Antibodies against pvrig or tigit, bispecific antibodies constructed therefrom, methods for their preparation and uses thereof
Antibodies targeting TIGIT and PVRIG, including bispecific antibodies, address the limitations of current cancer immunotherapies by enhancing immune cell activation and cytotoxicity against tumor cells, thereby improving antitumor responses.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- PCT/CN2024/120146
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2023-10-23
- Filing Date
- 2024-09-20
- Publication Date
- 2025-03-27
AI Technical Summary
Current immunotherapies for cancer, particularly those targeting PD-1 and CTLA-4, have limitations in effectively activating antitumor responses in solid tumors due to the immunosuppressive environment mediated by receptors like TIGIT and PVRIG.
Development of antibodies specifically targeting TIGIT and PVRIG, as well as bispecific antibodies that can block both TIGIT and PVRIG, to disrupt their inhibitory signaling and enhance immune cell activation and cytotoxicity.
The antibodies and bispecific antibodies effectively block the binding of TIGIT and PVRIG to their ligands, leading to increased immune cell activation, proliferation, and cytotoxicity against tumor cells, thereby enhancing antitumor immune responses.
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Figure CN2024120146_27032025_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
ANTIBODIES AGAINST PVRIG OR TIGIT, BISPECIFIC ANTIBODIES CONSTRUCTED THEREFROM, METHODS FOR THEIR PREPARATION AND USES THEREOF
[0001] STATEMENT OF PRIORITY
[0002] This application claims the benefits of PCT / CN2023 / 120035 filed on September 20, 2023 and PCT / CN2023 / 125925 filed on October 23, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
[0003] STATEMENT REGARDING ELECTRONIC FILING OF A SEQUENCE LISTING
[0004] A Sequence Listing in XML text format, entitled IEC240426PCT_sequence listing_240920. xml, 765kb in size, generated on September 20, 2024 and filed herewith, is hereby incorporated by reference into the specification for their disclosures.TECHNICAL FIELD
[0005] This application generally relates to antibodies. More specifically, the application relates to antibodies against PVRIG or TIGIT, multispecific antibodies constructed therefrom, methods for their preparation, and uses thereof.BACKGROUND
[0006] The immune system response to pathogens is controlled by different regulatory mechanisms to maintain tolerance to self-antigens and protect tissue integrity. Several signaling pathways mediated by inhibitory receptors have been described to contribute to immune homeostasis while defending against infected and transformed cells.
[0007] In many solid tumors, effector T cells have an exhausted phenotype within the tumor microenvironment (TME) and cannot mediate an effective antitumor response. Such exhausted T cells can be identified by increased surface expression of coinhibitory receptors, such as PD-1 and CTLA-4. Antibodies that inhibit interactions of these coinhibitory receptors with their cognate ligands have shown clinical efficacy in patients with advanced cancers.
[0008] Recently, the poliovirus receptor (PVR) -like protein cosignaling network, involving several immune checkpoint receptors, i.e., DNAM-1 (CD226) , TIGIT, CD96 (TACLILE) , and CD112R (PVRIG) , which interact with their ligands CD155 (PVR / Necl-5) , CD112 (PVRL2 / nectin-2) , CD111 (PVRL1 / nectin-1) , CD113 (PVRL3 / nectin-3) , and Nectin4, was discovered.
[0009] Of these receptors, TIGIT is the best characterized. It is a transmembrane protein containing a known ITIM domain in its intracellular portion, a transmembrane domain and an immunoglobulin variable domain on the extracellular part of the receptor. It has a high affinity to PVR and a weaker affinity to PVRL2 and PVRL3. TIGIT, an inhibitory receptor, is mainly expressed on natural killer (NK) , CD8+ T, CD4+ T and T regulatory (Treg) cells. DNAM / CD226, a known co-stimulatory receptor also expressed on NK and T cells, competes with TIGIT for CD155 and CD112 binding but with a lower affinity, which suggests a tight control of the activation of these effector cells to avoid uncontrolled cytotoxicity against normal cells expressing CD155 ligand. TIGIT expression is increased on tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and in disease settings such as HIV infection. TIGIT expression marks exhausted T cells that have lower effector function as compared to TIGIT negative counterparts. Several preclinical studies have supported the use of TIGIT blockade as a monotherapy or combined with other immune checkpoint inhibitors for the treatment of advanced solid malignant tumors.
[0010] CD112R, previously named as poliovirus receptor-related immunoglobulin domain-containing protein (PVRIG) , is a novel member of the PVR-like cosignaling network. It is a 36-kD transmembrane monomer composed of a single extracellular IgV domain, one transmembrane domain, and a long intracellular domain. The human CD112R intracellular domain comprises two tyrosine residues, one of which is part of an ITIM-like motif and a potential site for phosphatases. CD112R is an inhibitory receptor primarily expressed by T cells and NK cells and competes for CD112 binding with the activating receptor CD226. The interaction of CD112 with CD112R is of higher affinity than with CD226 and thereby effectively regulates CD226 mediated cell activation. Anti-CD112R antibodies that block the interaction with CD112 limit inhibitory signaling directly downstream of CD112R while simultaneously promoting greater immune cell activation by increasing CD226 interactions with CD112. Both in vitro and in vivo data showed anti-CD112R antibodies could increase the proliferation, activation and cytotoxicity of immune effector cells. Administration of anti-CD112R immunotherapy provides an opportunity to increase, enhance and sustain immune responses.
[0011] PVRIG mRNA expression is detected in a number of cancer tissues and based on predictive analysis using TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) dataset. Its expression is increased in tumors that are enriched for T and NK cells and shows a correlation with TIGIT and PD-1 expression. PVRIG ligand CD112 and TIGIT ligand CD155 are both expressed on tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells and upregulated on cancer cells, which contributes to local suppression of immune-surveillance. Preclinical in vivo data showed blockade of PVRIG had limited inhibition on tumor growth, while the inhibition was enhanced by combination with TIGIT or PD-1 blockade, suggesting the PVRIG-PVRL2 and TIGIT-PVR pathways are nonredundant inhibitory signaling pathways.
[0012] Increasing evidence has suggested that this novel cosignaling network axis costimulates and coinhibits NK and T cell activation to eliminate cancer cells after engaging with ligand. Thus, antagonistic antibodies specific for PVRIG and / or TIGIT that could inhibit PVRIG and / or TIGIT receptor activities represent an opportunity to decrease the immunosuppressive effect associated with tumor microenvironments and thereby increase antitumor immune response against tumor cells.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The present invention relates to new antibodies against PVRIG, and antigen-binding fragments thereof. The antibodies against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof of this invention can block the binding of PVRIG to its cognate ligand, CD112.
[0014] The present invention also relates to new antibodies against TIGIT, and antigen-binding fragments thereof. The antibodies against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragment thereof of this invention can block the binding of TIGIT to its cognate ligand, PVR.
[0015] The present invention further relates to multispecific antibodies against PVRIG and TIGIT, and antigen-binding fragments thereof. The multispecific antibodies of this invention can block both the binding of PVRIG to its cognate ligand, CD112, and the binding of TIGIT to its cognate ligand, CD155.
[0016] Therefore, in a first aspect, the present invention provides an antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof, which comprises the three CDRs of one of the antibodies as listed in Table 1 or the three CDRs comprised in one of the antibodies as listed in Table 2.
[0017] In a second aspect, the present invention provides an antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof, which comprises the amino acid sequence of the VH of one of the antibodies as listed in Table 2. Preferably, the antibody against PVRIG of this invention comprises the amino acid sequence of the heavy chain of one of the antibodies as listed in Table 3.
[0018] In a third aspect, the present invention provides a humanized form of one of the antibodies against PVRIG as defined above, or antigen-binding fragment thereof. Preferably the humanized antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprises the three CDRs of one of the antibodies as listed in Tables 1 or 4a, or the three CDRs of one of the antibodies as listed in Table 2. More preferably, the humanized antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprises the amino acid sequence of the VH of one of the antibodies as listed in Tables 4b or 4c. Most preferably, the humanized antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprises the amino acid sequence of the heavy chain of one of the antibodies as listed in Tables 4d or 4e.
[0019] In a fourth aspect, the present invention relates to affinity-maturation of the antibodies against PVRIG of this invention. Therefore, the present invention further provides an affinity-maturated form of one of the antibodies against PVRIG as defined above, preferably the humanized antibodies, or antigen-binding fragment thereof. Preferably, the affinity-maturated antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprises the three CDRs of one of the antibodies as listed in Tables 5a or 5b. More preferably, the affinity-maturated antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprises the amino acid sequences of the VH of one of the antibodies as listed in Table 6a. Most preferably, the affinity-maturated antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprises the amino acid sequences of the heavy chain of one of the antibodies as listed in Table 6b.
[0020] In a fifth aspect, the present invention provides an antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragment thereof, which comprises the six CDRs of one of the antibodies as listed in Table 7 or the six CDRs comprised in one of the antibodies as listed in Table 8a.
[0021] In a sixth aspect, the present invention provides an antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragment thereof, which comprises a VH and VL comprising the HCDRs and LCDRs of one of the antibodies as listed in Table 7 or the six CDRs comprised in one of the antibodies as listed in Table 8a.Preferably, the antibody against TIGIT of this invention comprises the amino acid sequences of the VL and VH of one of the antibodies as listed in Table 8a. More preferably, the antibody against TIGIT of this invention comprises the amino acid sequences of the heavy chain and the light chain of one of the antibodies as listed in Table 8b.
[0022] In a seventh aspect, the present invention provides a humanized form of one of the antibodies against TIGIT as defined above, or antigen-binding fragment thereof. In one embodiment, the humanized antibody against TIGIT comprises the six CDRs of one of the antibodies as listed in Table 7 or the six CDRs comprised in one of the antibodies as listed in Table 8a. In another embodiment, the humanized antibody against TIGIT comprises the six CDRs of one of the antibodies as listed in Tables 9a or 9b or the six CDRs comprised in one of the antibodies as listed in Table 10a or 10b. In a further embodiment, the humanized antibody against TIGIT comprises the amino acid sequences of the VL and VH of one of the antibodies as listed in Table 10a or 10b. Preferably the humanized antibody against TIGIT comprises the amino acid sequences of the light chain and the heavy chain of one of the antibodies as listed in Table 10c or 10d.
[0023] In an eighth aspect, the present invention provides a multispecific antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprising a first moiety that binds to PVRIG and a second moiety that binds to TIGIT. In one embodiment, the first moiety can be an antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment of this invention. In another embodiment, the second moiety can be an antibody against TIGIT of this invention or antigen-binding fragment thereof. In this invention, the term “multispecific” includes bispecific, trispecific and the like.
[0024] In a ninth aspect, the present invention provides a nucleic acid molecule encoding the heavy chain and / or the light chain of the antibody of this invention or antigen-binding fragment thereof, or a portion thereof. The antibody can be an antibody against PVRIG of this invention, an antibody against TIGIT of this invention, or a multispecific antibody of this invention, preferably a bispecific antibody of this invention. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a nucleic acid molecule encoding the heavy chain of the antibody against PVRIG of this invention as defined above or antigen-binding fragment thereof, or a portion thereof. In another embodiment, the present invention provides a nucleic acid molecule encoding the heavy chain and / or the light chain of the antibody against TIGIT of this invention as defined above or antigen-binding fragment thereof, or a portion thereof. In a further embodiment, the present invention provides a nucleic acid molecule encoding the heavy chain and / or the light chain of the multispecific antibody of this invention as defined above, or a portion thereof.
[0025] In a tenth aspect, the present invention provides a vector comprising the nucleic acid of this invention operably linked to a promoter. In one embodiment, the nucleic acid encodes the heavy chain of the antibody against PVRIG of this invention or antigen-binding fragment thereof, or a portion thereof. In another embodiment, the nucleic acid encodes the heavy chain and / or the light chain of the antibody against TIGIT of this invention or antigen-binding fragment thereof, or a portion thereof. In a further embodiment, the nucleic acid encodes the heavy chain and / or the light chain of the multispecific antibody of this invention, or a portion thereof.
[0026] In an eleventh aspect, the present invention further provides a host cell transformed with the vector of this invention. The host cells can be prokaryotic cells, fugal cells, or mammalian cells, for example, CHO cells.
[0027] In a twelfth aspect, the present invention provides an immunoconjugate which comprises an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof of this invention conjugated to another moiety, either noncovalently or covalently, preferably a chemical moiety which can improves the properties of the antibody and antigen-binding fragment thereof of this invention. The chemical moiety can be another therapeutical agent, BSA, Fc fragment, a PEG molecule, and the like. The antibody can be an antibody against PVRIG of this invention, an antibody against TIGIT of this invention, or a multispecific antibody of this invention, preferably a bispecific antibody of this invention. In one embodiment, the immunoconjugate comprises an antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof of this invention. In another embodiment, the immunoconjugate comprises an antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragment thereof of this invention. In a further embodiment, the immunoconjugate comprises a multispecific antibody against PVRIG and TIGIT of this invention or antigen-binding fragment thereof, preferably a bispecific antibody against PVRIG and TIGIT of this invention or antigen-binding fragment thereof.
[0028] In a thirteenth aspect, the present invention provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising an antibody, an immunoconjugate, a nucleic acid or a host cell of this invention, and optionally a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient. The antibody can be an antibody against PVRIG, an antibody against TIGIT, and / or a multispecific, preferably bispecific, antibody against PVRIG and TIGIT, as described herein. Optionally, the pharmaceutical composition of this invention can comprise one or more additional therapeutic agent (s) . Such additional therapeutic agent (s) include, but are not limited to, a chemotherapeutic agent, an immunotherapeutic agent, a radiotherapeutic agent, a cytotoxic agent, and the like. Preferably, the immunotherapeutic agents can be PD-L1 inhibitor, an ADCC-enabled antibody, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the PD-L1 inhibitor is an anti-PD-L1 antibody. In some embodiments, the anti-PD-L1 antibody is LAE005. In some embodiments, the ADCC-enabled antibody is an anti-EGFR antibody and / or an EGFR-MET bispecific antibody. In some embodiments, the anti-EGFR antibody is Cetuximab. In some embodiments, the anti-EGFR / C-Met bispecific antibody is Amivantamab.
[0029] In a fourteenth aspect, the present invention provides a combination therapy wherein the antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof of this invention is used in combination with one or more additional therapeutic agent (s) . Such additional therapeutic agent (s) include, but are not limited to, a chemotherapeutic agent, an immunotherapeutic agent, a radiotherapeutic agent, a cytotoxic agent, and the like. Preferably, the immunotherapeutic agents can be PD-L1 inhibitor, an ADCC-enabled antibody, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the PD-L1 inhibitor is an anti-PD-L1 antibody. In some embodiments, the anti-PD-L1 antibody is LAE005. In some embodiments, the ADCC-enabled antibody is an anti-EGFR antibody and / or an EGFR-MET bispecific antibody. In some embodiments, the anti-EGFR antibody is Cetuximab. In some embodiments, the anti-EGFR / C-Met bispecific antibody is Amivantamab.
[0030] In a fifteenth aspect, the present invention provides methods for preparing the antibodies or antigen-binding fragment thereof, the nucleic acids, the vectors, the host cells, the immunoconjugates, the pharmaceutical compositions, and the kits of this invention, or uses thereof in treating, diagnosing and / or monitoring a proliferative disorder (e.g., a cancer or tumor) , infection or sepsis.
[0031] In a sixteenth aspect, the present invention provides a method of preventing suppression of an immune cell or activating a response mediated by an immune cell, comprising contacting the immune cell with the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, the immunoconjugate, the nucleic acid, the vector or the pharmaceutical composition of this invention. In some embodiments, the immune cell is an NK cell or a T cell. In some embodiments, the T cell is a CD8+ T cell or Treg cell. In some embodiments, the immune cell expresses PVRIG and / or TIGIT. In some embodiments, the response mediated by the immune cell is an anti-tumor response. In some embodiments, the tumor cell expresses CD112 and / or CD155.
[0032] Other aspects and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention.
[0033] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0034] Figures 1-11 relate to antibodies against PVRIG, wherein:
[0035] FIG. 1 shows the results of an Elisa assay testing the binding activity of some anti-PVRIG sdAbs to human PVRIG protein.
[0036] FIG. 2 demonstrates the ability of some anti-PVRIG sdAbs, in comparison to an IgG4 isotype control antibody, to inhibit the binding of human PVRIG to PVRL2. Anti-PVRIG antibody dilutions were mixed with huPVRIG-hFC-biotin at 4℃ for 1h. The human PVRL2 over-expressing HEK293 cells were diluted in FACS buffer and incubated with the antibody mixture for 1h. The ability of anti-PVRIG antibodies to block the binding of PVRIG to PVRL2 was assessed by the mean fluorescent intensity (MFI) of PE labelled Streptavidin.
[0037] FIG. 3 demonstrates the dose-dependent binding of some anti-PVRIG sdAbs to cynomolgus PVRIG as evaluated by Elisa.
[0038] FIG. 4 depicts the enhancement of NFAT promoter-driven Luciferase expression in Jurkat-PVRIG T cells by anti-PVRIG sdAbs upon stimulation with CHOK1 cells expressing cell surface anti-CD3 scFV and CD112.
[0039] FIG. 5A-5B shows the epitope binning results of selective anti-PVRIG sdAbs. In particular, 5A displays the competition Elisa of P-AIL-15 with other reference Abs against hu-PVRIG-his protein. It was observed that incubation with 10mg / ml P-AIL-15 did not block the binding of reference Abs to the hu-PVRIG-his protein. 5B displays the competition Elisa of P-AIL-32 with other reference Abs against hu-PVRIG-his protein, revealing that incubation with 10mg / ml P-AIL-32 partially blocked the binding of the reference Abs to the hu-PVRIG-his protein.
[0040] FIG. 6A-6B demonstrate the characterization of P-AIL-A15 humanized variants. 6A. shows the enhancement of NFAT promoter-driven Luciferase expression in Jurkat-PVRIG T cells by P-AIL-A15 humanized variants upon stimulation with CHOK1 cells expressing cell surface anti-CD3 scFV and CD112. 6B. shows the effects of the P-AIL-A15 humanized variants on enhancing NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity against MOLM-13 cells.
[0041] FIG. 7 shows the enhancement of NFAT promoter-driven Luciferase expression in Jurkat-PVRIG T cells by the P-AIL-A32 humanized variants upon stimulation with CHOK1 cells expressing cell surface anti-CD3 scFV and CD112.
[0042] FIG. 8A-8B demonstrate the characterization of P-AIL-A32 PTM variants. 8A shows the blocking activity of exemplary P-AIL-A32hu17 PTM variants, in comparison to an IgG4 isotype control antibody, against the interaction between human PVRIG and PVRL2.8B illustrates the enhancement of NFAT promoter-driven Luciferase expression in Jurkat-PVRIG T cells by exemplary P-AIL-A32hu17 PTMs upon stimulation with CHOK1 cells expressing cell surface anti-CD3 scFV and CD112.
[0043] FIG. 9 illustrates the enhancement of NFAT promoter-driven Luciferase expression in Jurkat-PVRIG T cells by P-AIL-A32 affinity-matured variants upon stimulation with CHOK1 cells expressing cell surface anti-CD3 scFV and CD112.
[0044] FIG. 10 shows the effects of the P-AIL-A32 affinity-maturated variants on enhancing NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity against MOLM-13 cells.
[0045] FIG. 11 depicts the binding activities of the P-AIL-A32 affinity maturation variants against cyno-PVRIG. ELISA was performed by coating 96-well ELISA plates with 2 μg / ml cyno-PVRIG-Fc protein.
[0046] Figures 12-18 relate to antibodies against TIGIT, wherein:
[0047] FIG. 12 depicts the binding activities of some exemplary anti-TIGIT antibodies against 293F cells engineered to overexpress human TIGIT. Data show absolute MFI (MFI) measurements as a function of increasing antibody concentrations, indicating the strength of the antibodies' binding affinities to TIGIT.
[0048] FIG. 13 shows the capacity of the exemplary anti-TIGIT antibodies to block the interaction of human TIGIT with PVR. Anti-TIGT antibody dilutions were mixed with the huTIGIT over-expressing HEK293 cells at RT for 1h. Then the huCD155-ECD-mFC was added to the cells and incubated at 4℃ for 1h. The abilities of anti-TIGIT antibodies to block the binding of TIGIT to PVR were assessed by the mean fluorescent intensity (MFI) of PE labelled Streptavidin.
[0049] FIG. 14 depicts the enhancement of NFAT promoter-driven Luciferase expression in Jurkat / TIGIT / CD226 T cells by some exemplary anti-TIGIT mAbs upon stimulation with CHOK1 cells expressing cell surface anti-CD3 scFV and PVR.
[0050] FIG. 15A shows the dose dependent binding of the exemplary anti-TIGIT mAbs to 293F cells engineered to overexpress cynomolgus TIGIT. Fig. 15B shows the capacities of the exemplary anti-TIGIT mAbs to block the interaction of cyno-TIGIT with cyno-PVR.
[0051] FIG. 16 shows the effects of the anti-TIGIT monoclonal antibodies on enhancing primary NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity against HSC cells. Primary NK cells were co-cultured with Calcein-AM labeled HSC cells at a ratio of 10: 1 for four hours in the presence of anti-TIGIT antibodies. After co-culture, the cells were lysed for fluorescence detection.
[0052] FIG. 17 shows that the exemplary anti-TIGIT antibodies enhance IL-2 release in Jurkat / TIGIT cells in response to CHOK1 cells stably expressing cell surface anti-CD3 scFV and PVR.
[0053] FIG. 18A-18C show the characterization of humanized anti-TIGIT monoclonal antibodies T-MIL-A60 and T-MIL-A169. Fig. 18A shows the blocking data of the humanized T-MIL-A60 variants. Fig. 18B shows the enhancement of NFAT promoter driven Luciferase expression in Jurkat-TIGIT cells in response to CHO cells stably expressing cell surface anti-CD3 scFV and CD155 by the T-MIL-A60 humanized variants. Fig. 18C shows the NFAT-Luciferase data of the T-MIL-A169 humanized antibodies.
[0054] Figures 19-25 relate to the bispecific antibodies against PVRIG and TIGIT, wherein:
[0055] FIG. 19 shows the structures of some exemplary formats of the bispecific antibodies of this invention.
[0056] FIG. 20A-20B show the dose dependent binding of the exemplary bispecific antibodies to cynomolgus TIGIT or PVRIG. Fig. 20A shows the binding capability of the bispecific antibodies towards 293F cells engineered to overexpress cyno-TIGIT. Fig. 20B shows the binding capability of the exemplary bispecific antibodies to cynomolgus PVRIG assessed by Elisa.
[0057] FIG. 21A-21B shows the effects of the exemplary bispecific antibodies on enhancing NFAT promoter driven Luciferase expression. Fing. 21A shows that the exemplary bispecific antibodies enhance NFAT promoter driven Luciferase expression in Jurkat / TIGIT / CD226 T cells in response to CHO cells stably expressing cell surface anti-CD3 scFV and PVR. Fig. 21B shows that the exemplary bispecific antibodies enhance NFAT promoter driven Luciferase expression in Jurkat / PVRIG T cells in response to CHO cells stably expressing cell surface anti-CD3 scFV and PVRL2.
[0058] FIG. 22 shows the exemplary bispecific antibodies enhance IFN-γ release in primary CD8+ T cells in response to CHOK1 cells stably expressing cell surface anti-CD3 scFV, PVR and PVRL2.
[0059] FIG. 23A-23B shows the effects of the exemplary bispecific antibodies on enhancing NK-92MI cell-mediated cytotoxicity against MOLM-13 cells or A375 cells. Fig. 23A shows the protein expression of PVR and PVRL2 on MOLM-13 cells detected by FACS. Fig. 23B shows a cytotoxicity assay, wherein NK-92MI cells were co-cultured with Calcein-AM labeled MOLM-13 cells or A375 cells for four hours in the presence of the exemplary bispecific antibodies, and the cells were lysed for the fluorescence detection after co-culture.
[0060] FIG 24 illustrates the activity of PVRIG, TIGIT and PD-L1 blockade as a monotherapy and as a combination therapy in human CD8+ T cells. Bispecific antibody BsAb05 and the combination of P-AIL-A32 sdAb and T-MIL-A60 mAb enhanced LAE005-induced IFNγ release by human primary CD8+ T cells in a co-culture system consisting of primary CD8+ T cells and CHOK1 / PD-L1 / CD155 / CD112 / OKT3 cells. BsAb05 exhibited a stronger effect in increasing cytokine production compared to the combination of P-AIL-A32 sdAb and T-MIL-A60 mAb.
[0061] FIG 25 shows the PVRIG / TIGIT bispecific antibody BsAb05 or BsAb17 enhanced NK cell mediated antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) against human malignant melanoma A375 cell line serially diluted with Cetuximab or Amivantamab.
[0062] FIG. 26 shows plasma concentration-time profile of BsAb05 and BsAb17. The antibody was injected into the tail vein of mice at doses of 10 mg / kg, and blood was collected continuously. The serum concentration was determined by Elisa using a coating of 2mg / ml huPVRIG-his (26A) protein or 2mg / ml huTIGIT-his (26B) protein.
[0063] FIG. 27A-27C demonstrate the impact of the anti-PVRIG / TIGIT bispecific antibody on tumor volume, tumor weight, and the expression of TIGIT in CD8+ TILs in the A375 xenograft model with human PBMCs. Human PBMCs were co-cultured with MMC-treated A375 cells for 5 days. The activated huPBMCs were then inoculated together with fresh A375 cells into the NSG mice. Mice was randomized into 4 groups (n=8) when tumor volume reached 50-80mm3. Fig 27A and 27B show the effect of the experimental antibodies on tumor volume and tumor weight. Fig 27C shows the surface expression of TIGIT on CD8+ TILs after treatment with the experimental antibodies or isotype control. BsAb05 and BsAb17 displayed significant anti-tumor activity in HuPBMC A375 Xenograft model. *P<0.05, **P<0.01, ****P<0.0001.DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0064] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs. Any materials and methods similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used to practice the present invention. Practitioners may refer to Sambrook et al. (1989) Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, 2nd ed., Cold Spring Harbor Press, Plainsview, N.Y., Ausubel et al. (1999) Current Protocols in Molecular Biology (Supplement 47) , John Wiley &Sons, New York; Murphy et al. (1995) Virus Taxonomy Springer Verlag: 79-87, and Harlow and Lane Using Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. (1998) , for definitions and terms of the art and other methods known to the person skilled in the art.
[0065] 1. Definitions
[0066] Definitions and explanations of relevant terms or expressions are provided as follows.
[0067] As used herein, the term "about" refers to a quantity, level, value, dimension, size, or amount that varies by as much as 10% (e. g, by 10%, 9%, 8%, 7%, 6%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2%or 1%) to a reference quantity, level, value, dimension, size, or amount.
[0068] Throughout this specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise" , or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising" , will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element or integer or group of elements or integers but not the exclusion of any other element or integer or group of elements or integers.
[0069] By "consisting of" is meant including, and limited to, whatever follows the phrase "consisting of" . Thus, the phrase "consisting of" indicates that the listed elements are required or mandatory, and that no other elements may be present. By "consisting essentially of" is meant including any elements listed after the phrase, and limited to other elements that do not interfere with or contribute to the activity or action specified in the disclosure for the listed elements. Thus, the phrase "consisting essentially of" indicates that the listed elements are required or mandatory, but that other elements are optional and may or may not be present depending upon whether or not they affect the activity or action of the listed elements.
[0070] As used herein the singular forms "a" , "an" and "the" include plural aspects unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. For example, reference to "a host cell" includes a single host cell, as well as two or more host cells; and so forth.
[0071] The terms “antibody” , “immunoglobulin” , and “Ig” are used interchangeably herein, and are used in the broadest sense and specifically cover, for example polyclonal antibodies, monoclonal antibodies (including agonist, antagonist, neutralizing antibodies, full-length monoclonal antibodies) , antibody compositions with polyepitopic or monoepitopic specificity, recombinantly produced antibodies, single domain (e.g., VHH) antibodies, monospecific antibodies, multispecific antibodies (including bispecific antibodies) , synthetic antibodies, chimeric antibodies, humanized antibodies, or human versions of antibodies having full-length heavy and / or light chains. VHH as used herein refers to a domain antibody derived from a variable region of a heavy chain only antibody. Exemplary single domain antibodies include, but are not limited to, antibodies naturally devoid of light chains such as those from Camelidae species (e.g., llama and Alpaca) , single domain antibodies derived from conventional 4-chain antibodies, engineered antibodies and single domain scaffolds other than those derived from antibodies. Single domain antibodies may be derived from any species including, but not limited to mouse, human, camel, llama, Alpaca, goat, rabbit, and bovine. VHH can also be derived from other species besides Camelidae that may produce heavy chain antibodies naturally devoid of light chain. Antibodies also include antibody fragments (and / or polypeptides that comprise antibody fragments) that retain PVRIG and / or TIGIT binding characteristics. Non-limiting examples of antibody fragments include antigen-binding regions and / or effector regions of the antibody, e.g., Fab, Fab’, F (ab’) 2, Fv, scFv, (scFv) 2, single chain antibody molecule, dual variable domain IgG (DVD-Ig) , single variable domain, linear antibody, V region, a multispecific antibody formed from antibody fragments, F (ab) 2, Fd, Fc, diabody, di-diabody, disulfide-linked Fvs (dsFv) , single-domain antibody (e.g., nanobody) or other fragments (e.g., fragments consisting of the variable regions of the heavy and light chains that are non-covalently coupled) . In general terms, a variable (V) region domain may be any suitable arrangement of immunoglobulin heavy (VH) and / or light (VL) variable domains. For example, antibodies also include tetrameric antibodies comprising two heavy chain and two light chain molecules, an antibody light chain monomer, and an antibody heavy chain monomer. Thus, for example, the V region domain may be dimeric and contain VHH-VHH, VH-VH, VH-VL, or VL-VL dimers that bind PVRIG and / or TIGIT. If desired, the VH and VL may be covalently coupled either directly or through a linker to form a single chain Fv (scFv) . For ease of reference, scFv proteins are referred to herein as included in the category “antibody fragments. ” Another form of an antibody fragment is a peptide comprising one or more complementarity determining regions (CDRs) of an antibody. CDRs (also termed “minimal recognition units” or “hypervariable regions” ) can be obtained by constructing polynucleotides that encode one or more CDRs of interest. Such polynucleotides are prepared, for example, by using the polymerase chain reaction to synthesize the variable region using mRNA of antibody-producing cells as a template (see, for example, Larrick et al., Methods: A Companion to Methods in Enzymology, 2: 106 (1991) ; Courtenay-Luck, “Genetic Manipulation of Monoclonal Antibodies, ” in Monoclonal Antibodies Production, Engineering and Clinical Application, Ritter et al. (eds. ) , page 166, Cambridge University Press (1995) ; and Ward et al., “Genetic Manipulation and Expression of Antibodies, ” in Monoclonal Antibodies: Principles and Applications, Birch et al., (eds. ) , page 137, Wiley-Liss, Inc. (1995) ) . Antibody fragments may be incorporated, for example, into single domain antibodies, maxibodies, minibodies, intrabodies, diabodies, triabodies, tetrabodies, variable domains of new antigen receptors (v-NAR) , and bis-single chain Fv regions (see, e.g., Hollinger and Hudson, Nature Biotechnology, 23 (9) : 1126-1136, 2005) . In some embodiments, antibodies comprising a VH and / or VL contain a light chain and / or a heavy chain constant region, such as one or more constant regions, including one or more IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 and / or IgG4 constant regions. In some embodiments, antibodies can include epitope-binding fragments of any of the above. The antibodies described herein can be of any class (e.g., IgG, IgE, IgM, IgD, and IgA) or any subclass (e.g., IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgG4, IgA1, and IgA2) of immunoglobulin molecule.
[0072] “Antibody” or “Ab” in this invention generally refers to a Y-shaped tetrameric protein comprising two heavy (H) and two light (L) polypeptide chains held together by covalent disulfide bonds and non-covalent interactions. Light chains of an antibody may be classified into κ and λlight chain. Heavy chains may be classified into μ, δ, γ, α and ε, which define isotypes of an antibody as IgM, IgD, IgG, IgA and IgE, respectively. In a light chain and a heavy chain, a variable region is linked to a constant region via a “J” region of about 12 or more amino acids, and a heavy chain further comprises a “D” region of about 3 or more amino acids. Each heavy chain consists of a heavy chain variable region (VH) and a heavy chain constant region (CH) . A heavy chain constant region consists of 3 domains (CH1, CH2 and CH3) . Each light chain consists of a light chain variable region (VL) and a light chain constant region (CL) . VH and VL region can further be divided into hypervariable regions (called complementary determining regions (CDR) ) , which are interspaced by relatively conservative regions (called framework region (FR) ) . Each VH and VL consists of 3 CDRs and 4 FRs in the following order: FR1, CDR1, FR2, CDR2, FR3, CDR3, FR4 from N-terminal to C-terminal. The variable region (VH and VL) of each heavy / light chain pair forms antigen binding sites, respectively. Distribution of amino acids in various regions or domains follows the definition in Kabat Sequences of Proteins of Immunological Interest (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md. (1987 and 1991) ) , or Chothia &Lesk (1987) J. Mol. Biol. 196: 901-917; Chothia et al., (1989) Nature 342: 878-883. Antibodies may be of different antibody isotypes, for example, IgG (e.g., IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 or IgG4 subtype) , IgA1, IgA2, IgD, IgE or IgM antibody.
[0073] The term “antibody” or “Ab” , as used herein, also includes a single domain antibody (abbreviated as “sdAb” ) , which can be produced for example, in Camel and Alpacas, or recombinantly. It is generally called as a VHH antibody, comprising merely a heavy chain, which is of the same structure of the heavy chain of an antibody produced in a mouse or a human. A VHH antibody is also called nano-antibody in the field.
[0074] Variable regions and CDRs in an antibody sequence can be identified according to general rules that have been developed in the art (as set out above, such as, for example, the Kabat numbering system) or by aligning the sequences against a database of known variable regions. Methods for identifying these regions are described in Kontermann and Dubel, eds., Antibody Engineering, Springer, New York, NY, 2001 and Dinarello et al., Current Protocols in Immunology, John Wiley and Sons Inc., Hoboken, NJ, 2000. Exemplary databases of antibody sequences are described in, and can be accessed through, the “Abysis” website at www. bioinf. org. uk / abs (maintained by A.C. Martin in the Department of Biochemistry &Molecular Biology University College London, London, England) and the VBASE2 website at www. vbase2. org, as described in Retter et al., Nucl. Acids Res., 33 (Database issue) : D671 -D674 (2005) . Preferably sequences are analyzed using the Abysis database, which integrates sequence data from Kabat, IMGT and the Protein Data Bank (PDB) with structural data from the PDB. See Dr. Andrew C.R. Martin's book chapter Protein Sequence and Structure Analysis of Antibody Variable Domains. In: Antibody Engineering Lab Manual (Ed. : Duebel, S. and Kontermann, R., Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, ISBN-13: 978-3540413547, also available on the website bioinforg. uk / abs) . The Abysis database website further includes general rules that have been developed for identifying CDRs which can be used in accordance with the teachings herein. Unless otherwise indicated, all CDRs set forth herein are derived according to Kabat numbering system. Yet the CDRs of the antibodies of this invention defined by other numbering systems, for example, the Chothia numbering system, the AbM numbering system and the like are also included in this invention.
[0075] The term “variable region residue numbering according to Kabat” or “amino acid position numbering as in Kabat” , and variations thereof, refer to the numbering system used for heavy chain variable regions or light chain variable regions of the compilation of antibodies in Kabat et al., supra. Using this numbering system, the actual linear amino acid sequence may contain fewer or additional amino acids corresponding to a shortening of, or insertion into, an FR or CDR of the variable domain. For example, a heavy chain variable domain may include a single amino acid insert (residue 52a according to Kabat) after residue 52 and three inserted residues (e.g., residues 82a, 82b, and 82c, etc. according to Kabat) after residue 82. The Kabat numbering of residues may be determined for a given antibody by alignment at regions of homology of the sequence of the antibody with a “standard” Kabat numbered sequence. The Kabat numbering system is generally used when referring to a residue in the variable domain (approximately residues 1-107 of the light chain and residues 1-113 of the heavy chain) (e.g., Kabat et al., supra) . The “EU numbering system” or “EU index” is generally used when referring to a residue in an immunoglobulin heavy chain constant region (e.g., the EU index reported in Kabat et al., supra) . The “EU index as in Kabat” refers to the residue numbering of the human IgG 1 EU antibody. Other numbering systems have been described, for example, by AbM, Chothia, Contact, IMGT, and AHon.
[0076] As used herein, the term “heavy chain” when used in reference to an antibody refers to a polypeptide chain of about 50-70 kDa, wherein the amino-terminal portion includes a variable region of about 120 to 130 or more amino acids, and a carboxy-terminal portion includes a constant region. The constant region can be one of five distinct types, (e.g., isotypes) referred to as alpha (α) , delta (δ) , epsilon (ε) , gamma (γ) , and mu (μ) , based on the amino acid sequence of the heavy chain constant region. The distinct heavy chains differ in size: α, δ, and γ contain approximately 450 amino acids, while μ and ε contain approximately 550 amino acids. When combined with a light chain, these distinct types of heavy chains give rise to five well known classes (e.g., isotypes) of antibodies, IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG, and IgM, respectively, including four subclasses of IgG, namely IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, and IgG4.
[0077] As used herein, the term “light chain” when used in reference to an antibody refers to a polypeptide chain of about 25 kDa, wherein the amino-terminal portion includes a variable region of about 100 to about 110 or more amino acids, and a carboxy-terminal portion includes a constant region. The approximate length of a light chain is 211 to 217 amino acids. There are two distinct types, referred to as kappa (κ) or lambda (λ) based on the amino acid sequence of the constant domains.
[0078] CDR regions are well known to those skilled in the art and have been defined by well-known numbering systems. For example, the Kabat Complementarity Determining Regions (CDRs) are based on sequence variability and are the most commonly used (see, e.g., Kabat et al., supra; Nick Deschacht et al., J Immunol 2010; 184: 5696-5704) . Chothia refers instead to the location of the structural loops (see, e.g., Chothia and Lesk, J. Mol. Biol. 196: 901-17 (1987) ) . The end of the Chothia HCDR1 loop when numbered using the Kabat numbering convention varies between H32 and H34 depending on the length of the loop (this is because the Kabat numbering scheme places the insertions at H35A and H35B; if neither 35A nor 35B is present, the loop ends at 32; if only 35A is present, the loop ends at 33; if both 35A and 35B are present, the loop ends at 34) . The AbM hypervariable regions represent a compromise between the Kabat CDRs and Chothia structural loops, and are used by Oxford Molecular’s AbM antibody modeling software (see, e.g., Antibody Engineering Vol. 2 (Kontermann and Dübel eds., 2d ed. 2010) ) . The “contact” hypervariable regions are based on an analysis of the available complex crystal structures. Another universal numbering system that has been developed and widely adopted is ImMunoGeneTics (IMGT) Information (Lafranc et al., Dev. Comp. Immunol. 27 (1) : 55-77 (2003) ) . IMGT is an integrated information system specializing in immunoglobulins (IG) , T-cell receptors (TCR) , and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of human and other vertebrates. Herein, the CDRs are referred to in terms of both the amino acid sequence and the location within the light or heavy chain. As the “location” of the CDRs within the structure of the immunoglobulin variable domain is conserved between species and present in structures called loops, by using numbering systems that align variable domain sequences according to structural features, CDR and framework residues are readily identified. This information can be used in grafting and replacement of CDR residues from immunoglobulins of one species into an acceptor framework from, typically, a human antibody. An additional numbering system (AHon) has been developed by Honegger and Plückthun, J. Mol. Biol. 309: 657-70 (2001) . Correspondence between the numbering system, including, for example, the Kabat numbering and the IMGT unique numbering system, is well known to one skilled in the art (see, e.g., Kabat, supra; Chothia and Lesk, supra; Martin, supra; Lefranc et al., supra) . The residues from each of these hypervariable regions or CDRs according to various numbering systems are exemplified in the following table.
[0079] Exemplary CDRs According to Various Numbering Systems
[0080] The boundaries of a given CDR may vary depending on the scheme used for identification. Thus, unless otherwise specified, the terms “CDR” and “complementary determining region” of a given antibody or region thereof, such as a variable region, as well as individual CDRs (e.g., HCDR1, HCDR2) of the antibody or region thereof, should be understood to encompass the complementary determining region as defined by any of the known schemes described herein above. In some instances, the scheme for identification of a particular CDR or CDRs is specified, such as the CDR as defined by the IMGT, Kabat, Chothia, or Contact method. In other cases, the particular amino acid sequence of a CDR is given. It should be noted CDR regions may also be defined by a combination of various numbering systems, e.g., a combination of Kabat and Chothia numbering systems, or a combination of Kabat and IMGT numbering systems. Therefore, the term such as “a CDR1 as set forth in a specific VH” includes any CDR1 as defined by the exemplary CDR numbering systems described above, but is not limited thereby. Once a variable region (e.g., a VH or VL) is given, those skilled in the art would understand that CDRs within the region can be defined by different numbering systems or combinations thereof.
[0081] Hypervariable regions may comprise “extended hypervariable regions” as follows: 24-36 or 24-34 (L1) , 46-56 or 50-56 (L2) , and 89-97 or 89-96 (L3) in the VL, and 26-35 or 26-35A (H1) , 50-65 or 49-65 (H2) , and 93-102, 94-102, or 95-102 (H3) in the VH.
[0082] The term “constant region” or “constant domain” refers to a carboxy terminal portion of the light and heavy chain which is not directly involved in binding of the antibody to antigen but exhibits various effector function, such as interaction with the Fc receptor. The term refers to the portion of an immunoglobulin molecule having a more conserved amino acid sequence relative to the other portion of the immunoglobulin, the variable region, which contains the antigen binding site. The constant region may contain the CH1, CH2, and CH3 regions of the heavy chain and the CL region of the light chain.
[0083] The term “framework” or “FR” refers to those variable region residues flanking the CDRs. FR residues are present, for example, in chimeric, humanized, human, domain antibodies, diabodies, linear antibodies, and bispecific antibodies. FR residues are those variable domain residues other than the hypervariable region residues or CDR residues.
[0084] Antibodies in this invention include monoclonal antibodies, polyclonal antibodies, chimeric antibodies, humanized antibodies, monovalent-, bivalent-, or multivalent antibodies, single domain antibody, monospecific, bispecific, or multispecific antibodies, scFvs, nanobodies, etc.
[0085] The term “antigen-binding portion” or “antigen-binding fragment” of an antibody, which can be interchangeably used in the context of the application, refers to polypeptides comprising fragments of a full-length antibody, which retain the ability of specifically binding to an antigen that the full-length antibody specifically binds to, and / or compete with the full-length antibody for binding to the same antigen. Generally, see Fundamental Immunology, Ch. 7 (Paul, W., ed., the second edition, Raven Press, N.Y. (1989) , which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Antigen binding fragments of an antibody may be produced by recombinant DNA techniques or by enzymatic or chemical cleavage of an intact antibody. Under some conditions, antigen binding fragments include Fab, Fab', F (ab') 2, Fd, Fv, dAb and complementary determining region (CDR) fragments, single chain antibody (e.g. scFv) , chimeric antibody, diabody and such polypeptides that comprise at least part of antibody sufficient to confer the specific antigen binding ability on the polypeptides. Antigen binding fragments of an antibody may be obtained from a given antibody (e.g., the antibody against PVRIG or TIGIT provided in the instant application) by conventional techniques known by a person skilled in the art (e.g., recombinant DNA technique or enzymatic or chemical cleavage methods) , and may be screened for specificity in the same manner by which intact antibodies are screened.
[0086] The term “monoclonal antibody” or “mAb” , as used herein, refer to a preparation of antibody molecules of single molecular composition. A monoclonal antibody displays a single binding specificity and affinity for a particular epitope.
[0087] The term “humanized antibody” is intended to refer to antibodies in which CDR sequences derived from the germline of another mammalian species, such as a mouse, have been grafted onto human framework sequences. Additional framework region modifications may be made within the human framework sequences.
[0088] The term “chimeric antibody” , as used herein, refers to an antibody in which the variable region sequences are derived from one species and the constant region sequences are derived from another species, such as an antibody in which the variable region sequences are derived from a mouse antibody and the constant region sequences are derived from a human antibody.
[0089] The term “recombinant antibody” , as used herein, refers to an antibody that is prepared, expressed, created or isolated by recombinant means, such as antibodies isolated from an animal that is transgenic for another species’ immunoglobulin genes, antibodies expressed using a recombinant expression vector transfected into a host cell, antibodies isolated from a recombinant, combinatorial antibody library, or antibodies prepared, expressed, created or isolated by any other means that involves splicing of immunoglobulin gene sequences to other DNA sequences.
[0090] The term “monospecific” , as used herein in reference to an antibody, denotes an antibody that has one or more binding sites each of which binds to the same epitope of the same antigen.
[0091] The term “multispecific antibody” , as used herein, refers to an antibody that is able to bind to two or more antigenic determinants (e.g., epitopes) through two or more different antigen binding sites, each formed by a pair of an antibody heavy chain variable domain (VH) and an antibody light chain variable domain (VL) or each formed by a pair of VHH domains binding to different antigens or to different epitopes on the same antigen) . In certain embodiments, the multispecific antibody is capable of concurrently binding to two or more antigenic determinants (e.g., epitopes) . In some embodiments, a multispecific antibody binds one or more antigen (or epitope) on one of its binding arms (one pair of heavy chain / light chain) and binds one or more different antigen (or epitope) on its second binding arm (a different pair of heavy chain / light chain) . In some embodiments, a multispecific antibody can have two or more distinct antigen binding arms (in both specificity and CDR sequences) , and is monovalent for each antigen to which it binds. Multispecific antibodies include, e.g., those generated by quadroma technology (Milstein &Cuello (1983) Nature 305 (5934) : 537-40) , by chemical conjugation of two or more different monoclonal antibodies (Staerz et al. (1985) Nature 314 (6012) : 628-31) , or by knob-into-hole or similar approaches which introduces mutations in the Fc region (Holliger et al. (1993) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 90 (14) : 6444–6448) . A wide variety of recombinant multispecific antibody formats have been developed in the recent past, e.g. by fusion of, e.g. an IgG antibody format and two or more single chain domains (see Kontermann RE, mAbs 4: 2, (2012) 1-16) . Multispecific antibodies wherein the variable domains VL and VH or the constant domains CL and CH1 are replaced by each other are described in WO2009080251 and WO2009080252. The term “multispecific antibody” in this invention encompasses bispecific antibody, trispecific antibody, etc..
[0092] The term "bispecific antibody" , as used herein, refers to an antibody that is able to bind to two antigenic determinants (e.g., epitopes) through two different antigen binding sites, for example two binding sites each formed by a pair of an antibody heavy chain variable doma in (VH) and an antibody light chain variable domain (VL) binding to different antigens. In certain embodiments, the bispecific antibody is capable of concurrently binding two antigenic determinants (e.g., epitopes) . In some embodiments, a bispecific antibody binds one antigen (or epitope) on one of its binding arms (one pair of heavy chain / light chain) , and binds a different antigen (or epitope) on its second binding arm (a different pair of heavy chain / light chain) . Such a bispecific antibody may have a 1+1 format (comprising one binding site for a first antigen or epitope and one binding site for a second antigen or epitope) . Other bispecific antibody formats may be 2+1 or 1+2 formats (comprising two binding sites for a first antigen or epitope and one binding site for a second antigen or epitope) or 2+2 format (comprising two binding sites for a first antigen or epitope and two binding sites for a second antigen or epitope) . When a bispecific antibody comprises two antigen-binding sites, each may bind to a different epitope. Such a bispecific antibody may bind to two different epitopes on the same antigen (e.g., epitopes on PVRIG or TIGIT) . In some embodiments, a “bispecific” antibody is able to specifically bind to two distinct antigenic determinants, for example two binding sites each formed by a pair of an antibody heavy chain variable domain (VH) and an antibody light chain variable domain (VL) binding to different antigens. In some embodiments, a bispecific antibody can have two distinct antigen binding arms (in both specificity and CDR sequences) , and is monovalent for each antigen to which it binds. Bispecific antibodies include, e.g., those generated by quadroma technology (Milstein &Cuello (1983) Nature 305 (5934) : 537-40) , by chemical conjugation of two different monoclonal antibodies (Staerz et al. (1985) Nature 314 (6012) : 628-31) , or by knob-into-hole or similar approaches which introduces mutations in the Fc region (Holliger et al. (1993) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 90 (14) : 6444–6448) . A wide variety of recombinant bispecific antibody formats have been developed in the recent past, e.g. by fusion of, e.g. an IgG antibody format and single chain domains (see Kontermann RE, mAbs 4: 2, (2012) 1-16) . Bispecific antibodies wherein the variable domains VL and VH or the constant domains CL and CH1 are replaced by each other are described in WO2009080251 and WO2009080252.
[0093] The term “anti-PVRIG antibody” or “a PVRIG antibody” or “an antibody against PVRIG” , as used herein, refers to an antibody, as defined herein, capable of binding to PVRIG, for example, a human or mouse PVRIG. These terms are used interchangeably in this invention. Preferably, the antibody against PVRIG is a single domain antibody (sdAb) , or a VHH-type antibody.
[0094] The term “anti-TIGIT antibody” or “TIGIT antibody” or “antibody against TIGIT” as used herein, refers to an antibody, as defined herein, capable of binding to TIGIT, for example, a human or mouse TIGIT. These terms are used interchangeably in this invention.
[0095] The term “high affinity” for an IgG antibody, as used herein, refers to an antibody having a KD of 1 x 10-7 M or less, more preferably 5 x 10-8 M or less, even more preferably 1x10-8 M or less, even more preferably 5 x 10-9 M or less and even more preferably 1 x 10-9 M or less for a target antigen, for example, PVRIG or TIGIT.
[0096] An “on-rate” or “rate of association” or “association rate” or “kon” of a particular antibody-antigen interaction according to this application can be determined with surface plasmon resonance technique using, e.g. a BIAcoreTM-2000 or a BIAcoreTM-3000 (BIAcore, Inc., Piscataway, NJ) .
[0097] A “off-rate” or “rate of dissociation” or “dissociation rate” or “koff” of a particular antibody-antigen interaction according to this application can also be determined with surface plasmon resonance technique.
[0098] The term "KD" , as used herein, refers to the dissociation equilibrium constant of a particular antibody-antigen interaction.
[0099] The term “EC50” , as used herein, which is also termed as “half maximal effective concentration” refers to the concentration of a drug, antibody or toxicant which induces a response halfway between the baseline and maximum after a specified exposure time. In the context of the application, EC50 is expressed in the unit of “nM” .
[0100] The term “compete for binding” , as used herein, refers to the interaction of two antibodies in their binding to a binding target. A first antibody competes for binding with a second antibody if binding of the first antibody with its cognate epitope is detectably decreased in the presence of the second antibody compared to the binding of the first antibody in the absence of the second antibody. The alternative, where the binding of the second antibody to its epitope is also detectably decreased in the presence of the first antibody, can, but need not, be the case. That is, a first antibody can inhibit the binding of a second antibody to its epitope without that second antibody inhibiting the binding of the first antibody to its respective epitope. However, where each antibody detectably inhibits the binding of the other antibody with its cognate epitope, whether to the same, greater, or lesser extent, the antibodies are said to “cross-compete” with each other for binding of their respective epitope (s) .
[0101] The ability of “inhibit binding” , as used herein, refers to the ability of an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof to inhibit the binding of two molecules (eg, human PVRIG and an antibody against PVRIG, or human TIGIT and an antibody against TIGIT) to any detectable level. In certain embodiments, the binding of the two molecules can be inhibited at least 50%by the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof. In certain embodiments, such an inhibitory effect may be greater than 60%, greater than 70%, greater than 80%, or greater than 90%.
[0102] The term “isolated” , as used herein, refers to a state obtained from natural state by artificial means. If a certain “isolated” substance or component is present in nature, it is possible because its natural environment changes, or the substance is isolated from natural environment, or both. For example, a certain un-isolated polynucleotide or polypeptide naturally exists in a certain living animal body, and the same polynucleotide or polypeptide with a high purity isolated from such a natural state is called isolated polynucleotide or polypeptide. The term “isolated” excludes neither the mixed artificial or synthesized substance nor other impure substances that do not affect the activity of the isolated substance.
[0103] The term “vector” , as used herein, refers to a nucleic acid vehicle which can have a polynucleotide inserted therein. When the vector allows for the expression of the protein encoded by the polynucleotide inserted therein, the vector is called an expression vector. The vector can have the carried genetic material elements expressed in a host cell by transformation, transduction, or transfection into the host cell. Vectors are well known by a person skilled in the art, including, but not limited to plasmids, phages, cosmids, artificial chromosome such as yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) , bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) or P1-derived artificial chromosome (PAC) ; phage such as λ phage or M13 phage and animal virus. The animal viruses that can be used as vectors, include, but are not limited to, retrovirus (including lentivirus) , adenovirus, adeno-associated virus, herpes virus (such as herpes simplex virus) , pox virus, baculovirus, papillomavirus, papova virus (such as SV40) . A vector may comprise multiple elements for controlling expression, including, but not limited to, a promoter sequence, a transcription initiation sequence, an enhancer sequence, a selection element and a reporter gene. In addition, a vector may comprise origin of replication.
[0104] The term “host cell” , as used herein, refers to a cellular system which can be engineered to generate proteins, protein fragments, or peptides of interest. Host cells include, without limitation, cultured cells, e.g., mammalian cultured cells derived from rodents (rats, mice, guinea pigs, or hamsters) such as CHO, BHK, NSO, SP2 / 0, YB2 / 0; or human tissues or hybridoma cells, yeast cells, and insect cells, and cells comprised within a transgenic animal or cultured tissue. The term encompasses not only the particular subject cell but also the progeny of such a cell. Because certain modifications may occur in succeeding generations due to either mutation or environmental influences, such progeny may not be identical to the parent cell, but are still included within the scope of the term “host cell. ”
[0105] The term “homology” or “identity” , as used herein, refers to a relationship between the sequences of two or more polypeptide molecules or two or more nucleic acid molecules, as determined by aligning and comparing the sequences. “Percent identity” means the percent of identical residues between the amino acids or nucleotides in the compared molecules and is calculated based on the size of the smallest of the molecules being compared. For these calculations, gaps in alignments (if any) are preferably addressed by a particular mathematical model or computer program (i.e., an “algorithm” ) . Methods that can be used to calculate the identity of the aligned nucleic acids or polypeptides include those described in Computational Molecular Biology, (Lesk, A.M., ed. ) , 1988, New York: Oxford University Press; Biocomputing Informatics and Genome Projects, (Smith, D.W., ed. ) , 1993, New York: Academic Press; Computer Analysis of Sequence Data, Part I, (Griffin, A.M., and Griffin, H.G., eds. ) , 1994, New Jersey: Humana Press; von Heinje, G., 1987, Sequence Analysis in Molecular Biology, New York: Academic Press; Sequence Analysis Primer, (Gribskov, M. and Devereux, J., eds. ) , 1991, New York: M. Stockton Press; and Carillo et al, 1988, SIAMJ. Applied Math. 48: 1073.
[0106] The term “humanization” as used herein, refers to the changes of some residues in the constant region of an antibody derived from an animal to make the structure of the antibody better satisfying a human antibody. “Humanization” results in an antibody that is less immunogenic, with complete retention of the antigen-binding properties of the original molecule. In order to retain all the antigen-binding properties of the original antibody, the structure of its combining-site has to be faithfully reproduced in the “humanized” version. This can potentially be achieved by transplanting the combining site of the nonhuman antibody onto a human framework, either (a) by grafting the entire nonhuman variable domains onto human constant regions to generate a chimeric antibody (Morrison et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA 81: 6801 (1984) ; Morrison and 01, Adv. Immunol. 44: 65 (1988) (which preserves the ligand-binding properties, but which also retains the immunogenicity of the nonhuman variable domains) ; (b) by grafting only the nonhuman CDRs onto human framework and constant regions with or without retention of critical framework residues (Jones et al. Nature, 321: 522 (1986) ; Verhoeyen et al., Science 239: 1539 (1988) ) ; or (c) by transplanting the entire nonhuman variable domains (to preserve ligand-binding properties) but also “cloaking” them with a human-like surface through judicious replacement of exposed residues (to reduce antigenicity) (Padlan, Molec. Immunol. 28: 489 (1991) ) .
[0107] Humanization by CDR grafting typically involves transplanting only the CDRs of an animal fragment onto human framework and constant regions. Theoretically, this should substantially eliminate immunogenicity (except if allotypic or idiotypic differences exist) . However, it has been reported that some framework residues of the original antibody also need to be preserved (Riechmann et al., Nature 332: 323 (1988) ; Queen et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 86: 10, 029 (1989) ) . The framework residues which need to be preserved can be identified by computer modeling. Alternatively, critical framework residues may potentially be identified by comparing known antibody combining site structures (Padlan, Molec. Immun. 31 (3) : 169-217 (1994) ) . The invention also includes partially humanized antibodies, in which the 6 CDRs of the heavy and light chains and a limited number of structural amino acids of the murine monoclonal antibody are grafted by recombinant technology to the CDR-depleted human IgG scaffold (Jones et al., Nature 321: 522-525 (1986) ) .
[0108] The term “affinity-maturation” or “affinity-maturated antibody” refers to an antibody that has one or more alterations in one or more of its hypervariable regions, and such alteration results in an improved affinity of the antibody for the antigen as compared to a parent antibody that does not possess such alteration. Preferred affinity matured antibodies will have nanomolar or even picomolar affinities for the target antigen. Affinity matured antibodies are produced by procedures known in the art. Marks et al. Bio / Technology 10: 779-783 (1992) describes Affinity maturation by VH and VL domain shuffling. Random mutagenesis of CDR and / or framework residues is described below: Barbas et al. Proc Nat. Acad. Sci, USA 91: 3809-3813 (1994) ; Schier et Gene 169: 147 -155 (1995) ; Yelton et al. J. Immunol. 155: 1994-2004 (1995) ; Jackson et al, J. Immunol. 154 (7) : 3310-9 (1995) ; and Hawkins et al, J. Mol. Biol 226: 889-896 (1992) .
[0109] The term “transfection” , as used herein, refers to the process by which nucleic acids are introduced into eukaryotic cells, particularly mammalian cells. Protocols and techniques for transfection include but not limited to lipid transfection and chemical and physical methods such as electroporation. A number of transfection techniques are well known in the art and are disclosed herein. See, e.g., Graham et al., 1973, Virology 52: 456; Sambrook et al., 2001, Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, supra; Davis et al., 1986, Basic Methods in Molecular Biology, Elsevier; Chu et al, 1981, Gene 13: 197. In a specific embodiment, human ActRIIB gene was transfected into 293F cells.
[0110] The term “hybridoma” and the term “hybridoma cell line” , as used herein, may be used interchangeably. When the term “hybridoma” and the term “hybridoma cell line” are mentioned, they also include subclone and progeny cell of hybridoma.
[0111] The term “SPR” or “surface plasmon resonance” , as used herein, refers to and includes an optical phenomenon that allows for the analysis of real-time biospecific interactions by detection of alterations in protein concentrations within a biosensor matrix, for example using the BIAcore system (Pharmacia Biosensor AB, Uppsala, Sweden and Piscataway, N.J. ) . For further descriptions, see Example 5 and U., et al. (1993) Ann. Biol. Clin. 51: 19-26; U., et al. (1991) Biotechniques 11: 620-627; Johnsson, B., et al. (1995) J. Mol. Recognit. 8: 125-131; and Johnnson, B., et al. (1991) Anal. Biochem. 198: 268-277.
[0112] The term “subject” , as used herein, refers to any vertebrate animals that need to be treated or diagnosed according to this invention, including mammals and birds, especially human beings.
[0113] The term “cancer” , as used herein, refers to any of a tumor or malignant cell growth, proliferation or metastasis-mediated, solid tumors and non-solid tumors such as leukemia and initiate a medical condition.
[0114] The term “treatment” , “treating” or “treated” , as used herein in the context of treating a condition, pertains generally to treatment and therapy, whether of a human or an animal, in which some desired therapeutic effect is achieved, for example, the inhibition of the progress of the condition, and includes a reduction in the rate of progress, a halt in the rate of progress, regression of the condition, amelioration of the condition, and cure of the condition. Treatment as a prophylactic measure (i.e., prophylaxis, prevention) is also included. For cancer, “treating” may refer to dampen or slow the tumor or malignant cell growth, proliferation, or metastasis, or some combination thereof. For tumors, “treatment” includes removal of all or part of the tumor, inhibiting or slowing tumor growth and metastasis, preventing or delaying the development of a tumor, or some combination thereof.
[0115] The term “an effective amount” , as used herein, pertains to that amount of an active compound, or a material, composition or dosage form comprising an active compound, which is effective for producing some desired therapeutic effect, commensurate with a reasonable benefit / risk ratio, when administered in accordance with a desired treatment regimen. For instance, the “an effective amount” , when used in connection with treatment of muscle metabolism disorders or conditions, refers to an antibody or antigen-binding portion thereof in an amount or concentration effective to treat the said disorders or conditions.
[0116] The term “prevent” , “prevention” or “preventing” , as used herein, with reference to a certain disease condition in a mammal, refers to preventing or delaying the onset of the disease, or preventing the manifestation of clinical or subclinical symptoms thereof.
[0117] The term “pharmaceutically acceptable” , as used herein, means that the vehicle, diluent, excipient and / or salts thereof, are chemically and / or physically is compatible with other ingredients in the formulation, and the physiologically compatible with the recipient.
[0118] As used herein, the term “a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier and / or excipient” refers to a carrier and / or excipient pharmacologically and / or physiologically compatible with a subject and an active agent, which is well known in the art (see, e.g., Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences. Edited by Gennaro AR, 19th ed. Pennsylvania: Mack Publishing Company, 1995) , and includes, but is not limited to pH adjuster, surfactant, adjuvant and ionic strength enhancer. For example, the pH adjuster includes, but is not limited to, phosphate buffer; the surfactant includes, but is not limited to, cationic, anionic, or non-ionic surfactant, e.g., Tween-80; the ionic strength enhancer includes, but is not limited to, sodium chloride.
[0119] As used herein, the term “adjuvant” refers to a non-specific immunopotentiator, which can enhance immune response to an antigen or change the type of immune response in an organism when it is delivered together with the antigen to the organism or is delivered to the organism in advance. There are a variety of adjuvants, including, but not limited to, aluminium adjuvants (for example, aluminum hydroxide) , Freund’s adjuvants (for example, Freund’s complete adjuvant and Freund’s incomplete adjuvant) , coryne bacterium parvum, lipopolysaccharide, cytokines, and the like. Freund's adjuvant is the most commonly used adjuvant in animal experiments now. Aluminum hydroxide adjuvant is more commonly used in clinical trials.
[0120] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present disclosure is susceptible to variations and modifications other than those specifically described. It is to be understood that the disclosure includes all such variations and modifications. The disclosure also includes all of the steps, features, compositions and compounds referred to or indicated in this specification, individually or collectively, and any and all combinations or any two or more of said steps or features.
[0121] 2. Antibodies Against PVRIG
[0122] The present invention relates to antibodies against PVRIG and antigen-binding fragments thereof. Specifically, the present application relates to Alpacas or Camel antibodies against PVRIG, which are obtained using the phage display technology and recombinant antibody technology. Such antibodies are all encompassed in this invention.
[0123] A. VHH Antibody
[0124] A VHH antibody, also known as a single-domain antibody or nanobody, refers to the antigen-binding fragment derived from heavy chain-only antibodies. These antibodies lack light chains and have been naturally found in various species, including camelids and cartilaginous fish. The present invention provides an antibody against PVRIG, or antigen-binding fragments thereof, comprising the VHH fragment.
[0125] In some embodiments, the isolated antibody against PVRIG of this invention comprises a heavy chain variable region (VH) comprising:
[0126] (1) heavy chain CDR1 (HCDR1) of SEQ ID NO: 1, heavy chain CDR2 (HCDR2) of SEQ ID NO: 2, and heavy chain CDR3 (HCDR3) of SEQ ID NO: 3;
[0127] (2) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 6, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 7, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 8;
[0128] (3) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 11, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 12, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 13;
[0129] (4) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 17, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0130] (5) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 21, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 22, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 23;
[0131] (6) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 26, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 27, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 28;
[0132] (7) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 31, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 32, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 33;
[0133] (8) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 36, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0134] (9) HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 that are identical to the HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 of an antibody selected from those listed in Tables 2, 4b and 4c;
[0135] (10) HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 that are otherwise identical to the HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 as listed in one of the above (1) and (9) except for up to 5 (e.g., up to 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0) amino acid substitutions in one or more of the HCDRs;
[0136] (11) the HCDRs of an antibody against PVRIG that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on PVRIG as one of the antibody as defined in the above (1) - (9) ; or
[0137] (12) the HCDRs of an antibody against PVRIG that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (9) for binding to PVRIG.
[0138] The antibodies listed in Table 2 include: P-AIL-A8, P-AIL-A11, P-AIL-A15, P-AIL-A32, P-AIL-A82, P-AIL-B352, and P-AIL-C242.
[0139] The antibodies listed in Tables 4b and 4c include: P-AIL-A15-Hu01, P-AIL-A15-Hu02, P-AIL-A15-Hu03, P-AIL-A15-Hu04, P-AIL-A15-Hu06, P-AIL-A15-Hu07, P-AIL-A15-Hu08, P-AIL-A15-Hu09, P-AIL-A15-Hu10, P-AIL-A15-Hu11, P-AIL-A32-Hu09, P-AIL-A32-Hu10, P-AIL-A32-Hu11, P-AIL-A32-Hu12, P-AIL-A32-Hu13, P-AIL-A32-Hu14, P-AIL-A32-Hu15, P-AIL-A32-Hu16, P-AIL-A32-Hu17, P-AIL-A32-Hu18, P-AIL-A32-Hu19, and P-AIL-A32-Hu20.
[0140] In some embodiments, the antibody against PVRIG of this invention comprises a heavy chain variable (VH) region comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of:
[0141] (1) an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of: SEQ ID NO: 4, SEQ ID NO: 9, SEQ ID NO: 14, SEQ ID NO: 19, SEQ ID NO: 24, SEQ ID NO: 29, or SEQ ID NO: 34;
[0142] (2) an amino acid sequence that is identical to the amino acid sequence of the VH of an antibody selected from those listed in Tables 2;
[0143] (3) an amino acid sequence that is at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99%identical to the amino acid sequence of the above (1) or (2) ;
[0144] (4) an amino acid sequence with addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids, as compared with the amino acid sequence of the above (1) or (2) ;
[0145] (5) an amino acid sequence that is identical to the amino acid sequence of the VH of an antibody against PVRIG that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on PVRIG as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (2) ; or
[0146] (6) an amino acid sequence that is identical to the amino acid sequence of the VH of an antibody against PVRIG that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (2) for binding to PVRIG.
[0147] In some embodiments, the antibody against PVRIG of this invention comprises a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of:
[0148] (1) an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of: SEQ ID NO: 5, SEQ ID NO: 10, SEQ ID NO: 15, SEQ ID NO: 20, SEQ ID NO: 25, SEQ ID NO: 30, or SEQ ID NO: 35;
[0149] (2) an amino acid sequence that is identical to the amino acid sequence of the heavy chain of an antibody selected from those listed in Tables 3;
[0150] (3) an amino acid sequence that is at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99%identical to the amino acid sequence of the above (1) or (2) ;
[0151] (4) an amino acid sequence with addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids, as compared with the amino acid sequence of the above (1) or (2) ;
[0152] (5) an amino acid sequence that is identical to the amino acid sequence of the heavy chain of an antibody against PVRIG that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on PVRIG as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (2) ; or
[0153] (6) an amino acid sequence that is identical to the amino acid sequence of the heavy chain of an antibody against PVRIG that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (2) for binding to PVRIG.
[0154] Preferably, the antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprises a heavy chain variable (VH) region comprising:
[0155] (1) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 11, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 12 and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 13;
[0156] (2) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 17 and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0157] (3) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 36, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0158] (4) the HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 of an antibody comprising a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 14, 19 or 48;
[0159] (5) the HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 of the antibody P-AIL-A15, P-AIL-A32, P-AIL-A32-Hu10 as set forth in Table 2 or 4b;
[0160] (6) HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 that are otherwise identical to the HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 as listed in one of the above (1) - (4) except for up to 5 (e.g., up to 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0) amino acid substitutions in one or more of the HCDRs;
[0161] (7) the CDRs of an antibody against PVRIG that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on PVRIG as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (5) ; or
[0162] (8) the CDRs of an antibody against PVRIG that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (5) for binding to PVRIG.
[0163] More preferably, the antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprises a heavy chain variable (VH) region comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of:
[0164] (1) an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 14 or 19;
[0165] (2) the amino acid sequence of the VH of the antibody P-AIL-A15 or P-AIL-A32 as set forth in Table 2;
[0166] (3) an amino acid sequence that is at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99%identical to the amino acid sequence as defined in the above (1) or (2) ;
[0167] (4) an amino acid sequence with addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids, as compared with the amino acid sequence as defined in the above (1) or (2) ;
[0168] (5) an amino acid sequence that is identical to the amino acid sequence of the heavy chain of an antibody against PVRIG that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on PVRIG as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (2) ; or
[0169] (6) an amino acid sequence that is identical to the amino acid sequence of the heavy chain of an antibody against PVRIG that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (2) for binding to PVRIG.
[0170] In the present invention, the percent homology or identity between two amino acid sequences can be determined using the algorithm of E. Meyers and W. Miller (Comput. Appl. Biosci., 4: 11-17 (1988) ) which has been incorporated into the ALIGN program (version 2.0) , using a PAM120 weight residue table, a gap length penalty of 12 and a gap penalty of 4. In addition, the percentage of identity between two amino acid sequences can be determined by the algorithm of Needleman and Wunsch (J. Mol. Biol. 48: 444-453 (1970) ) which has been incorporated into the GAP program in the GCG software package (available at http: / / www. gcg. com) , using either a Blossum 62 matrix or a PAM250 matrix, and a gap weight of 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, or 4 and a length weight of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6.
[0171] Additionally or alternatively, the protein sequences of the present disclosure can further be used as a “query sequence” to perform a search against public databases to, for example, identify related sequences. Such searches can be performed using the XBLAST program (version 2.0) of Altschul, et al. (1990) J. MoI. Biol. 215: 403-10. BLAST protein searches can be performed with the XBLAST program, score = 50, wordlength = 3 to obtain amino acid sequences homologous to the antibody molecules of the present disclosure. To obtain gapped alignments for comparison purposes, Gapped BLAST can be utilized as described in Altschul et al, (1997) Nucleic Acids Res. 25 (17) : 3389-3402. When utilizing BLAST and Gapped BLAST programs, the default parameters of the respective programs (e.g., XBLAST and NBLAST) can be used. See www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov.
[0172] Preferably, the antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprises a heavy chain variable (VH) region comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 14 or 19.
[0173] In other embodiments, the amino acid sequence of the heavy chain variable region of the antibody against PVRIG can be at least 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%or 99%identical to the respective sequences set forth above.
[0174] In some further embodiments, the isolated antibody or the antigen-binding portion thereof may contain a modification (e.g. conservative substitution) of amino acids in the variable regions of the heavy chain and / or light chain. It is understood in the art that certain conservative sequence modification can be made which do not change antigen binding. See, e.g., Brummell et al. (1993) Biochem 32: 1180-8; de Wildt et al. (1997) Prot. Eng. 10: 835-41; Komissarov et al. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272: 26864-26870; Hall et al. (1992) J. Immunol. 149: 1605-12; Kelley and O’ Connell (1993) Biochem. 32: 6862-35; Adib-Conquy et al. (1998) Int. Immunol. 10: 341-6 and Beers et al. (2000) Clin. Can. Res. 6: 2835-43.
[0175] As described above, the term “conservative substitution” , as used herein, refers to amino acid substitutions which would not disadvantageously affect or change the essential properties of a protein / polypeptide comprising the amino acid sequence. For example, a conservative substitution may be introduced by standard techniques known in the art such as site-directed mutagenesis and PCR-mediated mutagenesis. Conservative amino acid substitutions include substitutions wherein an amino acid residue is substituted with another amino acid residue having a similar side chain, for example, a residue physically or functionally similar (such as, having similar size, shape, charge, chemical property including the capability of forming covalent bond or hydrogen bond, etc. ) to the corresponding amino acid residue. The families of amino acid residues having similar side chains have been defined in the art. These families include amino acids having alkaline side chains (for example, lysine, arginine and histidine) , amino acids having acidic side chains (for example, aspartic acid and glutamic acid) , amino acids having uncharged polar side chains (for example, glycine, asparagine, glutamine, serine, threonine, tyrosine, cysteine, tryptophan) , amino acids having nonpolar side chains (for example, alanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, proline, phenylalanine, methionine) , amino acids having β-branched side chains (such as threonine, valine, isoleucine) and amino acids having aromatic side chains (for example, tyrosine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, histidine) . Therefore, a corresponding amino acid residue is preferably substituted with another amino acid residue from the same side-chain family. Methods for identifying amino acid conservative substitutions are well known in the art (see, for example, Brummell et al., Biochem. 32: 1180-1187 (1993) ; Kobayashi et al., Protein Eng. 12 (10) : 879-884 (1999) ; and Burks et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94: 412-417 (1997) , which are incorporated herein by reference) .
[0176] B. Humanized Antibodies Against PVRIG
[0177] The present invention further relates to humanized forms of the above antibodies against PVRIG, being referred to as “humanized antibodies” , and antigen-binding fragments thereof. Various methods for humanizing non-human antibodies are known in the art. For example, a humanized antibody can have one or more amino acid residues introduced into it from a source that is non-human. These non-human amino acid residues are often referred to as “import” residues, which are typically taken from an “import” variable domain.
[0178] In some cases, the humanized antibodies are constructed by CDR grafting, in which the amino acid sequences of the six CDRs of a VH and a VL of a parent non-human antibody (e.g., rodent) or the three CDRs of a VH of a parent VHH-type antibody (for example, a camel or alpacas antibody) are grafted onto a human antibody framework. For example, Padlan et al. (FASEB J. 9: 133-139, 1995) determined that only about one third of the residues in the CDRs actually contact the antigen, and termed these the “specificity determining residues, ” or SDRs. In the technique of SDR grafting, only the SDR residues are grafted onto the human antibody framework (see, e.g., Kashmiri et al., Methods 36: 25-34, 2005) . To maintain the binding and functional activities of the antibodies, additional framework region modifications may be made within the human framework sequences.
[0179] Framework regions described herein are determined based upon the boundaries of the CDR numbering system. In other words, if the CDRs are determined by, e.g., Kabat, IMGT, or Chothia, then the framework regions are the amino acid residues surrounding the CDRs in the variable region in the format, from the N-terminus to C-terminus: FR1-CDR1-FR2-CDR2-FR3-CDR3-FR4. For example, FR1 is defined as the amino acid residues N-terminal to the CDR1 amino acid residues as defined by, e.g., the Kabat numbering system, the IMGT numbering system, or the Chothia numbering system, FR2 is defined as the amino acid residues between CDR1 and CDR2 amino acid residues as defined by, e.g., the Kabat numbering system, the IMGT numbering system, or the Chothia numbering system, FR3 is defined as the amino acid residues between CDR2 and CDR3 amino acid residues as defined by, e.g., the Kabat numbering system, the IMGT numbering system, or the Chothia numbering system, and FR4 is defined as the amino acid residues C-terminal to the CDR3 amino acid residues as defined by, e.g., the Kabat numbering system, the IMGT numbering system, or the Chothia numbering system.
[0180] Humanized antibodies of this invention that bind PVRIG may be produced using techniques known to those skilled in the art (Zhang et al., Molecular Immunology, 42 (12) : 1445-1451, 2005; Hwang et al., Methods, 36 (1) : 35-42, 2005; Dall’Acqua et al., Methods, 36 (1) : 43-60, 2005; Clark, Immunology Today, 21 (8) : 397-402, 2000, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,180,370; 6,054,927; 5,869,619; 5,861,155; 5,712,120; and 4,816,567) .
[0181] Thus the present disclosure provides humanized forms of the antibodies against PVRIG as defined above and antigen-binding fragments thereof.
[0182] In some embodiments, the humanized antibody against PVRIG comprises a heavy chain variable region comprising:
[0183] (1) an amino acid sequence comprising the heavy chain CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 regions (HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3) that are identical to the heavy chain CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 regions of an antibody selected from those listed in Tables 1, and 4a;
[0184] (2) an amino acid sequence comprising the heavy chain CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 regions (HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3) that are identical to the heavy chain CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 regions of an antibody selected from those listed in Tables 2, 4b and 4c;
[0185] (3) an amino acid sequence comprising HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 that are otherwise identical to the HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 as listed in the above (1) or (2) except for up to 5 (e.g., up to 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0) amino acid substitutions in one or more of the HCDRs;
[0186] (4) an amino acid sequence that is identical to that of the heavy chain variable region of an antibody selected from those listed in Tables 2, 4b and 4c;
[0187] (5) an amino acid sequence at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%or 99%identical to one of the amino acid sequences listed in the above (1) , (2) and (4) , or
[0188] (6) an amino acid sequence with addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids, as compared with one of the amino acid sequences listed in the above (1) , (2) and (4) ;
[0189] (7) an amino acid sequence of the VH of an antibody against PVRIG that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on PVRIG as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) , (2) and (4) ; or
[0190] (8) an amino acid sequence of the VH of an antibody against PVRIG that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) , (2) and (4) for binding to PVRIG.
[0191] Preferably, the humanized antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprises the HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 of the antibody P-AIL-A15 or P-AIL-A32 as listed in Table 1.
[0192] More preferably, the humanized antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprises a VH comprising:
[0193] (1) the HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, the HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 36, and the HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0194] (2) an amino acid sequence comprising the HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 that are identical to the HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 regions of an antibody selected from those listed in Tables 4b and 4c;
[0195] (3) an amino acid sequence comprising HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 that are otherwise identical to the HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 as listed in the above (1) or (2) except for up to 5 (e.g., up to 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0) amino acid substitutions in one or more of the HCDRs;
[0196] (4) an amino acid sequence that is identical to that of the heavy chain variable region of an antibody selected from those listed in Tables 4b and 4c;
[0197] (5) an amino acid sequence at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%or 99%identical to one of the amino acid sequences listed in the above (1) , (2) and (4) ,
[0198] (6) an amino acid sequence with addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids, as compared with one of the amino acid sequences listed in the above (1) , (2) and (4) ;
[0199] (7) an amino acid sequence that is identical to the amino acid sequence of the VH of an antibody against PVRIG that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on PVRIG as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) , (2) and (4) ; or
[0200] (8) an amino acid sequence that is identical to the amino acid sequence of the VH of an antibody against PVRIG that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) , (2) and (4) for binding to PVRIG.
[0201] More preferably, the humanized antibody against PVRIG comprises a heavy chain variable region comprising an amino acid sequence that is identical to the amino acid sequence of the heavy chain variable region of an antibody selected from those listed in Table 4b and Table 4c.
[0202] Most preferably, the humanized antibody against PVRIG comprises a heavy chain variable region comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of an amino acid sequence selected from the group being consisted of SEQ ID NO: 37-58.
[0203] In some embodiments, the humanized antibody against PVRIG comprises a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of:
[0204] (1) an amino acid sequence selected from the group being consisted of SEQ ID NO: 59-80;
[0205] (2) an amino acid sequence that is identical to that of the heavy chain of an antibody selected from those listed in Tables 4d and 4e;
[0206] (3) an amino acid sequence at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%or 99%identical to one of the amino acid sequences listed in the above (1) or (2) ,
[0207] (4) an amino acid sequence with addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids, as compared with one of the amino acid sequences listed in the above (1) or (2) ;
[0208] (5) an amino acid sequence that is identical to the amino acid sequence of the heavy chain of an antibody against PVRIG that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on PVRIG as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) or (2) ; or
[0209] (6) an amino acid sequence that is identical to the amino acid sequence of the heavy chain of an antibody against PVRIG that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) or (2) for binding to PVRIG.
[0210] C. Affinity-Maturated Antibodies Against PVRIG
[0211] In some embodiments, antibodies can be affinity-maturated to improve their properties such as affinity, stability, or expression level as compared to a respective parent antibody. Like the natural prototype, in vitro affinity maturation is based on the principles of mutation and selection. Libraries of antibodies are displayed on the surface of an organism (e.g., phage, bacteria, yeast, or mammalian cell) or in association (e.g., covalently or non-covalently) with their encoding mRNA or DNA. Affinity selection of the displayed antibodies allows isolation of organisms or complexes carrying the genetic information encoding the antibodies. Two or three rounds of mutation and selection using display methods such as phage display usually results in antibody fragments with affinities in the low nanomolar range. Affinity matured antibodies can have nanomolar or even picomolar affinities for the target antigen.
[0212] Phage display is a widespread method for display and selection of antibodies. The antibodies are displayed on the surface of Fd or M13 bacteriophages as fusions to the bacteriophage coat protein. Selection involves exposure to antigen to allow phage-displayed antibodies to bind their targets, a process referred to as “panning. ” Phage bound to antigen are recovered and used to infect bacteria to produce phage for further rounds of selection. For review, see, for example, Hoogenboom, Methods. Mol. Biol. 178: 1-37 (2002) ; and Bradbury and Marks, J. Immunol. Methods 290: 29-49 (2004) .
[0213] As defined above, the terms “affinity-maturation” and “affinity-maturated” used in the context of an antibody refer to an antibody that has one or more alterations in one or more of its hypervariable regions, and the one or more alterations result in an improved affinity of the antibody for the antigen as compared to a parent antibody that does not possess the one or more alterations.
[0214] Therefore, the present invention provides affinity-maturated forms of the antibodies against PVRIG as described above and antigen-binding fragment thereof, wherein one or more amino acid residues in one or more of the hypervariable regions of the antibodies are altered to improve their binding affinities to the cognate antigen, PVRIG.
[0215] In some embodiments, the affinity-maturated antibody against PVRIG of this invention or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprises a heavy chain variable region comprising the HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 of an antibody listed in Tables 5a or 5b. Preferably, the affinity-maturated antibody against PVRIG of this invention or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprises a heavy chain variable region comprising:
[0216] (1) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 81, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 82, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0217] (2) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 83, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0218] (3) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 84, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0219] (4) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 85, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 86, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0220] (5) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 87, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 88, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0221] (6) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 81, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 89, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0222] (7) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 90, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0223] (8) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 91, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 92, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0224] (9) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 93, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0225] (10) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 82, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0226] (11) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 81, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 84, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0227] (12) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 95, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 96, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0228] (13) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 97, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 98, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0229] (14) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 95, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 99, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0230] (15) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 95, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 100, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0231] (16) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 101, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 99, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0232] (17) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 102, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 103, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0233] (18) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 104, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 105, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0234] (19) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 106, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 105, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0235] (20) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 97, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 107, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0236] (21) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 95, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 108, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0237] (22) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 94, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 109, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0238] (23) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 95, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 110, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0239] (24) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 95, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 98, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0240] (25) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 97, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 100 and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;
[0241] (26) an amino acid sequence comprising the heavy chain CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 regions (HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3) that are identical to the heavy chain CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 regions of an antibody selected from those listed in Tables 6a and 6b;
[0242] (27) HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 that are otherwise identical to the HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 as listed in one of the above (1) - (26) except for up to 5 (e.g., up to 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0) amino acid substitutions in one or more of the HCDRs;
[0243] (28) the HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 of an antibody against PVRIG that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on PVRIG as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (26) ; or
[0244] (29) the HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 of an antibody against PVRIG that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (26) for binding to PVRIG.
[0245] Preferably, the affinity-maturated antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprises a heavy chain variable region comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of:
[0246] (1) an amino acid sequence selected from those listed in Table 6a;
[0247] (2) an amino acid sequence selected from the group being consisted of SEQ ID NOs: 111-123;
[0248] (3) an amino acid sequence at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99%identical to the above (1) or (2) ,
[0249] (4) an amino acid sequence with addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids compared with the amino acid sequence of the above (1) or (2) ;
[0250] (5) an amino acid sequence of the VH of an antibody against PVRIG that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on PVRIG as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (2) ; or
[0251] (6) an amino acid sequence of the VH of an antibody against PVRIG that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (2) for binding to PVRIG.
[0252] More preferably, the affinity-maturated antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprises a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of:
[0253] (1) an amino acid sequence selected from those listed in Table 6b;
[0254] (2) an amino acid sequence selected from the group being consisted of SEQ ID NOs: 124-136;
[0255] (3) an amino acid sequence at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99%identical to the above (1) or (2) ,
[0256] (4) an amino acid sequence with addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids compared with the amino acid sequence of the above (1) or (2) ;
[0257] (5) an amino acid sequence of the heavy chain of an antibody against PVRIG that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on PVRIG as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (2) ; or
[0258] (6) an amino acid sequence of the heavy chain of an antibody against PVRIG that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (2) for binding to PVRIG.
[0259] In some embodiments, the present invention further provides humanized antibodies against PVRIG and antigen-binding fragments thereof, comprising a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of the VH of a reference antibody selected from those listed in Table 4c or Table 4e, except for the replacement of the three CDRs in the reference antibody with a set of different three CDRs as listed in Table 5a or Table 5b or contained in an antibody as listed in Table 6a.
[0260] D. Variants of Antibodies against PVRIG
[0261] The present invention further provides variants of the antibodies against PVRIG as disclosed above or antigen-binding fragment thereof, wherein one or more amino acid residues are modified in one, two, or all three HCDRs of the antibodies.
[0262] In some embodiments, the variants of the antibodies against PVRIG as disclosed above comprise:
[0263] (1) HCDR1 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence X1FAVG (SEQ ID NO: 540) , wherein X1 is S or A or L or G or P;
[0264] (2) HCDR2 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence CSX3X4X5X6X7X8X9X10YX12DSVKG (SEQ ID NO: 541) , wherein:
[0265] X3 is S or T;
[0266] X4 is S or Y or W;
[0267] X5 is T or A or G or M or R or L;
[0268] X6 is D or R;
[0269] X7X8X9X10 is NSTD or ESTD or NSPF or APTD or NVLA; and
[0270] X12 is D or A;
[0271] and
[0272] (3) HCDR3 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence GWDCSGAVVYGVGH (SEQ ID NO: 18) ;
[0273] wherein the amino acids are numbered according to the Kabat numbering system.
[0274] Preferably, X3 in the HCDR2 is S or T; X4X5 in the HCDR2 is YA or YG or YM or YR or ST or WG or WT or YL; X6 is D or R; and X12 is D or A. More specifically, X3X4X5X6 in the HCDR2 is SYAD or SYGD or SYMD or SYRD or SSTD or SWGD or SYGR or TWTD or SYLD.
[0275] More preferably, the variants of the antibodies against PVRIG as disclosed above comprise:
[0276] (1) HCDR1 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence SFAVG (SEQ ID NO: 16) ;
[0277] (2) HCDR2 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of CSSSTDNVLAYADSVKG (SEQ ID NO: 559) , CSSSTDESTDYADSVKG (SEQ ID NO: 560) , or CSSSTDAPTDYADSVKG (SEQ ID NO: 561) ; and
[0278] (3) HCDR3 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence GWDCSGAVVYGVGH (SEQ ID NO: 18) .
[0279] In some embodiments, the variants of the antibodies against PVRIG as disclosed above comprise:
[0280] (1) HCDR1 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence GFTLX5X6FAVG (SEQ ID NO: 542) , wherein
[0281] X5 is E or V or D or H or G; and
[0282] X6 is S or A or L or G or P;
[0283] (2) HCDR2 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence CSX3X4X5X6X7X8X9X10 (SEQ ID NO: 543) , wherein:
[0284] X3 is S or T;
[0285] X4 is S or Y or W;
[0286] X5 is T or A or G or M or R or L;
[0287] X6 is D or R; and
[0288] X7X8X9X10 is NSTD or ESTD or NSPF or APTD or NVLA; and
[0289] (3) HCDR3 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence GWDCSGAVVYGVGH (SEQ ID NO: 18) ;
[0290] wherein the amino acids are numbered according to the AbM numbering system.
[0291] Preferably, X3 in the HCDR2 is S or T; X4X5 in the HCDR2 is YA or YG or YM or YR or ST or WG or WT or YL; and X6 is D or R. More specifically, X3X4X5X6 in the HCDR2 is SYAD or SYGD or SYMD or SYRD or SSTD or SWGD or SYGR or TWTD or SYLD.
[0292] The present invention further provides humanized forms of the variants of the antibodies against PVRIG as disclosed above, or antigen-binding fragment thereof. In some embodiments, the humanized forms of the variants of the antibodies against PVRIG comprise a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of the VH of a reference antibody selected from those listed in Table 4c or Table 4e, except for the replacement of the three CDRs in the reference antibody with the three HCDRs as described above. The person skilled in the art understands how to produce such humanized forms of antibodies. Such antibodies are all encompassed in this invention.
[0293] E. Removing Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of the antibodies against PVRIG
[0294] In some embodiments, the antibodies against PVRIG of this invention can be modified to remove post-translationally modifications (PTMs) to improve their properties, for example, to improve their stability, binding affinity, pharmacokinetics, and immunogenicity. Examples of the PTMs include oxidation, deamidation, isomerization and glycosylation, among others. Specifically, mutations in the CDRs can be introduced to remove potential glycosylation sites. Such modified antibodies are also included in this invention.
[0295] 3. Antibodies against TIGIT
[0296] The present invention relates to antibodies against TIGIT and antigen-binding fragments thereof. The antibodies may be made using recombinant DNA methods in bacterial or eukaryotic animal or plant cells (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,567) . Or alternatively, the antibodies against TIGIT of this invention can be produced by the hybridoma technique first described by Kohler et al., Nature 256: 495 (1975) , or may also be isolated from phage antibody libraries using the techniques described in Clackson et al., Nature 352: 624-28 (1991) and Marks et al., J. Mol. Biol. 222: 581-97 (1991) , for example. Other methods for the preparation of clonal cell lines and of monoclonal antibodies expressed thereby are well known in the art. See, e.g., Short Protocols in Molecular Biology (Ausubel et al. eds., 5th ed. 2002) . The antibodies of different origins are all encompassed in this invention.
[0297] A. Monoclonal Antibody
[0298] In some embodiments of this invention, the antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragments thereof of this invention comprises a heavy chain variable (VH) region and a light chain variable (VL) region, wherein:
[0299] (1) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 137-139; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 140-142;
[0300] (2) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 147-149; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 150-152;
[0301] (3) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 157-159; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 160-162;
[0302] (4) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 167-169; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 170-172;
[0303] (5) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 177-179; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 180-182;
[0304] (6) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 187-189; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 190-192;
[0305] (7) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 197-199; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 200-202;
[0306] (8) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 207-209; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 210-212;
[0307] (9) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 217-219; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 220-222;
[0308] (10) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 227-229; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 230-232;
[0309] (11) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 237-239; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 240-242;
[0310] (12) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 247-249; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 250-252;
[0311] (13) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 257-259; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 260-262;
[0312] (14) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 267-269; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 270-272;
[0313] (15) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 277-279; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 280-282;
[0314] (16) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 287-289; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 290-292;
[0315] (17) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 297-299; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 300-302;
[0316] (18) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 307-309; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 310-312;
[0317] (19) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 317-319; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 320-322;
[0318] (20) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 327-329; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 330-332;
[0319] (21) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 337-339; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 340-342;
[0320] (22) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 347-349; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 350-352;
[0321] (23) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 357-359; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 360-362;
[0322] (24) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 367-369; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 370-372;
[0323] (25) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 377-379; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 380-382;
[0324] (26) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 387-389; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 390-392;
[0325] (27) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 397-399; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 400-402; or
[0326] (28) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 407-409; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 410-412;
[0327] (29) the VH region comprises the same HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 as a reference antibody selected from Table 7 or 8a; and the VL region comprises the same LCDR1, LCDR2, and LCDR3 as the reference antibody;
[0328] (30) the VH region comprises the same HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 as a reference antibody selected from Table 7 or 8a; and the VL region comprises the same LCDR1, LCDR2, and LCDR3 as the reference antibody, except for up to 5 (e.g., up to 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0) amino acid substitutions in one or more of the HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3, LCDR1, LCDR2, and LCDR3;
[0329] (31) the VH region and the VL region comprise the same HCDRs and LCDRs of an antibody against TIGIT that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on TIGIT as one of the antibody as defined in the above (1) - (29) ; or
[0330] (32) the heavy chain variable region and the light chain variable region comprise the same HCDRs and LCDRs of an antibody against TIGIT that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (29) for binding to TIGIT.
[0331] The antibodies listed in Tables 7 and 8a include: T-MIL-A8, T-MIL-A9, T-MIL-A18, T-MIL-A20, T-MIL-A23, T-MIL-A28, T-MIL-A47, T-MIL-A53, T-MIL-A60, T-MIL-A69, T-MIL-A71, T-MIL-A86, T-MIL-A89, T-MIL-A90, T-MIL-A93, T-MIL-A101, T-MIL-A105, T-MIL-A109, T- MIL-A116, T-MIL-A125, T-MIL-A165, T-MIL-A169, T-MIL-A170, T-MIL-A172, T-MIL-A174, T-MIL-A180, T-MIL-A181, and T-MIL-A187.
[0332] In some embodiments, the antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprises a heavy chain variable (VH) region and a light chain variable (VL) region, wherein:
[0333] (1) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 143, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 144;
[0334] (2) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 153, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 154;
[0335] (3) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 163, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 164;
[0336] (4) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 173, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 174;
[0337] (5) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 183, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 184;
[0338] (6) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 193, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 194;
[0339] (7) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 203, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 204;
[0340] (8) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 213, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 214;
[0341] (9) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 223, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 224;
[0342] (10) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 233, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 234;
[0343] (11) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 243, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 244;
[0344] (12) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 253, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 254;
[0345] (13) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 263, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 264;
[0346] (14) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 273, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 274;
[0347] (15) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 283, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 284;
[0348] (16) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 293, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 294;
[0349] (17) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 303, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 304;
[0350] (18) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 313, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 314;
[0351] (19) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 323, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 324;
[0352] (20) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 333, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 334;
[0353] (21) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 343, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 344;
[0354] (22) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 353, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 354;
[0355] (23) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 363, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 364;
[0356] (24) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 373, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 374;
[0357] (25) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 383, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 384;
[0358] (26) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 393, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 394;
[0359] (27) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 403, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 404;
[0360] (28) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 413, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 414;
[0361] (29) the VH and VL comprise amino acid sequences identical to that of an antibody selected from those listed in Table 8a;
[0362] (30) the VH and VL comprise amino acid sequences at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99%identical to the amino acid sequences of the VH and VL as listed in one of the above (1) -(29) ;
[0363] (31) the VH and VL comprise amino acid sequences with addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids, as compared with the amino acid sequences of the VH and VL as listed in one of the above (1) - (29) ;
[0364] (32) the VH and VL comprise amino acid sequences identical to the amino acid sequences of the VH and VL of an antibody against TIGIT that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on TIGIT as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (29) ; or
[0365] (33) the VH and VL comprise amino acid sequences identical to the amino acid sequences of the VH and VL of an antibody against TIGIT that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (29) for binding to TIGIT.
[0366] In some embodiments, the antibody against TIGIT of this invention comprises a heavy chain and a light chain, wherein:
[0367] (1) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 145, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 146;
[0368] (2) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 155, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 156;
[0369] (3) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 165, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 166;
[0370] (4) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 175, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 176;
[0371] (5) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 185, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 186;
[0372] (6) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 195, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 196;
[0373] (7) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 205, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 206;
[0374] (8) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 215, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 216;
[0375] (9) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 225, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 226;
[0376] (10) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 235, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 236;
[0377] (11) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 245, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 246;
[0378] (12) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 255, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 256;
[0379] (13) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 265, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 266;
[0380] (14) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 275, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 276;
[0381] (15) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 285, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 286;
[0382] (16) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 295, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 296;
[0383] (17) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 305, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 306;
[0384] (18) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 315, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 316;
[0385] (19) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 325, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 326;
[0386] (20) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 335, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 336;
[0387] (21) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 345, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 346;
[0388] (22) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 355, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 356;
[0389] (23) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 365, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 366;
[0390] (24) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 375, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 376;
[0391] (25) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 385, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 386;
[0392] (26) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 395, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 396;
[0393] (27) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 405, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 406;
[0394] (28) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 415, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 416;
[0395] (29) the heavy chain and light chain comprise amino acid sequences identical to that of an antibody selected from those listed in Table 8b;
[0396] (30) the heavy chain and light chain comprise amino acid sequences at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99%identical to the amino acid sequences of the respective heavy chain and light chain as listed in one of the above (1) - (29) ;
[0397] (31) the heavy chain and light chain comprise amino acid sequences with addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids, as compared with the amino acid sequences of the respective heavy chain and light chain as listed in one of the above (1) - (29) ;
[0398] (32) the heavy chain and light chain comprise amino acid sequences identical to the amino acid sequences of the respective heavy chain and light chain of an antibody against TIGIT that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on TIGIT as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) -(29) ; or
[0399] (33) the heavy chain and light chain comprise amino acid sequences identical to the amino acid sequences of the respective heavy chain and light chain of an antibody against TIGIT that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (29) for binding to TIGIT.
[0400] Preferably, the antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprises a VH region and a VL region, wherein:
[0401] (1) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 217-219; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 220-222;
[0402] (2) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 347-349; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 350-352;
[0403] (3) the VH region and the VL region comprise the HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3, and the LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 of an antibody comprising a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 223 and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 224;
[0404] (4) the VH region and the VL region comprise the HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3, LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 of an antibody comprising a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 353 and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 354;
[0405] (5) the VH region and the VL region comprise the same respective HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3, LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 as that of the antibody T-AIL-A60 or T-AIL-A169 as set forth in Table 8a or 8b;
[0406] (6) the VH region and the VL region comprise HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3, LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 that are otherwise identical to the HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3, LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 as listed in one of the above (1) - (5) except for up to 5 (e.g., up to 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0) amino acid substitutions in one or more of the CDRs;
[0407] (7) the VH region and the VL region comprise the same respective HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3, LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 as that of an antibody against TIGIT that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on PVRIG as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (5) ; or
[0408] (8) the VH region and the VL region comprise the same respective HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3, LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 as that of an antibody against TIGIT that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (5) for binding to TIGIT.
[0409] More preferably, the antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprises a VH region and a VL region, wherein:
[0410] (1) the VH region comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 223, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 224;
[0411] (2) the VH region comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 353, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 354;
[0412] (3) the VH region and the VL region comprise the same amino acid sequences as the VH and VL of the antibody T-AIL-A60 or T-AIL-A169 as set forth in Table 8a or 8b;
[0413] (4) the VH region and the VL region comprise amino acid sequences that are at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99%identical to the respective amino acid sequences of an antibody as defined in the above (1) - (3) ;
[0414] (5) the VH region and the VL region comprise amino acid sequences identical to the respective amino acid sequences of an antibody as defined in the above (1) - (3) , expect for the addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids in one or both of the VH region and the VL region;
[0415] (6) the VH region and the VL region comprise amino acid sequences identical to the respective VH and VL amino acid sequences of an antibody against TIGIT that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on TIGIT as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (3) ; or
[0416] (7) the VH region and the VL region comprise amino acid sequences identical to the respective VH and VL amino acid sequences of an antibody against TIGIT that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (3) for binding to TIGIT.
[0417] Most preferably, the antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragment thereof of this invention comprises a heavy chain variable region and a light chain variable region comprising, being consisted essentially of, or being consisted of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NO: 223 and 224, respectively, or comprising, being consisted essentially of, or being consisted of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NO: 353 and 354, respectively.
[0418] In some further embodiments, the isolated antibody or the antigen-binding portion thereof may contain a modification (e.g. conservative substitution) of amino acids in the variable regions of the heavy chain and / or light chain. It is understood in the art that certain conservative sequence modification can be made which do not remove antigen binding. See, e.g., Brummell et al. (1993) Biochem 32: 1180-8; de Wildt et al. (1997) Prot. Eng. 10: 835-41; Komissarov et al. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272: 26864-26870; Hall et al. (1992) J. Immunol. 149: 1605-12; Kelley and O’ Connell (1993) Biochem. 32: 6862-35; Adib-Conquy et al. (1998) Int. Immunol. 10: 341-6 and Beers et al. (2000) Clin. Can. Res. 6: 2835-43. The meaning of the term “conservative substitution” is the same as that described above for the antibodies against PVRIG.
[0419] Preferably, the antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprises a heavy chain and a light chain, wherein:
[0420] (1) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 225, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 226;
[0421] (2) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 355, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 356;
[0422] (3) the heavy chain and the light chain comprise the same amino acid sequences as the heavy chain and the light chain of the antibody T-AIL-A60 or T-AIL-A169 as set forth in Table 8b;
[0423] (4) the heavy chain and the light chain comprise amino acid sequences that are at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99%identical to the respective amino acid sequences of an antibody as defined in the above (1) - (3) ;
[0424] (5) the heavy chain and the light chain comprise amino acid sequences identical to the respective amino acid sequences of an antibody as defined in the above (1) - (3) , expect for the addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids in one or both of the heavy chain and the light chain;
[0425] (6) the heavy chain and the light chain comprise amino acid sequences identical to the respective heavy chain and light chain amino acid sequences of an antibody against TIGIT that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on TIGIT as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (3) ; or
[0426] (7) the heavy chain and the light chain comprise amino acid sequences identical to the respective heavy chain and light chain amino acid sequences of an antibody against TIGIT that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (3) for binding to TIGIT.
[0427] Most preferably, the antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragment thereof of this invention comprises a heavy chain and a light chain comprising, being consisted essentially of, or being consisted of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NO: 225 and 226, respectively, or comprising, being consisted essentially of, or being consisted of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NO: 355 and 356, respectively.
[0428] B. Humanized Antibodies Against TIGIT
[0429] The present invention also relates to humanized forms of the above antibodies against TIGIT, referring to as “humanized antibodies” , and antigen-binding fragments thereof. The meaning of the term “humanized antibody” is the same as that described above for the antibody against PVRIG. Various methods for humanizing non-human antibodies are known in the art. For example, a humanized antibody can have one or more amino acid residues introduced into it from a source that is non-human. These non-human amino acid residues are often referred to as “import” residues, which are typically taken from an “import” variable domain.
[0430] In some cases, the humanized antibodies are constructed by CDR grafting, in which the amino acid sequences of the six CDRs of a VH and a VL of a parent non-human antibody (e.g., rodent) are grafted onto a human antibody framework. For example, Padlan et al. (FASEB J. 9: 133-139, 1995) determined that only about one third of the residues in the CDRs actually contact the antigen, and termed these the “specificity determining residues, ” or SDRs. In the technique of SDR grafting, only the SDR residues are grafted onto the human antibody framework (see, e.g., Kashmiri et al., Methods 36: 25-34, 2005) . To maintain the binding and functional activities of the antibodies, additional framework region modifications may be made within the human framework sequences.
[0431] Framework regions described herein are determined based upon the boundaries of the CDR numbering system. In other words, if the CDRs are determined by, e.g., Kabat, IMGT, or Chothia, then the framework regions are the amino acid residues surrounding the CDRs in the variable region in the format, from the N-terminus to C-terminus: FR1-CDR1-FR2-CDR2-FR3-CDR3-FR4. For example, FR1 is defined as the amino acid residues N-terminal to the CDR1 amino acid residues as defined by, e.g., the Kabat numbering system, the IMGT numbering system, or the Chothia numbering system, FR2 is defined as the amino acid residues between CDR1 and CDR2 amino acid residues as defined by, e.g., the Kabat numbering system, the IMGT numbering system, or the Chothia numbering system, FR3 is defined as the amino acid residues between CDR2 and CDR3 amino acid residues as defined by, e.g., the Kabat numbering system, the IMGT numbering system, or the Chothia numbering system, and FR4 is defined as the amino acid residues C-terminal to the CDR3 amino acid residues as defined by, e.g., the Kabat numbering system, the IMGT numbering system, or the Chothia numbering system.
[0432] Humanized antibodies of this invention that bind TIGIT may be produced using techniques known to those skilled in the art (Zhang et al., Molecular Immunology, 42 (12) : 1445-1451, 2005; Hwang et al., Methods, 36 (1) : 35-42, 2005; Dall’Acqua et al., Methods, 36 (1) : 43-60, 2005; Clark, Immunology Today, 21 (8) : 397-402, 2000, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,180,370; 6,054,927; 5,869,619; 5,861,155; 5,712,120; and 4,816,567) .
[0433] Thus the present disclosure further provides humanized forms of the antibodies against TIGIT as defined above and antigen-binding fragments thereof.
[0434] In some embodiments, the humanized antibody against TIGIT comprises a heavy chain variable region and a light chain variable region, wherein the heavy chain variable region and the light chain variable region comprise respectively:
[0435] (1) heavy chain CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 regions (HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3) and light chain CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 regions (LCDR1, LCDR2, LCDR3) that are identical to the HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3, and the LCDR1, LCDR2, LCDR3 of an antibody selected from those listed in Table 7;
[0436] (2) heavy chain CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 regions (HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3) and light chain CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 regions (LCDR1, LCDR2, LCDR3) that are identical to the HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3, and the LCDR1, LCDR2, LCDR3 of an antibody selected from those listed in Table 8a; or
[0437] (3) heavy chain CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 regions (HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3) and light chain CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 regions (LCDR1, LCDR2, LCDR3) that are otherwise identical to the above (1) or (2) , except for up to 5 (e.g., up to 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0) amino acid substitutions in one or more of the CDRs.
[0438] In some embodiments, the humanized antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragment thereof of this invention comprises the HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3, LCDR1, LCDR2, and LCDR3 of the antibody T-MIL-A60 or T-MIL-A169 as listed in Table 7 or 8a.
[0439] In some embodiments, the humanized antibody against TIGIT comprises a heavy chain variable region and a light chain variable region, wherein the heavy chain variable region and the light chain variable region comprise respectively:
[0440] (1) heavy chain CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 regions (HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3) and light chain CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 regions (LCDR1, LCDR2, LCDR3) that are identical to the HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3, and the LCDR1, LCDR2, LCDR3 of an antibody selected from those listed in Table 9a or 9b;
[0441] (2) heavy chain CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 regions (HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3) and light chain CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 regions (LCDR1, LCDR2, LCDR3) that are identical to the HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3, and the LCDR1, LCDR2, LCDR3 of an antibody selected from those listed in Table 10a or 10b; or
[0442] (3) heavy chain CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 regions (HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3) and light chain CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 regions (LCDR1, LCDR2, LCDR3) that are otherwise identical to the above (1) or (2) , except for up to 5 (e.g., up to 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0) amino acid substitutions in one or more of the CDRs.
[0443] In some embodiments, the humanized antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragment thereof of this invention comprises a VH and a VL, wherein:
[0444] (1) the VH comprises HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 217, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 218, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 219, and the VL comprises LCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 220, LCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 221, and LCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 222;
[0445] (2) the VH comprises HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 347, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 348, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 349, and the VL comprises LCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 350, LCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 351, and LCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 352;
[0446] (3) the VH comprises HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 217, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 417, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 219, and the VL comprises LCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 220, LCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 221, and LCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 222;
[0447] (4) the VH comprises HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 217, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 218, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 219, and the VL comprises LCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 418, LCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 419, and LCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 222;
[0448] (5) the VH comprises HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 217, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 417, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 219, and the VL comprises LCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 418, LCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 419, and LCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 222;
[0449] (6) the VH comprises HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 347, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 348, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 349, and the VL comprises LCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 350, LCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 420, and LCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 352;
[0450] (7) the VH comprises HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 347, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 421, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 349, and the VL comprises LCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 350, LCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 351, and LCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 352;
[0451] (8) the VH comprises HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 347, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 421, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 349, and the VL comprises LCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 350, LCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 420, and LCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 352;
[0452] (9) the VH and VL comprise the HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3, LCDR1, LCDR2, and LCDR3 of an antibody selected from those listed in Tables 10a or 10b; or
[0453] (10) the VH and VL comprise HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3, LCDR1, LCDR2, and LCDR3 that are otherwise identical to the HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3, LCDR1, LCDR2, and LCDR3 of an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) - (9) except for up to 5 (e.g., up to 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0) amino acid substitutions in one or more of the CDRs.
[0454] In some embodiments, the humanized antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragment thereof of this invention comprises a VH and a VL, wherein:
[0455] (1) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 422, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 423;
[0456] (2) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 424, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 425;
[0457] (3) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 426, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 427;
[0458] (4) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 428, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 429;
[0459] (5) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 430, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 431;
[0460] (6) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 432, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 433;
[0461] (7) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 434, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 435;
[0462] (8) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 436, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 437;
[0463] (9) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 438, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 439;
[0464] (10) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 440, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 441;
[0465] (11) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 442, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 443;
[0466] (12) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 444, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 445;
[0467] (13) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 446, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 447;
[0468] (14) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 448, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 449;
[0469] (15) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 450, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 451;
[0470] (16) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 452, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 453;
[0471] (17) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 454, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 455;
[0472] (18) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 456, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 457;
[0473] (19) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 458, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 459;
[0474] (20) the VH and the VL comprise the respective amino acid sequences of the VH and VL of an antibody selected from those listed in Table 10a or Table 10b.
[0475] (21) the VH and the VL comprise amino acid sequences that are at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%or 99%identical to the respective amino acid sequences of the VH and VL of an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) - (20) ;
[0476] (22) the VH and the VL comprise amino acid sequences that are identical to the respective amino acid sequences of the VH and VL of an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) - (20) except for addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids, in one or both of the amino acid sequences;
[0477] (23) the VH and the VL comprise amino acid sequences of the VH and VL of an antibody against TIGIT that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on TIGIT as an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) - (20) ; or
[0478] (24) the VH and the VL comprise amino acid sequences of the VH and VL of an antibody against TIGIT that competes with an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) - (20) for binding to TIGIT.
[0479] In some embodiments, the humanized antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragment thereof of this invention comprises a heavy chain and a light chain, wherein:
[0480] (1) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 460, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 461;
[0481] (2) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 462, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 463;
[0482] (3) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 464, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 465;
[0483] (4) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 466, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 467;
[0484] (5) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 468, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 469;
[0485] (6) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 470, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 471;
[0486] (7) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 472, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 473;
[0487] (8) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 474, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 475;
[0488] (9) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 476, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 477;
[0489] (10) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 478, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 479;
[0490] (11) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 480, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 481;
[0491] (12) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 482, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 483;
[0492] (13) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 484, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 485;
[0493] (14) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 486, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 487;
[0494] (15) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 488, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 489;
[0495] (16) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 490, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 491;
[0496] (17) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 492, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 493;
[0497] (18) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 494, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 495;
[0498] (19) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 496, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 497;
[0499] (20) the heavy chain and the light chain comprise the respective amino acid sequences of the heavy chain and light chain of an antibody selected from those listed in Table 10c or Table 10d.
[0500] (21) the heavy chain and the light chain comprise amino acid sequences that are at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%or 99%identical to the respective amino acid sequences of the heavy chain and light chain of an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) - (20) ;
[0501] (22) the heavy chain and the light chain comprise amino acid sequences that are identical to the respective amino acid sequences of the heavy chain and light chain of an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) - (20) except for addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids, in one or both of the amino acid sequences;
[0502] (23) the heavy chain and the light chain comprise amino acid sequences of the heavy chain and light chain of an antibody against TIGIT that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on TIGIT as an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) - (20) ; or
[0503] (24) the heavy chain and the light chain comprise amino acid sequences of the heavy chain and light chain of an antibody against TIGIT that competes with an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) - (20) for binding to TIGIT.
[0504] In some embodiments, the present invention further provides a humanized antibody against TIGIT and antigen-binding fragment thereof, comprising a VH and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of the VH and VL of a reference antibody selected from those listed in Table 10a, except for the replacement of the six CDRs in the reference antibody with a set of different six CDRs as listed in Table 9a or contained in an antibody as listed in Table 10a. The construction of such a humanized antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof can be conducted through conventional techniques known in the field, for example, chemical synthesis, gene recombination, etc. . They are also included in this invention.
[0505] In some embodiments, the present invention further provides a humanized antibody against TIGIT and antigen-binding fragment thereof, comprising a VH and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of the VH and VL of a reference antibody selected from those listed in Table 10b, except for the replacement of the six CDRs in the reference antibody with a set of different six CDRs as listed in Table 9b or contained in an antibody as listed in Table 10b. The construction of such a humanized antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof can be conducted through conventional techniques known in the field, for example, chemical synthesis, gene recombination, etc. . They are also included in this invention.
[0506] C. Affinity-Maturated Antibodies Against TIGIT
[0507] Optionally, the antibodies against TIGIT of this invention can be further affinity-maturated to improve their binding affinities to the cognate antigen---TIGIT. As defined above, the terms “affinity-maturation” and “affinity-maturated” used in the context of an antibody refer to an antibody that has one or more alterations in one or more of its hypervariable regions, and such alteration results in an improved affinity of the antibody for the antigen as compared to a parent antibody that does not possess such alteration. The person skilled in the art can make substitutions in one or more of the CDRs of the humanized antibodies against TIGIT to improve their binding affinities to the cognate antigen, TIGIT. Therefore, affinity-maturated antibodies against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragment thereof are also encompassed in this invention.
[0508] D. Variants of Antibodies against TIGIT
[0509] The present invention further provides variants of the antibodies against TIGIT as disclosed above or antigen-binding fragment thereof, wherein one or more amino acid residues are modified in one, two, three, four, five or all six CDRs of the antibodies.
[0510] In some embodiments, the variants of the antibodies against TIGIT as disclosed above comprise a VH and a VL, wherein:
[0511] the VH comprises:
[0512] (1) HCDR1 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence NYIMS (SEQ ID NO: 217) ;
[0513] (2) HCDR2 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence TITSGGGNAYYX12DSVX16G (SEQ ID NO: 544) , wherein:
[0514] X12 is P or A; and
[0515] X16 is R or K;
[0516] and
[0517] (3) HCDR3 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence WLISFYAMDY (SEQ ID NO: 219) ; and
[0518] the VL comprises:
[0519] (1) LCDR1 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence X1ASQNINVWLS (SEQ ID NO: 545) , wherein X1 is H or R;
[0520] (2) LCDR2 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence KASNLX6X7 (SEQ ID NO: 546) , wherein X6X7 is HT or ES;
[0521] and
[0522] (3) LCDR3 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence QQGQSYPLT (SEQ ID NO: 222) ;
[0523] wherein the amino acids are numbered according to the Kabat numbering system.
[0524] The present invention further provides humanized forms of the variants of the antibodies against TIGIT as disclosed above, or antigen-binding fragment thereof. In some embodiments, the humanized forms of the variants of the antibodies against TIGIT comprise a VH and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of the VH and VL of a reference antibody selected from those listed in Table 10a, except for the replacement of the six CDRs in the reference antibody with the six CDRs as described above. The person skilled in the art understands how to produce such humanized forms of antibodies. Such antibodies are all encompassed in this invention.
[0525] In some embodiments, the variants of the antibodies against TIGIT as disclosed above comprise a VH and a VL, wherein:
[0526] the VH comprises:
[0527] (1) HCDR1 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence NTYMH (SEQ ID NO: 347) ;
[0528] (2) HCDR2 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence RIDPANGNTKY X12X13KFQG (SEQ ID NO: 547) , wherein X12X13 is AP or SQ; and
[0529] (3) HCDR3 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence EGDDGYYEDY (SEQ ID NO: 349) ; and
[0530] the VL comprises:
[0531] (1) LCDR1 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence RASENIYSYLA (SEQ ID NO: 350) ;
[0532] (2) LCDR2 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence NAKTLX6X7 (SEQ ID NO: 548) , wherein X6X7 is AE or QS; and
[0533] (3) LCDR3 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence QHHYGNPFT (SEQ ID NO: 352) ;
[0534] wherein the amino acids are numbered according to the Kabat numbering system.
[0535] The present invention further provides humanized forms of the variants of the antibodies against TIGIT as disclosed above, or antigen-binding fragment thereof. In some embodiments, the humanized forms of the variants of the antibodies against TIGIT comprise a VH and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of the VH and VL of a reference antibody selected from those listed in Table 10b, except for the replacement of the six CDRs in the reference antibody with the respective six CDRs as described above. The person skilled in the art understands how to produce such humanized forms of antibodies. Such antibodies are all encompassed in this invention.
[0536] E. Removing Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of the antibodies against TIGIT
[0537] In some embodiments, the antibodies against TIGIT of this invention can be modified to remove post-translationally modifications (PTMs) to improve their properties, for example, to improve their stability, binding affinity, pharmacokinetics, and immunogenicity. Examples of the PTMs include oxidation, deamidation, isomerization and glycosylation, among others. Such modified antibodies are also included in this invention.
[0538] 4. Multispecific antibodies against PVRIG and TIGIT
[0539] The present invention also relates to multispecific antibodies capable of binding to both PVRIG and TIGIT. Therefore, the present invention provides a multispecific antibody comprising a first antibody moiety that binds to human PVRIG and a second antibody moiety that binds to human TIGIT, and optionally one or more additional antibody moieties.
[0540] A. First antibody moiety
[0541] The first antibody moiety can be an antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof of this invention as described above, and / or the second antibody moiety can be an antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragment thereof of this invention as described above. In addition, antibodies against PVRIG and antigen-binding fragment thereof known in the field as well as antibodies against TIGIT and antigen-binding fragment thereof known in the field are all applicable in this invention.
[0542] In some embodiments, the first antibody moiety that binds to PVRIG is an antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof of this invention as described above. The first antibody moiety comprises at least one immunoglobulin single variable domain (such as a VHH) comprising:
[0543] (1) HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 of a first reference antibody selected from those as defined in Tables 1, 4a, 5a and 5b;
[0544] (2) HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 that are identical to the HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 of an antibody selected from those listed in Tables 2, 4b, 4c and 6a;
[0545] (3) HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 that are otherwise identical to the HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 as listed in one of the above (1) or (2) except for up to 5 (e.g., up to 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0) amino acid substitutions in one or more of the HCDRs;
[0546] (4) HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 of an antibody against PVRIG that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on PVRIG as one of the antibody as defined in the above (1) or (2) ; or
[0547] (5) HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 of an antibody against PVRIG that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) or (2) for binding to PVRIG.
[0548] Table 1 provides the amino acid sequences of the HCDRs of antibodies against PVRIG of this invention determined by the Kabat numbering system. The person skilled in the art understands that the boundaries of the CDRs of an antibody can be determined by other antibody numbering system known in the field, for example, the Chothia numbering system, the AbM numbering system, the IMGT numbering system, or the Contact numbering system. The embodiments relating to the CDRs determined by such antibody numbering systems are also encompassed in this invention.
[0549] In some embodiments, the first antibody moiety that binds to PVRIG is an antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof, which comprises:
[0550] (1) HCDR1 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence X1FAVG (SEQ ID NO: 540) , wherein X1 is S or A or L or G or P;
[0551] (2) HCDR2 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence CSX3X4X5X6X7X8X9X10YX12DSVKG (SEQ ID NO: 541) , wherein:
[0552] X3 is S or T;
[0553] X4 is S or Y or W;
[0554] X5 is T or A or G or M or R or L;
[0555] X6 is D or R;
[0556] X7X8X9X10 is NSTD or ESTD or NSPF or APTD or NVLA; and
[0557] X12 is D or A;
[0558] and
[0559] (3) HCDR3 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence GWDCSGAVVYGVGH (SEQ ID NO: 18) ;
[0560] wherein the amino acids are numbered according to the Kabat numbering system.
[0561] Preferably, X3 in the HCDR2 is S or T; X4X5 in the HCDR2 is YA or YG or YM or YR or ST or WG or WT or YL; X6 is D or R; and X12 is D or A. More specifically, X3X4X5X6 in the HCDR2 is SYAD or SYGD or SYMD or SYRD or SSTD or SWGD or SYGR or TWTD or SYLD.
[0562] More preferably, the first antibody moiety that binds to PVRIG is an antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof, which comprises:
[0563] (1) HCDR1 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence SFAVG (SEQ ID NO: 16) ;
[0564] (2) HCDR2 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of CSSSTDNVLAYADSVKG (SEQ ID NO: 559) , CSSSTDESTDYADSVKG (SEQ ID NO: 560) , or CSSSTDAPTDYADSVKG (SEQ ID NO: 561) ; and
[0565] (3) HCDR3 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence GWDCSGAVVYGVGH (SEQ ID NO: 18) .
[0566] In some embodiments, the first antibody moiety is an antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprising a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of the VH of a reference antibody selected from those listed in Table 4c or Table 4e, except for the replacement of the three CDRs in the reference antibody with the three HCDRs as described above.
[0567] In some embodiments, the first antibody moiety that binds to PVRIG is an antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof, which comprises:
[0568] (1) HCDR1 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence GFTLX5X6FAVG (SEQ ID NO: 542) , wherein
[0569] X5 is E or V or D or H or G; and
[0570] X6 is S or A or L or G or P;
[0571] (2) HCDR2 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence CSX3X4X5X6X7X8X9X10 (SEQ ID NO: 543) , wherein:
[0572] X3 is S or T;
[0573] X4 is S or Y or W;
[0574] X5 is T or A or G or M or R or L;
[0575] X6 is D or R; and
[0576] X7X8X9X10 is NSTD or ESTD or NSPF or APTD or NVLA; and
[0577] (3) HCDR3 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence GWDCSGAVVYGVGH (SEQ ID NO: 18) ;
[0578] wherein the amino acids are numbered according to the AbM numbering system.
[0579] Preferably, X3 in the HCDR2 is S or T; X4X5 in the HCDR2 is YA or YG or YM or YR or ST or WG or WT or YL; and X6 is D or R. More specifically, X3X4X5X6 in the HCDR2 is SYAD or SYGD or SYMD or SYRD or SSTD or SWGD or SYGR or TWTD or SYLD.
[0580] In some embodiments, the first antibody moiety is an antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprising a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of the VH of a reference antibody selected from those listed in Table 4c or Table 4e, except for the replacement of the three CDRs in the reference antibody with the three HCDRs as described above.
[0581] In some embodiments, the first antibody moiety is a VHH-type antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof, which comprises a VH comprising:
[0582] (1) an amino acid sequence selected from those listed in Tables 2, 4b, 4c and 6a;
[0583] (2) an amino acid sequence at least 70%, at least 80%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%or at least 99%identity to the above (1) ;
[0584] (3) an amino acid sequence identical to the amino acid sequence of the above (1) except for addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids, in one or both of the amino acid sequences;
[0585] (4) an amino acid sequence identical to that of the VH of an antibody against PVRIG that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on PVRIG as an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) ; or
[0586] (5) an amino acid sequence identical to that of the VH of an antibody against PVRIG that competes with an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) for binding to PVRIG.
[0587] In some embodiments, the first antibody moiety is a VHH-type antibody against PVRIG, which comprises a heavy chain comprising:
[0588] (1) an amino acid sequence selected from those listed in Tables 3, 4d, 4e and 6b;
[0589] (2) an amino acid sequence at least 70%, at least 80%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%or at least 99%identity to the above (1) ;
[0590] (3) an amino acid sequence identical to the amino acid sequence of the above (1) except for addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids, in one or both of the amino acid sequences;
[0591] (4) an amino acid sequence identical to that of the heavy chain of an antibody against PVRIG that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on PVRIG as an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) ; or
[0592] (5) an amino acid sequence identical to that of the heavy chain of an antibody against PVRIG that competes with an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) for binding to PVRIG.
[0593] The first reference antibody against PVRIG can be P-AIL-A8, P-AIL-A11, P-AIL-A15, P-AIL-A32, P-AIL-A82, P-AIL-B352, or P-AIL-C242. The amino acid sequences of their CDRs according to the Kabat numbering system are set forth in Table 1. The embodiments relating to the CDRs determined by other numbering systems are also encompassed in this invention. Preferably, the first reference antibody against PVRIG can be a humanized antibody against PVRIG as set forth in Table 4b or 4c or affinity-maturated variants as set forth in Table 6a.
[0594] B. Second antibody moiety
[0595] In the present invention, the second antibody moiety that binds to TIGIT in the multispecific antibody of this invention is an antibody against TIGIT or antigen-fragment thereof of this invention as described, which can be a single chain or comprise two heavy chains and two light chains. Or alternatively, antibodies against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragment thereof known in the field are also applicable in this invention as the second antibody moiety.
[0596] In some embodiments, the second antibody moiety comprises a VH region and a VL region, wherein:
[0597] (1) the VH region and the VL region comprise the respective HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 and the LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 of a second reference antibody selected from those as listed in Tables 7, 9a and 9b;
[0598] (2) the VH region and the VL region comprise the respective HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 and the LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 of a second reference antibody selected from those listed in Tables 8a, 10a and 10b;
[0599] (3) the VH region and the VL region comprise HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 and LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 that are otherwise identical to the HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 and LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 of an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) or (2) except for up to 5 (e.g., up to 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0) amino acid substitutions in one or more of the CDRs;
[0600] (4) the VH region and the VL region comprise HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 and LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 of an antibody against TIGIT that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on TIGIT as an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) or (2) ; or
[0601] (5) the VH region and the VL region comprise HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 and LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 of an antibody against PVRIG that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) or (2) for binding to PVRIG.
[0602] Tables 7, 9a and 9b provides the amino acid sequences of the HCDRs and LCDRs of antibodies against TIGIT of this invention determined by the Kabat numbering system. The person skilled in the art understands that the boundaries of the CDRs of an antibody can be determined by other antibody numbering system known in the field, for example, the Chothia numbering system, the AbM numbering system, the IMGT numbering system, or the Contact numbering system. The embodiments relating to the CDRs determined by such antibody numbering systems are also encompassed in this invention.
[0603] In some embodiments, the second antibody moiety that binds to TIGIT is an antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragment thereof, which comprises a VH and a VL, wherein:
[0604] the VH comprises:
[0605] (1) HCDR1 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence NYIMS (SEQ ID NO: 217) ;
[0606] (2) HCDR2 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence TITSGGGNAYYX12DSVX16G (SEQ ID NO: 544) , wherein:
[0607] X12 is P or A; and
[0608] X16 is R or K;
[0609] and
[0610] (3) HCDR3 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence WLISFYAMDY (SEQ ID NO: 219) ; and
[0611] the VL comprises:
[0612] (1) LCDR1 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence X1ASQNINVWLS (SEQ ID NO: 545) , wherein X1 is H or R;
[0613] (2) LCDR2 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence KASNLX6X7 (SEQ ID NO: 546) , wherein X6X7 is HT or ES;
[0614] and
[0615] (3) LCDR3 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence QQGQSYPLT (SEQ ID NO: 222) ;
[0616] wherein the amino acids are numbered according to the Kabat numbering system.
[0617] In some embodiments, the second antibody moiety is an antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprising a VH and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of the VH and VL of a reference antibody selected from those listed in Table 10a, except for the replacement of the six CDRs in the reference antibody with the six CDRs as described above.
[0618] In some embodiments, the second antibody moiety that binds to TIGIT is an antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragment thereof, which comprises a VH and a VL, wherein:
[0619] the VH comprises:
[0620] (1) HCDR1 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence NTYMH (SEQ ID NO: 347) ;
[0621] (2) HCDR2 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence RIDPANGNTKYX12X13KFQG (SEQ ID NO: 547) , wherein X12X13 is AP or SQ; and
[0622] (3) HCDR3 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence EGDDGYYEDY (SEQ ID NO: 349) ; and
[0623] the VL comprises:
[0624] (1) LCDR1 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence RASENIYSYLA (SEQ ID NO: 350) ;
[0625] (2) LCDR2 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence NAKTLX6X7 (SEQ ID NO: 548) , wherein X6X7 is AE or QS; and
[0626] (3) LCDR3 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence QHHYGNPFT (SEQ ID NO: 352) ;
[0627] wherein the amino acids are numbered according to the Kabat numbering system.
[0628] In some embodiments, the second antibody moiety is an antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragment thereof comprising a VH and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of the VH and VL of a reference antibody selected from those listed in Table 10a, except for the replacement of the six CDRs in the reference antibody with the six CDRs as described above.
[0629] In some embodiments, the second antibody moiety comprises a VH region and a VL region, wherein:
[0630] (1) the VH region and the VL region comprise amino acid sequences identical to that of the VH and VL of a second reference antibody selected from those listed in Tables 8a, 10a and 10b;
[0631] (2) the VH region and the VL region comprise amino acid sequences at least 70%, at least 80%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%or at least 99%identity to the respective amino acid sequences of the VH and VL of a second reference antibody selected from those listed in Tables 8a, 10a and 10b;
[0632] (3) the VH region and the VL region comprise amino acid sequences identical to the respective amino acid sequences of the VH and VL of a second reference antibody selected from those listed in Tables 8a, 10a and 10b, except for addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids, in one or both of the amino acid sequences;
[0633] (4) the VH region and the VL region comprise amino acid sequences identical to the respective amino acid sequences of the VH and VL of a second reference antibody that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on TIGIT as a second reference antibody selected from those listed in Tables 8a, 10a and 10b; or
[0634] (5) the VH region and the VL region comprise amino acid sequences identical to the respective amino acid sequences of the VH and VL of a second reference antibody that competes with an antibody selected from those listed in Tables 8a, 10a and 10b for binding to TIGIT.
[0635] In some embodiments, the second antibody moiety comprises a heavy chain and a light chain, wherein:
[0636] (1) the heavy chain and the light chain comprise amino acid sequences identical to that of the heavy chain and light chain of a second reference antibody selected from those listed in Tables 8b, 10c and 10d;
[0637] (2) the heavy chain and the light chain comprise amino acid sequences at least 70%, at least 80%, at least 90%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%or at least 99%identity to the respective amino acid sequences of the heavy chain and light chain of a second reference antibody selected from those listed in Tables 8b, 10c and 10d;
[0638] (3) the heavy chain and the light chain comprise amino acid sequences identical to the respective amino acid sequences of the heavy chain and light chain of a second reference antibody selected from those listed in Tables 8b, 10c and 10d, except for addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids, in one or both of the amino acid sequences;
[0639] (4) the heavy chain and the light chain comprise amino acid sequences identical to the respective amino acid sequences of the heavy chain and light chain of a second reference antibody that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on TIGIT as a second reference antibody selected from those listed in Tables 8b, 10c and 10d; or
[0640] (5) the heavy chain and the light chain comprise amino acid sequences identical to the respective amino acid sequences of the heavy chain and light chain of a second reference antibody that competes with an antibody selected from those listed in Tables 8b, 10c and 10d for binding to TIGIT.
[0641] The second reference antibody against TIGIT can be T-MIL-A8, T-MIL-A9, T-MIL-A18, T-MIL-A20, T-MIL-A23, T-MIL-A28, T-MIL-A47, T-MIL-A53, T-MIL-A60, T-MIL-A69, T-MIL-A71, T-MIL-A86, T-MIL-A89, T-MIL-A90, T-MIL-A93, T-MIL-A101, T-MIL-A105, T-MIL-A109, T-MIL-A116, T-MIL-A125, T-MIL-A165, T-MIL-A169, T-MIL-A170, T-MIL-A172, T-MIL-A174, T-MIL-A180, T-MIL-A181, or T-MIL-A187. The second reference antibody against TIGIT can also be T-MIL-A60-Hu01, T-MIL-A60-Hu02, T-MIL-A60-Hu03, T-MIL-A60-Hu04, T-MIL-A60-Hu05, T-MIL-A60-Hu06, T-MIL-A60-Hu07, T-MIL-A169-Hu01, T-MIL-A169-Hu02, T-MIL-A169-Hu03, T-MIL-A169-Hu04, T-MIL-A169-Hu05, T-MIL-A169-Hu06, T-MIL-A169-Hu07, T-MIL-A169-Hu08, T-MIL-A169-Hu09, T-MIL-A169-Hu10, T-MIL-A169-Hu11, or T-MIL-A169-Hu12.
[0642] Tables 7, 9a and 9b provide the amino acid sequences of the HCDRs and LCDRs of some antibodies against TIGIT of this invention determined by the Kabat numbering system. The person skilled in the art understands that the boundaries of the CDRs of an antibody can be determined by other antibody numbering system known in the field, for example, the Chothia numbering system, the AbM numbering system, the IMGT numbering system, or the Contact numbering system. The embodiments relating to the CDRs determined by such antibody numbering systems are also encompassed in this invention.
[0643] C. Formats of the multispecific antibodies
[0644] The multispecific antibody against PVRIG and TIGIT of this invention may be in a single chain format, or in a two-chain format. In some embodiments, the multispecific antibody is in a one-chain format, where the first antibody moiety and the second antibody moiety are located on a single polypeptide. They can be ligated together through a linker. For example, the first antibody moiety and the second antibody moiety can both be scFvs, and they can be ligated in the direction of from N-to C-terminus. In other embodiments, the multispecific antibody is in a two-chain format, where the VH region of the first antibody moiety is linked to the N-and / or C-termini of the VH and / or VL region of the second antibody moiety.
[0645] The various variable regions are linked together via peptide linkers. Optionally, the single polypeptide may further comprise a C-terminal fragment (e.g., an Fc fragment of an immunoglobulin molecule such as IgG) , which may be linked to the C-terminal variable region fragment via a further peptide linker. The further peptide linker, the C-terminal fragment, or both may comprise one or more cysteine residues for formation of disulfide bonds. Any of the peptide linkers may be a G / Srich peptide linker.
[0646] Or alternatively, the multispecific antibody against PVRIG and TIGIT may be in a two-chain format, comprising a first polypeptide and a second polypeptide. In some embodiments, each of the first polypeptide and the second polypeptide comprises one variable region of the first antibody moiety against PVRIG and one variable region of the second antibody moiety against TIGIT. The variable region of the first antibody moiety against PVRIG may be at the N-terminus and the variable region of the second antibody moiety against TIGIT may be at the C-terminus. Or alternatively, the variable region of the first antibody moiety against PVRIG may be at the C-terminus and the variable region of the second antibody moiety against TIGIT may be at the N-terminus. In some instances, the first polypeptide further comprises a first C-terminal fragment. Additionally or alternatively, the second polypeptide further comprises a second C-terminal fragment. The first C-terminal fragment and the second C-terminal fragment form a dimer.
[0647] In some examples, the first C-terminal fragment is a first Fc fragment of a first IgG molecule. The second C-terminal fragment is a second Fc fragment of a second IgG molecule. The first Fc fragment and the second Fc fragment form an IgG Fc region. In some examples, the first Fc fragment comprising a first CH2 domain and a first CH3 domain, and the second Fc fragment comprises a second CH2 domain and a second CH3 domain.
[0648] In some specific embodiments, the multispecific antibody comprises a first VH region of an anti-PVRIG antibody of this invention, and / or a second VH region and a second VL region of an anti-TIGIT antibody of this invention. wherein the first VH region is linked to the N-terminus of the second VH region, the C-terminus of the second VH region, the N-terminus of the second VL region, or the C-terminus of the second VL region, with a peptide linker in each instance.
[0649] In some specific embodiments, the mutispecific antibody of this invention comprises 1 second antibody moiety in the form of antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof and 2 first antibody moieties in the form of a VHH or antigen-binding fragment thereof; the second antibody moiety comprises two heavy chains (HCs) and two light chains (LCs) , and in the second antibody moiety, a VH of one HC forms an antigen-binding site with a VL of one LC, and a VH of the other HC forms an antigen-binding site with a VL of the other LC.
[0650] In some specific embodiments, in the multispecific antibody of the present disclosure, one VHH first antibody moiety is located at N-terminal of the HC or LC of the second antibody moiety, and the other VHH first antibody moiety is located at C-terminal of the HC or LC of the second antibody moiety.
[0651] In some specific embodiments, in the multispecific antibody of the present disclosure, the VHH-type first antibody moieties are located at N-terminals of both HCs or both LCs, respectively, of the second antibody moiety; or, the VHH-type first antibodies are located at C-terminals of both HCs or both LCs, respectively, of the second antibody moiety.
[0652] In some specific embodiments, in the multispecific antibody of the present disclosure, the VHH-type first antibody moieties are located at N-terminals to the two HCs, respectively, of the second antibody moieties; or, the VHH-type first antibody moieties are located at C-terminals of both HCs, respectively, of the second antibody moiety.
[0653] In some specific embodiments, the second antibody moiety of the present disclosure may be connected to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8 VHH first antibody moieties, which may be the same or different, may all be connected to the N-terminal of the HC of the second antibody moiety, or may all be connected to the C-terminal of the HC of the second antibody moiety, or may all be connected to the N-terminal of the LC of the second antibody moiety, or may all be connected to the C-terminal of the LC of the second antibody moiety, or may be connected to any combination of the N-terminal of the HC, the C-terminal of the HC, the N-terminal of the LC and the C-terminal of the LC of the second antibody moiety.
[0654] D. Optional peptide linker between the antibody moieties
[0655] The first antibody moiety in the multispecific antibody of the present disclosure may be linked, either directly or via one or more peptide linkers, to the N-terminal or C-terminal of each HC or LC of the second antibody moiety. The term “peptide linker” as used in this invention refers to a peptide comprising one or more amino acids, typically about 2 to 20 amino acids. Peptide linkers are known in the art or are described herein.
[0656] Suitable, non-immunogenic linker peptides may be, for example, (GmSn) x, (GGNGT) x or (YGNGT) x, where m and n are independently selected from the group consisting of integers of 1-8 (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8) , and x is independently selected from the group consisting of integers of 1-20 (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 or 20) .
[0657] In some embodiments, the one or more peptide linkers are each independently selected from (G4S) n, (SG4) n or G4 (SG4) n peptide linkers, wherein “n” is generally a number between 1 and 10, typically between 1 and 4, in particular 2. The peptides linker may be selected from the group consisting of GGGGS, GGGGSGGGGS, SGGGGSGGGG, (G4S) 3 or GGGGSGGGGSGGGGS, G4 (SG4) 2 or GGGGS GGGGS GGGG, (G4S) 4 or GGGGS GGGGS GGGGS GGGGS, (G4S) 5 or GGGGS GGGGS GGGGS GGGGS GGGGS, or (G4S) 6 or GGGGS GGGGS GGGGS GGGGS GGGGS GGGGS. The peptide linker may also be selected from the group consisting of the sequences GSPGSSSSGS, GSGSGSGS, GSGSGNGS, GGSGSGSG, GGSGSG, GGSG, GGSGNGSG, GGNGSGSG and GGNGSG. Peptide linkers of particular interest include (G4S) 1 or GGGGS, (G4S) 2 or GGGGSGGGGS and (G4S) 3 or GGGGSGGGGSGGGGS.
[0658] E. Forms of the first and second antibody moieties
[0659] In some embodiments, the HC of the second antibody moiety of the multispecific antibody of the present disclosure comprises a heavy chain variable region (VH) and a heavy chain constant region (CH) , and the LC comprises a light chain variable region (VL) and a light chain constant region (CL) . The second antibody moiety may be a full-length antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof.
[0660] In some embodiments, the HC of the second antibody moiety of the multispecific antibody of the present disclosure is of IgG isotype (e.g., IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 or IgG4) , such as of IgG1 isotype; and / or the LC of the second antibody moiety is of Kappa isotype.
[0661] In some embodiments, the two HCs of the second antibody moiety of the multispecific antibody of the present disclosure comprise identical CDRs and / or the two LCs comprise identical CDRs. In some specific embodiments, the two HCs of the second antibody moiety comprise identical VH and / or the two LCs comprise identical VL. In some specific embodiments, the two HCs of the second antibody moiety have identical amino acid sequences, and / or the two LCs have identical amino acid sequences.
[0662] In some embodiments, the two VHH-type first antibody moieties of the multispecific antibody of the present disclosure have identical or different amino acid sequences. For example, the two VHH-type first antibody moieties have identical amino acid sequences.
[0663] In some embodiments, the multispecific antibody of the present disclosure comprises two first polypeptide chains and two second polypeptide chains, where for each polypeptide chain: a) the first polypeptide chains each independently comprise the VHH first antibody and a heavy chain (HC) of the second antibody; and b) the second polypeptide chains each independently comprise a light chain (LC) of the second antibody; where the VHH is linked, via a linker, to the N-terminal and / or C-terminal of the HC of the first antibody.
[0664] Or, i) the first polypeptide chains each independently comprise a heavy chain (HC) of the second antibody; and ii) the second polypeptide chains each independently comprise the VHH-type first antibody moiety and a light chain (LC) of the second antibody moiety; where the VHH is linked, directly or via a linker, to the N-terminal and / or C-terminal of the LC of the second antibody moiety.
[0665] In some specific embodiments, the multispecific antibody of the present disclosure comprises two identical first polypeptide chains and two identical second polypeptide chains.
[0666] In some embodiments, the multispecific antibody against PVRIG and TIGIT is a bispecific antibody.
[0667] In some embodiments, the first antibody moiety in the multispecific antibody is the antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof as described above.
[0668] In some embodiments, the second antibody moiety in the multispecific antibody is the antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragment thereof as described above.
[0669] Preferably, the multispecific antibody of this invention comprises the amino acid sequence of a first antibody moiety against PVRIG linked to the amino acid sequence of a second antibody moiety against TIGIT, wherein the first antibody moiety is a VHH antibody against PVRIG comprising the CDRs of one of the antibodies against PVRIG as defined above, and the second antibody moiety comprises the CDRs of one of the antibodies against TIGIT as defined above.
[0670] In another embodiment, the first antibody moiety against PVRIG comprises the VH of P-AIL-A8, P-AIL-A11, P-AIL-A15, P-AIL-A32, P-AIL-A82, P-AIL-B352, and P-AIL-C242 as provided in Table 2. In a further embodiment, the first antibody moiety against PVRIG comprises the VH of P-AIL-A15-Hu01, P-AIL-A15-Hu02, P-AIL-A15-Hu03, P-AIL-A15-Hu04, P-AIL-A15-Hu06, P-AIL-A15-Hu07, P-AIL-A15-Hu08, P-AIL-A15-Hu09, P-AIL-A15-Hu10, P-AIL-A15-Hu11, P-AIL-A32-Hu09, P-AIL-A32-Hu10, P-AIL-A32-Hu11, P-AIL-A32-Hu12, P-AIL-A32-Hu13, P-AIL-A32-Hu14, P-AIL-A32-Hu15, P-AIL-A32-Hu16, P-AIL-A32-Hu17, P-AIL-A32-Hu18, P-AIL-A32-Hu19, P-AIL-A32-Hu20, P-AIL-A32-012, P-AIL-A32-024, P-AIL-A32-029, P-AIL-A32-031, P-AIL-A32-035, P-AIL-A32-061, P-AIL-A32-077, P-AIL-A32-081, P-AIL-A32-103, P-AIL-A32- 114, P-AIL-A32-127, P-AIL-A32-131, or P-AIL-A32-132 as provided in Tables 4b, 4c or 6a. In a further embodiment, the first antibody against PVRIG comprises a VH comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group being consisted of SEQ ID NOs: 37-58 and 111-123. Preferably, the first antibody moiety against PVRIG comprises a VH comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group being consisted of SEQ ID NO: 111-123.
[0671] In another embodiment, the second antibody moiety against TIGIT comprises the six CDRs of T-MIL-A8, T-MIL-A9, T-MIL-A18, T-MIL-A20, T-MIL-A23, T-MIL-A28, T-MIL-A47, T-MIL-A53, T-MIL-A60, T-MIL-A69, T-MIL-A71, T-MIL-A86, T-MIL-A89, T-MIL-A90, T-MIL-A93, T-MIL-A101, T-MIL-A105, T-MIL-A109, T-MIL-A116, T-MIL-A125, T-MIL-A165, T-MIL-A169, T-MIL-A170, T-MIL-A172, T-MIL-A174, T-MIL-A180, T-MIL-A181, T-MIL-A187, T-MIL-A60-Hu01, T-MIL-A60-Hu02, T-MIL-A60-Hu03, T-MIL-A60-Hu04, T-MIL-A60-Hu05, T-MIL-A60-Hu06, T-MIL-A60-Hu07, T-MIL-A169-Hu01, T-MIL-A169-Hu02, T-MIL-A169-Hu03, T-MIL-A169-Hu04, T-MIL-A169-Hu05, T-MIL-A169-Hu06, T-MIL-A169-Hu07, T-MIL-A169-Hu08, T-MIL-A169-Hu09, T-MIL-A169-Hu10, T-MIL-A169-Hu11, or T-MIL-A169-Hu12 as provided in Tables 7, 9a or 9b.
[0672] In another embodiment, the second antibody moiety against TIGIT comprises the VH and VL of an antibody selected from the group being consisted of T-MIL-A8, T-MIL-A9, T-MIL-A18, T-MIL-A20, T-MIL-A23, T-MIL-A28, T-MIL-A47, T-MIL-A53, T-MIL-A60, T-MIL-A69, T-MIL-A71, T-MIL-A86, T-MIL-A89, T-MIL-A90, T-MIL-A93, T-MIL-A101, T-MIL-A105, T-MIL-A109, T-MIL-A116, T-MIL-A125, T-MIL-A165, T-MIL-A169, T-MIL-A170, T-MIL-A172, T-MIL-A174, T-MIL-A180, T-MIL-A181, or T-MIL-A187 as provided in Table 8a. In a further embodiment, the first antibody against TIGIT comprises the VH and VL of an antibody selected from the group being consisted of T-MIL-A60-Hu01, T-MIL-A60-Hu02, T-MIL-A60-Hu03, T-MIL-A60-Hu04, T-MIL-A60-Hu05, T-MIL-A60-Hu06, T-MIL-A60-Hu07, T-MIL-A169-Hu01, T-MIL-A169-Hu02, T-MIL-A169-Hu03, T-MIL-A169-Hu04, T-MIL-A169-Hu05, T-MIL-A169-Hu06, T-MIL-A169-Hu07, T-MIL-A169-Hu08, T-MIL-A169-Hu09, T-MIL-A169-Hu10, T-MIL-A169-Hu11 and T-MIL-A169-Hu12 as provided in Tables 10a and 10b.
[0673] In a further embodiment, the second antibody moiety against TIGIT comprises:
[0674] (1) a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 422, and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 423;
[0675] (2) a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 424, and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 425;
[0676] (3) a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 426, and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 427;
[0677] (4) a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 428, and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 429;
[0678] (5) a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 430, and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 431;
[0679] (6) a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 432, and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 433;
[0680] (7) a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 434, and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 435;
[0681] (8) a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 436, and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 437;
[0682] (9) a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 438, and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 439;
[0683] (10) a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 440, and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 441;
[0684] (11) a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 442, and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 443;
[0685] (12) a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 444, and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 445;
[0686] (13) a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 446, and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 447;
[0687] (14) a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 448, and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 449;
[0688] (15) a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 450, and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 451;
[0689] (16) a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 452, and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 453;
[0690] (17) a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 454, and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 455;
[0691] (18) a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 456, and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 457;
[0692] (19) a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 458, and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 459;
[0693] (20) a VH and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the respective amino acid sequences of the VH and VL of an antibody selected from those listed in Table 10a or Table 10b;
[0694] (21) a VH and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of amino acid sequences that are at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%or 99%identical to the respective amino acid sequences of the VH and VL of an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) - (20) ;
[0695] (22) a VH and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of amino acid sequences that are identical to the respective amino acid sequences of the VH and VL of an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) - (20) except for addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids, in one or both of the amino acid sequences;
[0696] (23) a VH and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of amino acid sequences of the VH and VL of an antibody against TIGIT that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on TIGIT as an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) - (20) ; or
[0697] (24) a VH and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of amino acid sequences of the VH and VL of an antibody against TIGIT that competes with an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) - (20) for binding to TIGIT.
[0698] The multispecific antibody against PVRIG and TIGIT of this invention may be bispecific. Preferably, the multispecific antibody against PVRIG and TIGIT of this invention comprises the nine CDRs of an antibody selected from those listed in Table 12. More preferably, the multispecific antibody against PVRIG and TIGIT of this invention comprises a VH and a VL comprising the respective amino acid sequences of the VH and VL of an antibody selected from those listed in Table 11. Most preferably, the multispecific antibody against PVRIG and TIGIT of this invention comprises a heavy chain and a light chain comprising the respective amino acid sequences of the heavy chain and the light chain of an antibody selected from those listed in Table 11. The multispecific / bispecific antibodies of this invention listed in Table 11 include: BsAb01, BsAb02, BsAb03, BsAb04, BsAb05, BsAb06, BsAb07, BsAb08, BsAb09, BsAb10, BsAb11, BsAb12, BsAb13, BsAb14, BsAb15, BsAb16, BsAb17, BsAb18, BsAb19, BsAb20, and BsAb21.
[0699] In some embodiments, the multispecific / bispecific antibody of this invention comprises:
[0700] (1) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 498, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 499;
[0701] (2) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 500, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 501;
[0702] (3) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 502, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 503;
[0703] (4) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 504, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 505;
[0704] (5) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 506, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 507;
[0705] (6) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 508, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 509;
[0706] (7) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 510, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 511;
[0707] (8) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 512, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 513;
[0708] (9) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 514, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 515;
[0709] (10) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 516, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 517;
[0710] (11) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 518, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 519;
[0711] (12) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 520, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 521;
[0712] (13) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 522, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 523;
[0713] (14) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 524, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 525;
[0714] (15) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 526, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 527;
[0715] (16) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 528, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 529;
[0716] (17) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 530, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 531;
[0717] (18) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 532, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 533;
[0718] (19) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 534, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 535;
[0719] (20) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 536, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 537;
[0720] (21) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 538, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 539;
[0721] (22) a heavy chain and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the respective amino acid sequences of the heavy chain and light chain of an antibody selected from those listed in Table 11;
[0722] (23) a heavy chain and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of amino acid sequences that are at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%or 99%identical to the respective amino acid sequences of the heavy chain and light chain of an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) - (22) ; or
[0723] (24) a heavy chain and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of amino acid sequences that are identical to the respective amino acid sequences of the heavy chain and light chain of an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) - (22) except for addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids, in one or both of the amino acid sequences.
[0724] In constructing a multispecific antibody comprising VHs and / or VLs of two different antibodies, sometimes mispaired byproducts would be produced. An approach to circumvent the problem of mispaired byproducts, which is known as 'knobs-into-holes' , aims at forcing the pairing of two different antibody heavy chains by introducing mutations into the CH3 domains to modify the contact interface. On one chain bulky amino acids were replaced by amino acids with short side chains to create a 'hole' . Conversely, amino acids with large side chains were introduced into the other CH3 domain, to create a 'knob' . By coexpressing these two heavy chains (and two identical light chains, which have to be appropriate for both heavy chains) , high yields of heterodimer formation ( 'knob-hole' ) versus homodimer formation ( 'hole-hole' or 'knob-knob' ) was observed (Ridgway JB, Presta LG, Carter P; and WO1996027011) . The percentage of heterodimer could be further increased by remodeling the interaction surfaces of the two CH3 domains using a phage display approach and the introduction of a disulfide bridge to stabilize the heterodimers (Merchant A.M, et al, Nature Biotech 16 (1998) 677-681; Aτwell S, Ridgway JB, Wells JA, Carter P., J Mol Biol 270 (1997) 26-35) . New approaches for the knobs-into-holes technology are described in e.g. in EP 1870459A1. Xie, Z., et al, J Immunol Methods 286 (2005) 95-101 refers to a format of bispecific antibody using scFvs in combination with knobs-into-holes technology for the FC part. The modular architecture of antibodies has been exploited to create more than 60 different bispecific antibody formats. See Spiess et al. (2015) Molecular Immunology 67: 95-106, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. Accordingly, in some aspects, the bispecific antibody format is selected from crossMab, DAF (Dual Action Fab) (two-in-one) , DAF (four-in-one) , DutaMab, DT-IgG, Knobs-in-holes common LC, Knobs-in-holes assembly, Charge pair, Fab-arm exchange, SEEDbody, Triomab, LUZ-Y (bispecific antibody with a leucize zipper inducing heterodimerization of two HCs) , Fcab, Orthogonal Fab, DVD-IgG (dual variable domain IgG) , IgG (H) -scFv, scFv- (H) IgG, IgG(L) -scFv, scFv- (L) IgG, IgG (L, H) -Fv, IgG (H) -V, V (H) -IgG, IgG (L) -V, V (L) -IgG, KIH IgG-scFab, 2scFv-IgG, IgG-2scFv, scFv4-Ig, Zybody, DVI-IgG (four-in-one) , Nanobody, Nanobody-HSA, BiTE (bispecific T cell engager) , Diabody, DART (dual-affinity-retargeting) , TandAb (tandem antibody) , scDiabody, scDiabody-CH3, Triple Body, Miniantibody, Minibody, TriBi minibody, scFv-CH3 KIH, Fab-scFv, scFv-CH-CL-scFv, F (ab') 2, F (ab') 2-ScFv2, scFv-KIH, Fab-scFv-Fc, Tetravalent HC Ab, scDiabody-Fc, Diabody-Fc, Tandem scFv-Fc, Intrabody, Dock and Locck, ImmTAC, HSAbody, scDiabody-HSA, Tandem scFv-Toxin, IgG-IgG, Cov-X-Body, and scFv1-PEG-scFV2.
[0725] In some embodiments, the multispecific antibody against PVRIG and TIGIT is selected from the antibodies as listed in Table 11. Specifically, the multispecific antibody against PVRIG and TIGIT is BsAb01, BsAb02, BsAb03, BsAb04, BsAb05, BsAb06, BsAb07, BsAb08, BsAb09, BsAb10, BsAb11, BsAb12, BsAb13, BsAb14, BsAb15, BsAb16, BsAb17, BsAb18, BsAb19, BsAb20, or BsAb21 as described in Table 11.
[0726] 5. Immunoconjugates
[0727] In some aspects, also provided are immunoconjugates of the antibodies of this invention. An “immunoconjugate” refers to the antibody provided herein conjugated to one or more heterologous molecule (s) . In some embodiments, an anti-PVRIG antibody provided herein is an immunoconjugate. In some embodiments, an anti-TIGIT antibody provided herein is an immunoconjugate. In some embodiments, a multispecific antibody provided herein is an immunoconjugate.
[0728] In some embodiments, the antibody of this invention or antigen-binding fragment thereof is conjugated to one or more cytotoxic agents. Exemplary cytotoxic agents include chemotherapeutic agents or drugs, growth inhibitory agents, toxins (e.g., protein toxins, enzymatically active toxins of bacterial, fungal, plant, or animal origin, or fragments thereof) , and radioactive isotopes.
[0729] In some embodiments, an immunoconjugate is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) in which the antibody provided herein is conjugated to one or more drugs. In some examples, an anti-PVRIG antibody provided herein is an ADC. In some examples, an anti-TIGIT antibody provided herein is an ADC. In some other example, a bispecific antibody provided herein is an ADC. Exemplary drugs that can be conjugated to the antibody of this invention include a maytansinoid (see, e.g., U.S. Patent No. 5,208,020, 5,416,06) ) ; an auristatin such as monomethylauristatin drug moieties DE and DF (MMAE and MMAF) (see, e.g., U.S. Patent Nos. 5,635,483 and 5,780,588, and 7,498,298) , a dolastatin, a calicheamicin or derivative thereof (see, e.g., U.S. Patent Nos. 5,712,374, 5,714,586, 5,739,116, 5,767,285, 5,770,701, 5,770,710, 5,773,001, and 5,877,296; Hinman et al., (1993) Cancer Res 53: 3336-3342; and Lode et al., (1998) Cancer Res 58: 2925-2928) ; an anthracycline such as daunomycin or doxorubicin (see, e.g., Kratz et al., (2006) Current Med. Chem 13: 477-523; Jeffrey et al., (2006) Bioorganic &Med Chem Letters 16: 358-362; Torgov etal., (2005) Bioconj Chem 16: 717-721; Nagy et al., (2000) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 97: 829-834; Dubowchik et al, Bioorg. &Med. Chem. Letters 12: 1529-1532 (2002) ; King et al., (2002) J Med Chem 45: 4336-4343; and U.S. Patent No. 6,630,579) , methotrexate, vindesine, ataxane such as docetaxel, paclitaxel, larotaxel, tesetaxel, and ortataxel.
[0730] In some embodiments, the immunoconjugate comprises the antibody described herein conjugated to an enzymatically active toxin or fragment thereof, such as diphtheria A chain, nonbinding active fragments of diphtheria toxin, exotoxin A chain (from Pseudomonas aeruginosa) , ricin A chain, abrin A chain, modeccin A chain, alpha-sarcin, Aleurites fordii proteins, dianthin proteins, Phytolaca americana proteins (PAPI, PAPII, and PAP-S) , momordica charantia inhibitor, curcin, crotin, sapaonaria officinalis inhibitor, gelonin, mitogellin, restrictocin, phenomycin, enomycin, and the tricothecenes.
[0731] In some embodiments described herein, the antibody is conjugated to a radioactive atom to form a radioconjugate. A variety of radioactive isotopes are available for the production of radioconjugates. Examples include At211, 1131, 1125, Y90, Rel86, Rel88, Sml53, Bi212, P32, Pb212 and radioactive isotopes of Lu. When the radioconjugate is used for detection, it can comprise a radioactive atom for scintigraphic studies, for example tc99m or 1 123, or a spin label for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging (also known as magnetic resonance imaging, mri) , such as iodine-123 again, iodine-131, fluorine-19, carbon-13, nitrogen-15, oxygen-17, gadolinium, manganese or iron.
[0732] Conjugates of the antibodies described herein and the cytotoxic agent can be made using a variety' of bifunctional protein coupling agents such as N-succinimidyl-3- (2-pyridyldithio) propionate (SPDP) , succinimidyl-4- (N-maleimidomethyl) cyclohexane-1-carboxylate (SMCC) , iminothiolane (IT) , bi functional derivatives of imidoesters (such as dimethyl adipimidate HQ) , active esters (such as disuccinimidyl suberate) , aldehydes (such as glutaraldehyde) , bis-azido compounds (such as bis (p-azidobenzoyl) hexanediamine) , bis-diazonium derivatives (such as bis- (p-diazoniumbenzoyl) -ethylenediamine) , diisocyanates (such as toluene 2, 6-diisocyanate) , and bis-active fluorine compounds (such as 1, 5-difluoro-2, 4-dinitrobenzene) . For example, a ricin immunotoxin can be prepared as described in Vitetta et al., (1987) Science 238: 1098. Carbon-14-labeled l-isothiocyanatobenzyl-3-methyldiethylene tri aminepentaacetic acid (MX-DTP A) is an exemplary chelating agent for conjugation of radionucleotide to the antibody. See, e.g., W094 / 11026. The linker can be a “cleavable linker” facilitating release of a cytotoxic drug in the cell. For example, an acid-labile linker, peptidase-sensitive linker, photolabile linker, dimethyl linker or disulfide-containing linker (Chari et al., (1992) Cancer Res 52: 127-131; U.S. Patent No. 5,208,020) can be used.
[0733] The immunoconjugates or ADCs can be prepared with cross-linker reagents such as BMPS, EMCS, GMBS, HBVS, LC-SMCC, MBS, MPBH, SBAP, SIA, SIAB, SMCC, SMPB, SMPH, sulfo-EMCS, sulfo-GMBS, sulfo-KMUS, sulfo-MBS, sulfo-SIAB, sulfo-SMCC, and sulfo-SMPB, and SVSB (succinimidyl- (4-vinylsulfone) benzoate) which are commercially available (e.g., from Pierce Biotechnology, Inc., Rockford, IL., U.S.A) .
[0734] In one embodiment, provided is an immunoconjugate comprising an anti-PVRIG antibody provided herein linked to a therapeutic agent or an imaging agent. In another embodiment, provided is an immunoconjugate comprising an anti-TIGIT antibody provided herein linked to a therapeutic agent or an imaging agent. In a futher embodiment, provided is an immunoconjugate comprising an antibody against PVRIG or TIGIT provided herein to a therapeutic agent or an imaging agent. In one embodiment, provided is an immunoconjugate comprising a bispecific PVRIG / TIGIT antibody provided herein linked to a therapeutic agent or an imaging agent.
[0735] 6. Nucleic acid molecules
[0736] The present invention further provides an isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding an antibody of this invention or antigen-binding fragment thereof. The antibody of this invention can be an antibody against PVRIG, an antibody against TIGIT, or a multispecific / bispecific antibody as described above.
[0737] In some embodiments, the present invention further provides an isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding the VH region and / or the VL region of an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof as defined herein. In some examples, the nucleic acid molecule comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding the VH region of an antibody listed in Tables 2, 4b, 4c or 6a. In some other examples, the nucleic acid molecule comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding the VH region of an antibody listed in Table 8a, 10a or 10b, and / or a nucleic acid sequence encoding the VL region of an antibody listed in Table 8a, 10a or 10b.
[0738] In some embodiments, the nucleic acid molecule comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding the heavy chain of an antibody as listed in Tables 3, 4d, 4e or 6b.
[0739] In some embodiments, the nucleic acid molecule comprises a nucleic acid sequence encoding the heavy chain and / or a nucleic acid sequence encoding the light chain of an antibody as listed in Tables 8b, 10c, 10d, or 11.
[0740] The term “nucleic acid molecule” can be used interchangeably with the term “polynucleotide” and includes any compound and / or substance that comprises a polymer of nucleotides. Each nucleotide is composed of a base, specifically a purine-or pyrimidine base (i.e. cytosine (C) , guanine (G) , adenine (A) , thymine (T) or uracil (U) ) , a sugar (i.e. deoxyribose or ribose) , and a phosphate group. Often, the nucleic acid molecule is described by the sequence of bases, whereby said bases represent the primary structure (linear structure) of a nucleic acid molecule. The sequence of bases is typically represented from 5’ to 3’. Herein, the term nucleic acid molecule encompasses deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) including e.g., complementary DNA (cDNA) and genomic DNA, ribonucleic acid (RNA) , in particular messenger RNA (mRNA) , synthetic forms of DNA or RNA, and mixed polymers comprising two or more of these molecules. The nucleic acid molecule may be linear or circular. In addition, the term nucleic acid molecule includes both, sense and antisense strands, as well as single stranded and double stranded forms.
[0741] Moreover, the herein described nucleic acid molecule can contain naturally occurring or non-naturally occurring nucleotides. Examples of non-naturally occurring nucleotides include modified nucleotide bases with derivatized sugars or phosphate backbone linkages or chemically modified residues. Nucleic acid molecules also encompass DNA and RNA molecules which are suitable as a vector for direct expression of an antibody of the invention in vitro and / or in vivo, e.g., in a host or patient. Such DNA (e.g., cDNA) or RNA (e.g., mRNA) vectors, can be unmodified or modified. For example, mRNA can be chemically modified to enhance the stability of the RNA vector and / or expression of the encoded molecule so that mRNA can be injected into a subject to generate the antibody in vivo (see e.g., Stadler et al, Nature Medicine 2017, published online 12 June 2017, doi: 10.1038 / nm. 4356 or EP 2 101 823 Bl) .
[0742] 7. Vectors
[0743] Nucleic acids encoding the VH and / or VL of the antibody of this invention can be cloned into one expression vector, each nucleotide sequence being in operable linkage to a suitable promoter. In one example, each of the nucleotide sequences encoding the heavy chain and / or light chain is in operable linkage to a distinct prompter. Alternatively, the nucleotide sequences encoding the heavy chain and the light chain can be in operable linkage with a single promoter, such that both heavy and light chains are expressed from the same promoter. When necessary, an internal ribosomal entry site (IRES) can be inserted between the heavy chain and light chain encoding sequences.
[0744] In some examples, the nucleotide sequences encoding the two chains of the antibody are cloned into two vectors, which can be introduced into the same or different cells. When the two chains are expressed in different cells, each of them can be isolated from the host cells expressing such and the isolated heavy chains and light chains can be mixed and incubated under suitable conditions allowing for the formation of the antibody.
[0745] Generally, a nucleic acid sequence encoding one or all chains of an antibody can be cloned into a suitable expression vector in operable linkage with a suitable promoter using methods known in the art. For example, the nucleotide sequence and vector can be contacted, under suitable conditions, with a restriction enzyme to create complementary ends on each molecule that can pair with each other and be joined together with a ligase. Alternatively, synthetic nucleic acid linkers can be ligated to the termini of a gene. These synthetic linkers contain nucleic acid sequences that correspond to a particular restriction site in the vector. The selection of expression vectors / promoter would depend on the type of host cells for use in producing the antibodies.
[0746] A variety of promoters can be used for expression of the antibodies described herein, including, but not limited to, cytomegalovirus (CMV) intermediate early promoter, a viral LTR such as the Rous sarcoma virus LTR, HIV-LTR, HTLV-1 LTR, the simian virus 40 (SV40) early promoter, E. coli lac UV5 promoter, and the herpes simplex tk vims promoter.
[0747] Regulatable promoters can also be used. Such regulatable promoters include those using the lac repressor from E. coli as a transcription modulator to regulate transcription from lac operator-bearing mammalian cell promoters [Brown, M. et ak, Cell, 49: 603-612 (1987) ] , those using the tetracycline repressor (tetR) [Gossen, M., and Bujard, H., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89: 5547-5551 (1992) ; Yao, F. et ak, Human Gene Therapy, 9: 1939-1950 (1998) ; Shockelt, P., et ak, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 92: 6522-6526 (1995) ] . Other systems include FK506 dimer, VP16 or p65 using astradiol, RU486, diphenol murislerone, or rapamycin. Inducible systems are available from Invitrogen, Clontech and Ariad.
[0748] Regulatable promoters that include a repressor with the operon can be used. In one embodiment, the lac repressor from E. coli can function as a transcriptional modulator to regulate transcription from lac operator-bearing mammalian cell promoters [M. Brown et al., Cell, 49: 603-612 (1987) ; Gossen and Bujard (1992) ; M. Gossen et al., Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 89: 5547-5551 (1992) ] combined the tetracycline repressor (tetR) with the transcription activator (VP 16) to create a tetR -mammalian cell transcription activator fusion protein, tTa (tetR-VP 16) , with the tetO-bearing minimal promoter derived from the human cytomegalovirus (hCMV) major immediate-early promoter to create a tetR-tet operator system to control gene expression in mammalian cells. In one embodiment, a tetracycline inducible switch is used. The tetracycline repressor (tetR) alone, rather than the tetR-mammalian cell transcription factor fusion derivatives can function as potent trans -modulator to regulate gene expression in mammalian cells when the tetracycline operator is properly positioned downstream for the TATA element of the CMVIE promoter (Yao et al., Human Gene Therapy, 10 (16) : 1392-1399 (2003) ) . One particular advantage of this tetracycline inducible switch is that it does not require the use of a tetracycline repressor-mammalian cells transactivator or repressor fusion protein, which in some instances can be toxic to cells (Gossen et al., Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 89: 5547-5551 (1992) ; Shockett et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 92: 6522-6526 (1995) ) , to achieve its regulatable effects.
[0749] Additionally, the vector can contain, for example, some or all of the following: a selectable marker gene, such as the neomycin gene for selection of stable or transient transfectants in mammalian cells; enhancer / promoter sequences from the immediate early gene of human CMV for high levels of transcription; transcription termination and RNA processing signals from SV40 for mRNA stability; SV40 polyoma origins of replication and ColEl for proper episomal replication; internal ribosome binding sites (IRESes) , versatile multiple cloning sites; and T7 and SP6 RNA promoters for in vitro transcription of sense and antisense RNA. Suitable vectors and methods for producing vectors containing transgenes are well known and available in the art.
[0750] Examples of polyadenylation signals useful to practice the methods described herein include, but are not limited to, human collagen I polyadenylation signal, human collagen II polyadenylation signal, and SV40 polyadenylation signal.
[0751] One or more vectors (e.g., expression vectors) comprising nucleic acids encoding any of the antibodies may be introduced into suitable host cells for producing the antibodies. The host cells can be cultured under suitable conditions for expression of the antibody or any polypeptide chain thereof. Such antibodies or polypeptide chains thereof can be recovered by the cultured cells (e.g., from the cells or the culture supernatant) via a conventional method, e.g., affinity purification. If necessary, polypeptide chains of the antibody can be incubated under suitable conditions for a suitable period of time allowing for production of the antibody.
[0752] In some embodiments, methods for preparing an antibody of this invention involve a recombinant expression vector that encodes both the heavy chain and the light chain of the antibody against PVRIG or TIGIT, or encodes both chains of a two-chain bispecific antibody as also described herein. The recombinant expression vector can be introduced into a suitable host cell (e.g., a dhfr-CHO cell) by a conventional method, e.g., calcium phosphate-mediated transfection. Positive transformant host cells can be selected and cultured under suitable conditions allowing for the expression of the two polypeptide chains that form the antibody, which can be recovered from the cells or from the culture medium. When necessary, the two chains recovered from the host cells can be incubated under suitable conditions allowing for the formation of the antibody.
[0753] In one example, two recombinant expression vectors are provided, one encoding the heavy chain of the antibody against PVRIG or TIGIT or one of the two chains of a two-chain bispecific antibody disclosed herein and the other encoding the light chain of the antibody against TIGIT or the other chain of the bispecific antibody. Both of the two recombinant expression vectors can be introduced into a suitable host cell (e.g., dhfr-CHO cell) by a conventional method, e.g., calcium phosphate-mediated transfection. Alternatively, each of the expression vectors can be introduced into a suitable host cell. Positive transformants can be selected and cultured under suitable conditions allowing for the expression of the polypeptide chains of the antibody. When the two expression vectors are introduced into the same host cells, the antibody produced therein can be recovered from the host cells or from the culture medium. If necessary, the polypeptide chains can be recovered from the host cells or from the culture medium and then incubated under suitable conditions allowing for formation of the antibody. When the two expression vectors are introduced into different host cells, each of them can be recovered from the corresponding host cells or from the corresponding culture media. The two polypeptide chains can then be incubated under suitable conditions for formation of the antibody.
[0754] Standard molecular biology techniques are used to prepare the recombinant expression vector, transfect the host cells, select for transformants, culture the host cells and recovery of the antibodies from the culture medium. For example, some antibodies can be isolated by affinity chromatography with a Protein A or Protein G coupled matrix.
[0755] Any of the nucleic acids encoding the heavy chain, the light chain, or both of an antibody against PVRIG or TIGIT or any of the bispecific antibodies as described herein, vectors (e.g., expression vectors) containing such; and host cells comprising the vectors are within the scope of the present disclosure.
[0756] The present invention further relates to a vector comprising the nucleic acid sequence as disclosed above, which may be operably linked to regulatory elements driving the expression of the nucleic acid sequence in a host cell.
[0757] 8. Host cells
[0758] Host cells as disclosed in the present disclosure may be any cell which is suitable for expressing the antibodies of the present disclosure, for instance, mammalian cells. Mammalian host cells for expressing the antibodies of the present disclosure include Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO cells) (including dhfr CHO cells, described in Urlaub and Chasin, (1980) Proc. Natl. Acad. ScL USA 77: 4216-4220, used with a DHFR selectable marker, e.g., as described in R.J. Kaufman and P.A. Sharp (1982) J. MoI. Biol. 159: 601-621) , NSO myeloma cells, COS cells and SP2 cells. In particular, for use with NSO myeloma cells, another expression system is the GS gene expression system disclosed in WO 87 / 04462, WO 89 / 01036 and EP 338, 841. When recombinant expression vectors encoding the antibody are introduced into mammalian host cells, the antibodies are produced by culturing the host cells for a period of time sufficient to allow for expression of the antibody in the host cells or, secretion of the antibody into the culture medium in which the host cells are grown. Antibodies can be recovered from the culture medium using standard protein purification methods.
[0759] 9. Pharmaceutical compositions
[0760] In some aspects, the present disclosure is directed to a pharmaceutical composition comprising at least one antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof as disclosed herein and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
[0761] The pharmaceutical composition may optionally contain one or more additional pharmaceutically active ingredients, such as another antibody or a drug. The pharmaceutical compositions of the present disclosure also can be administered in a combination therapy with an agent (e.g. an anti-cancer agent) for the treatment of a proliferative disorder (e.g., a cancer or tumor) , infection or sepsis. The antibody of this invention may ameliorate the symptoms of the proliferative disorders, infection or sepsis associated with the overexpression of PVRIG and / or TIGIT.
[0762] In some embodiments, the cancer or tumor is selected from the group consisting of the following disorders or combinations thereof: prostate cancer, liver cancer (HCC) , colorectal cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, breast cancer, triple negative breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, stomach / gastric cancer, cervical cancer, head and neck cancer, thyroid cancer, testicular cancer, urothelial cancer, lung cancer (small cell lung cancer or non-small cell lung cancer) , melanoma, non-melanoma skin cancer (squamous and basal cell carcinoma) , glioma, renal carcinoma (RCC) , lymphoma (NHL or HL) , acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) , T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) , diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, testis germ cell tumor, mesothelioma, esophageal cancer, Merkel cells cancer, MSI-high cancer, KRAS-mutant tumor, adult T-cell leukemia / lymphoma and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) . The disorders described above may be associated with aberrant expression of PVRIG and / or TIGIT. In some specific embodiments, the cancer or tumor is selected from the group consisting of the following cancers or combinations thereof: triple negative breast cancer, stomach / gastric cancer, lung cancer (small cell lung cancer or non-small cell lung cancer) , Merkel cell carcinoma, MSI-high cancer, KRAS-mutant tumor, adult T cell leukemia / lymphoma and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) . In some specific embodiments, the cancer or tumor is selected from the group consisting of the following cancers or combinations thereof: lung cancer (small cell lung cancer or non-small cell lung cancer) , prostate cancer, breast cancer (for example, triple negative breast cancer) , head and neck cancer, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, colon cancer, colorectal cancer, bladder cancer, cervical cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, liver cancer, melanoma, renal cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, cancers of blood system, Merkel cell carcinoma and MSI-high cancer and any other diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled cell growth.
[0763] In some other embodiments, the infection is a pathogen infection characterized by different degrees of dysfunction of a virus-specific T cell response, such as HIV, HCV or HBV.
[0764] In some other embodiments, the sepsis includes severe sepsis, septic shock, systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) , bacteremia, septicemia, toxemia and septic syndrome.
[0765] A pharmaceutically acceptable carrier can include, for example, a pharmaceutically acceptable liquid, gel or solid carriers, an aqueous medium, a non-aqueous medium, an anti-microbial agent, isotonic agents, buffers, antioxidants, anesthetics, suspending / dispersing agent, a chelating agent, a diluent, adjuvant, excipient or a nontoxic auxiliary substance, other known in the art various combinations of components or more.
[0766] Suitable components may include, for example, antioxidants, fillers, binders, disintegrating agents, buffers, preservatives, lubricants, flavorings, thickening agents, coloring agents, emulsifiers or stabilizers such as sugars and cyclodextrin. Suitable antioxidants may include, for example, methionine, ascorbic acid, EDTA, sodium thiosulfate, platinum, catalase, citric acid, cysteine, mercapto glycerol, thioglycolic acid, Mercapto sorbitol, butyl methyl anisole, butylated hydroxy toluene and / or propylgalacte. As disclosed in the present disclosure, in a solvent containing an antibody or an antigen-binding fragment of the present disclosure discloses compositions include one or more antioxidants such as methionine, reducing antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof may be oxidized. The oxidation reduction may prevent or reduce a decrease in binding affinity, thereby enhancing antibody stability and extended shelf life. Thus, in some embodiments, the present disclosure provides a composition comprising one or more antibodies or antigen binding fragment thereof and one or more antioxidants such as methionine. The present disclosure further provides a variety of methods, wherein an antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof is mixed with one or more antioxidants, such as methionine, so that the antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof can be prevented from oxidation, to extend their shelf life and / or increased activity.
[0767] To further illustrate, pharmaceutical acceptable carriers may include, for example, aqueous vehicles such as sodium chloride injection, Ringer's injection, isotonic dextrose injection, sterile water injection, or dextrose and lactated Ringer's injection, nonaqueous vehicles such as fixed oils of vegetable origin, cottonseed oil, corn oil, sesame oil, or peanut oil, antimicrobial agents at bacteriostatic or fungistatic concentrations, isotonic agents such as sodium chloride or dextrose, buffers such as phosphate or citrate buffers, antioxidants such as sodium bisulfate, local anesthetics such as procaine hydrochloride, suspending and dispersing agents such as sodium carboxymethylcelluose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, or polyvinylpyrrolidone, emulsifying agents such as Polysorbate 80 (TWEEN-80) , sequestering or chelating agents such as EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) or EGTA (ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid) , ethyl alcohol, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, sodium hydroxide, hydrochloric acid, citric acid, or lactic acid. Antimicrobial agents utilized as carriers may be added to pharmaceutical compositions in multiple-dose containers that include phenols or cresols, mercurials, benzyl alcohol, chlorobutanol, methyl and propyl p-hydroxybenzoic acid esters, thimerosal, benzalkonium chloride and benzethonium chloride. Suitable excipients may include, for example, water, saline, dextrose, glycerol, or ethanol. Suitable non-toxic auxiliary substances may include, for example, wetting or emulsifying agents, pH buffering agents, stabilizers, solubility enhancers, or agents such as sodium acetate, sorbitan monolaurate, triethanolamine oleate, or cyclodextrin.
[0768] The pharmaceutical composition of the present disclosure may be administered in vivo, to a subject in need thereof, by various routes, including, but not limited to, oral, intravenous, intra-arterial, subcutaneous, parenteral, intranasal, intramuscular, intracranial, intracardiac, intraventricular, intratracheal, buccal, rectal, intraperitoneal, intradermal, topical, transdermal, and intrathecal, or otherwise by implantation or inhalation. The subject compositions may be formulated into preparations in solid, semi-solid, liquid, or gaseous forms; including, but not limited to, tablets, capsules, powders, granules, ointments, solutions, suppositories, enemas, injections, inhalants, and aerosols. The appropriate formulation and route of administration may be selected according to the intended application and therapeutic regimen.
[0769] Suitable formulations for enteral administration include hard or soft gelatin capsules, pills, tablets, including coated tablets, elixirs, suspensions, syrups or inhalations and controlled release forms thereof.
[0770] Formulations suitable for parenteral administration (e.g., by injection) , include aqueous or non-aqueous, isotonic, pyrogen-free, sterile liquids (e.g., solutions, suspensions) , in which the active ingredient is dissolved, suspended, or otherwise provided (e.g., in a liposome or other microparticulate) . Such liquids may additional contain other pharmaceutically acceptable ingredients, such as antioxidants, buffers, preservatives, stabilizers, bacteriostats, suspending agents, thickening agents, and solutes which render the formulation isotonic with the blood (or other relevant bodily fluid) of the intended recipient. Examples of excipients include, for example, water, alcohols, polyols, glycerol, vegetable oils, and the like. Examples of suitable isotonic carriers for use in such formulations include Sodium Chloride Injection, Ringer's Solution, or Lactated Ringer's Injection. Similarly, the particular dosage regimen, including dose, timing and repetition, will depend on the particular individual and that individual's medical history, as well as empirical considerations such as pharmacokinetics (e.g., half-life, clearance rate, etc. ) .
[0771] Frequency of administration may be determined and adjusted over the course of therapy, and is based on reducing the number of proliferative or tumorigenic cells, maintaining the reduction of such neoplastic cells, reducing the proliferation of neoplastic cells, or delaying the development of metastasis. In some embodiments, the dosage administered may be adjusted or attenuated to manage potential side effects and / or toxicity. Alternatively, sustained continuous release formulations of a subject therapeutic composition may be appropriate.
[0772] It will be appreciated by one of skill in the art that appropriate dosages can vary from patient to patient. Determining the optimal dosage will generally involve the balancing of the level of therapeutic benefit against any risk or deleterious side effects. The selected dosage level will depend on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, the activity of the particular compound, the route of administration, the time of administration, the rate of excretion of the compound, the duration of the treatment, other drugs, compounds, and / or materials used in combination, the severity of the condition, and the species, sex, age, weight, condition, general health, and prior medical history of the patient. The amount of compound and route of administration will ultimately be at the discretion of the physician, veterinarian, or clinician, although generally the dosage will be selected to achieve local concentrations at the site of action that achieve the desired effect without causing substantial harmful or deleterious side-effects.
[0773] In general, the antibody or the antigen binding fragments thereof of the present disclosure may be administered in various ranges. These include about 5 μg / kg body weight to about 100 mg / kg body weight per dose; about 50 μg / kg body weight to about 5 mg / kg body weight per dose; about 100 μg / kg body weight to about 10 mg / kg body weight per dose. Other ranges include about 100 μg / kg body weight to about 20 mg / kg body weight per dose and about 0.5 mg / kg body weight to about 20 mg / kg body weight per dose. In certain embodiments, the dosage is at least about 100 μg / kg body weight, at least about 250 μg / kg body weight, at least about 750 μg / kg body weight, at least about 3 mg / kg body weight, at least about 5 mg / kg body weight, at least about 10 mg / kg body weight.
[0774] In any event, the antibody or the antigen binding fragments thereof of the present disclosure is preferably administered as needed to subjects in need thereof. Determination of the frequency of administration may be made by persons skilled in the art, such as an attending physician based on considerations of the condition being treated, age of the subject being treated, severity of the condition being treated, general state of health of the subject being treated and the like.
[0775] In certain preferred embodiments, the course of treatment involving the antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof of the present disclosure will comprise multiple doses of the selected drug product over a period of weeks or months. More specifically, the antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof of the present disclosure may be administered once every day, every two days, every four days, every week, every ten days, every two weeks, every three weeks, every month, every six weeks, every two months, every ten weeks or every three months. In this regard, it will be appreciated that the dosages may be altered or the interval may be adjusted based on patient response and clinical practices.
[0776] Dosages and regimens may also be determined empirically for the disclosed therapeutic compositions in individuals who have been given one or more administration (s) . For example, individuals may be given incremental dosages of a therapeutic composition produced as described herein. In selected embodiments, the dosage may be gradually increased or reduced or attenuated based respectively on empirically determined or observed side effects or toxicity. To assess efficacy of the selected composition, a marker of the specific disease, disorder or condition can be followed as described previously. For cancer, these include direct measurements of tumor size via palpation or visual observation, indirect measurement of tumor size by x-ray or other imaging techniques; an improvement as assessed by direct tumor biopsy and microscopic examination of the tumor sample; the measurement of an indirect tumor marker (e.g., PSA for prostate cancer) or a tumorigenic antigen identified according to the methods described herein, a decrease in pain or paralysis; improved speech, vision, breathing or other disability associated with the tumor; increased appetite; or an increase in quality of life as measured by accepted tests or prolongation of survival. It will be apparent to one of skill in the art that the dosage will vary depending on the individual, the type of neoplastic condition, the stage of neoplastic condition, whether the neoplastic condition has begun to metastasize to other location in the individual, and the past and concurrent treatments being used.
[0777] Compatible formulations for parenteral administration (e.g., intravenous injection) will comprise the antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof as disclosed herein in concentrations of from about 10 μg / ml to about 100 mg / ml. In certain selected embodiments, the concentrations of the antibody or the antigen binding fragments thereof will comprise 20 μg / ml, 40 μg / ml, 60 μg / ml, 80 μg / ml, 100 μg / ml, 200 μg / ml, 300, μg / ml, 400 μg / ml, 500 μg / ml, 600 μg / ml, 700 μg / ml, 800 μg / ml, 900 μg / ml or 1 mg / ml. In other preferred embodiments, the concentrations of the antibody or the antigen binding fragments thereof will comprise 2 mg / ml, 3 mg / ml, 4 mg / ml, 5 mg / ml, 6 mg / ml, 8 mg / ml, 10 mg / ml, 12 mg / ml, 14 mg / ml, 16 mg / ml, 18 mg / ml, 20 mg / ml, 25 mg / ml, 30 mg / ml, 35 mg / ml, 40 mg / ml, 45 mg / ml, 50 mg / ml, 60 mg / ml, 70 mg / ml, 80 mg / ml, 90 mg / ml or 100 mg / ml
[0778] 10. Applications / Indications
[0779] In another aspect, provided herein are methods for using the binding agents (e.g. the anti-PVRIG antibodies, the anti-TIGIT antibodies, the multispecific / bispecific antibodies that bind to both PVRIG and TIGIT) or the composition provided herein.
[0780] The antibodies (e.g., the anti-PVRIG antibodies, the anti-TIGIT antibodies, the multispecific / bispecific antibodies that bind to both PVRIG and TIGIT) of the disclosure are useful in a variety of applications including, but not limited to, therapeutic treatment methods, such as treatment of cancer, infection or sepsis. In some embodiments, the therapeutic treatment methods comprise immunotherapy for cancer. In some embodiments, a binding agent described herein is useful for activating, promoting, increasing, and / or enhancing an immune response to cancer or cancer cells. In some embodiments, a binding agent described herein is useful for activating, promoting, increasing, and / or enhancing an immune response to a tumor or tumor cells. The methods of use may be in vitro, ex vivo, or in vivo methods.
[0781] The cancer or tumor can be, but is not limited to the following disorders or combinations thereof: prostate cancer, liver cancer (HCC) , colorectal cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, breast cancer, triple negative breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, stomach / gastric cancer, cervical cancer, head and neck cancer, thyroid cancer, testicular cancer, urothelial cancer, lung cancer (small cell lung cancer or non-small cell lung cancer) , melanoma, non-melanoma skin cancer (squamous and basal cell carcinoma) , glioma, renal carcinoma (RCC) , lymphoma (NHL or HL) , acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) , T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) , diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, testis germ cell tumor, mesothelioma, esophageal cancer, Merkel cells cancer, MSI-high cancer, KRAS-mutant tumor, adult T-cell leukemia / lymphoma and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) . The disorders described above may be associated with aberrant expression of PVRIG and / or TIGIT. In some specific embodiments, the cancer or tumor is selected from the group consisting of the following cancers or combinations thereof: triple negative breast cancer, stomach / gastric cancer, lung cancer (small cell lung cancer or non-small cell lung cancer) , Merkel cell carcinoma, MSI-high cancer, KRAS-mutant tumor, adult T cell leukemia / lymphoma and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) . In some specific embodiments, the cancer or tumor is selected from the group consisting of the following cancers or combinations thereof: triple negative breast cancer, stomach / gastric cancer, lung cancer (small cell lung cancer or non-small cell lung cancer) , Merkel cell carcinoma and MSI-high cancer.
[0782] In some embodiments, the infection is a pathogen infection characterized by different degrees of dysfunction of a virus-specific T cell response, such as HIV, HCV or HBV. In some embodiments, the sepsis includes severe sepsis, septic shock, systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) , bacteremia, septicemia, toxemia and septic syndrome.
[0783] Preferably, the disease is a proliferative disease; more preferably, the proliferative disease is cancer. More preferably, the cancer is selected from the group consisting of lung cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, head and neck cancer, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, colon cancer, colorectal cancer, bladder cancer, cervical cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, liver cancer, melanoma, renal cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, cancers of blood system, and any other diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled cell growth.
[0784] In some embodiments, provided herein is a method of inhibiting interaction between PVRIG (for example, expressed on and / or in a first cell) and ligands of PVRIG (for example, expressed on and / or in a second cell) , comprising contacting PVRIG (for example, the first cell expressing PVRIG) with a binding agent (e.g., an antibody or fragment thereof) provided herein. In some embodiments, provided herein is a use of the binding agent provided herein for inhibiting interaction between PVRIG (for example, expressed on and / or in a first cell) and ligands of PVRIG (for example, expressed on and / or in a second cell) , wherein the use comprises contacting PVRIG (for example, the first cell expressing PVRIG) with a multispecific binding agent (e.g., the antibody or fragment thereof) provided herein. In some embodiments, the ligand is CD112 molecule.
[0785] As used herein, the term “inhibit” means decrease or reduce. For example, in some embodiments, the binding agent provided herein inhibits the interaction between PVRIG and ligands of PVRIG by 10%-99%. In other embodiments, the binding agent provided herein inhibits the interaction between PVRIG and ligands of PVRIG 100% (i.e., completely abolish the interaction as measured by an assay) . In some embodiments, the PVRIG and the ligands of PVRIG are expressed on different cells. In some embodiments, the PVRIG is expressed on a first cell, such as an immune cell. In some embodiments, the immune cell is an NK cell. In some embodiments, the immune cell is a T cell. In some embodiments, the T cell is a cytotoxic T cell such as a CD8+ T cell.
[0786] In some embodiments, provided herein is a method of inhibiting interaction between TIGIT (for example, expressed on and / or in a first cell) and ligands of TIGIT (for example, expressed on and / or in a second cell) , comprising contacting TIGIT (for example, the first cell expressing TIGIT) with a binding agent (e.g., an antibody or fragment thereof) provided herein. In some embodiments, provided herein is a use of the binding agent provided herein for inhibiting interaction between TIGIT (for example, expressed on and / or in a first cell) and ligands of TIGIT (for example, expressed on and / or in a second cell) , wherein the use comprises contacting TIGIT (for example, the first cell expressing TIGIT) with a multispecific binding agent (e.g., the antibody or fragment thereof) provided herein. In some embodiments, the ligand is CD155 molecule.
[0787] As used herein, the term “inhibit” means decrease or reduce. For example, in some embodiments, the binding agent provided herein inhibits the interaction between TIGIT and ligands of TIGIT by 10%-99%. In other embodiments, the binding agent provided herein inhibits the interaction between TIGIT and ligands of TIGIT by 100% (i.e., completely abolish the interaction as measured by an assay) . In some embodiments, the TIGIT and the ligands of TIGIT are expressed on different cells. In some embodiments, the TIGIT is expressed on a first cell, such as an immune cell. In some embodiments, the immune cell is an NK cell. In some embodiments, the immune cell is a T cell. In some embodiments, the T cell is a cytotoxic T cell such as a CD8+ T cell. In some embodiments, the T cell is a Treg cell.
[0788] An immune cell is a cell in immune system and can be a cell of lymphoid lineage. Non-limiting examples of cells of lymphoid lineage include neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, mast cells, monocytes, macrophages, dendritic cells, natural killer (NK) cells, and lymphocytes (B cells and T cells) . T cells are a type of lymphocytes and can be characterized by expressing T cell receptors (TCRs) . T cells play a central role in the adaptive immune response. T cell subtypes have a variety of important functions in controlling and shaping the immune response. For example, cytotoxic T cells (also called cytotoxic T lymphocyte and killer T cell) are T lymphocytes that kill certain cells, e.g., cancer cells, cells that are infected by intracellular pathogens (such as viruses or bacteria) , or cells that are damaged in other ways. Most cytotoxic T cells express T-cell receptors (TCRs) that can recognize a specific antigen. CD8+ T cells are a subpopulation of MHC class I-restricted T cell and are mediators of adaptive immunity, which are important for killing cancerous or virally infected cells. NK cells are a type of cytotoxic lymphocytes critical to the innate immune system that belong to the family of innate lymphoid cells (ILC) . In some embodiments, NK cells can be identified by the presence of CD56 and the absence of CD3 (CD56+, CD3-) . NK cells have the ability to recognize and kill stressed cells in the absence of antibodies and MHC, allowing for a much faster immune reaction.
[0789] In some embodiments, the CD112 is expressed on a second cell, such as a cancer or tumor cell. In some embodiments, the CD155 is expressed on a second cell, such as a cancer or tumor cell.
[0790] In some embodiments, the present invention provides a method for activating, reducing or eliminating the number and / or activity of the cells of at least one type of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in vitro and in vivo, comprising administering to the subject in need thereof the antibody against PVRIG, the antibody against TIGIT, and / or the multispecific / bispecific antibody against PVRIG, and TIGIT, the immunoconjugate, the nucleic acid, the vector, the host cells, and / or the pharmaceutical composition of this invention as described above.
[0791] In other embodiments, provided herein is a method of preventing suppression of an immune cell, e.g., a suppression mediated by the interaction between PVRIG expressed on the immune cell with ligands of PVRIG (e.g., expressed on a cancer or tumor cell) , and / or a suppression mediated by the interaction between TIGIT (e.g., expressed on the immune cell) and ligands of TIGIT (e.g., expressed on a cancer or tumor cell) . In yet other embodiments, provided herein is a method of activating a response mediated by an immune cell, e.g., an anti-tumor response. In some embodiments, the method comprises contacting the immune cell with a binding agent (e.g., an antibody or fragment thereof) provided herein. In some embodiments, provided herein is a use of the binding agent provided herein for preventing suppression of an immune cell or activating a response mediated by an immune cell. In some embodiments, the immune cell is an NK cell. In some embodiments, the immune cell is a monocyte. In some embodiments, the immune cell is a T cell. In some embodiments, the T cell is a cytotoxic T cell such as a CD8+ T cell. In some embodiments, the immune cell expresses PVRIG. Additionally or alternatively, the immune cell expresses TIGIT. In some embodiments, the immune cell mediates an anti-cancer / tumor response. In further embodiments, the cancer or tumor cell expresses CD112. Additionally or alternatively, the cancer or tumor cell expresses CD155.
[0792] The present disclosure provides methods for activating an immune response in a subject using a binding agent described herein (e.g. an anti-PVRIG antibody, an anti-TIGIT antibody, or a multispecific antibody that binds to both PVRIG and TIGIT) . In some embodiments, the disclosure provides methods for promoting an immune response in a subject using a binding agent described herein. In some embodiments, the disclosure provides methods for increasing an immune response in a subject using a binding agent described herein. In some embodiments, the disclosure provides methods for enhancing an immune response in a subject using a binding agent described herein. In some embodiments, the activating, promoting, increasing, and / or enhancing of an immune response comprises stimulating monocytes. In some embodiments, the activating, promoting, increasing, and / or enhancing of an immune response comprises stimulating macrophages. In some embodiments, the activating, promoting, increasing, and / or enhancing of an immune response comprises enhancing macrophage phagocytosis. In some embodiments, the activating, promoting, increasing, and / or enhancing of an immune response comprises stimulating dendritic cells. In some embodiments, the activating, promoting, increasing, and / or enhancing of an immune response comprises enhancing FcR-mediated dendritic cell activity. In some embodiments, the activating, promoting, increasing, and / or enhancing of an immune response comprises increasing cell-mediated immunity. In some embodiments, the activating, promoting, increasing, and / or enhancing of an immune response comprises increasing effector T-cell activity. In some embodiments, the activating, promoting, increasing, and / or enhancing of an immune response comprises increasing CD8+T cell activity. In some embodiments, the activating, promoting, increasing, and / or enhancing of an immune response comprises increasing NK cell activity. In some embodiments, the activating, promoting, increasing, and / or enhancing of an immune response comprises enhancing NK cell activity. In some embodiments, the immune response is a result of antigenic stimulation. In some embodiments, the antigenic stimulation is a tumor cell. In some embodiments, the antigenic stimulation is cancer. In some embodiments, the activating, promoting, increasing, and / or enhancing of an immune response comprises enhancing cytokine release by immune cells. In some embodiments, the activating, promoting, increasing, and / or enhancing of an immune response comprises enhancing TNFα release by immune cells. In some embodiments, the activating, promoting, increasing, and / or enhancing of an immune response comprises enhancing IFN-γ release by immune cells. In some embodiments, the antibody described herein enhancing anti-tumor immunity.
[0793] In some embodiments, the binding agents (e. g, the anti-PVRIG antibodies, the anti-TIGIT antibodies, the multispecific / bispecific antibodies and / or antigen-binding fragment thereof) described herein are useful in compositions and in methods of treating a disease or disorder. Thus, in some embodiments, provided herein is a method for treating a disease or disorder in a subject comprising administering the binding agent or the pharmaceutical composition provided herein to the subject. In other embodiments, provided herein is a use of the binding agent or pharmaceutical composition provided herein for treating a disease or disorder in a subject. In other embodiments, provided herein is a binding agent or pharmaceutical composition provided herein for use in the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment of a disease or disorder.
[0794] In some embodiments, the treatment provided herein includes alleviating one or more symptoms associated with a disease or disorder (e.g., a cancer or a tumor) .
[0795] A method of modulating (e.g., inhibiting, reducing, preventing) tumor growth in a subject also is provided. For example, the method comprises administering to the subject a composition comprising a binding agent (e.g., an anti-PVRIG antibody, an anti-TIGIT antibody, a multispecific / bispecific antibody and / or antigen-binding fragment thereof) or another composition as disclosed herein in an amount effective to modulate tumor growth in the subject.
[0796] In some embodiments, the disease or disorder is a cancer or a tumor.
[0797] In some embodiments, the cancer is blood cancer. In some embodiments, the cancer is leukemia. In some embodiments, the cancer is lymphoma.
[0798] In some embodiments, the cancer is solid tumor.
[0799] As used herein, “tumor” refers to any neoplastic cell growth or proliferation, whether malignant or benign, and to all pre-cancerous and cancerous cells and tissues. The terms “cancer” and “cancerous” refer to or describe the physiological condition in mammals that is typically characterized by unregulated cell growth.
[0800] In some embodiments, the tumor or cancer is a solid tumor. In some embodiments, the tumor or cancer is not a solid tumor. In some embodiments, the tumor or cancer is a relapsed tumor or cancer. In some embodiments, the tumor or cancer is a metastatic tumor or cancer. In some embodiments, the tumor or cancer is a primary tumor or cancer. In some embodiments, the tumor or cancer reaches a remission, but can relapse. In some embodiments, the tumor or cancer is unresectable. Additionally or alternatively, the tumor or cancer is resistant to a chemotherapy or other anti-cancer therapy.
[0801] In some embodiments, the cancer or tumor is selected from the group consisting of the following disorders or combinations thereof: prostate cancer, liver cancer (HCC) , colorectal cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, breast cancer, triple negative breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, stomach / gastric cancer, cervical cancer, head and neck cancer, thyroid cancer, testicular cancer, urothelial cancer, lung cancer (small cell lung cancer or non-small cell lung cancer) , melanoma, non-melanoma skin cancer (squamous and basal cell carcinoma) , glioma, renal carcinoma (RCC) , lymphoma (NHL or HL) , acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) , T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) , diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, testis germ cell tumor, mesothelioma, esophageal cancer, Merkel cells cancer, MSI-high cancer, KRAS-mutant tumor, adult T-cell leukemia / lymphoma and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) . The disorders described above may be associated with aberrant expression of PVRIG and / or TIGIT. In some specific embodiments, the cancer or tumor is selected from the group consisting of the following cancers or combinations thereof: triple negative breast cancer, stomach / gastric cancer, lung cancer (small cell lung cancer or non-small cell lung cancer) , Merkel cell carcinoma, MSI-high cancer, KRAS-mutant tumor, adult T cell leukemia / lymphoma and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) . In some specific embodiments, the cancer or tumor is selected from the group consisting of the following cancers or combinations thereof: lung cancer (small cell lung cancer or non-small cell lung cancer) , prostate cancer, breast cancer (for example, triple negative breast cancer) , head and neck cancer, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, colon cancer, colorectal cancer, bladder cancer, cervical cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, liver cancer, melanoma, renal cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, cancers of blood system, Merkel cell carcinoma and MSI-high cancer and any other diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled cell growth.
[0802] The antibodies, pharmaceutical compositions and methods of the present disclosure may also be utilized to block the binding of TIGIT to its ligand, PVR, or the binding of PVRIG to its ligand, CD112, in vitro and in vivo.
[0803] The anti-PVRIG antibodies, the anti-TIGIT antibodies, the multispecific / bispecific antibodies against PVRIG and TIGIT, antigen-binding fragment thereof, the immunoconjugates, the expression vectors, the host cells and the pharmaceutic composition of this invention can be used as part of a combination therapy, wherein one or more additional therapeutic agent (s) are also administered to a subject in need thereof either sequentially or simultaneously. In some embodiments, the additional therapeutic agent is an immunotherapeutic agent. In some embodiments, the immunotherapeutic agent is a modulator of PD-L1 activity. In some embodiments, the additional therapeutic agent is an anti-PD-L1 antibody. In some embodiments, the anti-PD-L1 antibody is LAE005.
[0804] Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) , also referred to as antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity, is a mechanism of cell-mediated immune defense whereby an effector cell of the immune system kills a target cell, whose membrane-surface antigens have been bound by specific antibodies. The typical ADCC involves activation of NK cells by antibodies in a multi-tiered progression of immune control. A NK cell expresses Fcγ receptors. These receptors recognize and bind to the reciprocal portion of an antibody, such as IgG, which binds to a tumor cell or the surface of a pathogen-infected target cell. The most common of these Fc receptors on the surface of an NK cell is CD16 or FcγRIII. Once the Fc receptor binds to the Fc region of the antibody, the NK cell releases cytotoxic factors that cause the death of the target cell. In some embodiments, the one or more therapeutic agent (s) is an ADCC-enabled antibody. In some embodiments, the one or more therapeutic agent (s) is an anti-EGFR antibody or an EGFR-MET bispecific antibody. In some embodiments, the anti-EGFR antibody is Cetuximab. In some embodiments, the anti-EGFR-Met bispecific antibody is Amivantamab. Suitable routes of administering the antibodies of this invention, such as the multispecific / bispecific antibody, antigen-binding fragment thereof, the immunoconjugates, the expression vectors, the host cells and the pharmaceutic composition described herein, and / or the one or more additional therapeutic agent (s) , are well known in the art, such as intravenous injection (such as intravenous infusion) , intratumoral injection, or injection adjacent to a tumor or cancer. Although more than one route can be used to administer an agent (e.g., an antibody) , a particular route can provide a more immediate and more effective reaction than another route.
[0805] 11. Diagnostic Uses and Methods of Detection
[0806] Labeled binding molecules such as labeled antibodies and derivatives and analogs thereof, which immunospecifically bind to an antigen, can be used for diagnostic purposes to detect, diagnose, or monitor a disease.
[0807] Antibodies provided herein can be used to assay an antigen level in a biological sample using classical immunohistological methods as described herein or as known to those of skill in the art (e.g., see Jalkanen et al., 1985, J. Cell. Biol. 101: 976-985; and Jalkanen et al., 1987, J. Cell. Biol. 105: 3087-3096) . Other antibody-based methods useful for detecting protein gene expression include immunoassays, such as the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the radioimmunoassay (RIA) . Suitable antibody assay labels are known in the art and include enzyme labels, such as, glucose oxidase; radioisotopes, such as iodine (125I, 121I) , carbon (14C) , sulfur (35S) , tritium (3H) , indium (121In) , and technetium (99Tc) ; luminescent labels, such as luminol; and fluorescent labels, such as fluorescein and rhodamine, and biotin.
[0808] It will be understood in the art that the size of the subject and the imaging system used will determine the quantity of imaging moiety needed to produce diagnostic images. In the case of a radioisotope moiety, for a human subject, the quantity of radioactivity injected will normally range from about 5 to 20 millicuries of 99Tc. The labeled antibody will then accumulate at the location of cells which contain the specific protein. In vivo tumor imaging is described in S.W. Burchiel et al., “Immunopharmacokinetics of Radiolabeled Antibodies and Their Fragments. ” (Chapter 13 in Tumor Imaging: The Radiochemical Detection of Cancer, S.W. Burchiel and B.A. Rhodes, eds., Masson Publishing Inc. (1982) ) .
[0809] The antibodies, pharmaceutical compositions and methods of the present disclosure have numerous in vitro and in vivo utilities involving, for example, monitoring or detecting the expression level of PVRIG and / or TIGIT, detecting the presence of human PVRIG and / or TIGIT in a sample, or measuring the amount of human PVRIG and / or TIGIT.
[0810] 12. Combined use with chemotherapies
[0811] The antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof may be used in combination with an anti-cancer agent, a cytotoxic agent or chemotherapeutic agent.
[0812] The term “anti-cancer agent” or “anti-proliferative agent” means any agent that can be used to treat a cell proliferative disorder such as cancer, and includes, but is not limited to, cytotoxic agents, cytostatic agents, anti-angiogenic agents, debulking agents, chemotherapeutic agents, radiotherapy and radiotherapeutic agents, targeted anti-cancer agents, BRMs, therapeutic antibodies, cancer vaccines, cytokines, hormone therapies, radiation therapy and anti-metastatic agents and immunotherapeutic agents. It will be appreciated that, in selected embodiments as discussed above, such anti-cancer agents may comprise conjugates and may be associated with the disclosed site-specific antibodies prior to administration. More specifically, in certain embodiments selected anti-cancer agents will be linked to the unpaired cysteines of the engineered antibodies to provide engineered conjugates as set forth herein. Accordingly, such engineered conjugates are expressly contemplated as being within the scope of the present disclosure. In other embodiments, the disclosed anti-cancer agents will be given in combination with site-specific conjugates comprising a different therapeutic agent as set forth above.
[0813] As used herein the term “cytotoxic agent” means a substance that is toxic to the cells and decreases or inhibits the function of cells and / or causes destruction of cells. In certain embodiments, the substance is a naturally occurring molecule derived from a living organism. Examples of cytotoxic agents include, but are not limited to, small molecule toxins or enzymatically active toxins of bacteria (e.g., Diptheria toxin, Pseudomonas endotoxin and exotoxin, Staphylococcal enterotoxin A) , fungal (e.g., α-sarcin, restrictocin) , plants (e.g., abrin, ricin, modeccin, viscumin, pokeweed anti-viral protein, saporin, gelonin, momoridin, trichosanthin, barley toxin, Aleurites fordii proteins, dianthin proteins, Phytolacca mericana proteins (PAPI, PAPII, and PAP-S) , Momordica charantia inhibitor, curcin, crotin, saponaria officinalis inhibitor, gelonin, mitegellin, restrictocin, phenomycin, neomycin, and the tricothecenes) or animals, (e.g., cytotoxic RNases, such as extracellular pancreatic RNases; DNase I, including fragments and / or variants thereof) .
[0814] For the purposes of the present disclosure a “chemotherapeutic agent” comprises a chemical compound that non-specifically decreases or inhibits the growth, proliferation, and / or survival of cancer cells (e.g., cytotoxic or cytostatic agents) . Such chemical agents are often directed to intracellular processes necessary for cell growth or division, and are thus particularly effective against cancerous cells, which generally grow and divide rapidly. For example, vincristine depolymerizes microtubules, and thus inhibits cells from entering mitosis. In general, chemotherapeutic agents can include any chemical agent that inhibits, or is designed to inhibit, a cancerous cell or a cell likely to become cancerous or generate tumorigenic progeny (e.g., TIC) . Such agents are often administered, and are often most effective, in combination, e.g., in regimens such as CHOP or FOLFIRI.
[0815] Examples of anti-cancer agents that may be used in combination with the site-specific constructs of the present disclosure (either as a component of a site specific conjugate or in an unconjugated state) include, but are not limited to, alkylating agents, alkyl sulfonates, aziridines, ethylenimines and methylamelamines, acetogenins, a camptothecin, bryostatin, callystatin, CC-1065, cryptophycins, dolastatin, duocarmycin, eleutherobin, pancratistatin, a sarcodictyin, spongistatin, nitrogen mustards, antibiotics, enediyne antibiotics, dynemicin, bisphosphonates, esperamicin, chromoprotein enediyne antiobiotic chromophores, aclacinomysins, actinomycin, authramycin, azaserine, bleomycins, cactinomycin, carabicin, carminomycin, carzinophilin, chromomycinis, dactinomycin, daunorubicin, detorubicin, 6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine, doxorubicin, epirubicin, esorubicin, idarubicin, marcellomycin, mitomycins, mycophenolic acid, nogalamycin, olivomycins, peplomycin, potfiromycin, puromycin, quelamycin, rodorubicin, streptonigrin, streptozocin, tubercidin, ubenimex, zinostatin, zorubicin; anti-metabolites, erlotinib, vemurafenib, crizotinib, sorafenib, ibrutinib, enzalutamide, folic acid analogues, purine analogs, androgens, anti-adrenals, folic acid replenisher such as frolinic acid, aceglatone, aldophosphamide glycoside, aminolevulinic acid, eniluracil, amsacrine, bestrabucil, bisantrene, edatraxate, defofamine, demecolcine, diaziquone, elfornithine, elliptinium acetate, an epothilone, etoglucid, gallium nitrate, hydroxyurea, lentinan, lonidainine, maytansinoids, mitoguazone, mitoxantrone, mopidanmol, nitraerine, pentostatin, phenamet, pirarubicin, losoxantrone, podophyllinic acid, 2-ethylhydrazide, procarbazine, polysaccharide complex (JHS Natural Products, Eugene, OR) , razoxane; rhizoxin; sizofiran; spirogermanium; tenuazonic acid; triaziquone; 2, 2', 2"-trichlorotriethylamine; trichothecenes (especially T-2 toxin, verracurin A, roridin A and anguidine) ; urethan; vindesine; dacarbazine; mannomustine; mitobronitol; mitolactol; pipobroman; gacytosine; arabinoside ( “Ara-C” ) ; cyclophosphamide; thiotepa; taxoids, chloranbucil; gemcitabine; 6-thioguanine; mercaptopurine; methotrexate; platinum analogs, vinblastine; platinum; etoposide (VP-16) ; ifosfamide; mitoxantrone; vincristine; vinorelbine; novantrone; teniposide; edatrexate; daunomycin; aminopterin; xeloda; ibandronate; irinotecan (Camptosar, CPT-11) , topoisomerase inhibitor RFS 2000; difluorometlhylornithine; retinoids; capecitabine; combretastatin; leucovorin; oxaliplatin; inhibitors of PKC-alpha, Raf, H-Ras, EGFR and VEGF-A that reduce cell proliferation and pharmaceutically acceptable salts, acids or derivatives of any of the above. Also included in this definition are anti-hormonal agents that act to regulate or inhibit hormone action on tumors such as anti-estrogens and selective estrogen receptor modulators, aromatase inhibitors that inhibit the enzyme aromatase, which regulates estrogen production in the adrenal glands, and anti-androgens; as well as troxacitabine (a 1, 3-dioxolane nucleoside cytosine analog) ; antisense oligonucleotides, ribozymes such as a VEGF expression inhibitor and a HER2 expression inhibitor; vaccines, rIL-2; topoisomerase 1 inhibitor; rmRH; Vinorelbine and Esperamicins and pharmaceutically acceptable salts, acids or derivatives of any of the above.
[0816] 13. Combined use with radiotherapies
[0817] The present disclosure also provides for the combination of the antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof with radiotherapy (i.e., any mechanism for inducing DNA damage locally within tumor cells such as gamma-irradiation, X-rays, UV-irradiation, microwaves, electronic emissions and the like) . Combination therapy using the directed delivery of radioisotopes to tumor cells is also contemplated, and the disclosed conjugates may be used in connection with a targeted anti-cancer agent or other targeting means. Typically, radiation therapy is administered in pulses over a period of time from about 1 to about 2 weeks. The radiation therapy may be administered to subjects having head and neck cancer for about 6 to 7 weeks. Optionally, the radiation therapy may be administered as a single dose or as multiple, sequential doses.
[0818] 14. Pharmaceutical packs and kits
[0819] Also provided are kits comprising an anti-PVRIG antibody, an anti-TIGIT antibody, a bispecific PVRIG / TIGIT antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof as provided herein, either alone or in any combinations thereof, and optionally instructions for use.
[0820] In certain embodiments, a unit dosage is provided wherein the unit dosage contains a predetermined amount of a composition comprising, for example, the antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof, with or without one or more additional agents. For other embodiments, such a unit dosage is supplied in single-use prefilled syringe for injection. In still other embodiments, the composition contained in the unit dosage may comprise saline, sucrose, or the like; a buffer, such as phosphate, or the like; and / or be formulated within a stable and effective pH range. Alternatively, in certain embodiments, the conjugate composition may be provided as a lyophilized powder that may be reconstituted upon addition of an appropriate liquid, for example, sterile water or saline solution. In certain preferred embodiments, the composition comprises one or more substances that inhibit protein aggregation, including, but not limited to, sucrose and arginine. Any label on, or associated with, the container (s) indicates that the enclosed conjugate composition is used for treating the neoplastic disease condition of choice.
[0821] The present disclosure also provides kits for producing single-dose or multi-dose administration units of site-specific conjugates and, optionally, one or more anti-cancer agents. The kit comprises a container and a label or package insert on or associated with the container. Suitable containers include, for example, bottles, vials, syringes, etc. The containers may be formed from a variety of materials such as glass or plastic and contain a pharmaceutically effective amount of the disclosed conjugates in a conjugated or unconjugated form. In other preferred embodiments, the container (s) comprise a sterile access port (for example the container may be an intravenous solution bag or a vial having a stopper pierceable by a hypodermic injection needle) . Such kits will generally contain in a suitable container a pharmaceutically acceptable formulation of the engineered conjugate and, optionally, one or more anti-cancer agents in the same or different containers. The kits may also contain other pharmaceutically acceptable formulations, either for diagnosis or combined therapy. For example, in addition to the antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof of the present disclosure such kits may contain any one or more of a range of anti-cancer agents such as chemotherapeutic or radiotherapeutic drugs; anti-angiogenic agents; anti-metastatic agents; targeted anti-cancer agents; cytotoxic agents; and / or other anti-cancer agents.
[0822] More specifically the kits may have a single container that contains the disclosed the antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof, with or without additional components, or they may have distinct containers for each desired agent. Where combined therapeutics are provided for conjugation, a single solution may be pre-mixed, either in a molar equivalent combination, or with one component in excess of the other. Alternatively, the conjugates and any optional anti-cancer agent of the kit may be maintained separately within distinct containers prior to administration to a patient. The kits may also comprise a second / third container means for containing a sterile, pharmaceutically acceptable buffer or other diluents such as bacteriostatic water for injection (BWFI) , phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) , Ringer's solution and dextrose solution.
[0823] When the components of the kit are provided in one or more liquid solutions, the liquid solution is preferably an aqueous solution, with a sterile aqueous or saline solution being particularly preferred. However, the components of the kit may be provided as dried powder (s) . When reagents or components are provided as a dry powder, the powder can be reconstituted by the addition of a suitable solvent. It is envisioned that the solvent may also be provided in another container.
[0824] As indicated briefly above the kits may also contain a means by which to administer the antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof and any optional components to a patient, e.g., one or more needles, I.V. bags or syringes, or even an eye dropper, pipette, or other such like apparatus, from which the formulation may be injected or introduced into the animal or applied to a diseased area of the body. The kits of the present disclosure will also typically include a means for containing the vials, or such like, and other component in close confinement for commercial sale, such as, e.g., injection or blow-molded plastic containers into which the desired vials and other apparatus are placed and retained.
[0825] The kits of this invention can be used in the treatment or prevention of a proliferative disorder (e.g., a cancer or tumor) infection or sepsis in a subject.
[0826] The antibody of this invention may ameliorate the symptoms of the proliferative disorders, infection or sepsis associated with the overexpression of PVRIG and / or TIGIT.
[0827] In some other embodiments, the infection is a pathogen infection characterized by different degrees of dysfunction of a virus-specific T cell response, such as HIV, HCV or HBV.
[0828] The foregoing is a summary and thus contains, by necessity, simplifications, generalizations, and omissions of detail; consequently, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Other aspects, features, and advantages of the methods, compositions and / or devices and / or other subject matter described herein will become apparent in the teachings set forth herein. The summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
[0829] 15. Tables and Sequence listing
[0830] The amino acid sequences and nucleotide sequences of the antibodies of the present invention are provided below:
[0831] Table 1 Amino acid sequences of the three CDRs of the VHs of the 7 Alpacas antibodies against PVRIG
[0832] Table 2 Amino acid sequences of the VHs of the 7 Alpacas antibodies against PVRIG
[0833] Table 3 Amino acid sequences of the H chains of the 7 Alpacas antibodies against PVRIG
[0834] Table 4a Amino acid sequences of the three CDRs of the VHs of some humanized Alpacas antibodies P-AIL-A32
[0835] Table 4b Amino acid sequences of the VHs of the humanized Alpacas antibodies P-AIL-A15 against PVRIG
[0836] Table 4c Amino acid sequences of the VHs of the humanized Alpacas antibodies P-AIL-A32 against PVRIG
[0837] Table 4d Amino acid sequences of the H chains of the humanized Alpacas antibodies P-AIL-A15 against PVRIG
[0838] Table 4e Amino acid sequences of the H chains of the humanized Alpacas antibodies P-AIL-A32 against PVRIG
[0839] Table 5a Amino acid sequences of the three CDRs of the affinity-maturated Alpacas antibodies P-AIL-A32 against PVRIG numbered according to the Kabat numbering system
[0840] Table 5b Amino acid sequences of the three CDRs of the affinity-maturated Alpacas antibodies P-AIL-A32 against PVRIG numbered according to the AbM numbering system
[0841] Table 6a Amino acid sequences of the VHs of the humanized and affinity-maturated Alpacas AIL-A32 antibodies against PVRIG
[0842] Table 6b Amino acid sequences of the H chains of the humanized and affinity-maturated Alpacas AIL-A32 antibodies against PVRIG
[0843] Table 7 Amino acid sequences of the six CDRs of the 28 mouse antibodies against TIGIT
[0844] Table 8a Amino acid sequences of the VHs and VLs of the 28 mouse antibodies against TIGIT
[0845] Table 8b Amino acid sequences of the H and L chains of the 28 mouse antibodies against TIGIT
[0846] Table 9a Amino acid sequences of the six CDRs of some humanized antibodies T-MIL-A60 against TIGIT
[0847] Table 9b Amino acid sequences of the six CDRs of the 12 humanized mouse antibodies T-MIL-A169 against TIGIT
[0848] Table 10a Amino acid sequences of the VHs and VLs of the 7 humanized mouse antibodies T-MIL-A60 against TIGIT
[0849] Table 10b Amino acid sequences of the VHs and VLs of the 12 humanized mouse antibodies T-MIL-A169 against TIGIT
[0850] Table 10c Amino acid sequences of the heavy chains and light chains of the 7 humanized mouse antibodies T-MIL-A60 against TIGIT
[0851] Table 10d Amino acid sequences of the heavy chains and light chains of the 12 humanized mouse antibodies T-MIL-A169 against TIGIT
[0852] Table 11 Amino acid sequences of the heavy chains and the light chains of the bispecific antibodies against PVRIG and TIGIT
[0853] Table 12 Amino acid sequences of the CDRs of the 21 bispecific antibodies against PVRIG and TIGIT
[0854] Table 13 Amino acid sequences of the reference antibodies used in the Examples and the Figures:
[0855] EXAMPLES
[0856] The present disclosure, thus generally described, will be understood more readily by reference to the following Examples, which are provided by way of illustration and are not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. The Examples are not intended to represent that the experiments below are all or the only experiments performed.
[0857] EXAMPLE 1
[0858] Example 1: Human Anti-PVRIG Antibody Generation
[0859] The objective of this study was to isolate human antibodies that bind to the PVRIG immuno-oncology target with high affinity and specificity.
[0860] 1.1 PVRIG Protein Expression:
[0861] Human PVRIG ECD-Fc (NP_076975.2) or cynomolgus PVRIG ECD-Fc (XP_005549281.1) fusion protein, composed of the ECD of human or cyno PVRIG fused to the human Fc, was produced by transient transfection in CHO cells which were cultured for 6 days, followed by protein A purification of cell harvest. The final product was formulated in PBS pH 7.2. Expression vector used was Mammalian Expression Vector GSV0 (Sanyou Bio) , in which PVRIG gene is driven by CMV promoter.
[0862] 1.2 PVRIG signal domain Ab:
[0863] Alpacas were immunized by injection of 0.5mg human PVRIG-hFc protein and boosted with human PVRIG or cyno-PVRIG protein for 3 times. Total RNA was prepared from 100ml PBMC of 2 different alpacas. VH gene repertoires were amplified from the cDNA by using PrimeSTAR Max DNA Polymerase (TaKaRa) in combination with primers specific for the VHH genes. PCR products were agarose gel-purified and reamplified to append NcoI and NotI restriction sites. The PCR products were cut with restriction enzymes NcoI and NotI and agarose gel-purified. The resulting DNA fragments were ligated into the plasmid PMID (Sanyou) cut with restriction enzymes NcoI and NotI and the ligated DNA was electroporated into the E. coli strain SS320. A human phage display library of VHH genes containing 2.2 × 109 members was generated from the products of 23 ligation reactions and 15 electroporations.
[0864] 1.3 Manual Solid Phage Panning:
[0865] Thermo ScientificTM Immuno tubes (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Catalog #444202) were coated with huPVRIG-Fc or cyno-PVRIG-Fc dissolved in PBS (10 ug / ml) . After blocking with 5%non-fat dried milk in PBS, 5x1012 HuPVRIG-VHH phage from alpaca immunization pool purified as above were added for 1 h at RT. After several washing steps, bound phages were eluted by 0.25%Trypsin for 20 mins at RT. Three rounds of panning were performed with phage amplification conducted between each round as described above.
[0866] 1.4 Liquid Phage panning:
[0867] Phage antibody panning was performed against huPVRIG or cyno-PVRIG in a semi-automated fashion using the Kingfisher magnetic bead system. The magnetic beads were blocked with 5%BSA and then incubated with biotinylated PVRIG antigen. The Phage libraries (1.2) were mixed with magnetic beads (300 nM) coupled with biotinylated PVRIG and incubated for l hr at RT with gentle rotation to allow binding of PVRIG specific phage. Non-specific binders were removed by washing buffer (0.05%PBST) . After washing, bound phage was eluted by incubation with 0.25%Trypsin for 20 mins at RT. Second and third rounds of panning were conducted as per the steps above, except that the rescued phage supernatant from the previous round was used in place of the phage library.
[0868] 1.5 Mixed Solid Phage / Liquid phage panning:
[0869] The phage libraries were used for phage panning against human PVRIG and cyno PVRIG biotinylated recombinant proteins. Three round panning was carried out using mixed solid phage panning (1.3) and liquid phage panning (1.4) . Following the final round of panning, VHH antibodies were screened for binding to either Human PVRIG and / or Cyno PVRIG in ELISA.
[0870] 1.6 Identification of HuPVRIG Binding VHH:
[0871] Clones obtained after three rounds of solid phage panning (1.3) , liquid phage panning (1.4) , or mixed solid phase (1.5) were screened by Elisa for directly binding to huPVRIG antigen. ELISA was performed by coating 96-well ELISA plates (Costar) with 2μg / ml huPVRIG protein (Sanyo) overnight at 4 ℃, then blocked with 5%BSA for 1h at RT and followed by 1 h RT incubation with VHH supernatants diluted in PBS / 1%BSA / 0.05%Tween20. Anti-Flag-HRP was used for detection of positive VHH. The assays were developed using HRP chromogenic substrate (Sigma) , according to the manufacturer’s instructions. 223 positive hits were selected from the immune VHH libraries obtained from two Alpacas. These clones were re-arrayed into a new 96-well plate. They were grown overnight at 37℃ and the plasmid DNA was sequenced using heavy chain primers. The sequences were assembled and analyzed using SeqMan software. The clones were deemed sequence-unique if there were more than one non-conservative differences in the heavy chain CDR3. 46 unique sequences were identified from the immune VHH libraries.
[0872] 1.7 VHH hits were reformatted to human IgG molecules:
[0873] Potential VHH were converted to full length human IgGs for further characterization. Protein expression constructs were derived by PCR-amplification of VH, which were sub-cloned into pcDNA3.3-TOPO (Invivogen) vector containing the consistent regions of heavy chain. For transfection, ExpiCHO cells were seeded at 6xl06 cells / ml in culture medium. DNA and ExpiFectamineTMCHO were each diluted separately with OptiPROTMSFM. They were then mixed and incubated at RT for 5 mins and added to the expression culture in a shaker flask and incubated at 37℃ with shaking at 125 rpm. Approximately 20 hrs post-transfection, ExpiCHOTMEnhancer and ExpiCHOTMFeed were added to the flask. Cultures were incubated for a further five days (six days post-transfection in total) and supernatants were harvested by centrifugation. IgGs were purified from the supernatants using an MabSelect SuRe LX (GE, 17547403) according to manufacturer's instructions.
[0874] 1.8 Elisa and FACS screening of reformatted IgG4 antibodies:
[0875] Binding affinity of the anti-PVRIG antibodies against human PVRIG were determined by either ELISA (Example 1.6) or FACS analysis. The human PVRIG over-expressing HEK293 cells, or the un-transfected HEK293 cells, were incubated with varying concentrations (0 -20 μg / ml) of the anti-PVRIG antibodies or isotype control in FACS buffer at RT for 60 mins. Cells were washed twice in FACS buffer, re-suspended in 50μl of Goat F (ab') 2 Anti-Human IgG -Fc (ab98593) diluted 1:200 and incubated for 30 mins at 4℃ in the dark. Cells were washed twice, re-suspended in a final volume of 80 μl of FACS buffer and analyzed using the NovoCyte Flow Cytometer system (Agilent) . Data was analyzed using GraphPad Prism (GraphPad Software, Inc. ) . The top 7 VHH antibodies with high binding affinity against huPVRIG were identified. Their binding affinities to human PVRIG are shown in Fig. 1. The amino acid sequences of the three CDRs of the VHs of the 7 antibodies are provided in Table 1. The amino acid sequences and the nucleic acid sequences of the VHs of the 7 antibodies against PVRIG are provided in Tables 2 and 3, respectively.
[0876] 1.9 Blocking assays:
[0877] Anti-PVRIG antibody dilutions (with a starting concentration of 10 μg / ml) were mixed with huPVRIG-hFC-biotin (3 μg / ml) at 4℃ for 1h. The human PVRL2 over-expressing HEK293 cells were diluted at 1xl06 cells / ml in FACS buffer and incubated with the mixture at 4℃ for 1h. The cells were then washed in PBS twice and stained with PE labelled Streptavidin (1: 300) for 30 min at 4℃. Thereafter, cells were washed and suspended in PBS for FACS analysis and calculation of mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) . The results were shown in Fig. 2.
[0878] 1.10 Cyno-PVRIG binding assay:
[0879] ELISA was performed by coating 96-well ELISA plates (Costar) with 2 μg / ml cyno-PVRIG-Fc protein (ACROBiosystems, PVG-C5259) overnight at 4 ℃, then blocked with PBS 2%BSA for 2h at RT followed by 1 h RT incubation with the anti-PVRIG antibodies, diluted in PBS / 3%BSA / 0.05%Tween20 from 3mg / ml. Anti-VHH-HRP antibody (GenScript, A01861) was used for detection, and assays were developed using HRP chromogenic substrate, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. The data of some top clones was shown in Fig. 3.
[0880] 1.11 NFAT-Luciferase reporter assay:
[0881] Anti-PVRIG antibodies were further tested in the NFAT-Luciferase reporter assay (Example 3) to determine their biological functions. Consistent with their receptor blocking activity, the blocking PVRIG sdAbs en...
Claims
1.An isolated antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragments thereof, comprising a heavy chain variable (VH) region comprising:(1) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 1, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 2, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 3;(2) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 6, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 7, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 8;(3) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 11, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 12, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 13;(4) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 17, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(5) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 21, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 22, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 23;(6) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 26, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 27, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 28;(7) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 31, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 32, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 33;(8) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 36, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(9) HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 that are identical to the HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 of an antibody selected from those listed in Tables 2, 4b and 4c;(10) HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 that are otherwise identical to the HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 as listed in one of the above (1) - (9) except for up to 5 (e.g., up to 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0) amino acid substitutions in one or more of the HCDRs;(11) the HCDRs of an antibody against PVRIG that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on PVRIG as one of the antibody as defined in the above (1) - (9) ; or(12) the HCDRs of an antibody against PVRIG that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (9) for binding to PVRIG.2.The isolated antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claim 1, comprising a heavy chain variable (VH) region comprising:(1) HCDR1 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence X1FAVG (SEQ ID NO: 540) , wherein X1 is S or A or L or G or P;(2) HCDR2 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence CSX3X4X5X6X7X8X9X10YX12DSVKG (SEQ ID NO: 541) , wherein:X3 is S or T;X4 is S or Y or W;X5 is T or A or G or M or R or L;X6 is D or R;X7X8X9X10 is NSTD or ESTD or NSPF or APTD or NVLA; andX12 is D or A;and(3) HCDR3 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence GWDCSGAVVYGVGH (SEQ ID NO: 18) ;wherein the amino acids are numbered according to the Kabat numbering system;preferably, X4X5 in the HCDR2 is YA or YG or YM or YR or ST or WG or WT or YL; more preferably, X3X4X5X6 in the HCDR2 is SYAD or SYGD or SYMD or SYRD or SSTD or SWGD or SYGR or TWTD or SYLD;more preferably, the isolated antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof comprises a heavy chain variable (VH) region comprising:(1) HCDR1 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence SFAVG (SEQ ID NO: 16) ;(2) HCDR2 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of CSSSTDNVLAYADSVKG (SEQ ID NO: 559) , CSSSTDESTDYADSVKG (SEQ ID NO: 560) , or CSSSTDAPTDYADSVKG (SEQ ID NO: 561) ; and(3) HCDR3 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence GWDCSGAVVYGVGH (SEQ ID NO: 18) .3.The isolated antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claim 1, comprising a heavy chain variable (VH) region comprising:(1) HCDR1 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence GFTLX5X6FAVG (SEQ ID NO: 542) , whereinX5 is E or V or D or H or G; andX6 is S or A or L or G or P;(2) HCDR2 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence CSX3X4X5X6X7X8X9X10 (SEQ ID NO: 543) , wherein:X3 is S or T;X4 is S or Y or W;X5 is T or A or G or M or R or L;X6 is D or R; andX7X8X9X10 is NSTD or ESTD or NSPF or APTD or NVLA; and(3) HCDR3 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence GWDCSGAVVYGVGH (SEQ ID NO: 18) ;wherein the amino acids are numbered according to the AbM numbering system;Preferably, X4X5 in the HCDR2 is YA or YG or YM or YR or ST or WG or WT or YL; more preferably, X3X4X5X6 in the HCDR2 is SYAD or SYGD or SYMD or SYRD or SSTD or SWGD or SYGR or TWTD or SYLD.4.The isolated antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claim 1, comprising a heavy chain variable (VH) region comprising:(1) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 1, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 2, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 3;(2) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 6, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 7, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 8;(3) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 11, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 12, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 13;(4) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 17, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(5) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 21, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 22, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 23;(6) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 26, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 27, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 28;(7) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 31, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 32, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 33;(8) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 36, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(9) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 559, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(10) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 560, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;or(11) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 561, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18.5.The isolated antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claim 1, comprising a heavy chain variable (VH) region comprising:(1) the HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 of an antibody comprising the heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4;(2) the HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 of an antibody comprising the heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 9;(3) the HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 of an antibody comprising the heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 14;(4) the HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 of an antibody comprising the heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 19;(5) the HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 of an antibody comprising the heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 24;(6) the HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 of an antibody comprising the heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 29;(7) the HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 of an antibody comprising the heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 34;(8) one or more of the variants of the CDRs that are otherwise identical to the CDRs of one of (1) - (7) except for up to 5 (e.g., up to 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0) amino acid substitutions;(9) the CDRs of an antibody against PVRIG that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on PVRIG as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (7) ; or(10) the CDRs of an antibody against PVRIG that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (7) for binding to PVRIG.6.The isolated antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claim 1, comprising a heavy chain variable (VH) region comprising:(1) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 11, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 12 and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 13;(2) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 17 and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(3) the HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 of an antibody comprising a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 14;(4) the HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 of an antibody comprising a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 19;(5) the HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 of the antibody P-AIL-A15 or P-AIL-A32 as set forth in Table 2;(6) one or more of the variants of the CDRs that are otherwise identical to the CDRs of one of the above (1) - (5) except for up to 5 (e.g., up to 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0) amino acid substitutions;(7) the CDRs of an antibody against PVRIG that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on PVRIG as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (5) ; or(8) the CDRs of an antibody against PVRIG that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (5) for binding to PVRIG.7.The isolated antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claim 1, comprising a heavy chain variable region comprising:(1) an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of: SEQ ID NO: 4, SEQ ID NO: 9, SEQ ID NO: 14, SEQ ID NO: 19, SEQ ID NO: 24, SEQ ID NO: 29, or SEQ ID NO: 34;(2) an amino acid sequence which is identical to the amino acid sequence of the heavy chain variable region of an antibodies selected from those listed in Table 2;(3) an amino acid sequence that is at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99%identical to the amino acid sequence of the above (1) or (2) ;(4) an amino acid sequence with addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids, as compared with the amino acid sequence of the above (1) or (2) ;(5) an amino acid sequence that is identical to the amino acid sequence of the VH of an antibody against PVRIG that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on PVRIG as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) or (2) ; or(6) an amino acid sequence that is identical to the amino acid sequence of the VH of an antibody against PVRIG that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (2) for binding to PVRIG.8.The isolated antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claim 1, wherein the antibody comprises a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of:(1) an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of: SEQ ID NO: 5, SEQ ID NO: 10, SEQ ID NO: 15, SEQ ID NO: 20, SEQ ID NO: 25, SEQ ID NO: 30, or SEQ ID NO: 35;(2) an amino acid sequence that is identical to the amino acid sequence of the heavy chain of an antibody selected from those listed in Tables 3;(3) an amino acid sequence that is at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99%identical to the amino acid sequence of the above (1) or (2) ;(4) an amino acid sequence with addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids, as compared with the amino acid sequence of the above (1) or (2) ;(5) an amino acid sequence that is identical to the amino acid sequence of the heavy chain of an antibody against PVRIG that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on PVRIG as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) or (2) ; or(6) an amino acid sequence that is identical to the amino acid sequence of the heavy chain of an antibody against PVRIG that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (2) for binding to PVRIG.9.The isolated antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claim 1, which is humanized, and optionally affinity-maturated.10.The isolated antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claim 1, comprising a heavy chain variable (VH) region comprising:(1) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 11, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 12 and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 13;(2) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 17 and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(3) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 36, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(4) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 559, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(5) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 560, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(6) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 561, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(7) the HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 of an antibody comprising a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 14, 19 or 48;(8) the HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 of the antibody P-AIL-A15, P-AIL-A32, P-AIL-A32-Hu10 as set forth in Table 2 or 4b;(9) HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 that are otherwise identical to the HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 as listed in one of the above (1) - (8) except for up to 5 (e.g., up to 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0) amino acid substitutions in one or more of the HCDRs;(10) the CDRs of an antibody against PVRIG that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on PVRIG as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (8) ; or(11) the CDRs of an antibody against PVRIG that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (8) for binding to PVRIG.11.The isolated antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claim 1, comprising a heavy chain variable (VH) region comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of:(1) an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 14 or 19;(2) the amino acid sequence of the VH of the antibody P-AIL-A15 or P-AIL-A32 as set forth in Table 2;(3) an amino acid sequence that is at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99%identical to the amino acid sequence as defined in the above (1) or (2) ;(4) an amino acid sequence with addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids, as compared with the amino acid sequence as defined in the above (1) or (2) ;(5) an amino acid sequence that is identical to the amino acid sequence of the heavy chain of an antibody against PVRIG that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on PVRIG as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) or (2) ; or(6) an amino acid sequence that is identical to the amino acid sequence of the heavy chain of an antibody against PVRIG that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) or (2) for binding to PVRIG.12.The isolated antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claim 9, comprising a heavy chain variable region comprising:(1) an amino acid sequence selected from those listed in Table 4b and Table 4c; or(2) an amino acid sequence selected from the group being consisted of SEQ ID NOs: 37-58;(3) an amino acid sequence at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%or 99%identical to the above (1) or (2) , or(4) an amino acid sequence with addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids, as compared with the amino acid sequence of the above (1) or (2) .13.The isolated antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claim 12, wherein the isolated antibody comprises a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of:(1) an amino acid sequence selected from the group being consisted of SEQ ID NO: 59-80;(2) an amino acid sequence that is identical to that of the heavy chain of an antibody selected from those listed in Tables 4d and 4e;(3) an amino acid sequence at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%or 99%identical to one of the amino acid sequences listed in the above (1) or (2) ,(4) an amino acid sequence with addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids, as compared with one of the amino acid sequences listed in the above (1) or (2) ;(5) an amino acid sequence that is identical to the amino acid sequence of the heavy chain of an antibody against PVRIG that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on PVRIG as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) or (2) ; or(6) an amino acid sequence that is identical to the amino acid sequence of the heavy chain of an antibody against PVRIG that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) or (2) for binding to PVRIG.14.The isolated antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claim 1 or 9, comprising a heavy chain variable region comprising:(1) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 81, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 82, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(2) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 83, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(3) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 84, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(4) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 85, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 86, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(5) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 87, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 88, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(6) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 81, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 89, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(7) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 90, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(8) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 91, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 92, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(9) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 93, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(10) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 82, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(11) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 81, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 84, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(12) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 95, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 96, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(13) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 97, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 98, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(14) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 95, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 99, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(15) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 95, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 100, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(16) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 101, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 99, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(17) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 102, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 103, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(18) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 104, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 105, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(19) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 106, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 105, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(20) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 97, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 107, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(21) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 95, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 108, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(22) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 94, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 109, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(23) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 95, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 110, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(24) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 95, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 98, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(25) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 97, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 100 and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(26) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 559, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(27) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 560, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(28) HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 16, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 561, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 18;(29) an amino acid sequence comprising the heavy chain CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 regions (HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3) that are identical to the heavy chain CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 regions of an antibody selected from those listed in Tables 6a and 6b;(30) HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 that are otherwise identical to the HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 as listed in one of the above (1) - (29) except for up to 5 (e.g., up to 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0) amino acid substitutions in one or more of the HCDRs;(31) the HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 of an antibody against PVRIG that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on PVRIG as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (29) ; or(32) the HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 of an antibody against PVRIG that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (29) for binding to PVRIG.15.The isolated antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claim 14, comprising a heavy chain variable region comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of:(1) an amino acid sequence selected from those listed in Table 6a;(2) an amino acid sequence selected from the group being consisted of SEQ ID NOs: 111-123;(3) an amino acid sequence at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99%identical to the above (1) or (2) ,(4) an amino acid sequence with addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids compared with the amino acid sequence of the above (1) or (2) ;(5) an amino acid sequence of the VH of an antibody against PVRIG that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on PVRIG as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) or (2) ; or(6) an amino acid sequence of the VH of an antibody against PVRIG that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) or (2) for binding to PVRIG.16.The isolated antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claim 14, wherein the isolated antibody comprises a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of:(1) an amino acid sequence selected from those listed in Table 6b;(2) an amino acid sequence selected from the group being consisted of SEQ ID NOs: 124-136;(3) an amino acid sequence at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99%identical to the above (1) or (2) ,(4) an amino acid sequence with addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids compared with the amino acid sequence of the above (1) or (2) ;(5) an amino acid sequence of the heavy chain of an antibody against PVRIG that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on PVRIG as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) or (2) ; or(6) an amino acid sequence of the heavy chain of an antibody against PVRIG that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) or (2) for binding to PVRIG.17.The isolated antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claim 1, comprising a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of the VH of a reference antibody selected from those listed in Table 4c or Table 4e, except for the replacement of the three CDRs in the reference antibody with a set of different three CDRs as listed in Table 5a or Table 5b or contained in an antibody as listed in Table 6a or defined in claims 2 or 3.18.The isolated antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragments thereof of any one of claims 1-17, which is modified to remove various post-translational modifications (PTMs) , such as oxidation, deamidation, isomerization, glycosylation, and others, preferably modified to be deglycosylated.19.An isolated antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragments thereof, comprising a heavy chain variable (VH) region and a light chain variable (VL) region, wherein:(1) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 137-139; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 140-142;(2) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 147-149; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 150-152;(3) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 157-159; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 160-162;(4) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 167-169; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 170-172;(5) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 177-179; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 180-182;(6) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 187-189; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 190-192;(7) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 197-199; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 200-202;(8) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 207-209; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 210-212;(9) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 217-219; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 220-222;(10) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 227-229; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 230-232;(11) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 237-239; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 240-242;(12) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 247-249; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 250-252;(13) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 257-259; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 260-262;(14) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 267-269; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 270-272;(15) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 277-279; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 280-282;(16) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 287-289; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 290-292;(17) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 297-299; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 300-302;(18) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 307-309; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 310-312;(19) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 317-319; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 320-322;(20) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 327-329; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 330-332;(21) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 337-339; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 340-342;(22) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 347-349; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 350-352;(23) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 357-359; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 360-362;(24) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 367-369; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 370-372;(25) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 377-379; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 380-382;(26) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 387-389; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 390-392;(27) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 397-399; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 400-402;(28) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 407-409; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 410-412;(29) the VH region comprises the same HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 as a reference antibody selected from Table 7 or 8a; and the VL region comprises the same LCDR1, LCDR2, and LCDR3 as the reference antibody;(30) the VH region comprises the same HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3 as a reference antibody selected from Table 7 or 8a; and the VL region comprises the same LCDR1, LCDR2, and LCDR3 as the reference antibody, except for up to 5 (e.g., up to 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0) amino acid substitutions in one or more of the HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3, LCDR1, LCDR2, and LCDR3;(31) the VH region and the VL region comprise the same HCDRs and LCDRs of an antibody against TIGIT that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on TIGIT as one of the antibody as defined in the above (1) - (29) ; or(32) the heavy chain variable region and the light chain variable region comprise the same HCDRs and LCDRs of an antibody against TIGIT that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (29) for binding to TIGIT.20.The isolated antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claim 19, wherein:the VH comprises:(1) HCDR1 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence NYIMS (SEQ ID NO: 217) ;(2) HCDR2 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence TITSGGGNAYYX12DSVX16G (SEQ ID NO: 544) , wherein:X12 is P or A; andX16 is R or K;and(3) HCDR3 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence WLISFYAMDY (SEQ ID NO: 219) ; andthe VL comprises:(1) LCDR1 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence X1ASQNINVWLS (SEQ ID NO: 545) , wherein X1 is H or R;(2) LCDR2 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence KASNLX6X7 (SEQ ID NO: 546) , wherein X6X7 is HT or ES;and(3) LCDR3 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence QQGQSYPLT (SEQ ID NO: 222) ;wherein the amino acids are numbered according to the Kabat numbering system.21.The isolated antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claim 19, wherein:the VH comprises:(1) HCDR1 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence NTYMH (SEQ ID NO: 347) ;(2) HCDR2 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence RIDPANGNTKY X12X13KFQG (SEQ ID NO: 547) , wherein X12X13 is AP or SQ; and(3) HCDR3 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence EGDDGYYEDY (SEQ ID NO: 349) ; andthe VL comprises:(1) LCDR1 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence RASENIYSYLA (SEQ ID NO: 350) ;(2) LCDR2 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence NAKTLX6X7 (SEQ ID NO: 548) , wherein X6X7 is AE or QS; and(3) LCDR3 comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence QHHYGNPFT (SEQ ID NO: 352) ;wherein the amino acids are numbered according to the Kabat numbering system.22.The isolated antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claim 19, wherein:(1) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 143, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 144;(2) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 153, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 154;(3) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 163, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 164;(4) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 173, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 174;(5) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 183, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 184;(6) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 193, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 194;(7) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 203, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 204;(8) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 213, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 214;(9) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 223, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 224;(10) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 233, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 234;(11) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 243, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 244;(12) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 253, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 254;(13) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 263, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 264;(14) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 273, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 274;(15) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 283, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 284;(16) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 293, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 294;(17) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 303, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 304;(18) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 313, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 314;(19) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 323, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 324;(20) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 333, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 334;(21) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 343, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 344;(22) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 353, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 354;(23) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 363, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 364;(24) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 373, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 374;(25) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 383, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 384;(26) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 393, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 394;(27) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 403, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 404;(28) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 413, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 414;(29) the VH and VL comprise amino acid sequences identical to that of an antibody selected from those listed in Table 8a;(30) the VH and VL comprise amino acid sequences at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99%identical to the amino acid sequences of the VH and VL as listed in one of the above (1) -(29) ;(31) the VH and VL comprise amino acid sequences with addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids, as compared with the amino acid sequences of the VH and VL as listed in one of the above (1) - (29) ;(32) the VH and VL comprise amino acid sequences identical to the amino acid sequences of the VH and VL of an antibody against TIGIT that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on TIGIT as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (29) ; or(33) the VH and VL comprise amino acid sequences identical to the amino acid sequences of the VH and VL of an antibody against TIGIT that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (29) for binding to TIGIT.23.The isolated antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claim 19, wherein the antibody against TIGIT comprises a heavy chain and a light chain, wherein:(1) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 145, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 146;(2) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 155, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 156;(3) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 165, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 166;(4) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 175, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 176;(5) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 185, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 186;(6) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 195, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 196;(7) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 205, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 206;(8) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 215, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 216;(9) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 225, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 226;(10) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 235, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 236;(11) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 245, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 246;(12) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 255, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 256;(13) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 265, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 266;(14) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 275, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 276;(15) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 285, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 286;(16) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 295, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 296;(17) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 305, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 306;(18) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 315, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 316;(19) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 325, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 326;(20) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 335, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 336;(21) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 345, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 346;(22) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 355, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 356;(23) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 365, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 366;(24) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 375, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 376;(25) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 385, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 386;(26) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 395, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 396;(27) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 405, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 406;(28) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 415, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 416;(29) the heavy chain and light chain comprise amino acid sequences identical to that of an antibody selected from those listed in Table 8b;(30) the heavy chain and light chain comprise amino acid sequences at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99%identical to the amino acid sequences of the respective heavy chain and light chain as listed in one of the above (1) - (29) ;(31) the heavy chain and light chain comprise amino acid sequences with addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids, as compared with the amino acid sequences of the respective heavy chain and light chain as listed in one of the above (1) - (29) ;(32) the heavy chain and light chain comprise amino acid sequences identical to the amino acid sequences of the respective heavy chain and light chain of an antibody against TIGIT that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on TIGIT as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) -(29) ; or(33) the heavy chain and light chain comprise amino acid sequences identical to the amino acid sequences of the respective heavy chain and light chain of an antibody against TIGIT that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (29) for binding to TIGIT.24.The isolated antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claim 19, wherein:(1) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 217-219; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 220-222;(2) the VH region comprises HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 347-349; and the VL region comprises LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 each comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 350-352;(3) the VH region and the VL region comprise the HCDR1, HCDR2 and HCDR3, and the LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 of an antibody comprising a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 223 and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 224;(4) the VH region and the VL region comprise the HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3, LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 of an antibody comprising a VH comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 353 and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 354;(5) the VH region and the VL region comprise the same respective HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3, LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 as that of the antibody T-AIL-A60 or T-AIL-A169 as set forth in Table 8a or 8b;(6) the VH region and the VL region comprise HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3, LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 that are otherwise identical to the HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3, LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 as listed in one of the above (1) - (5) except for up to 5 (e.g., up to 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0) amino acid substitutions in one or more of the CDRs;(7) the VH region and the VL region comprise the same respective HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3, LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 as that of an antibody against TIGIT that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on PVRIG as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (5) ; or(8) the VH region and the VL region comprise the same respective HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3, LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3 as that of an antibody against TIGIT that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (5) for binding to TIGIT.25.The isolated antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claim 22, wherein:(1) the VH region comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 223, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 224;(2) the VH region comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 353, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 354;(3) the VH region and the VL region comprise the same amino acid sequences as the VH and VL of the antibody T-AIL-A60 or T-AIL-A169 as set forth in Table 8a or 8b;(4) the VH region and the VL region comprise amino acid sequences that are at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99%identical to the respective amino acid sequences of an antibody as defined in the above (1) - (3) ;(5) the VH region and the VL region comprise amino acid sequences identical to the respective amino acid sequences of an antibody as defined in the above (1) - (3) , expect for the addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids in one or both of the VH region and the VL region;(6) the VH region and the VL region comprise amino acid sequences identical to the respective VH and VL amino acid sequences of an antibody against TIGIT that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on TIGIT as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (3) ; or(7) the VH region and the VL region comprise amino acid sequences identical to the respective VH and VL amino acid sequences of an antibody against TIGIT that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (3) for binding to TIGIT.26.The isolated antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claim 19, wherein the antibody comprises a heavy chain and a light chain, wherein:(1) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 225, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 226;(2) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 355, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 356;(3) the heavy chain and the light chain comprise the same amino acid sequences as the heavy chain and the light chain of the antibody T-AIL-A60 or T-AIL-A169 as set forth in Table 8b;(4) the heavy chain and the light chain comprise amino acid sequences that are at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, or 99%identical to the respective amino acid sequences of an antibody as defined in the above (1) - (3) ;(5) the heavy chain and the light chain comprise amino acid sequences identical to the respective amino acid sequences of an antibody as defined in the above (1) - (3) , expect for the addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids in one or both of the heavy chain and the light chain;(6) the heavy chain and the light chain comprise amino acid sequences identical to the respective heavy chain and light chain amino acid sequences of an antibody against TIGIT that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on TIGIT as one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (3) ; or(7) the heavy chain and the light chain comprise amino acid sequences identical to the respective heavy chain and light chain amino acid sequences of an antibody against TIGIT that competes with one of the antibodies as defined in the above (1) - (3) for binding to TIGIT.27.The isolated antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claim 19, which is humanized, and optionally affinity-maturated.28.The isolated antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claim 19, comprising a heavy chain variable region and a light chain variable region, wherein the heavy chain variable region and the light chain variable region comprise respectively:(1) heavy chain CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 regions (HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3) and light chain CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 regions (LCDR1, LCDR2, LCDR3) that are identical to the HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3, and the LCDR1, LCDR2, LCDR3 of an antibody selected from those listed in Tables 7, 9a or 9b;(2) heavy chain CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 regions (HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3) and light chain CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 regions (LCDR1, LCDR2, LCDR3) that are identical to the HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3, and the LCDR1, LCDR2, LCDR3 of an antibody selected from those listed in Tables 8a, 10a and 10b;(3) heavy chain CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 regions (HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3) and light chain CDR1, CDR2 and CDR3 regions (LCDR1, LCDR2, LCDR3) that are otherwise identical to the above (1) or (2) , except for up to 5 (e.g., up to 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0) amino acid substitutions in one or more of the CDRs;(4) the amino acid sequences of the heavy chain variable region and the light chain variable region of an antibody selected from those listed in Tables 10a and 10b;(5) amino acid sequences each being at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%or 99%identical to the amino acid sequences of the heavy chain variable region and the light chain variable region of an antibody selected from those listed in Tables 10a and 10b;(6) amino acid sequences with addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids, as compared with one or both of the amino acid sequences listed in the above (4) .29.The isolated antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claim 19, comprising a VH and a VL, wherein:(1) the VH comprises HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 217, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 218, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 219, and the VL comprises LCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 220, LCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 221, and LCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 222;(2) the VH comprises HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 347, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 348, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 349, and the VL comprises LCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 350, LCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 351, and LCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 352;(3) the VH comprises HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 217, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 417, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 219, and the VL comprises LCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 220, LCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 221, and LCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 222;(4) the VH comprises HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 217, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 218, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 219, and the VL comprises LCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 418, LCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 419, and LCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 222;(5) the VH comprises HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 217, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 417, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 219, and the VL comprises LCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 418, LCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 419, and LCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 222;(6) the VH comprises HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 347, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 348, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 349, and the VL comprises LCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 350, LCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 420, and LCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 352;(7) the VH comprises HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 347, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 421, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 349, and the VL comprises LCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 350, LCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 351, and LCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 352;(8) the VH comprises HCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 347, HCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 421, and HCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 349, and the VL comprises LCDR1 of SEQ ID NO: 350, LCDR2 of SEQ ID NO: 420, and LCDR3 of SEQ ID NO: 352;(9) the VH and VL comprise the HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3, LCDR1, LCDR2, and LCDR3 of an antibody selected from those listed in Tables 10a or 10b; or(10) the VH and VL comprise HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3, LCDR1, LCDR2, and LCDR3 that are otherwise identical to the HCDR1, HCDR2, HCDR3, LCDR1, LCDR2, and LCDR3 of an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) - (9) except for up to 5 (e.g., up to 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0) amino acid substitutions in one or more of the CDRs.30.The isolated antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claim 19, comprising a VH and a VL, wherein:(1) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 422, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 423;(2) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 424, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 425;(3) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 426, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 427;(4) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 428, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 429;(5) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 430, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 431;(6) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 432, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 433;(7) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 434, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 435;(8) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 436, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 437;(9) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 438, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 439;(10) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 440, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 441;(11) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 442, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 443;(12) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 444, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 445;(13) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 446, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 447;(14) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 448, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 449;(15) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 450, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 451;(16) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 452, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 453;(17) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 454, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 455;(18) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 456, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 457;(19) the VH comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 458, and the VL comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 459;(20) the VH and the VL comprise the respective amino acid sequences of the VH and VL of an antibody selected from those listed in Table 10a or Table 10b.(21) the VH and the VL comprise amino acid sequences that are at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%or 99%identical to the respective amino acid sequences of the VH and VL of an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) - (20) ;(22) the VH and the VL comprise amino acid sequences that are identical to the respective amino acid sequences of the VH and VL of an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) - (20) except for addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids, in one or both of the amino acid sequences;(23) the VH and the VL comprise amino acid sequences of the VH and VL of an antibody against TIGIT that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on TIGIT as an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) - (20) ; or(24) the VH and the VL comprise amino acid sequences of the VH and VL of an antibody against TIGIT that competes with an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) - (20) for binding to TIGIT.31.The isolated antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claim 19, wherein the antibody comprises a heavy chain and a light chain, wherein:(1) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 460, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 461;(2) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 462, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 463;(3) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 464, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 465;(4) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 466, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 467;(5) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 468, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 469;(6) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 470, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 471;(7) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 472, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 473;(8) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 474, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 475;(9) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 476, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 477;(10) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 478, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 479;(11) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 480, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 481;(12) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 482, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 483;(13) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 484, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 485;(14) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 486, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 487;(15) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 488, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 489;(16) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 490, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 491;(17) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 492, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 493;(18) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 494, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 495;(19) the heavy chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 496, and the light chain comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 497;(20) the heavy chain and the light chain comprise the respective amino acid sequences of the heavy chain and light chain of an antibody selected from those listed in Table 10c or Table 10d.(21) the heavy chain and the light chain comprise amino acid sequences that are at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%or 99%identical to the respective amino acid sequences of the heavy chain and light chain of an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) - (20) ;(22) the heavy chain and the light chain comprise amino acid sequences that are identical to the respective amino acid sequences of the heavy chain and light chain of an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) - (20) except for addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids, in one or both of the amino acid sequences;(23) the heavy chain and the light chain comprise amino acid sequences of the heavy chain and light chain of an antibody against TIGIT that binds to the same or an overlapping epitope on TIGIT as an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) - (20) ; or(24) the heavy chain and the light chain comprise amino acid sequences of the heavy chain and light chain of an antibody against TIGIT that competes with an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) - (20) for binding to TIGIT.32.The isolated antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claims 19 or 20, wherein the isolated antibody comprises a VH and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of the VH and VL of a reference antibody selected from those listed in Table 10a, except for the replacement of the six CDRs of the reference antibody with a set of different six CDRs as listed in Table 9a or contained in an antibody as listed in Table 10a or as defined in claim 20.33.The isolated antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragments thereof of claims 19 or 21, comprising a VH and a VL comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequences of the VH and VL of a reference antibody selected from those listed in Table 10b, except for the replacement of the six CDRs of the reference antibody with a set of different six CDRs as listed in Table 9b or contained in an antibody as listed in Table 10b or as defined in claim 21.34.The isolated antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragments thereof of any one of claims 19-33, which is modified to remove various PTMs such as oxidation, deamidation, isomerization, glycosylation and others, preferably modified to be deglycosylated.35.A multispecific antibody against PVRIG and TIGIT, comprising a first antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof, and a second antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragment thereof, wherein the first antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof is as claimed in any one of claim 1-18, and / or the second antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragment thereof is as claimed in any one of claims 19-34.36.The multispecific antibody against PVRIG and TIGIT according to claim 35, wherein the first antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof and the second antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragment thereof are linked non-covalently or covalently, optionally by a linker, preferably a peptide linker.37.The multispecific antibody against PVRIG and TIGIT according to claim 35, wherein the first antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof is linked by its N-terminus to the C-terminus of the VH or VL region of the second antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragment thereof.38.The multispecific antibody against PVRIG and TIGIT according to claim 35, wherein the first antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof is linked by its C-terminus to the N-terminus of the VH or VL region of the second antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragment thereof.39.The multispecific antibody against PVRIG and TIGIT according to claim 35, wherein the linker is selected from the group being consisted of: GGGGS, GGGGSGGGGS, SGGGGSGGGG, (G4S) 3 or GGGGSGGGGSGGGGS, GGGGS GGGGS GGGG or G4 (SG4) 2, and (G4S) 4 or GGGGS GGGGS GGGGS GGGGS, GSPGSSSSGS, GSGSGSGS, GSGSGNGS, GGSGSGSG, GGSGSG, GGSG, GGSGNGSG, GGNGSGSG and GGNGSG.40.The multispecific antibody against PVRIG and TIGIT according to claim 35, wherein the multispecific antibody against PVRIG and TIGIT is in a single chain format.41.The multispecific antibody against PVRIG and TIGIT according to claim 35, wherein the multispecific antibody is a bispecific antibody.42.The multispecific antibody against PVRIG and TIGIT according to claim 35, wherein the bispecific antibody comprises:(1) the nine CDRs of an antibody selected from those listed in Table 11, including BsAb01, BsAb02, BsAb03, BsAb04, BsAb05, BsAb06, BsAb07, BsAb08, BsAb09, BsAb10, BsAb11, BsAb12, BsAb13, BsAb14, BsAb15, BsAb16, BsAb17, BsAb18, BsAb19, BsAb20, and BsAb21, or(2) the nine CDRs of an antibody selected from those listed in Table 12.43.The multispecific antibody against PVRIG and TIGIT according to claim 35, wherein the multispecific antibody comprises:(1) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 498, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 499;(2) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 500, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 501;(3) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 502, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 503;(4) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 504, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 505;(5) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 506, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 507;(6) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 508, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 509;(7) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 510, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 511;(8) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 512, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 513;(9) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 514, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 515;(10) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 516, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 517;(11) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 518, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 519;(12) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 520, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 521;(13) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 522, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 523;(14) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 524, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 525;(15) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 526, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 527;(16) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 528, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 529;(17) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 530, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 531;(18) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 532, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 533;(19) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 534, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 535;(20) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 536, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 537;(21) a heavy chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 538, and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 539;(22) a heavy chain and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of the respective amino acid sequences of the heavy chain and light chain of an antibody selected from those listed in Table 11;(23) a heavy chain and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of amino acid sequences that are at least 85%, 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%or 99%identical to the respective amino acid sequences of the heavy chain and light chain of an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) - (22) ; or(24) a heavy chain and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of amino acid sequences that are identical to the respective amino acid sequences of the heavy chain and light chain of an antibody selected from those defined in the above (1) - (22) except for addition, deletion and / or substitution of one or more amino acids, preferably 1-50, 2-40, 3-30, 4-20, or 5-10 amino acids, in one or both of the amino acid sequences; or(25) a heavy chain and a light chain comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of amino acid sequences that are identical to the respective amino acid sequences of the heavy chain and light chain of an antibody selected from BsAb01, BsAb02, BsAb03, BsAb04, BsAb05, BsAb06, BsAb07, BsAb08, BsAb09, BsAb10, BsAb11, BsAb12, BsAb13, BsAb14, BsAb15, BsAb16, BsAb17, BsAb18, BsAb19, BsAb20, and BsAb21 as listed in Table 11.44.The isolated antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof of any of the preceding claims, wherein the antibody is fused to a constant region of a human IgG.45.The isolated antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof of any of the preceding claims, wherein the antibody is fused to a constant region of a human IgG1 or IgG4.46.An isolated antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof, which competes binding for the same epitope with the isolated antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof of any of the preceding claims.47.An isolated nucleic acid molecule, comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding the heavy chain variable region and / or the light chain variable region of the isolated antibody as defined in any of claims 1-46.48.The isolated nucleic acid molecule of claim 47, which encodes the heavy chain variable region of the isolated antibody as defined in any of claims 1-46.49.The isolated nucleic acid molecule of claim 48, which encodes the light chain variable region of the isolated antibody as defined in any of claims 19-46.50.A vector comprising the nucleic acid molecule of any of claims 47-49.51.A host cell comprising the vector of claim 50.52.An immunoconjugate comprising the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof according to any one of claims 1-46 and an additional moiety conjugated thereto, either noncovalently or covalently.53.The immunoconjugate of claim 52, wherein the additional moiety is a chemical moiety, such as therapeutical agent, BSA, Fc fragment, a PEG molecule, and the like.54.A pharmaceutical composition comprising at least one antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof as defined in any of claims 1-46 or the immunoconjugate of claims 52 or 53 and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.55.The pharmaceutical composition of claim 54, further comprising one or more additional therapeutic agent (s) .56.The pharmaceutical composition of claim 55, wherein the one or more additional therapeutic agent (s) is selected from the group being consisted of an immunotherapeutic agent, an anti-cancer agent, a cytotoxic agent, a chemotherapeutic agent, and any combination thereof.57.The pharmaceutical composition of claim 56, wherein the one or more additional therapeutic agent (s) is selected from a PD-L1 inhibitor, an ADCC-enabled antibody, or any combination thereof.58.The pharmaceutical composition of claim 57, wherein the PD-L1 inhibitor is an anti-PD-L1 antibody, for example, LAE005.59.The pharmaceutical composition of claim 56, wherein the ADCC-enabled antibody is an anti-EGFR antibody, for example Cetuximab.60.The pharmaceutical composition of claim 56, wherein the ADCC-enabled antibody is an anti-EGFR-MET antibody, for example Amivantamab.61.A method for producing the antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof as defined in any of claims 1-46 comprising the steps of:- expressing the antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof as defined in any of claims 1-46 in the host cell of claim 51; and- isolating the antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof from the host cell.62.A method for detecting or monitoring the expression level of PVRIG in vitro, comprising contacting a sample to be tested with the antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof as defined in any of claims 1-46, the immunoconjugate of claims 52 or 53, or the pharmaceutical composition of any one of claims 54-60.63.A method for detecting or monitoring the expression level of TIGIT in vitro, comprising contacting a sample to be tested with the antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof as defined in any of claims 19-46, the immunoconjugate of claims 52 or 53, or the pharmaceutical composition of any one of claims 54-60.64.A method for preventing or treating a proliferative disorder (e.g., a cancer or tumor) , infection or sepsis or ameliorating the symptoms of the proliferative disorders, infection or sepsis associated with the overexpression of PVRIG and / or TIGIT in a subject, comprising administering an effective amount of the antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof as defined in any of claims 1-46, the immunoconjugate of claims 52 or 53, or the pharmaceutical composition of any one of claims 54-60 to the subject.65.The method according to claim 64, wherein the cancer or tumor is selected from the group consisting of the following disorders or combinations thereof: prostate cancer, liver cancer (HCC) , colorectal cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, breast cancer, triple negative breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, stomach / gastric cancer, cervical cancer, head and neck cancer, thyroid cancer, testicular cancer, urothelial cancer, lung cancer (small cell lung cancer or non-small cell lung cancer) , melanoma, non-melanoma skin cancer (squamous and basal cell carcinoma) , glioma, renal carcinoma (RCC) , lymphoma (NHL or HL) , acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) , T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) , diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, testis germ cell tumor, mesothelioma, esophageal cancer, Merkel cells cancer, MSI-high cancer, KRAS-mutant tumor, adult T-cell leukemia / lymphoma and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) .66.The method according to claim 64, wherein the cancer or tumor is selected from the group consisting of the following cancers or combinations thereof: lung cancer (small cell lung cancer or non-small cell lung cancer) , prostate cancer, breast cancer (for example, triple negative breast cancer) , head and neck cancer, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, colon cancer, colorectal cancer, bladder cancer, cervical cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, liver cancer, melanoma, renal cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, cancers of blood system, Merkel cell carcinoma and MSI-high cancer and any other diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled cell growth.67.The method according to claim 64, wherein the infection is a pathogen infection characterized by different degrees of dysfunction of a virus-specific T cell response, such as HIV, HCV or HBV.68.The method according to claim 64, wherein the sepsis is selected from the group consisting of: severe sepsis, septic shock, systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) , bacteremia, septicemia, toxemia and septic syndrome.69.Use of the antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof as defined in any of claims 1-18 or the immunoconjugate of claims 52 or 53 in the manufacture of an agent for detecting or monitoring the expression level of PVRIG.70.Use of the antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof as defined in any of claims 19-34 or the immunoconjugate of claims 52 or 53 in the manufacture of an agent for detecting or monitoring the expression level of TIGIT.71.Use of the antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof as defined in any of claims 1-18 or the immunoconjugate of claims 52 or 53 in the manufacture of an agent for blocking the binding of CD112 to PVRIG or interrupting the signaling of CD112 through PVRIG.72.Use of the antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof as defined in any of claims 19-34 or the immunoconjugate of claims 52 or 53 in the manufacture of an agent for blocking the binding of PVR to TIGIT or interrupting the signaling of PVR through TIGIT.73.Use of the antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof as defined in any of claims 1-46, the immunoconjugate of claims 52 or 53 or the pharmaceutic composition of any one of claims 54-60 in the manufacture of a medicament for preventing or treating a proliferative disorder (e.g., a cancer or tumor) , infection or sepsis or ameliorating the symptoms of the proliferative disorders, infection or sepsis associated with the overexpression of PVRIG and / or TIGIT in a subject.74.Antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof as defined in any of claims 1-46, the immunoconjugate of claims 52 or 53 or the pharmaceutic composition of any one of claims 54-60 for use in treating or preventing a proliferative disorder (e.g., a cancer or tumor) , infection or sepsis or ameliorating the symptoms of the proliferative disorders, infection or sepsis associated with the overexpression of PVRIG and / or TIGIT in a subject.75.A kit for treating or preventing a proliferative disorder (e.g., a cancer or tumor) , infection or sepsis or ameliorating the symptoms of the proliferative disorders, infection or sepsis associated with the overexpression of PVRIG and / or TIGIT, comprising a container comprising at least one antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof as defined in any of claims 1-46, the immunoconjugate according to claim 52 or 53 or the pharmaceutical composition of any one of claims 54-60.76.Use according to claim 73, the antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof or the immunoconjugate for use according to claim 74 or the kit according to claim 75, wherein the cancer or tumor is selected from the group consisting of the following disorders or combinations thereof: prostate cancer, liver cancer (HCC) , colorectal cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, breast cancer, triple negative breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, stomach / gastric cancer, cervical cancer, head and neck cancer, thyroid cancer, testicular cancer, urothelial cancer, lung cancer (small cell lung cancer or non-small cell lung cancer) , melanoma, non-melanoma skin cancer (squamous and basal cell carcinoma) , glioma, renal carcinoma (RCC) , lymphoma (NHL or HL) , acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) , T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) , diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, testis germ cell tumor, mesothelioma, esophageal cancer, Merkel cells cancer, MSI-high cancer, KRAS-mutant tumor, adult T-cell leukemia / lymphoma and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) .77.Use according to claim 73, the antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof or the immunoconjugate for use according to claim 74 or the kit according to claim 75, wherein the cancer or tumor is selected from the group consisting of the following cancers or combinations thereof: lung cancer (small cell lung cancer or non-small cell lung cancer) , prostate cancer, breast cancer (for example, triple negative breast cancer) , head and neck cancer, esophageal cancer, gastric cancer, colon cancer, colorectal cancer, bladder cancer, cervical cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, liver cancer, melanoma, renal cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, cancers of blood system, Merkel cell carcinoma and MSI-high cancer and any other diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled cell growth.78.Use according to claim 73, the antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof or the immunoconjugate for use according to claim 74 or the kit according to claim 75, wherein the infection is a pathogen infection characterized by different degrees of dysfunction of a virus-specific T cell response, such as HIV, HCV or HBV.79.Use according to claim 73, the antibody or antigen-binding fragments thereof or the immunoconjugate for use according to claim 74 or the kit according to claim 75, wherein the sepsis is selected from the group consisting of: severe sepsis, septic shock, systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) , bacteremia, septicemia, toxemia and septic syndrome.80.A method of preventing suppression of an immune cell or activating a response mediated by an immune cell, comprising contacting the immune cell with the antibody or fragment thereof of any one of claims 1-46, the immunoconjugate according to claim 52 or 53 or the pharmaceutical composition of any one of claims 54-60.81.The method of claim 80, wherein the immune cell is an NK cell or a T cell.82.The method of claim 80, wherein the T cell is a CD8+ T cell.83.A method for reducing or eliminating the number and / or activity of the cells of at least one type of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in vitro and in vivo, comprising administering to the subject in need thereof the antibody against PVRIG or antigen-binding fragment thereof according to any one of claims 1-18, the antibody against TIGIT or antigen-binding fragment thereof according to any one of claims 19-34, the multispecific / bispecific antibody against PVRIG and TIGIT according to any one of claims 35-46, the nucleic acid of any one of claims 47-49, the vector of claim 50, the host cells of claim 51, the immunoconjugate according to claim 52 or 53, and / or the pharmaceutical composition of any one of claims 54-60.84.The method of any one of claims 80-83, wherein the immune cell expresses PVRIG and / or TIGIT.85.The method of any one of clams 80-83, wherein the response mediated by the immune cell is an anti-tumor response, optionally wherein the tumor cell expresses CD112 and / or CD155.86.The method of any one of claims 80-83, wherein the subject is a human subject.
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