245results about "Nervous system antigen ingredients" patented technology

Disclosed are pharmaceutical compositions and methods for preventing or treating a number of amyloid diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, prion diseases, familial amyloid neuropathies and the like. The pharmaceutical compositions include immunologically reactive amounts of amyloid fibril components, particularly fibril-forming peptides or proteins. Also disclosed are therapeutic compositions and methods which use immune reagents that react with such fibril components.

The invention provides improves agents and methods for treatment of diseases associated with amyloid deposits of Aβ in the brain of a patient. Preferred agents include humanized antibodies.

The invention provides improved agents and methods for treatment of diseases associated with synucleinopathic diseases, including Lewy bodies of alpha-synuclein in the brain of a patient. Such methods entail administering agents that induce a beneficial immunogenic response against the Lewy body. The methods are particularly useful for prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Compositions of matter that comprise one or more conformational epitopes found on amyloid peptide aggregates, antibodies to such epitopes and methods for making and using the compositions, eptitopes and / or antibodies. The invention includes synthetic or isolated compositions that contain or consist of certain conformational epitopes that are found on peptide aggregates (e.g., toxic peptide aggregates) present in human or veterinary patients who suffer from, or who are likely to develop, amyloid diseases (e.g., Alzheimer's Disease). The invention includes methods for the detection, treatment and prevention of diseases in humans or animals, using such compositions. The invention further includes antibodies which bind to the conformational epitopes as well as methods for making such antibodies and methods for the detection, treatment and prevention of diseases and / or identification of potential therapies (e.g., drug screening) using such antibodies.

The present invention is directed to methods of producing conjugates of Aβ peptide immunogens with protein / polypeptide carrier molecules, which are useful as immunogens, wherein peptide immunogens are conjugated to protein carriers via activated functional groups on amino acid residues of the carrier or of the optionally attached linker molecule, and wherein any unconjugated reactive functional groups on amino acid residues are inactivated via capping, thus retaining the immunological functionality of the carrier molecule, but reducing the propensity for undesirable reactions that could render the conjugate less safe or effective. Furthermore, the invention also relates to such immunogenic products and immunogenic compositions containing such immunogenic products made by such methods.

Disclosed are novel methods for combatting diseases characterized by deposition of amyloid. The methods generally rely on immunization against amyloid precursor protien (APP) or beta amyloid (Abeta). Immunization is preferably effected by administration of analogues of autologous APP or Abeta, said analogues being capable of inducing antibody production against the autologous amyloidogenic polypeptides. Especially preferred as an immunogen is autologous Abeta which has been modified by introduction of one single or a few foreign, immunodominant and promiscuous T-cell epitopes. Also disclosed are nucleic acid vaccination against APP or Abeta and vaccination using live vaccines as well as methods and means useful for the vaccination. Such methods and means include methods for the preparation of analogues and pharmaceutical formulations, as well as nucleic acid fragments, vectors, transformed cells, polypeptides and pharmaceutical formulations.

A method for in vivo down-regulation of amyloid protein in an animal, including a human being, the method comprising effecting presentation to the animal's immune system of an immunogenically effective amount of at least one amyloidogenic polypeptide or subsequence thereof which has been formulated so that immunization of the animal with the amyloidgenic polypeptide or subsequence thereof induces production of antibodies against the amyloidogenic polypeptide, and / or at least one analogue of the amyloidogenic polypeptide wherein is introduced at least one modification in the amino acid sequence of the amyloidogenic polypeptide which has as a result the immunization of the animal with the analogue induces production of antibodies against the amyloidogenic polypeptide.

The invention provides a method for treating a medical condition, disease, or disorder mediated by a misfolded form of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in a subject in need of treatment. The method optionally comprises administering to the subject a composition comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable vehicle and an agent selected from (1) an exogenous antibody or fragment thereof that binds selectively to the misfolded form of SOD, and / or (2) an immunogen that elicits production of an endogenous antibody that binds selectively to the misfolded form of SOD, and / or (3) a nucleic acid sequence encoding (1) or (2). In certain embodiments, the invention provides methods of treating diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and macular degeneration, glaucoma, ischemia, cerebral infarction, myocardial infarction, atherosclerosis, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease or necrotizing enterocolitis using disease-specific epitopes, and compositions including these epitopes. The invention also provides antibodies that bind to monomeric or misfolded SOD1, and not on the molecular surface of native homodimeric SOD1. In addition, the invention includes methods of diagnosing Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in a subject. Also, the invention provides methods of identifying substances for the treatment or prevention of Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and kits using the binding proteins of the invention.

The present invention provides for novel immungens that are comprised of an activated polyhydroxypolymer backbone to which is attached 2 separate antigenic determinants. The 1st antigenic determinant includes a B-cell or CTL epitope and the 2nd antigenic determinant includes a T-helper epitope. In preferred embodiments, the antigenic determinants are derived from different molecules and species. Exemplary immunogens of the invention are constituted of a linear tresyl-activated dextran backbone to which is coupled B-cell or CTL epitopes of an antigen and to which is also coupled universal T-helper epitopes. Also disclosed are immunogenic compositions comprising the immunogens, methods of immunization and a method for identification of suitable immunogens of the invention.

The invention provides compositions and methods for treatment of amyloidogenic diseases. Such methods entail administering an agent that induces a beneficial immune response against an amyloid deposit in the patient. The methods are particularly useful for prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of Alzheimer's disease. In such methods, a suitable agent is Aβ peptide, active fragments thereof or an antibody thereto.

The invention provides improved agents and methods for treatment of diseases associated with synucleinopathic diseases, including Lewy bodies of alpha-synuclein in the brain of a patient. Such methods entail administering agents that induce a beneficial immunogenic response against the Lewy body. The methods are particularly useful for prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of Parkinson's disease.

The present invention relates to the field of polymer chemistry and more particularly to encapsulated peptides and uses thereof.

The invention provides improved agents and methods for treatment of diseases associated with synucleinopathic diseases, including Lewy bodies of alpha-synuclein in the brain of a patient. Such methods entail administering agents that induce a beneficial immunogenic response against the Lewy body. The methods are particularly useful for prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of Parkinson's disease.