Enzyme-catalyzed site-specific antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates (AOCS) conjugation method
The endoglycosidase-catalyzed site-specific conjugation process addresses inefficiencies in BBB delivery by creating homogeneous AOCs with DAR1 purity, enhancing the stability and efficacy of oligonucleotide delivery to the CNS and peripheral tissues.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-09-08
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-12
AI Technical Summary
Current methods for delivering oligonucleotides across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) are inefficient and invasive, leading to limited therapeutic efficacy for neurological disorders due to rapid clearance and difficulty in crossing the BBB, and existing antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate (AOC) platforms suffer from heterogeneous drug-to-antibody ratios (DAR) and stability issues.
An endoglycosidase-catalyzed, site-specific conjugation process is developed to create homogeneous AOCs with DAR1 purity, utilizing a mutated Asn glycosylation site in the Fc region for efficient conjugation of oligonucleotides to antibodies, enabling TfR1-mediated transcytosis for BBB-crossing delivery.
The method achieves stable, efficient, and safer delivery of oligonucleotides to the CNS and peripheral tissues with high DAR1 homogeneity, overcoming the limitations of existing AOC platforms and providing non-invasive treatment options for neurological disorders.
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Figure CN2025119775_12032026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
Enzyme-catalyzed site-specific antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates (AOCs) conjugation method
[0001] The present disclosure relates to the biopharmaceutical field, in particular, to an enzyme-catalyzed site-specific antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates (AOCs) conjugation method, the pharmaceutical composition made by the method, and the use thereof.Background
[0002] According to a 2022 report from the World Health Organization (WHO) , disorders of the nervous system are the second leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for nine million deaths per year (1) . The 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of disability adjusted life-years (DALYs, 443 million years in total) in 2021, affecting 3.4 billion individuals (43.1%of the global population) . Global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18.2%from 1990 to 2021; these conditions have surpassed the cardiovascular diseases as the top-ranked contributor to the global disease burden in 2021. The 10 conditions affecting the nervous system with the highest age standardized DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer (2) .
[0003] Although the number of people suffering from these conditions affecting the nervous system throughout the world is larger than that of cardiovascular diseases and cancers, and the drug development pipeline targeting the nervous system is the second largest therapeutic area that represents 14%of industry pipeline in 2021, neurology, psychiatry and other conditions affecting the nervous system remain an under-developed market with huge unmet medical needs (3, 4) , due to limited regenerative capacity of the complex nervous system, lack of the clear understanding on the pathological mechanism and challenges of delivering the drug molecules crossing the brain blood barrier (BBB) (5, 6) .
[0004] The BBB is a highly specialized neurovascular unit lined by a single layer of brain endothelial cells surrounded by astrocytes and pericytes, it is an intact barrier to prevent toxins, pathogens, and potentially harmful substances from entering the brain. An intact BBB endothlial layer is composed of specialized tight junctions with carrier / receptor-mediated transcytosis and high efflux transporter to stringently coordinate and control the exchange of ions and nutrients between the blood and brain. The restrictive nature of the intact BBB presents a major hurdle for the delivery of therapeutics into the brain, even in pathological situations when its integrity is partially compromised (7, 8) .
[0005] Oligonucleotide-based therapies, including antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) and short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) , have been utilized to treat various neurological disorders based on their ability to selectively modulate pathological gene transcripts. Following the approval of Nusinersen in 2016 for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) , Tofersen in 2023 for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and encouraging data from other ASO targets, numerous oligonucleotide-based therapies targeting neurological disorders have entered clinical trials (9) . Due to their inherited biophysical properties (i.e. size, charge) , oligonucleotides are cleared from circulation quickly and are unable to efficiently cross the BBB, thus requiring repeat intrathecal (IT) or intracerebroventricular (ICV) dosing directly into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to access the central nervous system (CNS) (10) . However, IT oligonucleotide delivery bears some limitations, including CSF-to-interstitial fluid (ISF) diffusion-mediated biodistribution that results in reduced drug levels in deeper brain regions, and the potential for adverse events related to invasive IT lumbar puncture which creates a high burden for patients and healthcare systems. The delivery of ASOs and siRNAs to other peripheral extra-hepatic tissues, such as muscle, is similarly limited due to inefficient functional uptake (11) .
[0006] Among the strategies evaluated to overcome the barrier and deliver oligonucleotides and other therapeutic molecules into the brain via systematic administration, hijacking the cellular machinery involved in the physiological transport of nutrients and endogenous ligands across the BBB, so called receptor-mediated transcytosis (RMT) , appears as the safest and most effective (12) . RMT involves binding of a ligand to its receptor expressed on the brain endothelial cells, internalization by endocytosis, intracellular trafficking and dissociation from the receptor in sorting endosomes, followed by its release at the abluminal side of the BBB endothelium (13-16) . One of such receptors has been targeted to develop the BBB-crossing drug modality is transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) , an iron transport receptor highly expressed on the vascular endothelial cells. Conjugating payload to TfR1-targeting antibody holds the potential of CNS and extra-hepatic delivery of therapeutic molecules, which has been demonstrated by the increased target tissue exposure in pre-clinical models and the significant progress in clinical development (11, 17-22) .
[0007] High physiological expression of TfR1 on the BBB vasculature and peripheral vascular endothelial cells has led several groups to pursue CNS and extra-hepatic drug delivery via TfR1 mediated transcytosis (11, 23, 24) . Various antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) targeting TfR1 to deliver multiple types of payload to the brain and other peripheral tissues like muscle are currently in clinical trials, highlighting the potential for clinical translatability of the TfR1-targeting drug delivery platform for the extra-hepatic delivery of oligonucleotides and other therapeutic modalities, such as antibody, recombinant protein and enzyme, to treat rare monogenic diseases, devastating neuromuscular disorders, neurodegenerative diseases and metabolic disorders (19-22) .
[0008] In the ADC field, antibodies have been widely used to deliver the cytotoxic small-molecule payloads, lines of evidence suggested that a diligent conjugate design, including choice of drug-to-antibody ratio (DAR) , linker chemistry, conjugation site and technology, is of high importance to improving the chances for clinical success with a CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls) -fit drug candidate (25) . The payload modality of the ADC has expanded beyond the small molecule, oligonucleotides represent a new payload class with distinct properties as compared to classical cytotoxins. The findings from the leading antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate (AOC) companies revealed the essential aspects to be considered in designing the TfR1-targeting AOC, including aforementioned parameters like DAR, linker, conjugation site and method, as well as. antibody binding affinity and valency. The optimization on all these elements of the AOC entity is required to achieve optimal pharmacokinetic (PK) profile, oligonucleotide stability, efficient transcytosis and intracellular release for the BBB-crossing delivery. These pioneering studies have showed that low-affinity and / or monovalent antibodies against TfR1 trigger internalization of the antibody-TfR1 complex via clathrin-coated vesicles followed by preferential trafficking into early endosomes and transcytosis / exocytosis at the abluminal side of the BBB endothelium, TfR1 is then recycled back to the luminal side via recycling endosomes; in contrast, high affinity and bivalent anti-TfR1 antibodies preferentially direct the antibody-TfR1 complex to lysosomes where both undergo degradation that result in TfR1 downregulation posing a potential safety liability and inefficient transcytosis with inferior CNS biodistribution (11, 26, 27) .
[0009] Several biotechnology companies have published their work on the AOC platform for the delivery of the oligonucleotides to the brain, including Denali’s OTV platform, Dyne’s FORCE platform, Roche’s BrainShuttle platform, Arrowhead’s TRiM platform and Vect-Horus’s VHH oligo conjugate platform. The validation data from these platforms demonstrated that the tweaks on the antibody binding affinity and valency are necessary to achieve superior target tissue exposure and minimal on-target side effects. Based on the evaluation study from Denali and others, the homogeneity of DAR species and DAR value would affect the stability and circulation half-life that will translate to the delivery efficiency of the AOC entity. However, the conjugation method applied by the aforementioned AOC platforms is either the chemical conjugation to the (mutant) cysteine / lysine residues or the bacterial transglutaminase-catalyzed conjugation to the mutant glutamine residue and Q-tag. The efficiency of these conjugation processes is low, requiring a high oligonucleotide to antibody input ratio, and the DAR profile of the resulting AOC entities is heterogeneous with a wide range of DAR values.
[0010] The enzymatic conjugation technique has been used to make AOCs as an alternative to chemical conjugation. The bacterial transglutaminase-catalyzed conjugation of the oligonucleotide to the Fc fragment with Q-tag is the most prevalent process that has been adapted by various companies. However, depending on the Q-tag sequence and the attaching site of the Q-tag to Fc, it is still challenging to control the conjugation efficiency and the DAR value, which will negatively impact the biophysical property and the stability of the resulting AOCs.
[0011] Thus, there is a continuing need for the development of an efficient process to streamline the site-specific conjugation of oligonucleotide to the antibody with high DAR1 homogeneity for a more stable, more efficient, and safer AOC modality. Especially, there is a continuing need for the development of TfR1-targeting AOCs to achieve high barrier crossing efficiency and optimal target engagement, so that the oligonucleotide-based therapies could be systemically delivered to the CNS and other peripheral extra-hepatic tissues as a noninvasive and efficacious treatment for patients affected by genetic disorders and common diseases, including metabolic disorders, oncology, and autoimmune conditions.Summary
[0012] The present invention presents an endoglycosidase-catalyzed, site-specific conjugation process that yields homogeneous AOCs with DAR1; Asn glycosylation site of one chain of Fc region is mutated to other amino acid such as Ala, to enable the ligation of the oligonucleotide to the antibody in a highly efficient manner that yields the AOC with over 90%and even 95%DAR1 purity.
[0013] Particularly, the present invention provides a novel method to synthesize the site-specific AOCs that enables efficient BBB-crossing delivery of oligonucleotides, such as ASOs and siRNAs, via TfR1 mediated transcytosis.
[0014] More particularly, the invention discloses an enzyme catalyzed AOC conjugation method, a linker chemistry for the oligonucleotide conjugation, an engineered Fc sequence for the site-specific oligonucleotide conjugation, abolished effector function and PK half-life extension, and VHH sequences that bind human and mouse TfR1 to trigger RMT for the delivery of oligonucleotides to the CNS.
[0015] In some embodiments, the subject matter described herein is directed to a glycosidase catalyzed site-specific AOC conjugation method.
[0016] In some embodiments, the subject matter described herein is directed to an enzymatic conjugation process for preparing an antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate comprising the following steps:
[0017] 1) providing an antibody with an Fc region;
[0018] 2) providing a linker with both an oxazoline motif and a bioorthogonal reactive group attached to it;
[0019] 3) providing an oligonucleotide with a bioorthogonal reactive group attached to it;
[0020] 4) conjugating the linker from 2) to the antibody from 1) through the catalysis of a glycosidase;
[0021] 5) linking the oligonucleotide from 3) to the product from 4) through the bioorthogonal reaction;
[0022] wherein,
[0023] 1) , 2) , and 3) can be carried out simultaneously or sequentially, and the order of 1) , 2) , and 3) can be interchanged; wherein the Asn glycosylation site of one chain of the Fc region is mutated to an amino acid other than Asn; preferably, the Asn glycosylation site of the Fc region is mutated to Ala.
[0024] In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is selected from siRNA, ASO, shRNA, saRNA; preferably, is selected from siRNA and ASO.
[0025] In some embodiments, the oxazoline can be synthesized according to the detailed description in PCT / CN2024 / 135760.
[0026] In some embodiments, the subject matter described herein is directed to an enzymatic conjugation process for preparing an antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate comprising the following steps:
[0027] 1) providing an antibody with a Fc region;
[0028] 2) providing a linker with both an oxazoline motif and a bioorthogonal reactive group attached to it;
[0029] 3) providing an oligonucleotide with a bioorthogonal reactive group attached to it;
[0030] 4) linking the oligonucleotide from 3) to the linker from 2) through the bioorthogonal reaction;
[0031] 5) conjugating the product from 4) to the antibody from 1) through the catalysis of a glycosidase;
[0032] wherein,
[0033] 1) , 2) , and 3) can be carried out simultaneously or sequentially, and the order of 1) , 2) , and 3) can be interchanged;
[0034] the oxazoline motif has a structure shown below:
[0035]
[0036] In some embodiments, the oxazoline motif has a structure selected from the group below:
[0037]
[0038] In some embodiments, the subject matter described herein is directed to an enzymatic conjugation process for preparing an antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate comprising the following steps:
[0039] 1) providing an antibody with a Fc region;
[0040] 2) providing an oligonucleotide with an oxazoline motif attached to it;
[0041] 3) conjugating the oligonucleotide from 2) to the antibody from 1) through the catalysis of a glycosidase;
[0042] wherein,
[0043] 1) and 2) can be carried out simultaneously or sequentially, and the order of 1) and 2) can be interchanged;
[0044] the oxazoline motif has a structure shown below:
[0045]
[0046] In some embodiments, the oxazoline motif has a structure selected from the group below:
[0047]
[0048] In certain embodiments, the subject matter described herein is directed to an engineered Fc sequences for the site-specific payload conjugation, abolished effector functions and PK half-life extension;
[0049] In certain embodiments, the subject matter described herein is directed to VHH sequences that interact with transferrin and bind human and mouse TfR1 indirectly for triggering RMT mediated BBB-crossing delivery of oligonucleotides;
[0050] In certain embodiments, the subject matter described herein is directed to VHH sequences that bind human and mouse TfR1 directly to trigger RMT for the BBB-crossing delivery of oligonucleotides;
[0051] Preferred VHH sequences of the invention have an affinity for TfR1 (Kd) ranging from 1.0E-10M to 2.5E-06M.
[0052] In certain embodiments, the subject matter described herein is directed to An antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate , wherein,
[0053] the antibody comprises a VHH chain and an Fc fragment;
[0054] the VHH chain is fused to the Fc fragment ;
[0055] the Asn glycosylation site of one chain of the Fc region is mutated to an amino acid other than Asn ; preferably, the Asn glycosylation site of the Fc region is mutated to Ala ;
[0056] the oligonucleotide is selected from siRNA, ASO, shRNA, miRNA, dsRNA, saRNA; preferably, is selected from siRNA and ASO; and,
[0057] the drug-antibody ratio (DAR) of the antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate is 1, wherein the antibody binds to TfR1 .Brief Description of the Drawings
[0058] Figure 1 shows the SAX result of AOC-1;
[0059] Figure 2 shows the SEC result of AOC-1;
[0060] Figure 3 shows the SAX result of AOC-6;
[0061] Figure 4 shows the SEC result of AOC-6;
[0062] Figure 5 shows the result of in vitro activity of the naked anti-Malat1 ASO sequence.
[0063] Figure 6.1 demonstrates the dose dependent Malat-1 RNA knockdown by the gymnotically internalized AOC-1, AOC-2, AOC-3, AOC-5 and AOC-6 in neuro-2a cells.
[0064] Figure 6.2-6.3 visualizes the internalization of AOC-1, AOC-2, AOC-3, AOC-5 and AOC-6 via TfR1 mediated endocytosis in the neuro-2a cells utilizing fluorescent in situ hybridization assay.
[0065] Figure 6.4-6.5 shows the internalization amount and internalization rate of AOC-1, AOC-2, AOC-5 and AOC-6 via TfR1 mediated endocytosis in the neuro-2a cells utilizing flow cytometry assay.
[0066] Figure 7.1-7.4 demonstrate the target Malat-1 RNA knockdown in the spinal cord, sciatic nerve, heart, quadriceps, kidney, liver and different regions of the brain in the wild type mice with intravenous dosed AOC-1, AOC-2, AOC-3, AOC-5 and AOC-6.
[0067] Figure 8.1-8.10 show the anti-Malat-1 ASO tissue exposure level in different regions of the brain, spinal cord, heart, quadriceps, kidney and liver in the wild type mice with intravenous injected AOC-1, AOC-3, AOC-5 and AOC-6.
[0068] Figure 9 shows in vitro activity of the naked anti-APP siRNA.
[0069] Figure 10.1 shows the dose dependent APP mRNA knockdown by the gymnotically internalized AOC-7 and AOC-8 in BE (2) C cells.
[0070] Figure 10.2-10.3 show the internalization amount and internalization rate of AOC-7 and AOC-8 via TfR1 mediated endocytosis in the neuro-2a cells utilizing flow cytometry assay.
[0071] Figure 11 demonstrates the target APP mRNA knockdown in the spinal cord, DRG, and different regions of the brain in the FAD4T mice with intravenous dosed AOC-7 and AOC-8.
[0072] Figure 12 shows the anti-APP siRNA antisense strand tissue exposure level in the brain and spinal cord of the FAD4T mice with intravenous injected AOC-7 and AOC-8.
[0073] Figure 13.1-13.7 show the dose dependent APP mRNA reduction in the cortex, hippocampus, striatum, cerebellum, brainstem, spinal cord and DRG of FAD4T mice with intravenous dosed AOC-8.Detailed Description
[0074] The specific embodiments are provided below to illustrate technical contents of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present disclosure through the contents disclosed in the specification. The present disclosure can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments. Various modifications and variations can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.Definitions
[0075] Unless otherwise defined hereinafter, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art. The techniques used herein refer to those that are generally understood in the art, including the variants and equivalent substitutions that are obvious to those skilled in the art. While the following terms are believed to be readily comprehensible by those skilled in the art, the following definitions are set forth to better illustrate the present disclosure. When a trade name is present herein, it refers to the corresponding commodity or the active ingredient thereof. All patents, published patents applications and publications cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference.
[0076] When a certain amount, concentration, or other value or parameter is set forth in the form of a range, a preferred range, or a preferred upper limit or a preferred lower limit, it should be understood that it is equivalent to specifically revealing any range formed by combining any upper limit or preferred value with any lower limit or preferred value, regardless of whether the said range is explicitly recited. Unless otherwise stated, the numerical ranges listed herein are intended to include the endpoints of the range and all integers and fractions (decimals) within the range. For example, the expression “i is an integer of 1 to 20” means that i is any integer of 1 to 20, for example, i can be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 or 20. Other similar expressions such as j, k1, k2, n , k and z should also be understood in a similar manner.
[0077] Unless otherwise stated herein, singular forms like “a” and “the” include the plural forms. The expression “one or more” or “at least one” may mean 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or more.
[0078] The terms “about” and “approximately” , when used in connection with a numerical variable, generally mean that the value of the variable and all values of the variable are within experimental error (for example, within a 95%confidence interval for the mean) or within ±10%of a specified value, or a wider range.
[0079] The term “optional” or “optionally” means the event described subsequent thereto may, but not necessarily happen, and the description includes the cases wherein said event or circumstance happens or does not happen.
[0080] The expression “comprising” or similar expressions “including” , “containing” and “having” are open-ended, and do not exclude additional unrecited elements, steps, or ingredients. The expression “consisting of” excludes any element, step, or ingredient not designated. The expression “consisting essentially of” means that the scope is limited to the designated elements, steps or ingredients, plus elements, steps or ingredients that are optionally present that do not substantially affect the essential and novel characteristics of the claimed subject matter. It should be understood that the expression “comprising” encompasses the expressions “consisting essentially of” and “consisting of” .
[0081] As used herein, the term “antibody” is used in a broad way and particularly includes an intact monoclonal antibody, a polyclonal antibody, a monospecific antibody, a multispecific antibody (e.g., a bispecific antibody) , and an antibody fragment, as long as they have the desired biological activity. The antibody may be of any subtype (such as IgG, IgE, IgM, IgD, and IgA) or subclass, and may be derived from any suitable species. In some embodiments, the antibody is of human or murine origin. The antibody may also be a fully human antibody, humanized antibody or chimeric antibody prepared by recombinant methods.
[0082] Monoclonal antibodies are used herein to refer to antibodies obtained from a substantially homogeneous population of antibodies, i.e., the individual antibodies constituting the population are identical except for a small number of possible natural mutations. Monoclonal antibodies are highly specific for a single epitope, but not multiple epitopes of the same antigen. The word “monoclonal” refers to that the characteristics of the antibody are derived from a substantially homogeneous population of antibodies and are not to be construed as requiring some particular methods to produce the antibody.
[0083] An intact antibody or full-length antibody essentially comprises the antigen-binding variable region (s) as well as the light chain constant region (s) (CL) and heavy chain constant region (s) (CH) , which could include CH1, CH2, CH3 and / or CH4, depending on the subtype of the antibody. An antigen-binding variable region (also known as a fragment variable region, Fv fragment) typically comprises a light chain variable region (VL) and a heavy chain variable region (VH) . A constant region can be a constant region with a native sequence (such as a constant region with human native sequences) or an amino acid sequence variant thereof. The variable region recognizes and interacts with the target antigen. The constant region can be recognized by and interacts with the immune system.
[0084] As used herein, the term “heavy chain constant region (CH) ” includes amino acid sequences derived from an intact antibody or full-length antibody heavy chain. A polypeptide comprising a heavy chain constant region comprises at least one of: a CH1 domain, a hinge (e.g., upper, middle, and / or lower hinge region) domain, a CH2 domain, a CH3 domain, a CH4 domain, or a variant or fragment thereof. For example, an antigen-binding polypeptide for use in the disclosure may comprise a polypeptide chain comprising a CH1 domain; a polypeptide chain comprising a CH1 domain, at least a portion of a hinge domain, and a CH2 domain; a polypeptide chain comprising a CH1 domain and a CH3 domain; a polypeptide chain comprising a CH1 domain, at least a portion of a hinge domain, and a CH3 domain, or a polypeptide chain comprising a CH1 domain, at least a portion of a hinge domain, a CH2 domain, and a CH3 domain.
[0085] As used herein, “CL” refers to a constant region of a light chain.
[0086] The subunit structures and three-dimensional configuration of the constant regions of the various antibody classes are well known. As used herein, the term “VH domain” includes the amino terminal variable domain of an antibody heavy chain and the term “CH1 domain” includes the first (most amino terminal) constant region domain of an antibody heavy chain. The CH1 domain is adjacent to the VH domain and is amino terminal to the hinge region of an antibody heavy chain molecule.
[0087] As used herein, “VL” refers to a variable region of a light chain.
[0088] An antibody fragment may comprise a portion of an intact antibody, preferably its antigen binding region or variable region. Examples of antibody fragments include Fab, Fab', F (ab') 2, Fd fragment consisting of VH and CH1 domains, Fv fragment, single-domain antibody (sdAb, also known as nanobody or “VHH” ) fragment, and isolated complementarity determining region (CDR) . The Fab fragment is an antibody fragment obtained by papain digestion of a full-length immunoglobulin, or a fragment having the same structure produced by, for example, recombinant expression. A Fab fragment comprises a light chain (comprising a VL and a CL) and another chain, wherein the said other chain comprises a variable domain of the heavy chain (VH) and a constant region domain of the heavy chain (CH1) . The F (ab') 2 fragment is an antibody fragment obtained by pepsin digestion of an immunoglobulin at pH 4.0-4.5, or a fragment having the same structure produced by, for example, recombinant expression. The F (ab') 2 fragment essentially comprises two Fab fragments, wherein each heavy chain portion comprises a few additional amino acids, including the cysteines that form disulfide bonds connecting the two fragments. A Fab'fragment is a fragment comprising one half of a F (ab') 2 fragment (one heavy chain and one light chain) . The antibody fragment may comprise a plurality of chains joined together, for example, via a disulfide bond and / or via a peptide linking unit. Examples of antibody fragments also include single-chain Fv (scFv) , Fv, dsFv, diabody, Fd and Fd'fragments, and other fragments, including modified fragments. An antibody fragment typically comprises at least or about 50 amino acids, and typically at least or about 200 amino acids. An antigen-binding fragment can include any antibody fragment that, when inserted into an antibody framework (e.g., by substitution of the corresponding region) , can result in an antibody that immunospecifically binds to the antigen.
[0089] “VHH” as used herein correspond to the variable region of heavy chain only camelid antibodies that are naturally devoid of light chains. VHH have a very small molecular weight of around 12-15 kDa. They contain a single chain molecule that can bind its cognate antigen using a single domain. The antigen-binding surfaces of VHHs are usually more convex (or protruding) than those of conventional antibodies, which are usually flat or concave. More specifically, VHHs are composed of 4 Framework Regions (or FRs) whose sequences and structures are defined as conserved, and three Complementarity Determining Regions (or CDRs) showing high variability both in sequence content and structure conformation, which are involved in antigen binding and provide antigen specificity. VHH molecules of the invention typically comprise or consist of the formula: FR1-CDR1-FR2-CDR2-FR3-CDR3-FR4, wherein FRn designates framework regions and CDRn designates complementarity determining regions. Compared to conventional human antibody VH, a few amino acids are substituted in the FR2 region and complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) of VHH. For instance, highly conserved hydrophobic amino acids (such as Val42, Gly49, Leu50, and / or Trp52) in FR2 region are often replaced by hydrophilic amino acids (Phe42, Glu49, Arg50, Gly52) , rendering the overall structure more hydrophilic and contributing to high stability, solubility and resistance to aggregation.
[0090] “Fc” as used herein correspond to Fc fragment of an immunoglobulin. Typically, “Fc” is an Fc fragment of a human IgG1 or IgG4, preferably IgG1.
[0091] In the case where there are two or more definitions of a term which is used and / or accepted within the art, the definition of the term as used herein is intended to include all such meanings unless explicitly stated to the contrary. A specific example is the use of the term “complementarity determining region” ( “CDR” ) to describe the non-contiguous antigen combining sites found within the variable region of both heavy and light chain polypeptides. This particular region has been described by Kabat et al., U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, “Sequences of Proteins of Immunological Interest” (1983) and by Chothia et al., J. MoI. Biol. 196: 901-917 (1987) , which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. The CDR definitions according to Kabat and Chothia include overlapping or subsets of amino acid residues when compared against each other. Nevertheless, application of either definition to refer to a CDR of an antibody or variants thereof is intended to be within the scope of the term as defined and used herein. The exact residue numbers which encompass a particular CDR will vary depending on the sequence and size of the CDR. Those skilled in the art can routinely determine which residues comprise a particular CDR given the variable region amino acid sequence of the antibody.
[0092] The amino acid sequences of the CDRs in this invention are all depicted according to the Kabat definition rules. However, it is well known to those skilled in the art that there are multiple methods to define the CDRs of antibodies, such as the Chothia method (see, for example, Chothia, C. et al., Nature, 342, 877-883 (1989) ; and Al-Lazikani, B. et al., J. Mol. Biol., 273, 927-948 (1997) ) , the Kabat method based on the variability of antibody sequences (see, for example, Kabat, E. A. et al. (1991) Sequences of Proteins of Immunological Interest, Fifth Edition, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, NIH Publication No. 91-3242) , AbM (Martin, A.C.R. and J. Allen (2007) “Bioinformatics tools for antibody engineering, ” in S. Dübel (ed. ) , Handbook of Therapeutic Antibodies. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH Verlag, pp. 95–118) , Contact (MacCallum, R.M. et al., (1996) J. Mol. Biol. 262: 732-745) , IMGT (Lefranc, M. -P., 2011 (6) , IMGT, the International ImMunoGeneTics Information System Cold Spring Harb Protoc. ; and Lefranc, M. -P. et al., Dev. Comp. Immunol., 27, 55-77 (2003) ) , and the North CDR definition based on affinity propagation clustering utilizing a large number of crystal structures. In this document, multiple CDR numbering systems can be used for the same variable region, such as Chothia, Abm, Kabat, Contact, and IMGT. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that although CDRs defined by different numbering systems may differ, the CDRs corresponding to the same numbering system represent the effective antigen-binding sites capable of binding to antigenic epitopes. Unless otherwise specified, the term "CDR" and "complementarity-determining region" for a given antibody or its region (such as the variable region) should be understood to encompass any defined complementarity-determining region by the known schemes described in this invention. Although the scope of protection requested in the claims of this invention is based on the sequences shown by the Kabat definition rules, the amino acid sequences corresponding to other CDR definition rules should also fall within the scope of protection of this invention.
[0093] Therefore, when defining antibodies with specific CDR sequences defined in this invention, the scope of the antibodies also covers such antibodies whose variable region sequences include the specific CDR sequences but have different claimed CDR boundaries due to the application of different schemes (such as different assignment system rules or combinations) .
[0094] As used herein, “HCDR” refers to a complementarity determining region of a heavy chain.
[0095] As used herein, “LCDR” refers to a complementarity determining region of a light chain.
[0096] As used herein, the antibody has a broad definition such as an intact antibody, antibody fragment, monoclonal antibody (mAb) , polyclonal antibody, monospecific antibody, bispecific and trispecific antibody.
[0097] As used herein, the antibody is defined as a fusion protein; preferably, the antibody is bispecific antibody selected from the format below:
[0098] a) mAb-Fab fusion; N-terminal or C-terminal of an antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a Fab targeting the second antigen;
[0099] b) mAb-VHH fusion; N-terminal or C-terminal of an antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a VHH targeting the second antigen;
[0100] c) mAb-ScFv fusion; N-terminal or C-terminal of an antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a ScFv targeting the second antigen;
[0101] d) VHH-Fab-Fc fusion; an antibody targeting the first antigen comprises a Fab and a Fc domain, wherein N-terminal or C-terminal of the antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a VHH targeting the second antigen;
[0102] e) ScFv-Fab-Fc fusion; an antibody targeting the first antigen comprises of a Fab and a Fc domain, wherein N-terminal or C-terminal of the antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a ScFv targeting the second antigen
[0103] f) Fab-Fc fusion; the bispecific antibody comprises Fab targeting the first antigen, Fab targeting the second antigen and Fc domain;
[0104] and
[0105] g) VHH-Fc fusion: a VHH targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to one chain of Fc domain, and a VHH targeting the second antigen is covalently linked to the other chain of Fc domain.
[0106] more preferably, the antibody is defined as bispecific antibody selected from the format below:
[0107] a) mAb-crossmab Fab fusion: N-terminal or C-terminal of an antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a Fab targeting the second antigen, wherein the Fab targeting the second antigen uses “crossmab” technology; preferably, CH1 / CL domains in the Fab targeting the second antigen are interchanged;
[0108] b) mAb-VHH fusion: N-terminal or C-terminal of an antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a VHH targeting the second antigen;
[0109] c) mAb-ScFv fusion: N-terminal or C-terminal of an antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a ScFv targeting the second antigen;
[0110] d) VHH-Fab-Fc fusion: an antibody targeting the first antigen comprises a Fab and a Fc domain, wherein N-terminal or C-terminal of the antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a VHH targeting the second antigen;
[0111] e) ScFv-Fab-Fc fusion: an antibody targeting the first antigen comprises of a Fab and a Fc domain, wherein N-terminal or C-terminal of the antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a ScFv targeting the second antigen;
[0112] f) Fab-Fc fusion: the bispecific antibody comprises Fab targeting the first antigen, Fab targeting the second antigen and Fc domain; wherein the Fab targeting the first antigen uses “crossmab” technology; preferably, CH1 / CL domains in the Fab targeting the first antigen are interchanged;
[0113] and
[0114] g) VHH-Fc fusion: a VHH targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to one chain of Fc domain, and a VHH targeting the second antigen is covalently linked to the other chain of Fc domain.
[0115] As used herein, the antibody may comprise at least an antibody fragment; and at least one antibody fragment is fused to the Fc region; preferably, each of the antibody fragment is selected from VHH, scFv, scFab, Fab, F (ab’ ) .
[0116] Antibodies according to the present disclosure can be prepared using techniques well known in the art, such as the following techniques or a combination thereof: recombinant techniques, phage display techniques, synthetic techniques, or other techniques known in the art. For example, a genetically engineered recombinant antibody (or antibody mimic) can be expressed by a suitable culture system (e.g., E. coli or mammalian cells) . The engineering of antibody can refer to, for example, the introduction of a ligase-specific recognition sequence at its terminals.
[0117] A small molecule compound refers to a molecule with a size comparable to that of an organic molecule commonly used in medicine. The term does not encompass biological macromolecules (e.g., proteins, nucleic acids, etc. ) , but encompasses low molecular weight peptides or derivatives thereof, such as dipeptides, tripeptides, tetrapeptides, pentapeptides, and the like. Typically, the molecular weight of the small molecule compound can be, for example, about 100 to about 2000 Da, about 200 to about 1000 Da, about 200 to about 900 Da, about 200 to about 800 Da, about 200 to about 700 Da, about 200 to about 600 Da, about 200 to about 500 Da.
[0118] As used in this document, the terms “%identity” , "percent (%) sequence identity" and "sequence identity" have the recognized definition in the field, referring to the percentage of identity between two polypeptide sequences determined by sequence alignment (such as by manual inspection or known algorithms) . It can be determined using methods known to those skilled in the art, such as using publicly available computer software like BLAST, BLAST-2, Clustal Omega, and FASTA software.
[0119] Linking unit refers to a functional group that covalently bonds two or more moieties in a compound or material. For example, the linking unit can serve to covalently bond adjuvant moieties of targeting molecule (s) and / or payload (s) .
[0120] A spacer is a structure that is located between different structural modules and can spatially separate the structural modules. The definition of spacer is not limited by whether it has a certain function or whether it can be cleaved or degraded in vivo. Examples of spacers include but are not limited to amino acids and non-amino acid structures, wherein non-amino acid structures can be, but are not limited to, amino acid derivatives or analogues. “Spacer sequence” refers to an amino acid sequence serving as a spacer, and examples thereof include but are not limited to a single amino acid such as Leu, Gln, etc., a sequence containing a plurality of amino acids, for example, a sequence containing two amino acids such as GA, etc., or, for example, GGGGS, GGGGSGGGGS, GGGGSGGGGSGGGGS, etc. Other examples of spacers include, for example, self-immolative spacers such as PABC (p-benzyloxycarbonyl) , and the like.
[0121] The term “alkyl” refers to a straight or branched saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon group consisting of carbon atoms and hydrogen atoms, which is connected to the rest of the molecule through a single bond. The alkyl group may contain 1 to 20 carbon atoms, referring to C1-C20 alkyl group, for example, C1-C4 alkyl group, C1-C3 alkyl group, C1-C2 alkyl, C3 alkyl, C4 alkyl, C3-C6 alkyl. Non-limiting examples of alkyl groups include but are not limited to methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, pentyl, hexyl, isopropyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl, isopentyl, 2-methylbutyl, 1-methylbutyl, 1-ethylpropyl, 1, 2-dimethylpropyl, neopentyl, 1, 1-dimethylpropyl, 4-methylpentyl, 3-methylpentyl, 2-methylpentyl, 1-methylpentyl, 2-ethylbutyl, 1-ethylbutyl, 3, 3-dimethylbutyl, 2, 2-dimethyl butyl, 1, 1-dimethylbutyl, 2, 3-dimethylbutyl, 1, 3-dimethylbutyl or 1, 2-dimethylbutyl, or their isomers. A bivalent radical refers to a group obtained from the corresponding monovalent radical by removing one hydrogen atom from a carbon atom with free valence electron (s) . A bivalent radical has two connecting sites which are connected to the rest of the molecule. For example, an “alkylene” or an “alkylidene” refers to a saturated divalent hydrocarbon group, either straight or branched. Examples of alkylene groups include but are not limited to methylene (-CH2-) , ethylene (-C2H4-) , propylene (-C3H6 -) , butylene (-C4H8-) , pentylene (-C5H10-) , hexylene (-C6H12-) , 1-methylethylene (-CH(CH3) CH2-) , 2-methylethylene (-CH2CH (CH3) -) , methylpropylene, ethylpropylene, and the like.
[0122] As used herein, when a group is combined with another group, the connection of the groups may be linear or branched, provided that a chemically stable structure is formed. The structure formed by such a combination can be connected to other moieties of the molecule via any suitable atom in the structure, preferably via a designated chemical bond. For example, when describing a combination of a C1-4 alkylene with one of the groups including -CH2-, -NH-, - (CO) -, -NH (CO) -, - (CO) NH-, the C1-4 alkylene may form a linear connection with the above groups, such as C1-4 alkylene-CH2-, C1-4 alkylene-NH-, C1-4 alkylene- (CO) -, C1-4 alkylene-NH (CO) -, C1-4 alkylene- (CO) NH-, -CH2-C1-4 alkylene, -NH-C1-4 alkylene, - (CO) -C1-4 alkylene, -NH (CO) -C1-4 alkylene, - (CO) NH-C1-4 alkylene. The resulting bivalent structure can be further connected to other moieties of the molecule.
[0123] As used in this document, the terms "framework region" and "scaffold region" can be used interchangeably. As used in this document, the terms "framework region, " "scaffold region, " or "FR" residues refer to those amino acid residues in the variable region of an antibody other than the CDR sequences as defined above.
[0124] The term "disulfide bond" as used in this document includes covalent bonds formed between two sulfur atoms. The amino acid cysteine contains a thiol group capable of forming a disulfide bond or bridging a second thiol group.
[0125] Non-critical regions in polypeptides can be modified, for example, by substitution, addition, and / or deletion of one or more amino acids without altering the function of the polypeptide. Suitable conservative amino acid substitutions in peptides or proteins are known to those skilled in the art and can generally be made without altering the biological activity of the resulting molecule. Typically, those skilled in the art recognize that single amino acid substitutions in non-essential regions of a polypeptide essentially do not change the biological activity (see, for example, Watson et al., Molecular Biology of the Gene, 4th Edition, 1987, The Benjamin / Cummings Pub. co., p. 224) .Antibody and modification Antibody
[0126] In some embodiments, the antibody used herein is an intact monoclonal antibody.
[0127] In some embodiments, the antibody used herein a polyclonal antibody.
[0128] In some embodiments, the antibody used herein is a monospecific antibody.
[0129] In some embodiments, the antibody used herein is a bispecific antibody.
[0130] In some embodiments, the antibody used herein is an antibody fragment.
[0131] In some embodiments, the antibody used herein is an VHH or scFv.
[0132] In some embodiments, the antibody used herein is an VHH, the VHH chain or scFv is fused to a Fc fragment.
[0133] In some embodiments, the VHH described herein is directed to VHH sequences that bind human and / or mouse TfR1 directly to trigger RMT for the BBB-crossing delivery of oligonucleotides;
[0134] In some embodiments, the VHH described herein is directed to VHH sequences that interact with transferrin and bind human and / or mouse TfR1 indirectly for triggering RMT mediated BBB-crossing delivery of oligonucleotides;
[0135] In some embodiments, VHH sequences of the invention have an affinity for TfR1 (Kd) ranging from 1.0E-10M to 2.5E-06M.
[0136] In some embodiments, the KD value of the VHH is less than 10 nM. In some embodiments, the KD value of the VHH binding to human and / or mouse TfR1 is about 9.9 nM, about 9 nM, about 8 nM, about 7 nM, about 6 nM, about 5 nM, about 4.4 nM, about3.9 nM, about 2 nM, about 1 nM, about 0.9 nM, about 0.7 nM, about 0.5 nM, about 0.3 nM, about 0.2 nM, about 0.1 nM, or the range between any two values (including the end value) .
[0137] In some embodiments, VHH sequences of the invention have an affinity for Transferrin (Kd) ranging from 1.0E-10M to 2.5E-06M.
[0138] In some embodiments, the KD value of the VHH is less than 10 nM. In some embodiments, the KD value of the VHH binding to human and / or mouse Transferrin is about 9.9 nM, about 9 nM, about 8 nM, about 7 nM, about 6 nM, about 5 nM, about 4.4 nM, about3.9 nM, about 2 nM, about 1 nM, about 0.9 nM, about 0.7 nM, about 0.5 nM, about 0.3 nM, about 0.2 nM, about 0.1 nM, or the range between any two values (including the end value) .
[0139] In some embodiments, VHH molecules of the invention comprise:
[0140] a CDR1 domain comprising or consisting of an amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NOs: 10 and 13 , or variants thereof having at least 60%, in particular at least 65%, 70%or 75%, for example at least 80%or 85%, amino acid identity to any one of said sequences over the entire length thereof, preferably at least 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%or 99%, more preferably at least 95%; and
[0141] a CDR2 domain comprising or consisting of an amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NOs: 11 and 14, or variants thereof having at least 60%, in particular at least 65%, 70%or 75%, for example at least 80%or 85%, amino acid identity to any one of said sequences over the entire length thereof, preferably at least 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%or 99%, more preferably at least 95%; and
[0142] a CDR3 domain comprising or consisting of an amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NOs: 12 and 15, or variants thereof having at least 60%, in particular at least 65%, 70%or 75%, for example at least 80%or 85%, amino acid identity to any one of said sequences over the entire length thereof, preferably at least 80%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%or 99%, more preferably at least 95%, said VHH having a TfR1-binding capacity.
[0143] In a particular embodiment, VHH molecules of the invention comprise:
[0144] a CDR1 comprising an amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NOs: 10 and 13, or variants thereof having at least 60%, in particular at least 65%, 70%or 75%, for example at least 80%or 85%, amino acid identity to any one of said sequences over the entire length thereof, preferably at least 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%or 99%, more preferably at least 95%; and
[0145] a CDR2 comprising an amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID Nos: 11 and 14, or variants thereof having at least 60%, in particular at least 65%, 70%or 75%, for example at least 80%or 85%, amino acid identity to any one of said sequences over the entire length thereof, preferably at least 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%94%95%, 96%, 97%98%or 99%, more preferably at least 95%; and
[0146] a CDR3 comprising an amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NOs: 12 and 15, or variants thereof having at least 60%, in particular at least 65%, 70%or 75%, for example at least 80%or 85%, amino acid identity to any one of said sequences over the entire length thereof, preferably at least 80%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%or 99%, more preferably at least 95%.
[0147] and said VHH having a TfR1-binding capacity or a transferrin-binding capacity.
[0148] In some embodiments, the antibody used herein is an VHH, which is fused to a Fc fragment. Fc can serve as a half-life extending moiety or stabilizing group.
[0149] In some embodiments, the conjugate according to the invention comprises a half-life extending moiety or stabilizing group which is an Fc homodimer or heterodimer.
[0150] In some embodiments, the conjugate according to the invention comprises a half-life extending moiety or stabilizing group which is a modified Fc fragment homodimer or heterodimer of a IgG1 or IgG4 with attenuated or abolished effector functions and / or extended half-life.
[0151] In some embodiments, the conjugate according to the invention comprises a modified Fc fragment of an IgG1 which is a fragment of an Fc variant having a symmetric or asymmetric amino acid modification (i.e., on only one or two arms of the Fc dimer) selected from deletion, insertion, inversion or substitution, or a combination thereof e.g., an amino acid substitution at L234A and L235A (i.e., LALA mutation) . Such Fc modifications allow to modulate Fc receptor interactions, modulate, reduce or eliminate Fc effector functions such as FcgammaR binding, antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) , or complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) or to modulate glycosylation.
[0152] In some embodiments, the conjugate according to the invention comprises a modified Fc fragment which is a fragment of an IgG1 comprising a mutation at residue position N434, E380, M252, 1253, S254, T256 or H433, or a combination thereof. Specific examples of such mutations are E380A M252Y, S254T, T256E, H433K, N434A or N434F.
[0153] In some embodiments, the conjugate according to the invention comprises a modified Fc fragment which is a fragment of an IgG1 comprising a mutation at residue position E233, L234, L235, G236, G237, S239, D265, D270, P329, A327, A330, or a combination thereof. Specific examples of such mutations are E233P, L234A, L234V, L235A, deltaG236, G237A, S239A, D265A, D265N, D270N, D270A, A327G, P329A, P329G, A330S or P331S.
[0154] The conjugate according to the invention may also comprise a modified Fc fragment which comprises any combination of the above mutations, optionally in a further combination with the LALA mutation.
[0155] The VHH may be conjugated in N-terminal or C-terminal end of the half-life extending moiety or stabilizing group, or both. When the half-life extending moiety or stabilizing group is a Fc fragment, conjugation is typically by genetic fusion. The resulting protein may remain as a monomeric agent, or multimerize, depending on the nature of the half-life extending moiety or stabilizing group. In the case of a Fc fragment, the fusion protein Fc-VHH or VHH-Fc may form homodimers or heterodimers.
[0156] In a particular embodiment, the conjugate according to the invention comprises a VHH-Fc heterodimer, wherein Fc comprises the following mutations: T366W on the “knob” arm of the heterodimer, and / or T366S, L368A and Y407V on the “hole” arm of the heterodimer.
[0157] In some embodiments, the conjugate according to the invention comprises a VHH-Fc heterodimer, wherein Fc comprises T366W, L234A and L235A mutations on the “knob” arm of the heterodimer and / or T366S, L368A, Y407V, L234A and L235A mutations on the “hole” arm of the heterodimer.
[0158] In some embodiments, the conjugate according to the invention comprises a VHH-Fc heterodimer, wherein Fc comprises T366W, L234A and L235A mutations on the “knob” arm of the heterodimer and T366S, L368A, Y407V, L234A and L235A mutations on the “hole” arm of the heterodimer. Modification of the antibody
[0159] For the endoglycosidase-catalyzed conjugation, an asymmetric Asn glycosylation site mutation is included to facilitate the homogeneous DAR1 conjugation. The endoglycosidase-catalyzed site-specific conjugation yields high-quality bioconjugates comprising enriched DAR1 species, which is beneficial in terms of an optimal PK / PD profile for the efficient barrier-crossing delivery of oligonucleotide. In some embodiments, the single Asn glycosylation site in the VHH-Fc or Fc is mutated to an amino acid other than Asn; in some embodiments, the mutated Asn glycosylation site is located on the chain that is fused with VHH or scFv.
[0160] In some embodiments, the Asn glycosylation site of the Fc region is mutated to Ala.
[0161] In some embodiments, the Asn glycosylation site together with its adjacent 1-10 amino acids is mutated simultaneously. In some embodiments, the Asn glycosylation site mutation is in the knob Fc chain. In some embodiments, the Asn glycosylation site is in the hole Fc chain.Oligonucleotides and their modification
[0162] Oligonucleotides used herein are selected from any single-or double-stranded oligonucleotide such as small interfering RNA (siRNA) , small activating RNAs (saRNA) , antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) , shRNA, miRNA, aptamer RNA or bridged nucleic acid (BNA) , which is capable of specifically binding to a target mRNA, thereby modulating gene expression in the cell.
[0163] In some embodiments, the oligonucleotides described herein comprises RNA or DNA. In some cases, the oligonucleotides comprise RNA. In some embodiments, RNA comprises short interfering RNA (siRNA) , short hairpin RNA (shRNA) or small activating RNA (saRNA) ., microRNA (miRNA) , double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) , transfer RNA (tRNA) , ribosomal RNA (rRNA) , or heterogeneous nuclear RNA (hnRNA) . In some embodiments, RNA comprises shRNA. In some embodiments, RNA comprises miRNA. In some embodiments, RNA comprises dsRNA. In some embodiments, RNA comprises tRNA. In some embodiments, RNA comprises rRNA. In some embodiments, RNA comprises hnRNA. In some embodiments, the RNA comprises siRNA. In some embodiments, the oligonucleotides comprises siRNA. In some cases, oligonucleotides comprises comprises siRNA.
[0164] In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is from about 10 to about 50 nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is from about 10 to about 30, from about 15 to about 30, from about 18 to about 25, from about 18 to about 24, from about 19 to about 23, or from about 20 to about 22 nucleotides in length.
[0165] In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is about 50 nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is about 45 nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is about 40 nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is about 35 nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is about 30 nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is about 25 nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is about 20 nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is about 19 nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is about 18 nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is about 17 nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is about 16 nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is about 15 nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is about 14 nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is about 13 nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is about 12 nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is about 11 nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is about 10 nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is from about 10 to about 50 nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is from about 10 to about 45 nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is from about 10 to about 40 nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is from about 10 to about 35 nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is from about 10 to about 30 nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is from about 10 to about 25 nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is from about 10 to about 20 nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is from about 15 to about 25 nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is from about 15 to about 30 nucleotides in length. In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide is from about 12 to about 30 nucleotides in length.
[0166] In some embodiments, the oligonucleotide comprises natural, synthetic, or artificial nucleotide analogues or bases. In some cases, the oligonucleotide comprises combinations of DNA, RNA and / or nucleotide analogues. In some embodiments, the synthetic or artificial oligonucleotide analogues or bases comprise modifications at one or more of ribose moiety, phosphate moiety, nucleoside moiety, or a combination thereof.
[0167] In some embodiments, a oligonucleotide analogue or artificial oligonucleotide base described above comprises a 5'-vinylphosphonate modified nucleotide nucleic acid with a modification at a 5'hydroxyl group of the ribose moiety. In some embodiments, the 5'-vinylphosphonate modified nucleotide is selected from the nucleotide provided below.
[0168] In some embodiments, the modification at the 2'hydroxyl group is a 2'-0-aminopropyl modification in which an extended amine group comprising a propyl linker binds the amine group to the 2'oxygen. In some embodiments, this modification neutralizes the phosphate -derived overall negative charge of the oligonucleotide molecule by introducing one positive charge from the amine group per sugar and thereby improves cellular uptake properties due to its zwitterionic properties.
[0169] In some embodiments, an oligonucleotide described herein is constructed using chemical synthesis and / or enzymatic ligation reactions using procedures known in the art. Chemically modified Oligonucleotides Addition of functional groups to the 3’ or 5’ -terminus of oligonucleotides
[0170] The 3’ or 5’ -terminus of an oligonucleotide can be modified with various functional groups using the commonly-known methods in nucleotide chemistry field. The functional groups comprise linker (or linker2) to the 3’ or 5’ -end of the oligonucleotides in.
[0171] In some embodiments, the functional group described herein is installed on the 3’ or 5’ -terminus of the oligonucleotide via forming a P-O bond. In some embodiments, the functional group is installed on the 3’ or 5’ -terminus of the oligonucleotide via forming a P-N bond. In some embodiments, the functional group is installed via the reaction of oligonucleotides or immobilized oligonucleotides with Phosphoramidite derivatives or Phosphoramidite derivatives of nucleotide. In some embodiments, the functional group is installed on the 3’ or 5’-terminus of the oligonucleotide via solid phase oligonucleotide synthesis protocol. In some embodiments, the functional group is installed on the 3’ or 5’ -terminus of the oligonucleotide via homogenous liquid phase oligonucleotide synthesis protocol. In some embodiments, the function group is amino group or thiol group or carbonyl group or azido group. In some embodiments, the reagent used for the modification of 3’ or 5’ -terminus of an oligonucleotide is ethylenediamine or alkyl-diamine.
[0172] In some embodiments, provided is an oligonucleotide with an oxazoline motif attached to it; the oxazoline motif has a structure below:
[0173] In some embodiments, provided is an oligonucleotide with an oxazoline motif attached to it; the oxazoline motif has a structure selected from the group below:
[0174] In some embodiments, the oxazoline can be synthesized according to the detailed description in WO2023232144A1.
[0175] In some embodiments, provided is an oligonucleotide with an oxazoline motif attached to it; the oxazoline motif has a structure selected from the group below:
[0176] In some embodiments, the oxazoline can be synthesized according to the detailed description in PCT / CN2024 / 135760.
[0177] In some embodiments, provided is an oligonucleotide with a bioorthogonal reactive group attached to it; At least one bioorthogonal reaction group is selected from azides, alkynes, alkenes, heterocycles, dienes, and / or a group composed of one or more heteroatoms selected from S, N, Se, P, and O. Preferably, the bioorthogonal reaction group is selected from azides, dibenzyl cyclooctynes (DBCO) , tetrazines, and trans-cyclooctenes; preferably, the bioorthogonal reaction group can be introduced via a carbon chain (optionally substituted or replaced with alkyl, phenyl, halogens, O, OH, alkoxy) .
[0178] In some embodiments, the bioorthogonal reaction groups can be selected from those known in the field, for example, see the article: Scinto, S. L., Bilodeau, D. A., Hincapie, R. et al. Bioorthogonal chemistry. Nat Rev Methods Primers 1, 30 (2021) . https: / / doi. org / 10.1038 / s43586-021-00028-z.
[0179] The bioorthogonal reactive group can be introduced to the oligonucleotide using the commonly known method in the chemical field.
[0180] In some embodiments, a linker described herein is a cleavable linker or a non-cleavable linker. In some embodiments, the linker is a cleavable linker. In some embodiments, the linker is an acid cleavable linker. In some embodiments, the linker is a non-cleavable linker. In some embodiments, the linker includes a C1-C6 alkyl group (e.g., a C5, C4, C3, C2, or C1 alkyl group) . In some embodiments, the linker includes homobifunctional cross linkers, heterobifunctional cross linkers, and the like. In some embodiments, the liker is a traceless linker (or a zero-length linker) . In some embodiments, the linker is a non-polymeric linker. In some cases, the linker is a non-peptide linker or a linker that does not contain an amino acid residue. In some cases, the linker comprises an amino acid residue. In some cases, the linker comprises an Gn group at the end of it to conjugate with the anbibody. In some cases, the linker comprises an Gn group at the end of it to conjugate with the anbibody. In some cases, the linker comprises a suitable moieties for bioorthogonal reactive group, which are listed below: Conjugation method Sortase
[0181] A “sortase” or “sortase enzyme” herein refers to an enzyme having sortase activity to catalyze a transpeptidation reaction, including for example, class A, class B, class C, class D, class E and class F sortases of the sortase enzyme superfamily (see, e.g., Dramsi, et al., Sorting sortases: a nomenclature proposal for the various sortases of Gram-positive bacteria, Research in Microbiology, (2005) , 156: 289-297; Bradshaw, et al., Molecular features of the sortase enzyme family, FEBS Journal, (2015) , 282: 2097-2114; Malik and Kim, A comprehensive in silico analysis of sortase superfamily, J Microbiol., (2019) , 57 (6) : 431-443; and EP3647419A1) , but not limited thereto. Such an enzyme may be referred to as a SrtA, SrtB, SrtC, SrtD, SrtE or SrtF, but not limited thereto. A sortase can be naturally occurring or engineered. Naturally occurring sortase enzymes can be found in a variety of gram-positive bacteria, such as any strain, species or subspecies of the genera of Streptococcus (e.g., Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pyogenes) , Staphylococcus (e.g., Staphylococcus argenteus and Staphylococcus aureus) , Bacillus (e.g., Bacillus anthracis) and Listeria (e.g., Listeria monocytogenes) , but are not limited to. An engineered sortase, such as a sortase variant with substitutions, deletions or insertions of one or more amino acid residues, can be obtained from its natural counterpart via methods known in the art, such as protein engineering and chemical synthesis. Also contemplated are other variants (such as those with one or more active groups or labels) of any wild-type sortase known in the art. The provision is that the variant has identical or similar function of the wild-type sortase. Those skilled in the art will readily be able to identify a sortase and assign it to a specific class based on its sequence and other characteristics. However, the definition of sortase is not limited by any classification method or nomenclature system.
[0182] In some embodiments, the sortase is SrtA, which can be naturally occurring or engineered.
[0183] In some embodiments, SrtA comprises an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 17 or an amino acid sequence having at least about 85%, at least about 90%, at least about 95%or at least about 99%sequence identity therewith.
[0184] In some embodiments, the SrtA comprises an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 17.
[0185] In some embodiments, the SrtA comprises an amino acid sequence can be found in WO2022160156A1. Halo Tag
[0186] A Halo tag is a mutant haloalkane dehalogenase or a variant thereof that removes the halogen from a haloalkyl substrate (e.g., an agent comprising a haloalkyl moiety - (CH2) 2-30-X, wherein X is a halogen like F, Cl, Br, I, particularly Cl or Br) and forms covalent linkage with the remaining moiety of the substrate. Mutant haloalkane dehalogenases have been described in, for example, WO2006 / 093529 and WO2008 / 054821, the relevant content of which is incorporated herein by reference. Mutant haloalkane dehalogenases useful in the present disclosure may include, but are not limited to, mutants of Xanthobacter dehalogenases (such as Xanthobacter autotrophicus dehalogenase (DhIA) ) or Rhodococcus dehalogenases (such as Rhodococcus rhodochrous dehalogenase (DhaA) ) , such as those comprising one or more substitutions at the catalytic triad residues, such as substitution of His272 with Phe / Ala / Gly / Gln / Asn or Asp106 with Cys or other substitutions as described in WO 2008 / 054821. The provision is that the mutant haloalkane dehalogenase is able to form covalent linkage with a haloalkyl substrate.
[0187] In some preferred embodiments, the Halo tag comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 18. In some embodiments, the Halo tag comprises an amino acid sequence having at least about 85%, at least about 90%, at least about 95%, or at least about 99%sequence identity with SEQ ID NO: 18. Sortase Fusion Proteins
[0188] In some embodiments, provided is a sortase fusion protein comprising a ligase and a Halo tag. Preparation of sortase fusion proteins can be found in US20220251530A1.
[0189] The ligase, the Halo tag and the additional polypeptide (when applicable) can be fused in any manner. In some embodiments, the ligase is N-terminal to the Halo tag. In some embodiments, the Halo tag is N-terminal to the ligase. In some embodiments, a linker peptide (such as a polyglycine stretch, (G4S) n, wherein G is glycine, S is serine, and n is an integer of 1-6, preferably n is an integer of 2-5) which is rigid or flexible may be inserted between the ligase and the Halo tag to ensure the proper function of the fusion protein using methods known in the art. In some embodiments, the linker peptide is (G4S) 2. In some embodiments, the ligase fusion protein comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 19. Immobilized sortase
[0190] Methods of enzyme immobilization are known in the art, such as adsorption, covalent or non-covalent binding, entrapment, encapsulation, and cross linking. It is desirable that a maximum enzymatic activity of the ligase is preserved after immobilization and a minimum amount of free ligase is present in the conjugate product after the conjugation reaction. Preferably, the support is modified on the surface to comprise one or more functional groups such that the ligase fusion protein can be covalently immobilized on the support. Preparation of immobilized fusion protein can be found in US20220251530A1.
[0191] Preferably, the support comprises one or more chemically active functional groups that can form covalent bond with reactive groups (such as amines, thiols and carboxylates) of the ligase fusion protein or with reactive groups in a haloalkyl substrate, or the support comprises one or more binding partners of a corresponding binding tag / affinity label that is comprised in the ligase fusion protein. Correspondence relationship between chemically active functional groups and the reactive groups or correspondence relationship between binding tags / affinity labels and binding partners are well-known in the art. Endoglycosidase
[0192] The endoglycosidase of the present disclosure can be any endoglycosidase of interest. Particularly, the endoglycosidase is N-acetylglucosaminidase, which covalently connects a donor containing oxazoline oligosaccharide to an antibodycontaining GlcNAc motif. Endoglycosidase Fusion Protein
[0193] In some embodiments, provided is an endoglycosidase fusion protein comprising an endoglycosidase and a Halo tag. Preparation of endoglycosidase fusion proteins can be found in WO2024002330A1.
[0194] An endoglycosidase and a Halo tag compose an endoglycosidase fusion protein. In some embodiments, the endoglycosidase fusion protein consists of a covalently linked endoglycosidase and a Halo. In some embodiments, the amino terminus of endoglycosidase is covalently connected with a Halo tag. In some embodiments, one end of endoglycosidase is covalently connected with a Halo tag, and the other end is covalently connected with a His tag. In some embodiments, the amino terminus of endoglycosidase is covalently connected with a Halo tag, and the carboxyl terminus is covalently connected with a His tag. In some embodiments, the amino terminus of endoglycosidase is covalently connected with a Halo tag, and the carboxyl terminus is covalently connected with a His tag, and the endoglycosidase is Endo S2. In an embodiment, the endoglycosidase fusion protein comprises an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 20, or an amino acid sequence having at least 90%identity therewith, or an amino acid sequence having one or more conservative amino acid substitutions compared to SEQ ID NO: 20. In some embodiments, the endoglycosidase fusion protein comprises or consists of an amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO: 20. In some embodiments, the endoglycosidase fusion protein comprises an amino acid sequence as shown in position 1 to position 1150th in SEQ ID NO: 20, or has at least 90%identity compared to the amino acid shown in position 1 to position 1150th in SEQ ID NO: 20, or has one or more conservative amino acid substitutions compared to the amino acid shown in position 1 to position 1150th in SEQ ID NO: 20. In some embodiments, the endoglycosidase fusion protein comprises or consists of the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 20 from position 1 to position 1150th. His Tag
[0195] In some embodiments, the His tag is a plurality of consecutive histidine residues. In some embodiments, the His tag is 3 histidine, 4 histidine, 5 histidine, 6 histidine, 7 histidine, 8 histidine, 9 histidine or 10 amino acids. In an embodiment, the His tag is His6. In an embodiment, the His tag is His8. In an embodiment, the His tag is His10. Immobilized Endoglycosidase
[0196] In one aspect, the present disclosure provides an immobilized endoglycosidase fusion protein comprising the endoglycosidase fusion protein of the present disclosure immobilized on a support.
[0197] Methods of enzyme immobilization are known in the art, such as adsorption, covalent or non-covalent binding, entrapment, encapsulation, and cross linking. It is desirable that a maximum enzymatic activity of the ligase is preserved after immobilization and a minimum amount of free ligase is present in the conjugate product after the conjugation reaction. Preferably, the support is modified on the surface to comprise one or more functional groups such that the ligase fusion protein can be covalently immobilized on the support. Preparation of immobilized fusion protein can be found in WO2024002330A1. Conjugate
[0198] In some embodiment, the conjugation reaction can be represented by the following scheme.
[0199] The triangle represents a portion of an antibody (VHH or VHH-hFc in this case) ; and the pentagon represents a portion of an oligonucleotide. And n is an integer of 1-6. G represents glycine. When conjugated with Gn, which is the corresponding recognition sequence of the acceptor substrate, the upstream peptide bond of the glycine in the LPXTGJ sequence is cleaved by Sortase A, and the resulting intermediate is linked to the free N-terminal of Gn to generate a new peptide bond. The resulting amino acid sequence is LPXTGn. X is any natural or unnatural amino acid; J is absent, or is an oligopeptide consisting of 1-10 amino acids, wherein each amino acid is independently any natural or unnatural amino acid; preferably, J is absent or is Gm or is GH, wherein m is an integer of 1-10.
[0200] In a specific embodiment, the conjugation reaction can be represented by the following scheme.
[0201] represents oligonucleotide.
[0202] The scheme shows the conjugation method catalyzed by sortase A. The antibody (VHH-Fc) comprises a VHH at the N-terminus (or N-ter) of one arm ( “knob” arm) of a human IgG1-derived Fc dimer (hFc) and a tag sequence (herein after named Sortase-tag, typically, a LPXTGJ) specifically recognized by sortase enzyme inserted in C-terminus (or C-ter) of the other arm of the Fc dimer ( “hole” arm) . In some embodiments, a spacer such as GA can be inserted into the N terminal of the LPXTGJ and C terminal of Fc. The resulting AOC is of general formula VHH-hFc-siRNA or VHH-hFc-ASO.
[0203] In a specific embodiment, the VHH is conjugated to at least one oligonucleotide, i.e., one or more oligonucleotide (s) (e.g., any single-or double-stranded oligonucleotide such as small interfering RNA (siRNA) , small activating RNA (saRNA) , antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) , or shRNA, miRNA, aptamer RNA or bridged nucleic acid (BNA) , preferably ASO or siRNA, by means of the half-life extending moiety or stabilizing group such as a Fc fragment of a human IgG1 or IgG4, wherein Fc-VHH or VHH-Fc are homodimers or heterodimers.
[0204] In some embodiments, the Sortase-tag sequence can be added to the “knob” arm.
[0205] In some embodiments, the Sortase-tag sequence can be added to the “knob” arm and the “hole” arm.
[0206] In a specific embodiment, the VHH is conjugated to at least one oligonucleotide, i.e., one or more oligonucleotide (s) (e.g., any single-or double-stranded oligonucleotide such as small interfering RNA (siRNA) , small activating RNA (saRNA) , antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) , or shRNA, miRNA, aptamer RNA or bridged nucleic acid (BNA) , preferably ASO or siRNA, directly through the catalysis of Sortase A.
[0207] In a specific embodiment, the conjugation reaction can be represented by the following scheme.
[0208] In some embodiments, a spacer such as GA can be inserted into the N terminal of the LPXTGJ and C terminal of Fc.
[0209] In some embodiments, the DBCO and N3 can be replaced by other bioorthogonal reactive groups listed above as long as they can reach a bioorthogonal reaction (Click Chemistry Reaction) .
[0210] In some embodiments, one or more oligonucleotides is conjugated to an antibody. In some embodiments, about 1 oligonucleotide is conjugated to one antibody. In some embodiments, about 2 oligonucleotides are conjugated to one antibody. In some embodiments, about 3 oligonucleotides are conjugated to one antibody. In some embodiments, about 4 oligonucleotides are conjugated to one antibody.
[0211] In some embodiments, the DAR ratio of the oligonucleotide to antibody (e.g., a VHH) is about 1, 2. In some embodiments, the DAR ratio is about 1.
[0212] In some embodiments, provided is an enzymatic conjugation process for preparing an antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate comprising the following steps:
[0213] 1) providing an antibody with a Fc region;
[0214] 2) providing an oligonucleotide with an oxazoline motif attached to it;
[0215] 3) conjugating the oligonucleotide from 2) to the antibody from 1) through the catalysis of a glycosidase;
[0216] wherein,
[0217] 1) and 2) can be carried out simultaneously or sequentially, and the order of 1) and 2) can be interchanged;
[0218] The oxazoline motif described in this article refers to a group suitable for conjugation at the N297 glycosylation site, as described in various prior-art references, such as: Zhang X, Ou C, Liu H, et al. General and robust chemoenzymatic method for glycan-mediated site-specific labeling and conjugation of antibodies: facile synthesis of homogeneous antibody–drug conjugates [J] . ACS chemical biology, 2021, 16 (11) : 2502-2514.
[0219] In some embodiments, the oxazoline motif has a structure below:
[0220] In some embodiments, the oxazoline motif has a structure selected from the group below:
[0221] In some embodiments, the oxazoline can be synthesized according to the detailed description in WO2023232144A1.
[0222] In some embodiments, the oxazoline motif has a structure selected from the group below:
[0223] In some embodiments, the conjugation reaction can be represented by the following scheme. Wherein, the Oxa represents the oxazoline motif.
[0224] In some embodiments, provided is an enzymatic conjugation process for preparing an antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate comprising the following steps:
[0225] 1) providing an antibody with a Fc region;
[0226] 2) providing a linker with both an oxazoline motif and a bioorthogonal reactive group attached to it;
[0227] 3) providing an oligonucleotide with a bioorthogonal reactive group attached to it;
[0228] 4) conjugating the linker1 from 2) to the antibody from 1) through the catalysis of a glycosidase;
[0229] 5) linking the oligonucleotide from 3) to the product from 4) through the bioorthogonal reaction;
[0230] wherein,
[0231] 1) , 2) , and 3) can be carried out simultaneously or sequentially, and the order of 1) , 2) , and 3) can be interchanged;
[0232] the oxazoline motif has a structure selected from the group below:
[0233] In some embodiments, the conjugation reaction can be represented by the following scheme. Wherein, the Oxa represents the oxazoline motif.
[0234] represents oligonucleotide.
[0235] The Asn glycosylation site of one chain of the Fc region ( “knob’a rm in the scheme above) is mutated to Ala. In some embodiments, Asn glycosylation site of one chain of the Fc region can be mutated to an amino acid other than Asn;
[0236] In some embodiments, the mutated Asn glycosylation site is located on the chain that is fused with VHH or scFv ( “knob” arm) .
[0237] In some embodiments, the mutated Asn glycosylation site is located on the chain that is not fused with VHH or scFv ( “hole” arm) .
[0238] In some embodiments, additional radioactive tracer, i.e. 125I, can be conjugated to the antibody to form an antibody-oligonucleotide (-Tracer) Conjugate by enzymatic site-specific conjugation. The Antibody-Oligonucleotide (-Tracer) Conjugate enables the live-tracking of the AOC modality post intravenous administration, including the absorbance, distribution and excretion of the AOC in the target tissues. Radioactive tracer-TfR1 antibody conjugates, like TfR1 antibody- [18F] florbetapir and TfR1 antibody- [18F] flortaucipir, were produced by enzymatic site-specific conjugation, the ligation of these radioactive PET tracers to the Fc fragment of the antibodies enables the target delivery of the PET tracer and the detection of the pathologies in the live body, i.e. amyloid beta and tau pathology in the brain, these conjugates facilitate the imaging-based biomarker development for early diagnosis, patient recruitment, target engaging and treatment response assessment for the clinical trials. (doi. org / 10.3390 / ph14020110, doi: 10.2967 / jnmt. 118.224022) .
[0239] Such a conjugate is of general formula VHH-hFc, for example VHH-hFc-siRNA or VHH-hFc-ASO.
[0240] In some embodiments, provided technical solution is listed below:
[0241] 1. An enzymatic conjugation process for preparing an antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate comprising the following steps:
[0242] 1) providing an antibody with a recognition motif of sortase donor substrate (or a recognition motif of sortase acceptor substrate) attached to it;
[0243] 2) providing an oligonucleotide with a recognition motif of sortase acceptor substrate (or a recognition motif of sortase donor substrate) attached to it;
[0244] 3) conjugating the oligonucleotide from 2) to the antibody from 1) through the catalysis of a sortase;
[0245] wherein,
[0246] 1) and 2) can be carried out simultaneously or sequentially, and the order of 1) and 2) can be interchanged;
[0247] the recognition motif of sortase donor substrate is LPXTGJ, NPXTG, LPXTA, or LAXTG; preferably, LPXTG or LPETGG;
[0248] the recognition motif of sortase acceptor substrate is (Gly) n, n is an integer of 2 to 10;
[0249] X is any natural or unnatural amino acid;
[0250] J is absent, or is an oligopeptide consisting of 1-10 amino acids, wherein each amino acid is independently any natural or unnatural amino acid; preferably, J is absent or is Gm or is GH, wherein m is an integer of 1-10;
[0251] 2. An enzymatic conjugation process for preparing an antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate comprising the following steps:
[0252] 1) providing an antibody with a recognition motif of sortase donor substrate (or a recognition motif of sortase acceptor) substrate attached to it;
[0253] 2) providing a linker with both a) a recognition motif of sortase acceptor substrate (or a recognition motif of sortase donor substrate) and b) a bioorthogonal reactive group, attached to it;
[0254] 3) providing an oligonucleotide with a bioorthogonal reactive group attached to it;
[0255] 4) linking the oligonucleotide from 3) to the linker from 2) through the bioorthogonal reaction;
[0256] 5) conjugating the product from 4) to the antibody from 1) through the catalysis of a sortase;
[0257] wherein,
[0258] 1) , 2) , and 3) can be carried out simultaneously or sequentially, and the order of 1) , 2) , and 3) can be interchanged;
[0259] the recognition motif of sortase donor substrate is LPXTGJ, NPXTG, LPXTA, or LAXTG; preferably, LPXTG or LPETGG;
[0260] the recognition motif of sortase acceptor substrate is (Gly) n, n is an integer of 2 to 10;
[0261] X is any natural or unnatural amino acid;
[0262] J is absent, or is an oligopeptide consisting of 1-10 amino acids, wherein each amino acid is independently any natural or unnatural amino acid; preferably, J is absent or is Gm or is GH, wherein m is an integer of 1-10;
[0263] 3. An enzymatic conjugation process for preparing an antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate comprising the following steps:
[0264] 1) providing an antibody with a recognition motif of sortase donor substrate (or a recognition motif of sortase acceptor substrate) attached to it;
[0265] 2) providing a linker with both a) a recognition motif of sortase acceptor substrate (or a recognition motif of sortase donor substrate) and b) a bioorthogonal reactive group, attached to it;
[0266] 3) providing an oligonucleotide with a bioorthogonal reactive group attached to it;
[0267] 4) conjugating the linker1 from 2) to the antibody from 1) through the catalysis of a sortase;
[0268] 5) linking the oligonucleotide from 3) to the product from 4) through the bioorthogonal reaction;
[0269] wherein,
[0270] 1) , 2) , and 3) can be carried out simultaneously or sequentially, and the order of 1) , 2) , and 3) can be interchanged;
[0271] the recognition motif of sortase donor substrate is LPXTGJ, NPXTG, LPXTA, or LAXTG; preferably, LPXTG or LPETGG;
[0272] the recognition motif of sortase acceptor substrate is (Gly) n, n is an integer of 2 to 10;
[0273] X is any natural or unnatural amino acid;
[0274] J is absent, or is an oligopeptide consisting of 1-10 amino acids, wherein each amino acid is independently any natural or unnatural amino acid; preferably, J is absent or is Gm or is GH, wherein m is an integer of 1-10;
[0275] 4. An enzymatic conjugation process for preparing an antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate comprising the following steps:
[0276] 1) providing an antibody with a Fc region;
[0277] 2) providing an oligonucleotide with an oxazoline motif attached to it;
[0278] 3) conjugating the oligonucleotide from 2) to the antibody from 1) through the catalysis of a glycosidase;
[0279] wherein,
[0280] 1) and 2) can be carried out simultaneously or sequentially, and the order of 1) and 2) can be interchanged;
[0281] the oxazoline motif has a structure selected from the group below:
[0282]
[0283] 5. An enzymatic conjugation process for preparing an antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate comprising the following steps:
[0284] 1) providing an antibody with a Fc region;
[0285] 2) providing a linker with both an oxazoline motif and a bioorthogonal reactive group attached to it;
[0286] 3) providing an oligonucleotide with a bioorthogonal reactive group attached to it;
[0287] 4) linking the oligonucleotide from 3) to the linker from 2) through the bioorthogonal reaction;
[0288] 5) conjugating the product from 4) to the antibody from 1) through the catalysis of a glycosidase;
[0289] wherein,
[0290] 1) , 2) , and 3) can be carried out simultaneously or sequentially, and the order of 1) , 2) , and 3) can be interchanged;
[0291] the oxazoline motif has a structure selected from the group below:
[0292]
[0293] 6. An enzymatic conjugation process for preparing an antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate comprising the following steps:
[0294] 1) providing an antibody with a Fc region;
[0295] 2) providing a linker with both an oxazoline motif and a bioorthogonal reactive group attached to it;
[0296] 3) providing an oligonucleotide with a bioorthogonal reactive group attached to it;
[0297] 4) conjugating the linker1 from 2) to the antibody from 1) through the catalysis of a glycosidase;
[0298] 5) linking the oligonucleotide from 3) to the product from 4) through the bioorthogonal reaction;
[0299] wherein,
[0300] 1) , 2) , and 3) can be carried out simultaneously or sequentially, and the order of 1) , 2) , and 3) can be interchanged;
[0301] the oxazoline motif has a structure selected from the group below:
[0302]
[0303] 7. The process according to any one of 1-3, wherein the antibody comprises a VHH chain or scFv; preferably, the antibody is a VHH chain or scFv.
[0304] 8. The process according to 7, wherein the C-terminal (or N-terminal) of the VHH is attached with a recognition motif of sortase donor substrate (or a recognition motif of sortase acceptor substrate) ;
[0305] preferably, a spacer is inserted after the C terminal of VHH; or,
[0306] a spacer is inserted before the N terminal of VHH;
[0307] preferably, the spacer is selected from GA, GGGGS, GGGGSGGGGS, GGGGSGGGGSGGGGS.
[0308] 9. The process according to any one of 1-3, wherein,
[0309] the antibody comprises a VHH chain or scFv;
[0310] the VHH chain or scFv is fused to a Fc fragment.
[0311] 10. The process according to 9, wherein the C-terminals of two chains of Fc fragment are attached with a recognition motif of sortase donor substrate (or a recognition motif of sortase acceptor substrate) ;
[0312] preferably, a spacer is inserted into the N terminal of the recognition motif of sortase donor substrate (or a recognition motif of sortase acceptor substrate) and C terminal of Fc; preferably, the spacer is selected from GA, GGGGS, GGGGSGGGGS, GGGGSGGGGSGGGGS.
[0313] 11. The process according to 9, wherein the C-terminal of one chain of the Fc fragment is attached with a recognition motif of sortase donor substrate (or a recognition motif of sortase acceptor substrate) ;
[0314] preferably, the recognition motif is attached to the C-terminals of one chain of the Fc fragment which is not fused with the VHH or scFv;
[0315] preferably, a spacer is inserted into the N terminal of the recognition motif of sortase donor substrate (or a recognition motif of sortase acceptor substrate) and C terminal of Fc; preferably, the spacer is selected from GA, GGGGS, GGGGSGGGGS, GGGGSGGGGSGGGGS.
[0316] 12. The process according to any one of 4-6, wherein,
[0317] the antibody comprises a VHH chain or scFv;
[0318] the VHH chain or scFv is fused to a Fc fragment.
[0319] 13. The process according to 12, wherein the Asn glycosylation site of one chain of the Fc region is mutated to an amino acid other than Asn; preferably, the mutated Asn glycosylation site is located on the chain that is fused with VHH or scFv.
[0320] 14. The process according to 9, wherein the Asn glycosylation site of the Fc region is mutated to Ala.
[0321] 15. The process according to any one of 9-14, wherein the Fc fragment comprise Knob-into-Hole mutations.
[0322] 16. The process according to any one of 1-15, wherein the antibody binds to TfR1 or Transferrin.
[0323] 17. The process according to 7 or 8, wherein the antibody binds to Transferrin.
[0324] 18. The process according to any one of 9-15, wherein the antibody binds to TfR1.
[0325] 19. The process according to any one of 1-18, wherein the oligonucleotide is selected from siRNA and ASO.
[0326] 20. The process according to any one of 1-19, wherein the sortase or glycosidase is immobilized on a support.
[0327] 21. The process according to any one of 1-20, wherein the sortase is selected from sortase A, sortase B, sortase C, sortase D, sortase E or sortase F and a variant thereof, preferably sortase A.
[0328] 22. The process according to any one of 21, wherein the sortase is sortase A, and wherein sortase A comprises an amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 17 or an amino acid sequence having at least about 85%, at least about 90%, at least about 95%or at least about 99%sequence identity therewith.
[0329] 23. The process according to any one of 1-22, wherein the glycosidase is selected from Endo S (Streptococcus pyogenes endoglycosidase -S) , Endo F3 (Elizabethkingia miricolan endoglycosidase -F3) , Endo S2 (Endoglycosidase S2, Streptococcus pyogenes endoglycosidase -S2) , Endo Sd (Endoglycosidase-Sd, Streptococcus pyogenes endoglycosidase -Sd) and Endo CC (Endoglycosidase-CC, Streptococcus pyogenes endoglycosidase -CC) or a variant thereof; preferably, the glycosidase is Endo S2 or a variant thereof.
[0330] 24. The process according to any one of 1-23, wherein the drug-antibody ratio (DAR) thereof is 1-2, preferably 1.
[0331] 25. An antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate, prepared by the process of any one of 1-24.
[0332] 26. A pharmaceutical composition, which comprises the antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate prepared by the process of any one of 1-24.
[0333] 27. Use of the antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate according to 25 or the pharmaceutical composition according to 26 for the manufacture of a medicament for preventing, alleviating or treating disease or disorder by decreasing transcription or translation of DNA;
[0334] preferably, wherein the disease or disorder comprises cancer, autoimmune disease, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, hemophilia, a neurological disease;
[0335] preferably, wherein the neurological disease is selected from the group consisting of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, epilepsy, migraine, encephalitis, age-related macular degeneration and neuropathic pain.
[0336] 28. A method for treating a disease (for instance, neurological disease) , comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of the antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate according to 25 or the pharmaceutical composition according to 26 to a subject in need thereof.
[0337] 29. An enzymatic conjugation process for preparing an antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate comprising the following steps:
[0338] 1) providing an antibody with a Fc region;
[0339] 2) providing an oligonucleotide with an oxazoline motif attached to it;
[0340] 3) conjugating the oligonucleotide from 2) to the antibody from 1) through the catalysis of a glycosidase;
[0341] wherein,
[0342] 1) and 2) can be carried out simultaneously or sequentially, and the order of 1) and 2) can be interchanged.
[0343] 30. An enzymatic conjugation process for preparing an antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate comprising the following steps:
[0344] 1) providing an antibody with a Fc region;
[0345] 2) providing a linker with both an oxazoline motif and a bioorthogonal reactive group attached to it;
[0346] 3) providing an oligonucleotide with a bioorthogonal reactive group attached to it;
[0347] 4) linking the oligonucleotide from 3) to the linker from 2)
[0348] 5) conjugating the product from 4) to the antibody from 1) through the catalysis of a glycosidase; through the bioorthogonal reaction;
[0349] wherein,
[0350] 1) , 2) , and 3) can be carried out simultaneously or sequentially, and the order of 1) , 2) , and 3) can be interchanged;
[0351] 31. An enzymatic conjugation process for preparing an antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate comprising the following steps:
[0352] 1) providing an antibody with a Fc region;
[0353] 2) providing a linker with both an oxazoline motif and a bioorthogonal reactive group attached to it;
[0354] 3) providing an oligonucleotide with a bioorthogonal reactive group attached to it;
[0355] 4) conjugating the linker1 from 2) to the antibody from 1) through the catalysis of a glycosidase;
[0356] 5) linking the oligonucleotide from 3) to the product from 4) through the bioorthogonal reaction;
[0357] wherein,
[0358] 1) , 2) , and 3) can be carried out simultaneously or sequentially, and the order of 1) , 2) , and 3) can be interchanged.
[0359] 32. The process according to any one of 29-31, wherein the oxazoline motif has a structure selected from the group below:
[0360] and / or, bioorthogonal reactive group of 2) in 30 or 31, and bioorthogonal reactive group of 3) in 30 or 31 can react through the bioorthogonal reaction;
[0361] preferably, the bioorthogonal reactive group of 2) and bioorthogonal reactive group of 3) in 30 or 31 is selected from:
[0362] In some embodiments, provided technical solution is listed below:
[0363] 1. An enzymatic conjugation process for preparing an antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate comprising the following steps:
[0364] 1) providing an antibody with an Fc region;
[0365] 2) providing a linker with both an oxazoline motif and a bioorthogonal reactive group attached to it;
[0366] 3) providing an oligonucleotide with a bioorthogonal reactive group attached to it;
[0367] 4) conjugating the linker from 2) to the antibody from 1) through the catalysis of a glycosidase;
[0368] 5) linking the oligonucleotide from 3) to the product from 4) through the bioorthogonal reaction;
[0369] wherein,
[0370] 1) , 2) , and 3) can be carried out simultaneously or sequentially, and the order of 1) , 2) , and 3) can be interchanged;
[0371] wherein the Asn glycosylation site of one chain of the Fc region is mutated to an amino acid other than Asn; preferably, the Asn glycosylation site of the Fc region is mutated to Ala.
[0372] 2. The process according to 1, wherein, the drug-antibody ratio (DAR) of the antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate is 1.
[0373] 3. The process according to 1 or 2, wherein the oligonucleotide is selected from siRNA, ASO, shRNA, miRNA, dsRNA, saRNA; preferably, is selected from siRNA and ASO.
[0374] 4. The process according to any one of 1-3, wherein,
[0375] the antibody is selected from intact antibody, antibody fragment; and / or
[0376] the antibody is selected from monoclonal antibody (mAb) , polyclonal antibody; and / or
[0377] the antibody is selected from monospecific antibody, bispecific and trispecific antibody.
[0378] 5. The process according to any one of 1-3, wherein,
[0379] the antibody is a fusion protein; preferably, the antibody is bispecific antibody selected from the format below:
[0380] a) mAb-Fab fusion; N-terminal or C-terminal of an antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a Fab targeting the second antigen;
[0381] b) mAb-VHH fusion; N-terminal or C-terminal of an antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a VHH targeting the second antigen;
[0382] c) mAb-ScFv fusion; N-terminal or C-terminal of an antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a ScFv targeting the second antigen;
[0383] d) VHH-Fab-Fc fusion; an antibody targeting the first antigen comprises a Fab and a Fc domain, wherein N-terminal or C-terminal of the antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a VHH targeting the second antigen;
[0384] e) ScFv-Fab-Fc fusion; an antibody targeting the first antigen comprises of a Fab and a Fc domain, wherein N-terminal or C-terminal of the antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a ScFv targeting the second antigen
[0385] f) Fab-Fc fusion; the bispecific antibody comprises Fab targeting the first antigen, Fab targeting the second antigen and Fc domain;
[0386] and
[0387] g) VHH-Fc fusion: a VHH targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to one chain of Fc domain, and a VHH targeting the second antigen is covalently linked to the other chain of Fc domain.
[0388] more preferably, the antibody is bispecific antibody selected from the format below:
[0389] a) mAb-crossmab Fab fusion: N-terminal or C-terminal of an antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a Fab targeting the second antigen, wherein the Fab targeting the second antigen uses “crossmab” technology; preferably, CH1 / CL domains in the Fab targeting the second antigen are interchanged;
[0390] b) mAb-VHH fusion: N-terminal or C-terminal of an antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a VHH targeting the second antigen;
[0391] c) mAb-ScFv fusion: N-terminal or C-terminal of an antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a ScFv targeting the second antigen;
[0392] d) VHH-Fab-Fc fusion: an antibody targeting the first antigen comprises a Fab and a Fc domain, wherein N-terminal or C-terminal of the antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a VHH targeting the second antigen;
[0393] e) ScFv-Fab-Fc fusion: an antibody targeting the first antigen comprises of a Fab and a Fc domain, wherein N-terminal or C-terminal of the antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a ScFv targeting the second antigen;
[0394] f) Fab-Fc fusion: the bispecific antibody comprises Fab targeting the first antigen, Fab targeting the second antigen and Fc domain; wherein the Fab targeting the first antigen uses “crossmab” technology; preferably, CH1 / CL domains in the Fab targeting the first antigen are interchanged;
[0395] and
[0396] g) VHH-Fc fusion: a VHH targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to one chain of Fc domain, and a VHH targeting the second antigen is covalently linked to the other chain of Fc domain.
[0397] 6. The process according to any one of 1-3, wherein,
[0398] the antibody comprises at least an antibody fragment; and at least one antibody fragment is fused to the Fc region; preferably, each of the antibody fragment is selected from VHH, scFv, scFab, Fab, F (ab’ ) ;
[0399] 7. The process according to any one of 1-3, wherein,
[0400] the antibody comprises a VHH chain or scFv;
[0401] the VHH chain or scFv is fused to the Fc fragment.
[0402] 8. The process according to 1-7, wherein the Fc fragment comprise Knob-into-Hole mutations.
[0403] 9. The process according to any one of 1-8, wherein the oxazoline motif has a structure selected from the group below:
[0404]
[0405] and / or,
[0406] bioorthogonal reactive group of 2) and bioorthogonal reactive group of 3) can react through the bioorthogonal reaction;
[0407] preferably, the bioorthogonal reactive group of 2) and bioorthogonal reactive group of 3) are selected from:
[0408]
[0409] more preferably, the bioorthogonal reactive group of 2) is and bioorthogonal reactive group of 3) is or, the bioorthogonal reactive group of 2) is and bioorthogonal reactive group of 3) is
[0410] 10. The process according to any one of 1-9, wherein the oxazoline motif has a structure selected from the group below:
[0411]
[0412] 11. The process according to any one of 1-10, wherein the antibody binds to TfR1.
[0413] 12. The process according to any one of 11, wherein the antibody comprises a VHH chain; and,
[0414] the VHH chain is fused to the Fc fragment; and,
[0415] the antibody binds to TfR1.
[0416] 13. The process according to any one of 1-12, wherein the glycosidase is selected from Endo S (Streptococcus pyogenes endoglycosidase -S) , Endo F3 (Elizabethkingia miricolan endoglycosidase -F3) , Endo S2 (Endoglycosidase S2, Streptococcus pyogenes endoglycosidase -S2) , Endo Sd (Endoglycosidase-Sd, Streptococcus pyogenes endoglycosidase -Sd) and Endo CC (Endoglycosidase-CC, Streptococcus pyogenes endoglycosidase -CC) or a variant thereof; preferably, the glycosidase is Endo S2 or a variant thereof.
[0417] 14. The process according to any one of 1-13, wherein the glycosidase is immobilized on a support.
[0418] 15. An antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate, prepared by the process of any one of 1-14.
[0419] 16. A pharmaceutical composition, which comprises the antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate prepared by the process of any one of 1-14.
[0420] 17. Use of the antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate according to 15 or the pharmaceutical composition according to 16 for the manufacture of a medicament for preventing, alleviating or treating disease or disorder by reducing the level of mRNA or correcting the aberrant pre-mRNA splicing; or regulating the activity of genes;
[0421] preferably, wherein the disease or disorder comprises cancer, autoimmune disease, metabolic disease, hypertension, hemophilia, and neurological disease;
[0422] preferably, wherein the neurological disease is selected from the group consisting of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, epilepsy, migraine, encephalitis, age-related macular degeneration andneuropathic pain.
[0423] preferably, wherein the autoimmune disease is selected from the group consisting of systemic lupus erythematosus, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, syndrome, ankylosing spondylitis, non-infectious posterior uveitis / panuveitis, andautoimmune keratitis.
[0424] preferably, wherein the cancer is selected from the group consisting of carcinoma, sarcoma, glioma, melanoma, leukemia, lymphoma, glioblastoma and multiple myeloma.
[0425] preferably, wherein the metabolic disease is selected from the group consisting of obesity, diabetes, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, hyperlipidemia, dyslipidemia, and atherosclerosis.
[0426] 18. A method for treating a disease, comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of the antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate according to 15 or the pharmaceutical composition according to 16 to a subject in need thereof;
[0427] preferably, wherein the disease or disorder comprises cancer, autoimmune disease, metabolic disease, and neurological disease;
[0428] preferably, wherein the neurological disease is selected from the group consisting of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, epilepsy, migraine, encephalitis, age-related macular degeneration and neuropathic pain.
[0429] preferably, wherein the autoimmune disease is selected from the group consisting of systemic lupus erythematosus, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, syndrome, ankylosing spondylitis, non-infectious posterior uveitis / panuveitis, and autoimmune keratitis.
[0430] preferably, wherein the cancer is selected from the group consisting of carcinoma, sarcoma, glioma, melanoma, leukemia, lymphoma, glioblastoma and multiple myeloma.
[0431] preferably, wherein the metabolic disease is selected from the group consisting of obesity, diabetes, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, hyperlipidemia, dyslipidemia, and atherosclerosis.
[0432] 19. An antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate, wherein,
[0433] the antibody comprises a VHH chain and an Fc fragment;
[0434] the VHH chain is fused to the Fc fragment;
[0435] the Asn glycosylation site of one chain of the Fc region is mutated to an amino acid other than Asn; preferably, the Asn glycosylation site of the Fc region is mutated to Ala;
[0436] the oligonucleotide is selected from siRNA, ASO, shRNA, saRNA; preferably, is selected from siRNA and ASO; and,
[0437] the drug-antibody ratio (DAR) of the antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate is 1.
[0438] 20. A conjugate according to 19, wherein the antibody binds to TfR1.
[0439] 21. An enzymatic conjugation process for preparing an antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate comprising the following steps:
[0440] 1) providing an antibody with a Fc region;
[0441] 2) providing an oligonucleotide with an oxazoline motif attached to it;
[0442] 3) conjugating the oligonucleotide from 2) to the antibody from 1) through the catalysis of a glycosidase;
[0443] wherein,
[0444] 1) and 2) can be carried out simultaneously or sequentially, and the order of 1) and 2) can be interchanged;
[0445] wherein the Asn glycosylation site of one chain of the Fc region is mutated to an amino acid other than Asn; preferably, the Asn glycosylation site of the Fc region is mutated to Ala;
[0446] wherein the oligonucleotide, antibody, oxazoline motif, bioorthogonal reactive group and glycosidase is as defined in 3-14.
[0447] 22. An enzymatic conjugation process for preparing an antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate comprising the following steps:
[0448] 1) providing an antibody with a Fc region;
[0449] 2) providing a linker with both an oxazoline motif and a bioorthogonal reactive group attached to it;
[0450] 3) providing an oligonucleotide with a bioorthogonal reactive group attached to it;
[0451] 4) linking the oligonucleotide from 3) to the linker from 2) through the bioorthogonal reaction;
[0452] 5) conjugating the product from 4) to the antibody from 1) through the catalysis of a glycosidase;
[0453] wherein,
[0454] 1) , 2) , and 3) can be carried out simultaneously or sequentially, and the order of 1) , 2) , and 3) can be interchanged;
[0455] wherein the Asn glycosylation site of one chain of the Fc region is mutated to an amino acid other than Asn; preferably, the Asn glycosylation site of the Fc region is mutated to Ala;
[0456] wherein the oligonucleotide, antibody, oxazoline motif, bioorthogonal reactive group and glycosidase is as defined in 3-14.Beneficial effects
[0457] Due to the unique physicochemical property of oligonucleotides, i.e big molecular size and highly negative charge, compared to small molecules, it was challenging to efficiently conjugate oligonucleotide to the antibody. The bioconjugation technology has evolved to address these challenges and to better adapt to oligonucleotides other than small molecules, so that the target product profile could be achieved.
[0458] This invention presents an endoglycosidase-catalyzed, site-specific conjugation process that yields highly homogeneous AOCs with enriched DAR1 species; Asn glycosylation site of one chain of Fc region is mutated to other amino acid such as Ala, to enable the ligation of the oligonucleotide to the antibody in a highly efficient manner that yields the AOC with over 90%and even 95%DAR1 purity.
[0459] The asymmetric Fc mutation enabled site-specific conjunction catalyzed by glycosidase produces highly homogeneous conjugate enriched in DAR1 species. Its coupling efficiency is comparable to sortase-mediated conjugation and superior to those achieved with MTG-based approaches.
[0460] Moreover, as described in example 8-10, this endoglycosidase-catalyzed, site-specific conjugation process can be applied to produce antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates with diverse antibody formats beyond VHH-Fc fusion.
[0461] Specifically, this conjugation process enables the present invention to streamline the site-specific attachment of oligonucleotides to antibodies, yielding AOCs with high DAR1 homogeneity. Taking TfR1-targeting AOC as an example, the resulting constructs are more stable, efficient, and safer, achieving robust barrier-crossing and optimal target engagement. The systematically administrated TfR1-targeting AOC enables highly efficient oligonucleotide delivery to the CNS and other extra-hepatic peripheral tissues, paving the way to develop a non-invasive and effective treatment for genetic disorders and common diseases. TfR1-targeting AOC generated by endoglycosidase-catalyzed process achieved superior gene-silencing efficacy at the intended site of action, compared to the AOCs obtained via other site-specific enzymatic process (e.g., sortase-or MTG-mediated) . The gene-silencing effect in the non-target tissue, i.e. liver, was significantly reduced, ensuring a competitive safety profile.
[0462] Comparing with sortase-catalyzed conjugation, the TfR1-targeting AOC generated by the endoglycosidase-catalyzed site-specific process exhibited greater DAR1 homogeneity. This AOC achieved highly efficient ASOs / siRNAs delivery crossing the blood–brain barrier with higher RNA knockdown and better oligonucleotide exposure in the brain. Compared to MTG-catalyzed conjugation, the same endoglycosidase approach produced the TfR1-targeting AOC with higher DAR1 homogeneity, and this AOC enabled efficient delivery of both ASOs and siRNAs with superior RNA / mRNA knockdown in the brain, while limited RNA reduction was observed in the non-target tissue liver. The reduced hepatic target engagement by endoglycosidase-catalyzed iGDC-DAR1 AOC offers an improved safety profile.
[0463] The resulting AOCs produced by the instant AOC conjugation method present widespread and homogenous biodistribution in the brain and other target tissues, cumulative target knockdown across different brain regions, and minimal target knockdown in the liver and kidney. The present studies demonstrate that TfR1-targeting AOCs of the invention substantially improve brain uptake and biodistribution of oligonucleotides.
[0464] The resulting AOCs produced by the streamlined site-specific conjugation method can also be used to enhance the delivery of oligonucleotides to other peripheral extra-hepatic tissues (i.e., muscle) . Such AOCs thus represent a valuable modality for the development of therapies for patients suffering from monogenic diseases, common neurological conditions, metabolic disorders, and auto-immune diseases.Examples
[0465] In order to more clearly illustrate the objects and technical solutions, the present disclosure is further described below with reference to specific examples. It is to be understood that the examples are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. The specific experimental methods which were not mentioned in the following examples were carried out according to conventional experimental method.
[0466] Unless otherwise stated, the instruments and reagents used in the examples are commercially available. The reagents can be used directly without further purification. Example 1 Preparation of oligonucleotides and modification thereof Solid-phase synthesis:
[0467] Oligonucleotides were synthesized using a DNA / RNA synthesizer on 400 μmol scale using similar solid-phase synthesis protocols as described in literature. Each synthesis cycle was used to add one nucleotide and consisted of the following steps: detritylation, coupling, oxidation (or sulfurization) , and capping. Ammonolysis:
[0468] Dry the residual reagent from the solid-phase carrier using a vacuum filtration flask, then transfer it into a pressure-resistant bottle. Add the ammonolysis solution at a ratio of 100 μm / 20 mL. Heat the mixture in a water bath for 1-3 hours, cool to room temperature, take 5 μL for LC-MS analysis, and proceed to the next production step if the test results meet the required standards. Example 1.1 Synthesis of Compound 1-1 (Mouse malat1 ASO) and 1-2 (human APP siRNA)
[0469] Compound 1-1
[0470] (5'+G*+C*+A*dT*dT*dC*dT*dA*dA*dT*dA*dG*dC*+A*+G*+C 3') , where "+" : LNA; "*" : P=S bond; "d" : deoxyribo-; All cytidines are 5-methylated) was synthesized according to the standard solid phase oligonucleotide synthesis protocol.
[0471] Compound 1-2
[0472] Sense:
[0473] 5'mG*mG*mCmUmAmCmGmAdAmAdAmUmCmCmAmAmCmCmU*mA*mA 3'
[0474] Antisense:
[0475] 5'VP-mU*fU*mAmGmGmU (gnT) mGmGmAmUdTmUfUmCdGmUmAmGmCmC*mG*mU 3', where "m" : 2'-o-methyl; "f" : 2'-fluoro; "gn" : glycol nucleic acid; "VP" : vinyl phosphonate; Example 1.2 Synthesis of Compound 2-1 (5’ -hexylamino-ASO) and 2-2 (5’ -hexylamino- siRNA) Compound 2-1 5’ (hexylamino) +G*+C*+A*dT*dT*dC*dT*dA*dA*dT*dA*dG*dC*+A*+G*+C 3' Compound 2-2
[0476] Sense:
[0477] 5' (hexylamino) mG*mG*mCmUmAmCmGmAdAmAdAmUmCmCmAmAmCmCmU*mA*mA 3'
[0478] Antisense:
[0479] 5'VP-mU*fU*mAmGmGmU (gnT) mGmGmAmUdTmUfUmCdGmUmA mGmCmC*mG*mU 3'
[0480] Compound 2-1 and 2-2 were also synthesized following reported solid phase oligonucleotide synthesis conditions, the MS data is in agreement with that previously reported. Example 1.3 Synthesis of Compound 3-1 (5'-N3-C4-Hexylamino-ASO) and 3-2 (5'-N3-C4- Hexylamino-siRNA) Compound 3-1 (5'-N3-C4-Hexylamino-ASO) Compound 3-2 (5'-N3-C4-Hexylamino-siRNA)
[0481] The mixture of 100 mg lyophilized Compound 2-1 / 2-2 in 2 mL DMSO was heated at 65℃ for five minutes and dissolved using vortex mixing. Followed by the addition of 3 equivalents of N3-C3-NHS ester (CAS No. 943858-70-6) , the resulted solution was then placed in a shaker at 37℃. Upon completion of the reaction monitored by UPLC-MS, the reaction was purified by pre-HPLC followed by ultrafiltration and lyophilization to afford Compound 3-1 and 3-2. Example 1.4 Synthesis of Compound 4-1 (5’ -DBCO-C6-ASO) and 4-2 (5’ -DBCO-C6-siRNA) Compound 4-1 (5’ -DBCO-C6-ASO) Compound 4-2 (5’ -DBCO-C6-siRNA)
[0482] The mixture of 100 mg lyophilized Compound 2-1 and 2-2 in 2 mL DMSO was heated at 65℃ for five minutes and dissolved using vortex mixing. Followed by the addition of 3 equivalents of DBCO-C6-NHS ester (CAS No. 1384870-47-6) , the resulted solution was then placed in a shaker at 37℃. Upon completion of the reaction monitored by UPLC-MS, the reaction was purified by pre-HPLC followed by ultrafiltration and lyophilization to afford Compound 4-1 and 4-2. Example 1.5 Synthesis of Compound 5 (GGG-PEG4-DBCO)
[0483] Fmoc-GGG-PEG4-COOH is synthesized through conventional solid-phase synthesis methods. MS (ESI) calcd for C32H42N4O11 [M+H] +: 659.29. Found: 659.21.
[0484] To a stirred solution of Fmoc-GGG-PEG4-COOH and Compound i were added DIEA and HATU, the resulting mixture was stirred at a certain temperature (e.g. -20℃ to 40℃) , upon completion. Then diethylamine was added to the reaction mixture. The mixture was stirred at a certain temperature (e.g. -20℃ to 40℃) , after the completion of the reaction monitored by HPLC, the reaction mixture was directly purified by prep-HPLC to afford Compound 5 as a white solid (512 mg, 67%) . MS (ESI) calcd for C35H47N6O9 [M+H] +: 695.34. Found: 695.47. Example 1.6 Synthesis of Compound 6 (Oxa-DS1-GGG-PEG4-DBCO)
[0485] Step A: To a stirred solution of DS1 and Compound 5 were added DIEA and HATU, the resulting mixture was stirred at a certain temperature (e.g. -20℃ to 40℃) , upon completion. the reaction mixture was directly purified by prep-HPLC to afford Compound 6b as a white solid (237 mg, 40%yield) . MS (ESI) calcd for C49H67N7O20 [M+H] +: 1056.4. Found: 1074.30. Synthesis of DS1 can refer to PCT / CN2023 / 098081.
[0486] Step B: To a stirred solution of Compound 6b in water was added Et3N and 2-Chloro-1, 3-dimethylimidazolidinium chloride (DMC, CAS: 37091-73-9) , the resulting mixture was stirred at a certain temperature (e.g. -20℃ to 40℃) , after the completion of the reaction monitored by HPLC, the reaction mixture was directly purified by prep-HPLC to afford Compound 6 as a white solid (151 mg, 67%yield) . MS (ESI) calcd for C49H65N7O19 [M+H] +: 1056.4. Found: 1056.24. Example 1.7 Synthesis of Compound 7-1 and 7-2 Compound 7-1 Compound 7-2
[0487] The mixture of 200 mg lyophilized compound 3-1 / 3-2 in 2 mL DMSO was heated at 65℃ for five minutes and dissolved using vortex mixing. Followed by the addition of 2 equivalents of compound 5, the resulted solution was then placed in a shaker at 37℃. Upon completion of the reaction monitored by UPLC-MS, the reaction was purified by pre-HPLC followed by ultrafiltration and lyophilization to afford compound 7-1 and 7-2.
[0488] Compound 8 is 3-azidopropan-1-amine, which is commercially available. Example 2 Preparation of antibody
[0489] The antibody in this invention was constructed by Biointron. The antibody was expressed in the CHO system following Biointron’s standard procedure.
[0490] For example, the antibodies designated as Ab06, Ab007, Ab01, and Ab05 in this invention were constructed by fusing the TfR1-targeting VHH with the IgG Fc fragment. Ab09 corresponds to Trontinemab. Ab10 was constructed by fusing the TfR1-targeting VHH with the anti-Aβ IgG. The antibodies Ab11 and Ab12 were constructed by fusing the TfR1-targeting VHH with a monovalent anti-Aβ IgG. Ab13–Ab19 were constructed as described in Table 1.
[0491] The sequence of each antibody and the enzymes are listed in the table below:
[0492] Table 1 Sequences
[0493] Note: Fc region is underlined; the Fc region uses “knob into hole” technology to ensure correct assembly; the mutations of “knob into hole” in Fc region are marked in bold; LPETGG is sortase recognition sequence; LQR is transglutaminase recognition sequence; “GGG” , “GA” are spacers. Example 3 Preparation of AOC-1~ AOC-4 catalyzed by sortase Examples 3.1 Ligase Immobilized Resin Preparation Halo-sortase was mixed and incubated with chloro resin at room temperature for 10 minutes to 24 hours, and washed with the buffer of 50 mM Tris-HCl + 150 mM NaCl (pH 6.0-10.0) three times. This ligase-immobilized resin was then tested for activity, cleaned with 50 mM Tris-HCl + 150 mM NaCl, and stored at 4℃. Examples 3.2 General Rout 1 of Enzymatic Site-Specific Conjugation of AOC
[0494] Principle
[0495] The antibody (VHH-Fc or VHH) with a short peptide LPETGG attached to the C-terminal of the Fc or VHH fragment was coupled with the related linker containing the short peptide GGG through a sortase-catalyzed reaction to form the intermediate product. This intermediate product was then coupled with oligonucleotide through a click chemical reaction to form the AOC.
[0496] Sample Buffer Exchange
[0497] The antibody was processed using ultrafiltration, dialysis, or desalting column filtration to replace the storage buffer with 50 mM Tris-HCl (pH 5.0-8.0) + 150 mM NaCl.
[0498] Solid Phase Conjugation Coupling of Antibody with Linker
[0499] The coupling reaction between the antibody and the linker was catalyzed by an optimized sortase enzyme to prepare the Intermediate Product. Specifically, the antibody and the linker were thoroughly mixed in 1× endonuclease buffer at an appropriate molar ratio (1: 1 to 1: 100) and added to the immobilized enzyme resin; The matrix of the immobilized enzyme resin has immobilized endonucleases to catalyze the coupling reaction between the antibody and the linker. The coupling reaction was carried out at 4-40℃ for 0.5-20 hours, the mixture was centrifuged, the solid phase was collected, and the unreacted antibody and linker were removed by purification, ultrafiltration, or dialysis to obtain the Intermediate Product.
[0500] Bioorthogonal Reaction between Intermediate Product and oligonucleotide
[0501] Oligonucleotide with a bioorthogonal reactive group attached was dissolved in the RNase-free ultra-pure water, and the Intermediate Product was thoroughly mixed with oligonucleotide at an appropriate molar ratio (1: 1 to 1: 100) . The click chemical reaction was carried out at 4-40℃ for 0.5-20 hours. The mixture was centrifuged and collected after the reaction, and the unreacted intermediate product and oligonucleotide were removed by purification, ultrafiltration, or dialysis to obtain the AOC. The purified AOC was stored in the phosphate buffer at 4℃ or -80℃.
[0502] AOCs prepared by General Rout 1 are listed in the table 2 below. All AOCs listed in the table below were conjugated under comparable conditions (e.g., antibody-to-linker ratios) . AOC-1 and AOC-2 were subsequently purified by Protein A under identical protocols. AOC-3 were subsequently purified by Ni-affinity purification.
[0503] Table 2 Examples 3.3 General Rout 2 of Enzymatic Site-Specific Conjugation of AOC Principle
[0504] The antibody (VHH-Fc or VHH) with a short peptide LPETGG attached to the C-terminal of the Fc or VHH fragment was coupled with the related oligonucleotide containing the short peptide GGG through a sortase-catalyzed reaction to form the AOC. Solid Phase Conjugation
[0505] The conjugation reaction of antibody (VHH-Fc or VHH) with a short peptide LPETGG and oligonucleotide to prepare AOC is catalyzed by sortase enzyme or its variant. Specifically, in 1× endonuclease buffer, the antibody is thoroughly mixed with oligonucleotide in an appropriate molar ratio (1: 1 to 1: 100) , and a solid-phase enzyme medium is added and mixed evenly. The matrix of the solid-phase enzyme medium has immobilized endonucleases, which catalyze the conjugation reaction of antibody with oligonucleotide. The conjugation reaction under mixing is carried out at 4-40℃ for 0.5-20 hours. After the reaction is completed, centrifuge, remove the solid-phase conjugation reaction mixture, and purify it by ultrafiltration or dialysis to remove unreacted drug intermediates. The purified AOC is stored at 4℃ or -80℃in 1× PBS (pH 7.4) buffer.
[0506] AOC prepared by General Rout 2 are listed in the table below.
[0507] Table 3 Example 4 Preparation of AOC-5 and AOC-7 catalyzed by glutamine transferase Conjugation of antibody with Linker
[0508] The Intermediate Product is prepared by conjugating the antibody with the related linker through the catalysis of glutamine transferase. The antibody, glutamine transferase, and linker are thoroughly mixed in an appropriate molar ratio (1: 1: 1 to 1: 20: 100) and left to stand overnight at 4-40℃. The glutamine transferase catalyzes the conjugation reaction of the antibody with linker. After the reaction is complete, the reaction mixture is taken out and purified by ultrafiltration or dialysis to remove the unreacted materials, obtaining the Intermediate Product. Bioorthogonal reaction
[0509] The oligonucleotide is dissolved in sterile, pyrogen-free, and RNase-free ultrapure water, and the Intermediate Product is thoroughly mixed with the oligonucleotide in an appropriate molar ratio (1: 1 to 1: 100) . The click chemical reaction under mixing is carried out at 4-40℃ for 0.5-20 hours. After the reaction is complete, centrifuge, remove the click chemical reaction mixture, and purify it by ultrafiltration or dialysis to remove the unreacted materials, obtaining the AOC sample. The purified AOC is stored in a phosphate system and kept at 4℃or -80℃.
[0510] AOC prepared by example 4 is listed in the table below.
[0511] Table 4 Example 5 Preparation of AOC-6 and AOC-8 catalyzed by Glycosidase. Examples 5.1 EndoGlycosidase Immobilized Resin Preparation
[0512] EndoGlycosidase was mixed and incubated with agarose filler at room temperature for 10 minutes to 24 hours and washed with a buffer of 50mM Tris-HCl + 150mM NaCl (pH 6.0-10.0) for three times. This endoGlycosidase immobilized resin was then tested for activity and cleaned with the buffer of 50mM Tris-HCl + 150mM NaCl (pH 7.0) , and stored at 2-8℃. Examples 5.2 General Rout 1 of Enzymatic Site-Specific Conjugation of AOC Principle
[0513] The specific recognition and cleavage of the Asn glycosylation site of the Fc fragment were catalyzed by the immobilized glycosidase, and the glycan was coupled with the linker to form the Intermediate Product. This Intermediate Product was then coupled with oligonucleotide through a click chemical reaction to form the AOC. Sample Buffer Exchange
[0514] The antibody (VHH-Fc) was processed using ultrafiltration, dialysis, or desalting column filtration to replace the storage buffer with 50mM Tris-HCl (pH 5.0 to 8.0) + 150mM NaCl. Solid Phase Conjugation
[0515] The coupling reaction between the antibody and the linker was catalyzed by the immobilized glycosidase to prepare the intermediate product. Specifically, the antibody and linker were thoroughly mixed in the 1× endonuclease buffer at an appropriate molar ratio (1: 1 to 1: 100) , and added to the immobilized enzyme resin. The matrix of the enzyme resin immobilized endonucleases to catalyze the coupling reaction between the antibody and the linker. The coupling reaction was carried out at 4-40℃ for 0.5-20 hours. The mixture was centrifuged, the solid-phase was collected, and the unreacted antibody and linker were removed by purification, ultrafiltration, or dialysis to obtain the Intermediate Product.
[0516] Bioorthogonal reaction (Click Chemistry) to Ligate Intermediate Product and ASO
[0517] Modified oligonucleotide was dissolved in the RNase-free ultra-pure water, and the Intermediate Product was thoroughly mixed with the oligonucleotide at an appropriate molar ratio (1: 1 to 1: 100) The click chemical reaction was carried out at 4-40℃ for 0.5-20 hours. The mixture was centrifuged and collected after the reaction. The unreacted Intermediate Product and oligonucleotide were removed by purification, ultrafiltration, or dialysis to obtain the AOC, and the purified AOC was then stored in the phosphate buffer at 4℃ or -80℃.
[0518] AOCs prepared by example 5.2 is listed in the table below.
[0519] Table 5 Example 6 Analysis and characterization of AOCs Examples 6.1 SAX-HPLC Analysis
[0520] The SAX-HPLC analysis of AOC was performed on the ProPacTM SAX-10 BioLCTM Analytical. A 4*250 mm chromatographic column (ThermoFisher) was used for the filtration, 20 mM Tris pH 9.0 + 20%ethanol was used for the mobile phase A, 20 mM Tris + 1.5M NaCl pH 9.0 + 20%ethanol was used for the mobile phase B. The flow rate was set at 0.6 mL / min, the gradient method was utilized where phase B increased from 0%to 100%within 7 minutes, the detection wavelength was set at 280 nm to detect the DAR distribution of the AOC. Examples 4.2 SEC-HPLC Analysis
[0521] The SEC-HPLC analysis of AOC was performed. The BioCore SEC-150 5μm, 7.8*300mm, 5μm column (PN: B213-050030-07830S) was used for the filtration, 2xPBS with 10%ACN was used for the mobile phase. The flow rate was set at 1.0mL / min and ran for 10-30 minutes; the detection wavelength was set at 280nm to analyze the high molecular weight aggregation in the AOC.
[0522] SEC results are listed in the table below.
[0523] Table 6 SAX
[0524] AOC-5 and AOC-6 listed in the table above were conjugated under comparable conditions and subsequently purified by identical methods. AOC-7 and AOC-8 listed in the table above were conjugated under comparable conditions and subsequently purified by identical methods.
[0525] Data in Table 6 shows that the target DAR1 part of AOC-5 and AOC-7 accounts for about 50%, which means the DAR value of AOC-5 and AOC-7 is uncontrollable and heterogeneous. The conjugation method by using sortase A and glycosidase resulting a high homogenous DAR.
[0526] SEC results are listed in the table below.
[0527] Table 7 SEC
[0528] Taking all the SAX and SEC data for consideration, the data demonstrate that oligonucleotide conjugation is inherently more complex than small-molecule toxin conjugation. Among the enzymatic site-specific conjugation platforms commonly employed for ADCs, only some translate effectively to oligonucleotide payloads, yielding conjugates that differ markedly in homogeneity. The glycosidase-catalyzed, site-specific method disclosed herein-used in conjunction with an Fc glycan mutation-produces highly homogeneous conjugates enriched in DAR1. Its coupling efficiency and outcome are comparable to sortase-mediated conjugation and markedly superior to those achieved with MTG-based approaches.
[0529] The high DAR1 homogeneity of the AOC may translate to better stability, longer PK half-life, efficient barrier crossing with widespread tissue exposure, and stronger target engagement with unprecedented RNA reduction.
[0530] The results in Figure 1 showed that the unconjugated antibody was less than 10%, and the successfully conjugated AOC presented high DAR1 purity with the actual DAR value at 0.90.
[0531] The results in Figure 2 showed that the high molecular weight aggregates in the AOC were less than 8%, and the final AOC product had high percentage of monomers with the peak at 7.05 minutes.
[0532] The results in Figure 3 showed that the unconjugated antibody was less than 6%, and the successfully conjugated AOC presented high DAR1 purity with the actual DAR value at 0.94.
[0533] The results in Figure 4 showed that the high molecular weight aggregates in the AOC were less than 1%, and the final AOC product had a high percentage of monomers with the peak at 7.37 minutes. Examples 6.3 LC-MS Analysis on the AOCs
[0534] The antibodies before and after the enzymatic site-specific conjugation with oligonucleotides were analyzed by mass spectrometry. This is a quality control on the conjugation process; the molecular weight peak shifting on the deconvolution mass diagram will tell if the antibody-oligonucleotide coupling was successful. The oligonucleotides section poses a great impact on the ionization efficiency, so the mass spectrometry result will be a bit off from the SAX result in predicting the DAR value of the antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates. Therefore, the mass spectrometry data here is not used for evaluating DAR values.
[0535] The naked antibody samples and the AOC samples were separated by SEC or reverse phase chromatography-HPLC and then run through mass spectrometry for detection.
[0536] The naked antibodies and the AOCs, including AOC-1~8, were injected and analyzed, respectively. The mass spectrometry data was deconvolved; the results showed that the molecular weight from the mass spectrometry analysis was consistent with the theoretical molecular weight, reflecting the conjugation reaction was successful. Example 7 Activity assay Examples 7.1 In vitro activity of the naked anti-Malat1 ASO and anti-APP siRNA
[0537] Neuro-2a or BE2C was seeded 10000 cells per well in the tissue culture treated 96-well plates, anti-Malat1 ASO or anti-APP siRNA was transfected with 7 ascending doses with lipofectamine 3000 one day after plating cells. The cells were incubated for 3 days, and collected for RNA isolation and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) .
[0538] Total RNA was isolated from tumor lysates and complementary DNA was synthesized. Real-time reverse transcription-PCRs (RT-PCRs) were performed with Taqman assay (ThermoFisher) . The Malat1 RNA and APP mRNA relative level were determined compared to beta-actin. The relative difference in gene expression was calculated with comparative 2 (-ΔΔCt) method where amplification data obtained from the gene of interest were normalized to the housekeeping gene expression (ΔCt = Ct (Target gene) –Ct (beta-actin) ) and then with the data from control (untreated) samples (ΔΔCt =ΔCt (AOC treated sample) –ΔCt (untreated sample) ) . Control sample data was set to have 100%expression and other groups were normalized to control group for illustration.
[0539] Dose dependent Malat1 RNA reduction was achieved in the Neuro-2a cells transfected with anti-Malat1 ASO, the IC50 fell in the range of 0.1-0.3 nM.
[0540] The result of in vitro activity of the naked anti-Malat1 ASO and anti-APP siRNA is shown in Figure 5 and Figure 9, respectively. Examples 7.2 In vitro free-uptake efficiency of TfR1-targeting AOCs in the TfR1 expressed cells
[0541] Neuro-2a or BE2C were seeded 4000 cells per well in poly-D-lysine coated 8-well chamber slide or 96-well optical plate and incubated overnight. Anti-Malat1 ASO or anti-APP siRNA was lipofectamine transfected with 7 doses as the positive control, and TfR1-targeting AOCs are added at doses of 7. Cells were incubated for 24 hours, and then lysed for RT-qPCR or 4%paraformaldehyde (PFA) fixed for fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) . The FISH protocol was adapted from Parker’s 2019 paper (28, 29) . Neuro-2a cells are also collected to access the AOC internalization amount and ratio by flow cytometry, respectively. Cells are incubated with 500 nM AOCs and 5μg / ml Cy3 PNA probe (100%reverse complementary to anti-Malat1 ASO) sequentially, and incubated at 37℃ to trigger the internalization of AOCs. Cells are harvested at 7 different time points (2 hours, 1.5 hours, 1 hours, 45 minutes, 30 minutes, 15 minutes, 5 minutes) , half of the cells from each time point group are treated with the ice-cold acidic buffer (pH 2.5) for 3 minutes to quench the extracellular fluorescent signal from the AOC-Cy3 PNA probe complex that are not internalized. All the cells are resuspended in the FACS buffer for flow cytometry analysis..
[0542] Dose dependent Malat1 RNA and APP mRNA reduction were observed in the Neuro-2a cells and BE2C cells treated with TfR1-targeting AOCs, indicating the TfR1-targeting AOCs were internalized via TfR1 mediated endocytosis and anti-Malat1 ASO or anti-APP siRNA was released and engaged with the target RNA. The IC50 of the AOCs fell in the nM range. Internalization of TfR1-targeting AOCs into the neuro-2a cells via TfR1 mediated endocytosis was also visualized by FISH (lipofectamine transfected anti-Malat-1 ASO as positive control) and further confirmed by flow cytometry internalization assay. The in vitro free-uptake efficiency results of TfR1-targeting AOCs in the TfR1 expressed cells, including target RNA knockdown by RT-qPCR and AOC internalization by FISH or flow cytometry, are shown in Figure 6 and Figure 10. Examples 7.3 Target RNA reduction in the CNS and other peripheral tissues of the wild type mice and FAD4T mice (humanized APP model for Alzheimer’s disease)
[0543] Animals receive care in accordance with the Guide for the Care of Use of Laboratory Animals. Mice were housed and in-life dosed. Specifically, mice were systemically administered TfR1-targeting AOCs via intravenous (IV) injection (~150 μl total volume, 3mg ASO or siRNA equivalent dose / kg body weight) every other day for 3 times. 14 days post the last injection, animals were anesthetized, and perfused with ice-cold 1xPBS transcardially at a rate of 5 ml / minute for 3-5 minutes. The tissues were then collected and stored in RNALater for RNA isolation and RT-qPCR. Examples 7.4 Anti-Malat1 ASO and anti-APP siRNA exposure in the CNS and other peripheral tissues of the wild type mice and FAD4T mice
[0544] Animals receive care in accordance with the Guide for the Care of Use of Laboratory Animals. Mice were housed and in-life dosed. Specifically, mice are systemically administrated TfR1-targeting AOCs via IV injection (~150 μl total volume, 0.6 μmol ASO-AOC or 0.2 μmol siRNA-AOC / kg body weight) every other day for 3 times. 14 days post the last injection, animals were anesthetized, and perfused with ice-cold 1xPBS transcardially at a rate of 5 ml / min for 3-5 minutes. The tissues were then collected for hybridization enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (hELISA) for ASO exposure or LC-MS for siRNA exposure. The hELISA protocol was adapted from Burki’s 2015 paper (30) and LC-MS was performed at CRO based on their validated protocol.
[0545] Among the five TfR1-targeting AOCs, glycosidase catalyzed conjugate AOC-6 achieved the highest BBB crossing efficiency, confirmed by target Malat1 RNA reduction and anti-Malat1 ASO tissue exposure.
[0546] Intravenous injection of AOC-6 achieved average 50%target Malat1 RNA reduction in the spinal cord and different brain regions, and over 50%Malat1 RNA knockdown was also observed in the sciatic nerve, muscle and heart of AOC-6 treated mice. On the contrary, there is limited Malat1 RNA reduction in the non-target tissues, i.e. liver, with AOC-6 treatment. As a comparison, lower Malat1 RNA knockdown in the brain, minimal Malat1 RNA reduction in the sciatic nerve and over 50%Malat1 RNA knockdown in the liver were observed in the mice treated with transglutaminase catalyzed conjugate AOC-5 of the same dose regimen.
[0547] Sortase catalyzed conjugates AOC-1, AOC-2 and AOC-3 didn’ t achieve higher Malat1 RNA reduction in the brain compared to that with AOC-5 treatment of the same dose regimen. There is significant Malat1 RNA knockdown in the liver of mice treated with AOC-2.
[0548] The result evaluating target Malat1 RNA reduction by systematically administrated TfR1-targeting AOCs is shown in figure 7.
[0549] Consistent with Malat1 RNA reduction result, AOC-6 achieved the highest anti-Malat1 ASO tissue exposure across multiple brain regions compared to AOC-1, AOC-2, AOC-3 and AOC-5.
[0550] The result evaluating anti-Malat1 ASO tissue exposure of systematically administrated TfR1-targeting AOCs is shown in figure 8.
[0551] The TfR1-targeting AOCs (siRNA) , both glutamine transferase catalyzed conjugate AOC-7 and glycosidase catalyzed conjugate AOC-8, achieved highly efficient BBB crossing with high target engagement, confirmed by target APP mRNA reduction and anti-APP siRNA tissue exposure. IV injection of AOC-7 and AOC-8 achieved average 75-80%target APP mRNA reduction in the spinal cord and different brain regions, and over 60%APP mRNA knockdown was also observed in the peripheral nerve system like dorsal root ganglion (DRG) of AOC-7 and AOC-8 treated mice. The result evaluating APP mRNA reduction by systematically administrated TfR1-targeting AOCs is shown in Figure 11.
[0552] Consistent with APP mRNA reduction result, AOC-7 and AOC-8 achieved the comparable anti-APP siRNA tissue exposure in the brain and spinal cord.
[0553] The result evaluating anti-APP siRNA tissue exposure of systematically administrated TfR1-targeting AOCs is shown in Figure 12. Examples 7.5 Dose dependent APP mRNA reduction in the CNS tissues of FAD4T mice
[0554] Animals receive care in accordance with the Guide for the Care of Use of Laboratory Animals. FAD4T Mice were housed and in-life dosed. Specifically, mice were systemically administrated TfR1-targeting AOC-8 of different doses via IV injection (150 μl total volume) . 14 days post the last injection, animals were anesthetized and perfused with ice-cold 1xPBS transcardially at a rate of 5 ml / min for 3-5 minutes. The brain, spinal cord and DRG were then collected and stored in RNALater for RNA isolation and RT-qPCR.
[0555] Systematically administrated TfR1 targeting AOC-8 achieved dose dependent APP mRNA knockdown across different brain regions, and also in the spinal cord and DRG of FAD4T mice.
[0556] The RT-qPCR result shown in Figure 13 demonstrates the dose dependent APP mRNA knockdown in the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system of FAD4T mice treated with AOC-8.
[0557] Considering all the activity data, the data demonstrate that endoglycosidase-catalyzed, site-specific-conjugated anti-TfR1 AOC is more stable, efficient, and safe, while achieving robust barrier-crossing and optimal target engagement. Consequently, oligonucleotide therapeutics can be delivered systemically to the CNS and other extra-hepatic peripheral tissues, offering a non-invasive and effective treatment for genetic disorders and common diseases.
[0558] Unexpectedly, Anti-TfR1 AOCs generated by this method achieved superior gene-silencing efficacy in the target tissue compared with products obtained via other site-specific enzymatic conjugations (e.g., sortase-or MTG-mediated) . Simultaneously, off-target knockdown was markedly reduced, which enhances therapeutic potency while ensuring a superior safety profile. The improved on-target efficacy and reduced off-target knockdown can be attributed to the superior homogeneity and reduced Fcγ receptor (FcγR) binding affinity of the endoglycosidase-conjugated AOC compared to other site-specific enzymatic conjugations. Additionally, the hidden payload inside the IgG Fc cavity, which is a unique feature of the endoglycosidase conjugated AOC, may also contribute to the enhanced stability of the one-sided endoglycosidase conjugated AOC thus enhancing the therapeutic effect. Example 8 Preparation of AOC-9~AOC-12
[0559] AOC-9 to AOC-12 were prepared using a method similar to that described in Example 5.
[0560] AOC prepared by example 8 is listed in the table below.
[0561] Table 8 Example 9 Analysis and characterization of AOC-9~AOC-12
[0562] The SAX-HPLC and SEC-HPLC analysis of AOC were performed in the same manner as described in Example 6. SEC results are listed in the table below.
[0563] Table 9 SAX
[0564] As shown in Table 9, the homogeneous DAR1 value was successfully achieved by the iGDC conjugation technology across multiple antibody formats, demonstrating its versatility beyond the VHH-Fc fusion.
[0565] Table 10 SEC
[0566] As shown in Table 10, the monomer ratio of AOC-9~AOC-12 are above 95%and even 99%.
[0567] Taking all the SAX and SEC data into consideration, the results demonstrate that the glycosidase-catalyzed, site-specific method disclosed herein-when used in conjunction with an Fc glycan mutation-produces highly homogeneous conjugates enriched in DAR1. This conjugation method can be applied to produce antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates with diverse antibody formats beyond VHH-Fc fusion.
[0568] The high DAR1 homogeneity of the AOC may translate to better stability, longer PK half-life, efficient barrier crossing with widespread tissue exposure, and stronger target engagement with unprecedented RNA reduction. Example 10 Preparation, analysis and characterization of AOC-13~AOC-19
[0569] AOC-13 to AOC-19 were prepared using a method similar to that described in Example 5.
[0570] AOC prepared by example 10 is listed in the table below.
[0571] Table 11
[0572] The SAX-HPLC and SEC-HPLC analysis of AOC were performed in the same manner as described in Example 6.
[0573] The sample prepared in Example 10 was observed to achieve a coupling homogeneity and monomer ratio comparable to those attained in Example 5.
[0574] The results demonstrate that the glycosidase-catalyzed, site-specific method disclosed herein-when used in conjunction with an one-sided Fc glycan mutation-produces highly homogeneous conjugates enriched in DAR1. This conjugation method can be applied to produce antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates with diverse antibody formats beyond VHH-Fc fusion and regardless of the Fc mutation side. References: 1. Seventy-Fifth World Health Assembly-Provisional Agenda Item 14.1. Draft intersectoral global action plan on epilepsy and other neurological disorders 2022–2031. World Health Organization WHO Report, 2022, A75 / 10 Add. 4 2. GBD 2021 Nervous System Disorders Collaborators. Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990-2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. The Lancet Neurology, 2024, doi. org / 10.1016 / S1474-4422 (24) 00038-3 3. Gores M. A new dawn at the cusp of the CNS decade. IQVIA White Paper, 2021 4. Gores M et al. Fostering success in CNS innovation-Why CNS innovators should feel empowered to stay the course. IQVIA White Paper, 2024 5. Zheng M et al. Nanotechnology-based strategies for siRNA brain delivery for disease therapy. Trends in Biotechnology, 2018, doi. org / 10.1016 / j. tibtech. 2018.01.006 6. Tang Q and Khvorova A. RNAi-based drug design: considerations and future directions. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, 2024, doi. org / 10.1038 / s41573-024-00912-9 7. Li J et al. Development of novel therapeutics targeting the blood-brain barrier: from barrier to carrier. Advanced science (Weinh. ) , 2021, DOI: 10.1002 / advs. 202101090 8. Pardridge W M et al. Blood-brain barrier delivery for lysosomal storage disorders with IgG-lysosomal enzyme fusion proteins. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 2022, doi. org / 10.1016 / j. addr. 2022.114234 9. Lauffer M C et al. Possibilities and limitations of antisense oligonucleotide therapies for the treatment of monogenic disorders. Communications Medicine, 2024, doi. org / 10.1038 / s43856-023-00419-1 10. Holm A et al. Clinical advances of RNA therapeutics for treatment of neurological and neuromuscular diseases. RNA Biology, 2022, doi. org / 10.1080 / 15476286.2022.2066334 11. Barker S J et al. Targeting transferrin receptor to transport antisense oligonucleotides across the blood-brain barrier. BioRxiv, 2023, doi. org / 10.1101 / 2023.04.25.538145 12. Fang F et al. Non-invasive approaches for drug delivery to the brain based on the receptor mediated transport. Materials Science and Engineering: C, 2017, DOI: 10.1016 / j. msec. 2017.02.056 13. Xiao G and Gan L. Receptor-mediated endocytosis and brain delivery of therapeutic biologics. International Journal of Cell Biology, 2013, dx. doi. org / 10.1155 / 2013 / 703545 14. Lee M R and Jayant R D. Penetration of the blood-brain barrier by peripheral neuropeptides: new approaches to enhancing transport and endogenous expression. Cell and Tissue Research, 2018, doi. org / 10.1007 / s00441-018-2959-y 15. Niewoehner J et al. Increased brain penetration and potency of a therapeutic antibody using a monovalent molecular shuttle. Neuron, 2014, dx. doi. org / 10.1016 / j. neuron. 2013.10.061 16. Demeule M et al. Conjugation of a brain-penetrant peptide with neurotensin provides antinociceptive properties. The Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2014, doi: 10.1172 / JCI70647 17. Edavettal S et al. Enhanced delivery of antibodies across the blood-brain barrier via TEMs with inherent receptor-mediated phagocytosis. Clinical and Translational Resource and Technology Insights, 2022, doi. org / 10.1016 / j. medj. 2022.09.007 18. Hammond S M et al. Systemic antibody-oligonucleotide delivery to the central nervous system ameliorates mouse models of spinal muscular atrophy. JCI Insight, 2022, doi: 10.1172 / jci. insight. 154142 19. www. denalitherapeutics. com / pipeline, Denali Therapeutics, the TfR1-targeting Fc transport vehicle to cross the BBB and deliver enzyme and protein to the brain, Program DNL310, DNL593, DNL126 and DNL622 have been advanced to the clinical stage 20. www. alzforum. org / therapeutics / trontinemab, Hoffmann-La Roche, the TfR1-targeting Fab to cross the BBB and deliver Aβ-targeting monoclonal antibody (mAb) to the brain, which has been advanced to the clinical stage 21. www. dyne-tx. com / pipeline / , Dyne Therapeutics, the TfR1-targeting Fab to deliver ASOs to the muscle, Program DYNE-101 and DYNE-251 have been advanced to the clinical stage 22. www. aviditybiosciences. com / pipeline / pipeline-overview / , Avidity Biosciences, the TfR1- targeting mAb to deliver siRNAs to the muscle, Program AOC 1001, AOC 1020 and AOC 1044 have been advanced to the clinical stage 23. Cody A D et al. 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Claims
1.An enzymatic conjugation process for preparing an antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate comprising the following steps:1) providing an antibody with an Fc region;2) providing a linker with both an oxazoline motif and a bioorthogonal reactive group attached to it;3) providing an oligonucleotide with a bioorthogonal reactive group attached to it;4) conjugating the linker from 2) to the antibody from 1) through the catalysis of a glycosidase;5) linking the oligonucleotide from 3) to the product from 4) through the bioorthogonal reaction;wherein,1), 2) , and 3) can be carried out simultaneously or sequentially, and the order of 1) , 2) , and 3) can be interchanged;wherein the Asn glycosylation site of one chain of the Fc region is mutated to an amino acid other than Asn; preferably, the Asn glycosylation site of the Fc region is mutated to Ala.2.The process according to claims 1, wherein, the drug-antibody ratio (DAR) of the antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate is 1.3.The process according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the oligonucleotide is selected from siRNA, ASO, shRNA, miRNA, dsRNA, saRNA; preferably, is selected from siRNA and ASO.4.The process according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein,the antibody is selected from intact antibody, antibody fragment; and / orthe antibody is selected from monoclonal antibody (mAb) , polyclonal antibody; and / or the antibody is selected from monospecific antibody, bispecific and trispecific antibody.5.The process according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein,the antibody is a fusion protein; preferably, the antibody is bispecific antibody selected from the format below:a) mAb-Fab fusion; N-terminal or C-terminal of an antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a Fab targeting the second antigen;b) mAb-VHH fusion; N-terminal or C-terminal of an antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a VHH targeting the second antigen;c) mAb-ScFv fusion; N-terminal or C-terminal of an antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a ScFv targeting the second antigen;d) VHH-Fab-Fc fusion; an antibody targeting the first antigen comprises a Fab and a Fc domain, wherein N-terminal or C-terminal of the antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a VHH targeting the second antigen;e) ScFv-Fab-Fc fusion; an antibody targeting the first antigen comprises of a Fab and a Fc domain, wherein N-terminal or C-terminal of the antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a ScFv targeting the second antigenf) Fab-Fc fusion; the bispecific antibody comprises Fab targeting the first antigen, Fab targeting the second antigen and Fc domain;andg) VHH-Fc fusion: a VHH targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to one chain of Fc domain, and a VHH targeting the second antigen is covalently linked to the other chain of Fc domain.more preferably, the antibody is bispecific antibody selected from the format below:a) mAb-crossmab Fab fusion: N-terminal or C-terminal of an antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a Fab targeting the second antigen, wherein the Fab targeting the second antigen uses “crossmab” technology; preferably, CH1 / CL domains in the Fab targeting the second antigen are interchanged;b) mAb-VHH fusion: N-terminal or C-terminal of an antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a VHH targeting the second antigen;c) mAb-ScFv fusion: N-terminal or C-terminal of an antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a ScFv targeting the second antigen;d) VHH-Fab-Fc fusion: an antibody targeting the first antigen comprises a Fab and a Fc domain, wherein N-terminal or C-terminal of the antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a VHH targeting the second antigen;e) ScFv-Fab-Fc fusion: an antibody targeting the first antigen comprises of a Fab and a Fc domain, wherein N-terminal or C-terminal of the antibody targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to a ScFv targeting the second antigen;f) Fab-Fc fusion: the bispecific antibody comprises Fab targeting the first antigen, Fab targeting the second antigen and Fc domain; wherein the Fab targeting the first antigen uses “crossmab” technology; preferably, CH1 / CL domains in the Fab targeting the first antigen are interchanged;andg) VHH-Fc fusion: a VHH targeting the first antigen is covalently linked to one chain of Fc domain, and a VHH targeting the second antigen is covalently linked to the other chain of Fc domain.6.The process according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein,the antibody comprises at least an antibody fragment; and at least one antibody fragment is fused to the Fc region; preferably, each of the antibody fragment is selected from VHH, scFv, scFab, Fab, F (ab’ ) .7.The process according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein,the antibody comprises a VHH chain or scFv;the VHH chain or scFv is fused to the Fc fragment.8.The process according to claims 1-7, wherein the Fc fragment comprise Knob-into-Hole mutations.9.The process according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein the oxazoline motif has a structure selected from the group below: and / or,bioorthogonal reactive group of 2) and bioorthogonal reactive group of 3) can react through the bioorthogonal reaction;preferably, the bioorthogonal reactive group of 2) and bioorthogonal reactive group of 3) are selected from:more preferably, the bioorthogonal reactive group of 2) isand bioorthogonal reactive group of 3) isor, the bioorthogonal reactive group of 2) isand bioorthogonal reactive group of 3) is10.The process according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein the oxazoline motif has a structure selected from the group below: 11.The process according to any one of claims 1-10, wherein the antibody binds to TfR1.12.The process according to any one of claims 11, wherein the antibody comprises a VHH chain; and,the VHH chain is fused to the Fc fragment; and,the antibody binds to TfR1.13.The process according to any one of claims 1-12, wherein the glycosidase is selected from Endo S (Streptococcus pyogenes endoglycosidase -S) , Endo F3 (Elizabethkingia miricolan endoglycosidase -F3) , Endo S2 (Endoglycosidase S2, Streptococcus pyogenes endoglycosidase -S2) , Endo Sd (Endoglycosidase-Sd, Streptococcus pyogenes endoglycosidase -Sd) and Endo CC (Endoglycosidase-CC, Streptococcus pyogenes endoglycosidase -CC) or a variant thereof; preferably, the glycosidase is Endo S2 or a variant thereof.14.The process according to any one of claims 1-13, wherein the glycosidase is immobilized on a support.15.An antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate, prepared by the process of any one of claims 1-14.16.A pharmaceutical composition, which comprises the antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate prepared by the process of any one of claims 1-14.17.Use of the antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate according to claim 15 or the pharmaceutical composition according to claim 16 for the manufacture of a medicament for preventing, alleviating or treating disease or disorder by reducing the level of mRNA or correcting the aberrant pre-mRNA splicing; or regulating the activity of genes;preferably, wherein the disease or disorder comprises cancer, autoimmune disease, metabolic disease, hypertension, hemophilia, and neurological disease;preferably, wherein the neurological disease is selected from the group consisting of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, epilepsy, migraine, encephalitis, age-related macular degeneration, and neuropathic pain;preferably, wherein the autoimmune disease is selected from the group consisting of systemic lupus erythematosus, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, syndrome, ankylosing spondylitis, non-infectious posterior uveitis / panuveitis, and autoimmune keratitis;preferably, wherein the cancer is selected from the group consisting of carcinoma, sarcoma, glioma, melanoma, leukemia, lymphoma, glioblastoma and multiple myeloma;preferably, wherein the metabolic disease is selected from the group consisting of obesity, diabetes, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, hyperlipidemia, dyslipidemia, and atherosclerosis.18.A method for treating a disease, comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of the antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate according to claim 15 or the pharmaceutical composition according to claim 16 to a subject in need thereof;preferably, wherein the disease or disorder comprises cancer, autoimmune disease, metabolic disease, hypertension, hemophiliaand neurological disease;preferably, wherein the neurological disease is selected from the group consisting of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, epilepsy, migraine, encephalitis, age-related macular degeneration, and neuropathic pain;preferably, wherein the autoimmune disease is selected from the group consisting of systemic lupus erythematosus, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, syndrome, ankylosing spondylitis, non-infectious posterior uveitis / panuveitis, and autoimmune keratitis;preferably, wherein the cancer is selected from the group consisting of carcinoma, sarcoma, glioma, melanoma, leukemia, lymphoma, glioblastoma and multiple myeloma;preferably, wherein the metabolic disease is selected from the group consisting of obesity, diabetes, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, hyperlipidemia, dyslipidemia, and atherosclerosis.19.An antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate, wherein,the antibody comprises a VHH chain and an Fc fragment;the VHH chain is fused to the Fc fragment;the Asn glycosylation site of one chain of the Fc region is mutated to an amino acid other than Asn; preferably, the Asn glycosylation site of the Fc region is mutated to Ala;the oligonucleotide is selected from siRNA, ASO, shRNA, miRNA, dsRNA, saRNA; preferably, is selected from siRNA and ASO; and,the drug-antibody ratio (DAR) of the antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate is 1.20.A conjugate according to claim 19, wherein the antibody binds to TfR1.21.An enzymatic conjugation process for preparing an antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate comprising the following steps:1) providing an antibody with a Fc region;2) providing an oligonucleotide with an oxazoline motif attached to it;3) conjugating the oligonucleotide from 2) to the antibody from 1) through the catalysis of a glycosidase;wherein,1) and 2) can be carried out simultaneously or sequentially, and the order of 1) and 2) can be interchanged;wherein the Asn glycosylation site of one chain of the Fc region is mutated to an amino acid other than Asn; preferably, the Asn glycosylation site of the Fc region is mutated to Ala;wherein the oligonucleotide, antibody, oxazoline motif, bioorthogonal reactive group and glycosidase is as defined in claims 3-14.22.An enzymatic conjugation process for preparing an antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate comprising the following steps:1) providing an antibody with a Fc region;2) providing a linker with both an oxazoline motif and a bioorthogonal reactive group attached to it;3) providing an oligonucleotide with a bioorthogonal reactive group attached to it;4) linking the oligonucleotide from 3) to the linker from 2) through the bioorthogonal reaction;5) conjugating the product from 4) to the antibody from 1) through the catalysis of a glycosidase;wherein,1), 2) , and 3) can be carried out simultaneously or sequentially, and the order of 1) , 2) , and 3) can be interchanged;wherein the Asn glycosylation site of one chain of the Fc region is mutated to an amino acid other than Asn; preferably, the Asn glycosylation site of the Fc region is mutated to Ala;wherein the oligonucleotide, antibody, oxazoline motif, bioorthogonal reactive group and glycosidase is as defined in claims 3-14.
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