animal origin, or a fragment thereof), or a radioisotope (i.e., a radioconjugate). In another embodiment, the present invention further provides a method of using the immunoconjugate. In one embodiment, the immunoconjugate comprises any of the above anti-AS-SPIK antibodies covalently linked to a cytotoxic agent or a detectable agent. ADCs are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 8,362,213, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety.

[0163] The use of ADCs for localized delivery of cytotoxic or cytostatic drugs, i.e., drugs that kill or inhibit tumor cells in the treatment of cancer (Lambert, J. (2005) Curr. Opinion in Pharmacology 5:543-549;Wu et al (2005) Nature Biotechnology 23(9):1137-1146;Payne, G. (2003) Cancer Cell 3:207-212;Syrigos and Epenetos (1999) Anticancer Research 19:605-614;Niculescu-Duvaz and Springer (1997) Adv. Drug Del. Rev. 26:151-172; U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,278) allow for targeted delivery of drug moieties to, and intracellular accumulation within, tumors, while systemic administration of these unconjugated drug agents can result in unacceptable levels of toxicity not only to the tumor cells that are being eliminated, but also to normal cells (Baldwin et al (1986) Lancet pp. (Mar. 15, 1986):603-05; Thorpe, (1985) “Antibody Carriers Of Cytotoxic Agents In Cancer Therapy: A Review,” in Monoclonal Antibodies '84: Biological And Clinical Applications, A. Pinchera et al (ed.s), pp. 475-506). Efforts to improve the therapeutic index (i.e., maximal efficacy and minimal toxicity of ADCs) have focused on the selectivity of polyclonal antibodies (Rowland et al (1986) Cancer Immunol. Immunother., 21:183-87) and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), as well as drug binding and drug release properties (Lambert, J. (2005) Curr. Opinion in Pharmacology 5:543-549).Drug moieties used in ADCs include bacterial protein toxins such as diphtheria toxin, plant protein toxins such as ricin, auristatins, small molecules such as geldanamycin (Mandler et al (2000) J. of the Nat. Cancer Inst. 92(19):1573-1581;Mandler et al (2000) Bioorganic & Med. Chem. Letters 10:1025-1028;Mandler et al (2002) Bioconjugate Chem. 13:786-791), maytansinoids (EP 1391213;Liu et al (1996) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 93:8618-8623), calicheamicin (Lode et al (1998) Cancer Res. 58:2928;Hinman et al (1993) Cancer Res. 53:3336-3342), daunomycin, doxorubicin, methotrexate, and vindesine (Rowland et al (1986) supra). The drug moieties may affect cytotoxic and cytostatic mechanisms including tubulin binding, DNA binding, or topoisomerase inhibition. Some cytotoxic drugs tend to be inactive or less active when complexed with large antibodies or protein receptor ligands.

[0164] Auristatin peptides, synthetic analogs of dorastatin, auristatin E (AE), and monomethylauristatin (MMAE) (WO02 / 088172), have been used as drug moieties in: (i) the chimeric monoclonal antibody cBR96, specific for Lewis Y on carcinomas; (ii) cAC10, specific for CD30 on hematological malignancies (Klussman, et al (2004), Bioconjugate Chemistry 15(4):765-773; Doronina et al (2003) Nature Biotechnology 21(7):778-784; Francisco et al (2003) Blood 102(4):1458-1465; US 2004 / 0018194; (iii) anti-CD20 antibodies such as Rituxan (WO04 / 032828) for the treatment of CD20-expressing cancers and immune disorders; (iv) the anti-EphB2R antibody 2H9 for the treatment of colorectal cancer (Mao et al (2004) Cancer Research 64(3):781-788); (v) E-selectin antibodies (Bhaskar et al (2003) Cancer Res. 63:6387-6394); (vi) trastuzumab (HERCEPTIN®, US2005 / 0238649); and (vii) anti-CD30 antibodies (WO03 / 043583). Variants of auristatin E are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,767,237 and 6,124,431. Monomethyl auristatin E conjugated to a monoclonal antibody is disclosed in Senter et al, Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research, Volume 45, Abstract Number 623, presented Mar. 28, 2004. The auristatin analogs MMAE and MMAF have been conjugated to various antibodies (US2005 / 0238649).

[0165] Conventional means of attaching drug moieties to antibodies, i.e., via covalent bonds, typically result in a heterogeneous mixture of molecules with drug moieties attached to several sites on the antibody. For example, cytotoxic agents are typically attached to antibodies through many, often multiple, lysine residues of the antibody, resulting in a heterogeneous antibody-drug conjugate mixture. Depending on the reaction conditions, the heterogeneous mixture typically contains antibodies with a distribution having 0 to about 8 or more attached drug moieties. Furthermore, within each subgroup of conjugates with a particular integer ratio of drug moieties to antibody, there is a potentially heterogeneous mixture in which drug moieties are attached to various sites on the antibody. Analytical and preparative methods may be insufficient to separate and characterize the antibody-drug conjugate species molecules within the heterogeneous mixture resulting from the conjugation reaction. Antibodies are large, complex, and structurally diverse biomolecules that often have many reactive functional groups. The reactivity of the functional groups with the linker reactants and drug-linker intermediates depends on factors such as pH, concentration, salt concentration, and co-solvents. Furthermore, the multi-step conjugation process can be non-reproducible due to difficulties in controlling the reaction conditions and characterizing the reactants and intermediates.

[0166] Cysteine ​​thiols are reactive at neutral pH, unlike most amines, which are protonated and less nucleophilic near pH 7. Because free thiol (RSH, sulfhydryl) groups are relatively reactive, proteins with cysteine ​​residues often exist in oxidized form as disulfide-linked oligomers or have internally cross-linked disulfide groups. Extracellular proteins generally do not have free thiols (Garman, 1997, Non-Radioactive Labelling: A Practical Approach, Academic Press, London, at page 55). Antibody cysteine ​​thiol groups are generally more reactive, i.e., more nucleophilic, towards electrophilic conjugation reagents than antibody amine or hydroxyl groups. Cysteine ​​residues have been introduced into proteins by genetic engineering techniques to form covalent bonds with ligands or to form new intramolecular disulfide bonds (Better et al (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 13:9644-9650; Bernhard et al (1994) Bioconjugate Chem. 5:126-132; Greenwood et al (1994) Therapeutic Immunology 1:247-255; Tu et al (1999) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96:4862-4867; Kanno et al (2000) J. of Biotechnology, 76:207-214; Chmura et al (2001) Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 98(15):8480-8484; U.S. Patent No. 6,248,564). However, engineering cysteine ​​thiol groups by mutating various amino acid residues in proteins to cysteine ​​amino acids is potentially problematic, especially for unpaired (free Cys) residues or residues that are prone to reaction or oxidation.In concentrated solutions of proteins, whether in the periplasm of E. coli, culture supernatant, or partially or fully purified proteins, unpaired Cys residues on the surface of proteins pair and oxidize to form intermolecular disulfides and thus protein dimers or multimers. Formation of disulfide dimers renders the newly introduced Cys unreactive for conjugation with drugs, ligands, or other labels. Furthermore, when a protein oxidatively forms an intramolecular disulfide bond between a newly engineered Cys and an existing Cys residue, both Cys thiol groups become unavailable for active site participation and interaction. Furthermore, proteins can become inactive or nonspecific due to misfolding or loss of three-dimensional structure (Zhang et al (2002) Anal. Biochem. 311:1-9).

[0167] Cysteine ​​engineered antibodies have been engineered as Fab antibody fragments (ThioFabs) and expressed as full-length IgG monoclonal (ThioMab) antibodies (Junutula, JR et al. (2008) J Immunol Methods 332:41-52; US2007 / 0092940, the contents of which are incorporated by reference). ThioFab and ThioMab antibodies were conjugated via a linker at the newly introduced cysteine ​​thiol with a thiol-reactive linker reagent and a drug-linker reagent to prepare antibody-drug conjugates (ThioADCs).

[0168] All references cited herein, including patent applications and publications, are incorporated in their entirety.

[0169] Polypeptides Aspects of the invention include compositions comprising a SPIK polypeptide, e.g., an AS-SPIK polypeptide encoded by any one of the nucleic acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 104 and 105. As used herein, the terms "peptide", "polypeptide" and "protein" are used interchangeably, but generally, the terms refer to peptide sequences of various sizes. We refer to the amino acid-based compositions of the invention as "polypeptides" to convey that the compositions are linear polymers of amino acid residues and to help distinguish them from full-length proteins. Polypeptides according to embodiments of the invention may "consist of" or "comprise" a fragment of an AS-SPIK or NS-SPIK polypeptide, and the invention encompasses polypeptides that comprise or comprise a biologically active variant of an AS-SPIK or NS-SPIK polypeptide. Thus, it will be understood that the polypeptide may comprise only a fragment of an AS-SPIK or NS-SPIK polypeptide (or a biologically active variant thereof), but may also include additional residues. A biologically active variant retains sufficient activity to inhibit a protease.

[0170] The bond between the amino acid residues may be a conventional peptide bond or another covalent bond (such as an ester or ether bond), and the polypeptide may be modified by amidation, phosphorylation, or glycosylation. Modifications may affect the polypeptide backbone and / or one or more side chains. Chemical modifications may be naturally occurring modifications performed in vivo following translation of the mRNA encoding the polypeptide (e.g., glycosylation in a bacterial host), or synthetic modifications performed in vitro. Biologically active variants of AS-SPIK or NS-SPIK polypeptides may contain one or more structural modifications derived from any combination of naturally occurring (i.e., naturally occurring in vivo) and synthetic modifications (i.e., naturally occurring or non-naturally occurring modifications performed in vitro). Examples of modifications include, but are not limited to, amidation (e.g., replacement of the free carboxyl group at the C-terminus with an amino group); biotinylation (e.g., acylation of lysine or other reactive amino acid residues with a biotin molecule); glycosylation (e.g., addition of glycosyl groups to either asparagine, hydroxylysine, serine, or threonine residues to produce glycoproteins or glycopeptides); acetylation (e.g., addition of an acetyl group, usually at the N-terminus of a polypeptide); alkylation (e.g., addition of an alkyl group); isoprenylation (e.g., addition of an isoprenoid group); lipoylation (e.g., attachment of a lipoic acid moiety); and phosphorylation (e.g., addition of a phosphate group to serine, tyrosine, threonine, or histidine).

[0171] One or more of the above amino acid residues in the biologically active variant may be a non-naturally occurring amino acid residue. Naturally occurring amino acid residues include those naturally encoded by the genetic code, as well as non-standard amino acids (e.g., amino acids having a D-configuration instead of an L-configuration). The peptides of the invention may also contain amino acid residues that are modified versions of standard residues (e.g., pyrrolysine may be used instead of lysine, and selenocysteine ​​may be used instead of cysteine). Non-naturally occurring amino acid residues are those that are not found in nature, but that fit the basic formula of amino acids and can be incorporated into peptides. Non-naturally occurring amino acid residues include D-alloisoleucine (2R,3S)-2-amino-3-methylpentanoic acid and L-cyclopentylglycine (S)-2-amino-2-cyclopentylacetic acid. For other examples, one can refer to textbooks or the World Wide Web (a site currently maintained by the California Institute of Technology that displays the structures of non-natural amino acids that have been successfully incorporated into functional proteins).

[0172] Alternatively or in addition, one or more of the amino acid residues in the biologically active variant may be a naturally occurring residue that is different from the naturally occurring residue present at the corresponding position in the wild-type sequence. In other words, the biologically active variant may contain one or more, in particular one or two, amino acid substitutions. We may refer to the substitution, addition, or deletion of an amino acid residue as a mutation of the wild-type sequence. As mentioned above, the substitution may replace a naturally occurring amino acid residue with a non-naturally occurring residue or simply a different naturally occurring residue. Furthermore, the substitution may constitute a conservative or non-conservative substitution. Conservative amino acid substitutions usually include substitutions within the following groups: glycine and alanine; valine, isoleucine, and leucine; aspartic acid and glutamic acid; asparagine, glutamine, serine, and threonine; lysine, histidine, and arginine; and phenylalanine and tyrosine.

[0173] Polypeptides that are biologically active variants of AS-SPIK can be characterized in terms of the extent to which their sequences are similar or homologous to the corresponding wild-type polypeptide. For example, the sequence of a biologically active variant may be at least 80% or about 80% homologous (or identical) to the corresponding residues in the wild-type polypeptide. For example, a biologically active variant of an AS-SPIK or NS-SPIK polypeptide may have an amino acid sequence that has at least 80% or about 80% sequence homology (e.g., at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99% or about 85%, about 90%, about 95%, about 96%, about 97%, about 98%, or about 99% sequence homology) (or the listed percentage identity) to an AS-SPIK or NS-SPIK polypeptide (SEQ ID NO: 81, 82, 83) or a homolog or ortholog thereof.

[0174] A biologically active variant of an AS-SPIK or NS-SPIK polypeptide will retain sufficient biological activity to be useful in the methods of the invention. The biologically active variant will retain sufficient activity to function as an inhibitor of protease activity. The biological activity can be assessed by methods known to those of skill in the art, including, but not limited to, in vitro cleavage assays or functional assays.

[0175] Polypeptides can be produced by a variety of methods, including, for example, recombinant techniques or chemical synthesis. Once produced, they can be isolated and purified to any and desired extent. For example, reversed (preferably) or normal phase HPLC, or size-exclusion or partition chromatography on a polysaccharide gel medium such as Sephadex G-25, followed by lyophilization, can be used. The composition of the final polypeptide can be confirmed by amino acid analysis by amino acid sequencing or by FAB-MS techniques, after degradation of the peptide by standard means. Salts, including acid salts, esters, amides, and N-acyl derivatives of amino groups of the polypeptide can be prepared using methods known in the art, and such peptides are useful in the context of the present invention.

[0176] Also provided is an AS-SPIK complex. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the AS-SPIK complex comprises an antibody of the present invention, as described herein, which specifically or preferentially binds to AS-SPIK and an AS-SPIK polypeptide or a fragment thereof. The fragment in particular has a length of at least 23 amino acids (SEQ ID NO: 81), preferably at least 10 amino acids, more preferably at least the 7th to 23rd amino acids (inclusive) of SEQ ID NO: 81, and even more preferably at least the 8th to 17th amino acids (inclusive) of SEQ ID NO: 81. The antibody may be any of the anti-AS-SPIK antibodies described above. The AS-SPIK polypeptide or fragment thereof may be any of the AS-SPIK polypeptides or fragments thereof described above. In some embodiments, the antibody is an anti-AS-SPIK monoclonal antibody, IM-A1, IM-A6, IM-B10, IM-C6, IM-D3, IM-D5, IM-E2, IM-F5, IM-G6, and IM-G7 (VL and VH sequences listed in the sequence data). In some embodiments, the AS-SPIK polypeptide is a polypeptide having an amino acid sequence having at least 98% homology (or identity) to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 82 or SEQ ID NO: 81. In some embodiments, the AS-SPIK polypeptide is a polypeptide having the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 82.

[0177] Specific binding of anti-AS-SPIK antibodies such as IM-A1, IM-A6, IM-B10, IM-C6, IM-D3, IM-D5, IM-E2, IM-F5, IM-G6, and IM-G7 may form immune complexes with AS-SPIK or AS-SPIK peptides under certain conditions. The complexes may be precipitated from the solution for further analysis, for example, in a sandwich ELISA test. Using a 96-well plate with a second anti-SPIK antibody immobilized as a carrier, the immune complexes can be captured by the plate. If the antibody in the complex is labeled with a reporter such as horseradish peroxidase (HPR), the amount of AS-SPIK immune complexes formed can be measured. The AS-SPIK immune complexes can also be captured by agarose beads conjugated with protein A or G for Western blot analysis.

[0178] nucleic acid The terms "nucleic acid" and "polynucleotide" are used interchangeably herein and refer to both RNA and DNA, including DNA (or RNA), including cDNA, genomic DNA, synthetic DNA, and nucleic acid analogs, any of which may encode the polypeptides of the present invention, and all of which are encompassed by the present invention. Polynucleotides may have essentially any three-dimensional structure. Nucleic acids may be double-stranded or single-stranded (i.e., sense or antisense). Non-limiting examples of polynucleotides include genes, gene fragments, exons, introns, messenger RNA (mRNA) and portions thereof, transfer RNA, ribosomal RNA, siRNA, microRNA, ribozymes, cDNA, recombinant polynucleotides, branched polynucleotides, plasmids, vectors, isolated DNA of any sequence, isolated RNA of any sequence, nucleic acid probes, and primers, as well as nucleic acid analogs. In the context of the present invention, nucleic acids may encode fragments of naturally occurring AS-SPIK or NS-SPIK polypeptides or biologically active variants thereof. Non-limiting examples of nucleic acid sequences according to embodiments of the invention include SEQ ID NOs: 104, 105, and 106, or biologically active fragments or variants thereof. In some embodiments, the fragment may have a length of at least about 66 nucleotides, preferably at least about 54 nucleotides. In one preferred embodiment, the nucleic acid sequence comprises nucleotide residues 28-105 of SEQ ID NO: 105. In one preferred embodiment, the nucleic acid sequence comprises nucleotide residues 49-105 of SEQ ID NO: 105. Lu et al., Immunology 2011;134(4):398-408.

[0179] An "isolated" nucleic acid may be, for example, a naturally occurring DNA molecule or a fragment thereof, provided that at least one of the nucleic acid sequences normally adjacent to the DNA molecule in a naturally occurring genome has been removed or is absent. Thus, an isolated nucleic acid includes, but is not limited to, a DNA molecule that exists as a separate molecule independent of other sequences (e.g., a chemically synthesized nucleic acid, or a cDNA or genomic DNA fragment generated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or restriction endonuclease treatment). An isolated nucleic acid also refers to a DNA molecule that is incorporated into a vector, an autonomously replicating plasmid, a virus, or into the genomic DNA of a prokaryote or eukaryote. In addition, an isolated nucleic acid may include an engineered nucleic acid, such as a DNA molecule that is part of a hybrid or fusion nucleic acid. For example, a nucleic acid that is present among many (e.g., tens, or hundreds to millions) of other nucleic acids in a cDNA or genomic library, or a gel slice containing a genomic DNA restriction digest, is not an isolated nucleic acid.

[0180] The isolated nucleic acid molecule can be generated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques, which can be used to obtain isolated nucleic acids comprising nucleotide sequences described herein, including, for example, nucleotide sequences encoding the polypeptides described herein. PCR can be used to amplify specific sequences from DNA as well as RNA, including sequences from total genomic DNA or total cellular RNA. In general, sequence information from the region of interest or the end thereafter is used to design oligonucleotide primers that are identical or similar in sequence to the opposite strand of the template to be amplified. A variety of PCR strategies are also available that can introduce site-specific nucleotide sequence modifications into the template nucleic acid.

[0181] The isolated nucleic acid can also be chemically synthesized, either as a single nucleic acid molecule (e.g., using automated DNA synthesis in the 3' to 5' direction using phosphoramidite technology) or as a series of oligonucleotides. For example, one or more pairs of long oligonucleotides (e.g., >50-100 nucleotides) can be synthesized that contain the desired sequence, each pair containing a short segment of complementarity (e.g., about 15 nucleotides) such that a duplex is formed when the oligonucleotide pairs are annealed. The oligonucleotides can be extended using DNA polymerase to generate a single double-stranded nucleic acid molecule for each oligonucleotide pair, which can be ligated into a vector. The isolated nucleic acid of the present invention can also be obtained, for example, by mutagenesis of a naturally occurring portion of DNA encoding AS-SPIK or NS-SPIK (e.g., by the methods described above).

[0182] The above two nucleic acids or the polypeptides encoded by the nucleic acids can be described as having a certain degree of homology or identity with each other. For example, the AS-SPIK or NS-SPIK polypeptide and their biologically active variants can be described as showing a certain degree of homology or identity. Alignments can be collected by arranging short AS-SPIK or NS-SPIK polypeptide sequences on the Protein Information Research (PIR) site (http: / / pir.georgetown.edu) and then analyzing the "short nearly identical sequences" on the NCBI website (http: / / www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov / blast) using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) algorithm.

[0183] To determine sequence homology or identity, a query nucleic acid sequence or a query amino acid sequence may be aligned to one or more subject nucleic acid sequences or subject amino acid sequences, respectively, using, for example, a computer program such as BioEdit (version 4.8.5, North Carolina State University) (BioEdit allows alignment of nucleic acid or protein sequences over the entire length of the sequences (global alignment)) or ALIGN-2, mentioned above.

[0184] BioEdit can calculate the best match between a query sequence and one or more subject sequences and align the sequences to determine identity, similarity, and difference. Gaps of one or more residues can be inserted into the query sequence, the subject sequence, or both to maximize sequence alignment. For accelerating pairwise alignment of nucleic acid sequences, the following default parameters are used: word size: 2; window size: 4; scoring method: percentage; number of top diagonals: 4; and gap penalty: 5. For multiple alignment of nucleic acid sequences, the following parameters are used: gap opening penalty: 10.0; gap extension penalty: 5.0; and weight transitions: yes. For accelerating pairwise alignment of protein sequences, the following parameters are used: word size: 1; window size: 5; scoring method: percentage; number of top diagonals: 5; gap penalty: 3. For multiple alignment of protein sequences, the following parameters are used: word size: 1; window size: 5; scoring method: percentage; number of top diagonals: 5; gap penalty: 3. The algorithm is set to: weighting matrix: blosum; gap opening penalty: 10.0; gap extension penalty: 0.05; hydrophilic gaps: on; hydrophilic residues: Gly, Pro, Ser, Asn, Asp, Gln, Glu, Arg, and Lys; residue-specific gap penalties: on. The output is a sequence alignment that reflects the relationships between the sequences.

[0185] To determine the percent displayed homology between the query and subject sequences, BioEdit divides the best alignment identity number by the number of residues being compared (excluding gap positions) and multiplies the result by 100. The output is the percent displayed homology of the subject sequence to the query sequence. Note that this percent displayed homology value may be rounded to the nearest tenth. For example, 78.11, 78.12, 78.13, and 78.14 are rounded down to 78.1, and 78.15, 78.16, 78.17, 78.18, and 78.19 are rounded up to 78.2.

[0186] The nucleic acids and polypeptides described herein may be referred to as "exogenous". The term "exogenous" indicates that the nucleic acid or polypeptide is part of or encoded by a recombinant nucleic acid construct or is not in its natural environment. For example, an exogenous nucleic acid may be a sequence introduced from one species into another, i.e., a heterologous nucleic acid. Typically, such an exogenous nucleic acid is introduced into the other species via a recombinant nucleic acid construct. An exogenous nucleic acid may be a sequence native to an organism and reintroduced into the cells of that organism. Exogenous nucleic acids that contain native sequences can often be distinguished from naturally occurring sequences by the presence of non-native sequences linked to the exogenous nucleic acid, e.g., non-native regulatory sequences adjacent to the native sequence in a recombinant nucleic acid construct. Furthermore, stably transformed exogenous nucleic acids are usually integrated at a location other than the location where the native sequence is present.

[0187] Also provided herein are recombinant constructs that may be used to transform cells to express AS-SPIK. The recombinant nucleic acid constructs include a nucleic acid encoding an AS-SPIK or NS-SPIK sequence operably linked to a regulatory region suitable for expressing AS-SPIK or NS-SPIK in a particular cell. It will be understood that multiple nucleic acids can encode a polypeptide having a particular amino acid sequence. The degeneracy of the genetic code is well known in the art. For many amino acids, there are multiple nucleotide triplets that function as codons for that amino acid. For example, the codons in the coding sequence for AS-SPIK or NS-SPIK can be altered to obtain optimal expression for a particular organism using the appropriate codon bias table for that organism.

[0188] Also provided are vectors that include nucleic acids such as those described herein. A "vector" is a replicon, such as a plasmid, phage, or cosmid, into which another DNA segment can be inserted and the inserted segment replicated. Generally, a vector has the ability to replicate when associated with appropriate control elements. Suitable vector backbones include those commonly used in the art, such as, for example, plasmid, virus, artificial chromosome, BAC, YAC, or PAC. The term "vector" includes cloning and expression vectors, as well as viral and integrating vectors. An "expression vector" is a vector that includes a regulatory region. A wide variety of host / expression vector combinations can be used to express the nucleic acid sequences described herein. Suitable expression vectors include, but are not limited to, plasmids and viral vectors derived from, for example, bacteriophage, baculovirus, and retrovirus.

[0189] The vectors provided herein may include, for example, an origin of replication, a scaffold attachment region (SAR), and / or a marker. A marker gene can confer a selectable phenotype to a host cell. For example, a marker can confer biocide resistance, such as resistance to an antibiotic (e.g., kanamycin, G418, bleomycin, or hygromycin). As described above, an expression vector may include a tag sequence designed to facilitate manipulation or detection (e.g., purification or localization) of an expressed polypeptide. Tag sequences, such as green fluorescent protein (GFP), glutathione S-transferase (GST), polyhistidine, c-myc, hemagglutinin, or Flag™ tag (Kodak, New Haven, CT), are usually expressed as a fusion with the encoded polypeptide. Such tags can be inserted at any position within the polypeptide, including either the carboxyl or amino terminus.

[0190] Further expression vectors may contain, for example, segments of chromosomal, non-chromosomal, and synthetic DNA sequences. Suitable vectors include plasmids such as derivatives of SV40 and known bacterial plasmids, such as E. coli plasmids col E1, pCR1, pBR322, pMal-C2, pET, pGEX, pMB9, and their derivatives, RP4; phage DNA, such as many derivatives of phage 1, such as NM989, and other phage DNA, such as M13 and filamentous single-stranded phage DNA; vectors useful in eukaryotic cells, such as yeast plasmids, such as the 2μ plasmid or its derivatives, vectors useful in insect or mammalian cells; vectors derived from combinations of plasmids and phage DNA, such as plasmids modified to use phage DNA or other expression control sequences.

[0191] The vector may also contain a regulatory region. The term "regulatory region" refers to a nucleotide sequence that influences the initiation and rate of transcription or translation, as well as the stability and / or mobility of the transcription or translation product. Regulatory regions include, but are not limited to, promoter sequences, enhancer sequences, response elements, protein recognition sites, inducible elements, protein binding sequences, 5' and 3' untranslated regions (UTRs), transcription initiation sites, termination sequences, polyadenylation sequences, nuclear localization signals, and introns.

[0192] As used herein, the term "operably linked" refers to the positioning of regulatory regions and sequences to be transcribed in a nucleic acid such that they affect the transcription or translation of such sequences. For example, to place a coding sequence under the control of a promoter, the translation initiation site of the translation reading frame of the polypeptide is typically positioned between 1 and about 50 nucleotides downstream of the promoter. However, the promoter may be positioned as much as about 5,000 nucleotides upstream of the translation initiation site, or about 2,000 nucleotides upstream of the transcription initiation site. A promoter typically includes at least a core (basal) promoter. A promoter may include at least one control element, such as an enhancer sequence, an upstream element, or an upstream activation region (UAR). The choice of promoter to include depends on several factors, including, but not limited to, efficiency, selectability, inducibility, desired expression level, and cell or tissue preferential expression. It is routine for those skilled in the art to regulate the expression of a coding sequence by appropriately selecting and positioning promoters and other regulatory regions relative to the coding sequence.

[0193] Vectors containing AS-SPIK or NS-SPIK nucleic acid sequences can be constructed in a way that promotes uptake by cells, i.e., prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells, e.g., mammalian cells. Useful vector systems and constructions are described above. In some embodiments, the vectors may deliver the compositions to a particular cell type. However, the invention is not so limited, and other DNA delivery methods are contemplated, such as, for example, chemical transfection using calcium phosphate, DEAE dextran, liposomes, lipoplexes, surfactants, and perfluorinated chemical liquids, as well as physical delivery methods such as electroporation, microinjection, ballistic particles, and "gene gun" systems. In some embodiments, the polynucleotides of the invention may also be used with microdelivery vehicles, such as cationic liposomes, other lipid-containing complexes, and other macromolecular complexes capable of mediating delivery of polynucleotides to host cells. Another delivery method is to use single-stranded DNA-producing vectors that can produce expressed products intracellularly.

[0194] How to use The compositions disclosed herein are generally and variously useful for the diagnosis and / or treatment of disorders characterized by the expression of AS-SPIK. Such disorders include, but are not limited to, cancer, viral infections, and inflammatory disorders. One prominent example is liver cancer. Other non-limiting examples include cancers described herein in connection with the definition of the term "cancer." Thus, aspects of the present invention include methods of diagnosing and / or treating cancer (e.g., liver cancer) in subjects having or at risk of developing such cancer. The terms "subject," "patient," and "individual" are used interchangeably herein.

[0195] In some embodiments, the method includes contacting a biological test sample from a subject with an AS-SPIK antibody or antigen-binding fragment to generate an AS-SPIK-antibody complex; detecting the concentration of the AS-SPIK-antibody complex in the biological test sample; and comparing the concentration of the AS-SPIK-antibody complex to a reference value to determine whether the subject has or is at risk for developing the disorder. In certain embodiments, the method includes contacting a biological test sample with a first antibody or antigen-binding fragment that binds to SPIK to generate a SPIK-antibody complex; contacting the SPIK-antibody complex with an AS-SPIK antibody or antigen-binding fragment to generate an AS-SPIK-antibody complex in the biological test sample; and comparing the concentration of the AS-SPIK-antibody complex to a reference value to determine whether the subject has or is at risk for developing the disorder. Some non-limiting examples of antibodies that can be utilized in such methods are described herein.

[0196] In some embodiments, the method comprises administering a therapeutically effective amount of an antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, or antibody-drug conjugate described herein to a patient suffering from a disease or disorder characterized by expression of AS-SPIK.

[0197] Liver cancer One prominent example of the disorder characterized by the expression of AS-SPIK is liver cancer.Liver cancer encompasses a wide range of diseases that cause liver damage and liver dysfunction.Liver cancer can be caused by, for example, infectious agents, disease, trauma, or genetic disease, or a combination of infectious agents, disease, trauma, and genetic disease.

[0198] Liver cancer can include diseases with abnormal cell proliferation, such as primary liver cancer, e.g., hepatocellular carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma, angiosarcoma, and hepatoblastoma. Such cancer can include cancer at any stage of disease progression, such as very early HCC (Barcelona Clinical Liver Cancer Staging System (BCLC) stage 0 and tumor size <2cm), early stage (BCLC stage A, tumor size 2cm-5cm), intermediate stage (BCLC stage B, intermediate tumor size >5cm), late stage (BCLC stages C and D, advanced stage), or metastatic stage (Pons et al., HPB 2005;7(1):35-41), and early ICC (stages I, II, and IIIa, tumor size <2cm), intermediate stage (stages IIIb and IIIc, tumor size ≥2cm), and late stage (stage IV) of ICC (Farges et al., Cancer 2011;117(10):2170-2177).

[0199] Liver cancer can also be caused by infections caused by viruses such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and hepatitis D. Regardless of the specific hepatitis virus, such infections can be either acute or chronic.

[0200] Liver cancer can also develop from liver damage, such as cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is the late stage of scarring or fibrosis of the liver, and can be caused by various forms of liver disease and illness. Cirrhosis can develop as a result of genetic diseases, such as hemochromatosis, cystic fibrosis, Wilson's disease, and autoimmune diseases. Cirrhosis can also result from hepatitis virus infection and alcohol consumption.

[0201] Liver cancer may also be caused by other diseases, including, but not limited to, alcoholic liver disease; disorders associated with abnormal fat content in the liver, such as fatty liver, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, nonalcoholic steatosis, and hepatic fibrosis.

[0202] Biological samples "Biological sample", "test sample", or "sample" refers to a sample obtained or derived from a patient. The sample may be, for example, a bodily fluid sample. Exemplary bodily fluid samples include blood, serum, plasma, urine, saliva, semen, stool, sputum, cerebrospinal fluid, tears, mucus, amniotic fluid, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the biological sample may be a tissue sample. Exemplary tissue samples include a biopsy specimen, such as a liver biopsy specimen, or a primary cell culture specimen prepared from the patient's cells, or a primary culture supernatant.

[0203] Immunoassays Aspects of the invention include diagnostic assays, such as diagnostic immunoassays, which can be used to detect the presence or absence of AS-SPIK in a test sample. The immunoassay formats used to detect AS-SPIK can be configured in a variety of forms. The immunoassays can include both homogeneous and heterogeneous assays, competitive and non-competitive assays, direct and indirect assays, and "sandwich" assays. Useful formats include, but are not limited to, enzyme immunoassays, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), chemiluminescent immunoassays (CLIA), electrochemiluminescent assays, radioimmunoassays, immunofluorescence, fluorescence polarization, immunoprecipitation, equilibrium dialysis, immunodiffusion, immunoblotting, agglutination, luminescent proximity assays, and turbidimetry.

[0204] The biological sample is contacted with the anti-AS-SPIK antibody of the present invention in any manner. In some embodiments, the biological sample may be immobilized on a solid support. In some embodiments, the biological sample is contacted with the anti-SPIK antibody of the present invention immobilized on a solid support. The solid support may be, for example, a plastic surface, a glass surface, a paper or fiber surface, or a particle surface. More specifically, the support may include a microplate, a bead, a polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membrane, a nitrocellulose membrane, a nylon membrane, a porous membrane, or a non-porous membrane. The composition of the substrate may vary. For example, the substrate or support may include glass, a cellulosic material, a thermoplastic polymer such as polyethylene, polypropylene, or polyester, a sintered structure made of particulate matter (e.g., glass or various thermoplastic polymers), or a cast membrane film made of nitrocellulose, nylon, or polysulfone. In general embodiments, the substrate may be any surface or support onto which an antibody or polypeptide may be immobilized, including one or more solid supports (e.g., glass, such as slides or coated plates, silica, plastic or derivatized plastic, paramagnetic or nonmagnetic metals), semi-solid supports (e.g., polymeric materials, gels, agarose, or other matrices), and / or porous supports (e.g., filters, nylon or nitrocellulose membranes or other membranes). In some embodiments, synthetic polymers may be used as substrates, including, for example, polystyrene, polypropylene, polyglycidyl methacrylate, aminated or carboxylated polystyrene, polyacrylamide, polyamide, and polyvinyl chloride.

[0205] In some embodiments, the immunoassay format may be a two-antibody "sandwich" assay. The biological sample is contacted with an anti-SPIK antibody of the invention immobilized on a solid support, such as a microtiter plate. The sample and the first antibody are incubated under conditions that favor specific binding and the formation of a SPIK-antibody complex. Following the contacting step, unbound components of the biological sample are removed. The complex is then contacted with a second anti-SPIK antibody. The second antibody binds to a SPIK epitope that is different from the epitope bound by the first antibody. Thus, the first and second antibodies do not competitively inhibit each other from binding to SPIK. In some embodiments, the first antibody can recognize an epitope, i.e., an antigenic determinant, present on both AS-SPIK and NS-SPIK. We may refer to such an antibody as a "pan-SPIK" antibody. Alternatively, the first antibody can recognize an epitope present only on AS-SPIK. In some embodiments, the second antibody can recognize an epitope, i.e., an antigenic determinant, present on both AS-SPIK and NS-SPIK. Alternatively, the second antibody can recognize an epitope present only on AS-SPIK or NS-SPIK. Thus, the sandwich assay can be configured such that the first antibody is a pan-SPIK antibody and the second antibody specifically or preferentially binds to AS-SPIK and does not specifically bind to NS-SPIK. Alternatively, the sandwich assay can be configured such that both the first antibody and the second antibody specifically or preferentially bind to AS-SPIK and do not specifically bind to NS-SPIK.

[0206] Antibody binding can be measured in a variety of ways. For example, the signal generated by the detectable label can be analyzed and, if applicable, quantified using an optical scanner or other image acquisition device and software that allows for the measurement of signals associated with complex formation, such as fluorescent, luminescent, or phosphorescent signals, or radioactive signals. Exemplary instruments for measuring detectable signals include, but are not limited to, microplate readers, fluorometers, spectrophotometers, and gamma counters.

[0207] Reference sample The level of AS-SPIK in a biological sample may be compared to that of a reference sample. A standard reference level usually corresponds to an average AS-SPIK level derived from a population of individuals. The reference population may include individuals of similar age, body size, ethnic background, or general health to the individual of interest. Thus, the level of AS-SPIK in a patient sample may be compared to values ​​from: 1) individuals known to have liver cancer, who express AS-SPIK and whose body fluids contain AS-SPIK; 2) individuals without liver cancer, whose body fluids contain low levels of AS-SPIK.

[0208] In general, a high level of AS-SPIK may be any level of AS-SPIK that is greater than either the level of AS-SPIK present in a control sample or the average level of AS-SPIK present in a sample from a population of normal, healthy individuals without liver cancer (reference value), preferably at least 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5% greater, more preferably at least 5% greater. A low level of AS-SPIK may be any level of AS-SPIK that is less than either the level of AS-SPIK present in a control sample or the average level of AS-SPIK present in a sample from a population of individuals with liver cancer. Any population size can be used to measure the average level of AS-SPIK present in a sample from a population of normal, healthy individuals. For example, a population of 2 to 250 individuals, for example 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 or more individuals, can be used to measure the average level of AS-SPIK in a sample from a population of normal, healthy individuals, the larger the sample population, the greater the accuracy of the measurement.

[0209] In some embodiments, a reference chart can be used to determine whether a particular level of AS-SPIK in a sample is elevated compared to a control sample or a larger population. For example, the reference chart can include the normal range of AS-SPIK present in healthy individuals of similar age, ethnic background, or general health to the individual of interest. This reference chart can be used to classify any level of AS-SPIK measured in a sample as low, normal, or high compared to a control sample or compared to an average value derived from a larger population. The term "high level" is defined as a level higher than the reference level, preferably at least 2% higher, more preferably at least 5% higher.

[0210] Alternatively or in addition, the level of AS-SPIK in biological samples may be "normalized" to the level of one or more additional biological markers, for example, another marker whose expression is independent of the expression of AS-SPIK. That is, the level of the additional marker may be evaluated in parallel with the level of AS-SPIK, either simultaneously or on a separate occasion. The additional marker may serve as an internal control for sample preparation, handling, storage, and day-to-day assay variability. The values ​​of the levels of AS-SPIK and the additional marker may be expressed as a ratio, and the ratio may be compared to a similar ratio obtained for a reference sample or population. A useful second marker is alpha-fetoprotein.

[0211] In some embodiments, the method may include the use of a standard reference set. The reference set may include one or more samples of purified SPIK polypeptide or fragments thereof. When multiple samples are used, the samples may be at different concentrations. In one embodiment, the reference set may include six samples of recombinant AS-SPIK with concentrations of 50 ng / ml, 30 ng / ml, 8 ng / ml, 3 ng / ml, 1 ng / ml, and 0 ng / ml of AS-SPIK. The recombinant AS-SPIK may be purified by affinity chromatography (HPLC) using either an anti-AS-SPIK antibody such as IM-CA22 or an anti-tag antibody. Reference values ​​in blood or other body fluids may vary. However, the skilled person is in a position to determine the average levels of AS-SPIK in different body fluids of each population and determine the respective reference values, thereby ensuring that the levels of AS-SPIK in patients with liver cancer to be determined are sufficiently above the reference values, while the levels in patients without liver cancer or healthy individuals to be detected are sufficiently below the respective reference values. In a preferred embodiment, the reference value is about 5%, more preferably about 7%, and even more preferably about 10% higher than the average level of AS-SPIK present in samples from a population of normal, healthy individuals. It should be noted that the levels of AS-SPIK in the biological sample and the control sample are measured in the same manner and are therefore comparable. For example, the absolute value of the AS-SPIK level can be measured via a calibration curve using the recombinant AS-SPIK described above.

[0212] Control sample In some embodiments, the positive control may include a sample of AS-SPIK produced by a eukaryotic cell or cell line. For example, a useful control may be a medium containing 100 ng / ml AS-SPIK from the stable cell line S2-3, which was created by the present inventors by inserting the DNA sequence of AS-SPIK into the chromosome of HCC cells under the control of an artificial promoter that overexpresses AS-SPIK.

[0213] The method disclosed herein is useful for detecting liver cancer in patients suspected of having or at risk of liver cancer.The method can also be used to analyze samples from patients who have been treated for liver cancer, such as hepatocellular carcinoma, to determine whether the patient is at risk of remission of hepatocellular carcinoma.The method can also be used to monitor the course of treatment, such as treatment with a therapeutic agent such as a small molecule drug or a therapeutic antibody, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or surgery, to determine the effectiveness of the treatment and allow the supervising clinician to change the treatment as necessary.The method can also be used to detect, monitor, or analyze patients suffering from or at risk of any disorder associated with a mutation, such as an increase in the level of AS-SPIK in a biological sample, such as a blood or serum sample obtained from the patient.

[0214] The methods disclosed herein may be used in conjunction with other standard diagnostic methods, such as serological analysis of liver enzymes or alpha-fetoprotein, ultrasound (ultrasound), computed tomography (CT scan), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), angiography, laparoscopy, or biopsy.

[0215] product The compositions described herein may be packaged in suitable containers, for example, labeled for detection, identification, and quantification of AS-SPIK in biological samples. The articles of manufacture, also referred to as "kits," may include antibodies, antigen-binding fragments of antibodies, and / or antibody-drug conjugates of the invention, culture media, purified samples of antigens for use as positive controls, or any combination thereof. The containers included in the kits may include compositions comprising antibodies of the invention that specifically or preferentially bind to AS-SPIK but not to NS-SPIK. The kits may include antibodies that bind to both AS-SPIK and NS-SPIK. Suitable buffers for diluting or reconstituting the test sample and antibodies may be provided. Some components may be provided in dry form and may require reconstitution. The anti-SPIK antibodies may be pre-bound to an assay device, for example, a microplate. Thus, in one embodiment, a kit for detection, identification, and quantification of AS-SPIK includes anti-AS-SPIK antibodies and pan-SPIK antibodies. The kits may optionally include detectable labels.

[0216] Thus, packaged articles of manufacture (e.g., sterile containers containing one or more of the compositions described herein, packaged in concentrated or ready-to-use concentrations for storage, transport, or sale) and kits comprising at least one composition of the invention, e.g., an anti-AS-SPIK antibody, are also within the scope of the invention. An article of manufacture may comprise a container (e.g., a vial, jar, bottle, bag, etc.) containing one or more compositions of the invention. An article of manufacture may also further comprise, for example, packaging materials, instructions for use, syringes, delivery devices, buffers, or other control reagents for treating or monitoring a disease for which diagnosis or treatment is required.

[0217] In the kit of the present invention, reagents for a particular type of assay may be provided. Thus, the kit may comprise a group of beads (e.g., suitable for agglutination assay or lateral flow assay), or a plate (e.g., suitable for ELISA assay). In other embodiments, the kit comprises a device such as a lateral flow immunoassay device, an analytical rotor, or an electrochemical, optical, or photoelectron sensor. The group of beads, the plate, and the device are useful for performing an immunoassay. For example, they may be useful for detecting the formation of a first drug-analyte-second drug complex.

[0218] Additionally, the kit may include various diluents and buffers, labeling conjugates or other agents for detecting specifically bound antigens or antibodies, and other signal generating reagents such as enzyme substrates, cofactors, chromogens, etc. The kit may include one or more reference samples, such as purified recombinant AS-SPIK, at various concentrations. The kit may also include a positive control, such as cell supernatant from a cell line overexpressing AS-SPIK. Other components of the kit include coating reagents, polyclonal or monoclonal capture antibodies or a cocktail of two or more antibodies specific for the antigen or analyte to be tested, purified or semi-purified extracts of these antigens as standards, monoclonal antibody detection antibodies, anti-mouse, anti-dog, anti-chicken, or anti-human antibodies with indicator molecules conjugated thereto, indicator color charts for colorimetric comparison, disposable gloves, decontamination instructions, applicator wands or applicator containers, sample preparation cups, etc. In one embodiment, the kit includes buffers or other reagents suitable for forming a reaction medium that allows for the formation of peptide-antibody complexes.

[0219] Such kits provide a simple and efficient method for clinicians to determine whether a subject has or is at risk of liver cancer.Therefore, in certain embodiments, the kits further comprise instructions for use.The product may comprise instructions (e.g., a printed label or insert, or other media (e.g., audiotape or videotape) that explain how to use the product).The instructions may be attached to the container (e.g., affixed to the container) and may describe the method to follow when performing the assay, the indications for the kit, and other uses.

[0220] The following examples are presented for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention in any way. Although several embodiments are presented in this disclosure, it should be understood that the disclosed compositions and methods can be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. The examples should be considered illustrative and not limiting, and the intention is not to be limited to the details presented herein. Various examples of changes, substitutions, and alterations can be ascertained by those skilled in the art and can be made without departing from the spirit and scope disclosed herein. EXAMPLES

[0221] Example 1: Production of rabbit monoclonal antibodies specific to AS-SPIK The ten monoclonal antibodies described herein were generated from rabbits. Briefly, rabbits were immunized with recombinant AS-SPIK containing different subsets of 23 additional amino acids (SEQ ID NO: 81). After three or four imbursement, blood was tested by ELISA. Briefly, blood from immunized rabbits was reacted with plates coated with recombinant AS-SPIK. After washing, the plates were developed by incubating with anti-rabbit antibody labeled with HRP (horseradish peroxidase), and the optical density was measured after reaction with the substrate TMB. Rabbits that tested positive (antibody produced) were sacrificed. Then, monoclonal antibodies were established and further screened by ELISA using plates immobilized with partially purified AS-SPIK from S2-3 cells (a cell line expressing a large amount of AS-SPIK due to the integrated whole SPIK gene, Lu et.al Tumor-associated protein SPIK / TATI suppresses serine protease dependent cell apoptosis, Apoptosis, 2008 13(4), 483-494) and NS-SPIK from pancreatic cells. Finally, 10 monoclonal antibodies that strongly bind to AS-SPIK but not to NS-SPIK were selected. Figure 1 shows that 10 clones, designated IM-A1, IM-A6, IM-B10, IM-C6, IM-D3, IM-D5, IM-E2, IM-F5, IM-G6, and IM-G7, exhibited high binding activity to AS-SPIK, while their binding activity to NS-SPIK was only at background level as a negative control (Figure 1 negative control). This data suggests that the rabbit monoclonal antibodies identified herein recognize only AS-SPIK. Furthermore, all ten antibodies can bind strongly to AS-SPIK and have similar binding affinities to AS-SPIK.

[0222] Example 2: Detection of antibody-antigen complexes in samples containing IM-E2 The complexes formed by the antibodies IM-A1, IM-A6, IM-B10, IM-C6, IM-D3, IM-D5, IM-E2, IM-F5, IM-G6, and IM-G7 with AS-SPIK in S2-3 medium, PanC1 medium, serum from HCC patients, and serum from healthy individuals were measured by sandwich ELISA. Briefly, immune complexes between the antibodies in different samples and AS-SPIK were formed by incubating the antibodies with the samples at 37°C for 0.5 h. The mixtures were then reacted with a 96-well plate immobilized with polyclonal anti-SPIK antibodies at 37°C for 1 h. The plates were then incubated with anti-rabbit antibodies labeled with HRP for 45 min at 37°C. The amount of antibody-antigen complexes was measured by optical density after reaction with the substrate TMB. Figure 2 shows the test results for IM-E2. Similar results were obtained with other antibodies. These results clearly show that IM-E2 can form an antibody-antigen complex with AS-SPIK (Fig. 2; S2-3: OD (1.389)), but not with NS-SPIK (Fig. 2, PanC1: OD (0.061)). High OD (1.477) was also found in the sera of patients with HCC, but not in healthy individuals (healthy: OD (0.106)), suggesting that antibodies such as IM-E2 described here can be used to detect serum AS-SPIK.

[0223] Example 3: Sequences of antibody variable heavy and light chains and their CDRs The sequences of the variable heavy (VH) and variable light (VL) chains of all ten antibodies were determined. The CDRs of the antibodies are then identified. Table 1 shows the VH and VL sequence numbers of ten antibodies, namely IM-A1, IM-A6, IM-B10, IM-C6, IM-D3, IM-D5, IM-E2, IM-F5, IM-G6, and IM-G7. Table 2 shows the VH CDR sequence numbers of these ten antibodies, and Table 3 shows the VL CDR sequence numbers of these ten antibodies. [Table 1] [Table 2] [Table 3]

[0224] Example 4: Consensus of VH and VL sequences A program named BioEdit Sequence Alignment Editor, North Carolina University was used to align the entire sequences of VH and VL of the 10 antibodies to determine the sequence consensus. The bottom lines of Figures 3 and 4 show the sequence identity of these 10 antibodies in either VH or VL. Clearly, there is high sequence similarity in VH and VL for these 10 antibodies. The sequence identity of the above 10 antibodies is 85-95%.

[0225] Example 5: Consensus of CDR sequences The consensus of sequences of CDRs of variable heavy chains was determined using the above software. Figure 5 shows that all 10 antibodies have high similarity of VH CDR1, with their identity ranging from 66 to 100%. VH CDR2 of 10 antibodies have 66% similarity, with their identity ranging from 50 to 66%. In contrast, the similarity of VH CDR3 of these 10 antibodies is very small. Only amino acids in VH CDR3 are identical in all 10 antibodies. The consensus sequence shows that the similarity of VL CDRs is higher than that of VH in these 10 antibodies. VL CDR1 of 10 antibodies have 82% similarity, with their identity ranging from 73 to 82% (Figure 6). VL CDR2 of 10 antibodies have 86% similarity, with their identity ranging from 72 to 86%. Regarding VL CDR3, there is 75% similarity among the 10 antibodies, but the identity ranges from 45 to 75% (Figure 6).

Claims

1. An isolated anti-AS-SPIK antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof that specifically binds to an epitope on AS-SPIK (SEQ ID NO: 82) and does not bind to NS-SPIK (SEQ ID NO: 83), wherein the isolated anti-AS-SPIK antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof does not exclude binding of other classes of antibodies that specifically bind to an epitope on AS-SPIK and do not bind to NS-SPIK; (a) a CDRH1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 21, a CDRH2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 31, a CDRH3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 41, a CDRL1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 51, a CDRL2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 61, and a CDRL3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 71, or (b) a CDRH1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 23, a CDRH2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 33, a CDRH3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 43, a CDRL1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 53, a CDRL2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 63, and a CDRL3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 73, or (c) a CDRH1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 24, a CDRH2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 34, a CDRH3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 44, a CDRL1 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 54, a CDRL2 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 64, and a CDRL3 sequence of SEQ ID NO: 74, or (d) a CDRH1 sequence of SEQ ID NO:27, a CDRH2 sequence of SEQ ID NO:37, a CDRH3 sequence of SEQ ID NO:47, a CDRL1 sequence of SEQ ID NO:57, a CDRL2 sequence of SEQ ID NO:67, and a CDRL3 sequence of SEQ ID NO:77; An antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprising:

2. 2. The antibody or antigen-binding fragment of claim 1, wherein the CDRH1, CDRH2, and CDRH3 sequences are present within framework sequences, and the CDRL1, CDRL2, and CDRL3 sequences are present within framework sequences.

3. The antibody or antigen-binding fragment of claim 2 , wherein at least a portion of the framework sequence comprises a human consensus framework sequence.

4. (a) a heavy chain variable region sequence having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:1 and a light chain variable region sequence having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:11; or (b) a heavy chain variable region sequence having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:3 and a light chain variable region sequence having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:13; or (c) a heavy chain variable region sequence having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:4 and a light chain variable region sequence having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:14; or (d) a heavy chain variable region sequence having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:7 and a light chain variable region sequence having at least 95% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO:17; The antibody or antigen-binding fragment of any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising:

5. (a) a heavy chain variable region sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 and a light chain variable region sequence of SEQ ID NO: 11, or (b) a heavy chain variable region sequence of SEQ ID NO: 3 and a light chain variable region sequence of SEQ ID NO: 13; or (c) a heavy chain variable region sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4 and a light chain variable region sequence of SEQ ID NO: 14; or (d) a heavy chain variable region sequence of SEQ ID NO: 7 and a light chain variable region sequence of SEQ ID NO: 17; The antibody or antigen-binding fragment of claim 4, comprising:

6. An antibody or antigen-binding fragment according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the epitope on AS-SPIK is a conformational epitope.

7. The antibody or antigen-binding fragment of any one of claims 1 to 6, which is multispecific, optionally bispecific.

8. The antibody or antigen-binding fragment of any one of claims 1 to 7, which is monoclonal.

9. 1. An in vitro method for determining whether a subject has hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), or cirrhosis, comprising: (a) contacting a biological test sample from the subject with an anti-AS-SPIK antibody or antigen-binding fragment of any one of claims 1 to 8 to generate an AS-SPIK-antibody complex; (b) detecting the concentration of AS-SPIK-antibody complex in the biological test sample; and (c) comparing the concentration of the AS-SPIK-antibody complex to a reference value detected in a control sample or in a sample from a population of normal, healthy individuals without the disorder, wherein an elevated concentration level of AS-SPIK-antibody complex in the biological test sample that is greater than the reference value indicates that the subject has hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), or cirrhosis.

10. The in vitro method of claim 9 , wherein the antibody or antigen-binding fragment comprises a detectable label.

11. A kit for testing the concentration of AS-SPIK in a biological test sample derived from a subject, comprising an antibody or antigen-binding fragment described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

12. The kit of claim 11 , further comprising an antibody or antigen-binding fragment that specifically binds to SPIK.

13. The kit of claim 11, further comprising an antibody or antigen-binding fragment that specifically binds to both AS-SPIK and NS-SPIK.

14. The kit of claim 11, wherein the antibody or antigen-binding fragment that specifically binds to AS-SPIK and does not bind to NS-SPIK is pre-bound to an assay device.

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