Anti-Alpha-Synuclein Antibodies and Uses Thereof

The present invention is in the field of medicine. More particularly, the present invention relates to antibodies that bind to alpha-synuclein, compositions comprising such alpha-synuclein antibodies, and methods of using such alpha-synuclein antibodies for the treatment of synucleinopathies such as Parkinson’s disease, multiple system atrophy, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Alpha-synuclein (herein also referred to as a-synuclein) is a 140 amino acid presynaptic neuronal protein that is expressed abundantly in the nervous system and, under physiological conditions, localizes preferentially to presynaptic terminals. Alpha-synuclein has been linked to the pathogenesis of multiple neurodegenerative diseases called“synucleinopathies”. These diseases share pathological hallmarks of intracellular inclusions composed of aggregated a-synuclein, either in neurons (e.g. Parkinson’s disease (PD), Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB)) or in glia (e.g. Multiple System Atrophy (MSA)). In PD, these a-synuclein inclusions are observed in both cell body (namely“Lewy bodies”) and neuronal processes (namely“Lewy neurites”). In Alzheimer’s disease, about half of patients have co-pathology of a-synuclein with amyloid and tau.

In addition to this pathological link, mutations in the gene encoding a-synuclein (SNCA) have been found in familial PD, which generally renders a-synuclein with a higher propensity for aggregation. Furthermore, duplications and triplications of SNCA have been associated with familial PD, suggesting that over-expression of a-synuclein may lead to neurodegenerative deficits.

The temporal and regional spread of a-synuclein has been correlated with the progression of disease symptoms in PD. Additionally, proteolytic N-terminal and C-terminal fragments of a-synuclein that are generated by calpain and/or caspase cleavage have been reported to be upregulated in Lewy Body extracts of both PD and DLB patients. Furthermore, in vitro studies have shown that progressive truncation of the C-terminal end of a-synuclein imparts a higher intrinsic ability to form fibrillated, pathogenic aggregates (see e.g. Wang et al, (2016) Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 113(34): 9587-9592). Taken together, these observations suggest that fragmented a-synuclein has the potential to contribute to increased rates of disease progression and poor patient prognosis. Therefore, an antibody that binds to a-synuclein may have therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of synucleinopathies.

Alpha-synuclein antibodies are known in the art. For example, United States Patent Number 8,609,820 discloses the humanized anti- a-synuclein antibody 9E4 and methods of treating or effecting prophylaxis of synucleopathies or Lewy Body Disease in patients suffering from or at risk of such diseases. However, current strategies associated with a-synuclein immunotherapy mainly employ antibodies that target epitopes such that the antibodies are not expected to bind and/or recognize calpain and/or caspase fragmented species, thereby likely providing sub-optimal efficacy.

Accordingly, there is a great need in the art for anti-alpha-synuclein antibodies that bind calpain and/or caspase-generated species of human a-synuclein. The unique alpha-synuclein epitope recognized by the antibodies of the present invention enables the antibodies to bind both full-length and fragmented a-synuclein aggregated species and likely imparts a greater degree of disease control in synucleinopathies such as PD and DLB.

In addition, the antibodies of the present invention are high affinity antibodies that have acceptable properties, such as in vivo PK and immunogenicity, and balance surface electrostatic potential, increase thermal stability, decrease pi, and/or reduce binding to non-antigen proteins.

Accordingly, the present invention provides an anti-alpha-synuclein antibody comprising a heavy chain (HC) and a light chain (LC), wherein the HC comprises a heavy chain variable region (HCVR) and the LC comprises a light chain variable region (LCVR), and wherein the HCVR comprises a HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3, and the LCVR comprises a LCDR1, LCDR2, and LCDR3, wherein the amino acid sequence of the HCDR1 is given by SEQ ID NO: 1

(AASGFTFSSYAMS), the amino acid sequence of the HCDR2 is given by SEQ ID NO: 2 (AISGSGGDTYYADSVXG; wherein Xaa at position 16 is lysine or glutamine), the amino acid sequence of the HCDR3 is given by SEQ ID NO: 3 (ARGYGMDV), the amino acid sequence of the LCDR1 is given by SEQ ID NO: 4 RSSQXLVHSDGNTYLM; wherein Xaa at position 5 is serine or aspartic acid), the amino acid sequence of the LCDR2 is given by SEQ ID NO: 5 (YKVSXRNS; wherein Xaa at position 5 is asparagine or aspartic acid), and the amino acid sequence of the LCDR3 is given by SEQ ID NO: 6 (MQGTKQYPT). In an embodiment, Xaa at position 16 of SEQ ID NO: 2 is lysine or glutamine. In an embodiment, Xaa at position 5 of SEQ ID NO: 4 is serine or aspartic acid. In an embodiment, Xaa at position 5 of SEQ ID NO: 5 is asparagine or aspartic acid. In a particular embodiment, Xaa at position 16 of SEQ ID NO: 2 is lysine, Xaa at position 5 of SEQ ID NO: 4 is serine, and Xaa at position 5 of SEQ ID NO: 5 is asparagine. In another particular embodiment, Xaa at position 16 of SEQ ID NO: 2 is glutamine, Xaa at position 5 of SEQ ID NO: 4 is aspartic acid, and Xaa at position 5 of SEQ ID NO: 5 is aspartic acid.

The present invention also provides an anti-alpha-synuclein antibody comprising a HC and a LC, wherein the HC comprises a HCVR and the LC comprises a LCVR, and wherein the amino acid sequence of the HCVR is given by SEQ ID NO: 7

(XVQLLESGGGLVQPGGSLRLSCAASGFTFSSYAMSWVRQAPGKGLEWVSAISGSGGDT YY AD S VXGRFTISRDNSKNTLYLQMN SLRAEDTA VYY C ARGY GMD VW GQGTTVTV S S ; wherein Xaa at position 1 is glutamic acid or pyroglutamic acid, and wherein Xaa at position 65 is lysine or glutamine), and wherein the amino acid sequence of the LCVR is given by SEQ ID NO:

8

(DVVMTQSPLSLPVTLGQPASISCRSSQXLVHSDGNTYLMWFQQRPGQSPRRLIYKVSXR NSGVPDRFSGSGSGTDFTLKISRVEAEDVGVYYCMQGTKQYPTFGQGTKLEIK; wherein Xaa at position 28 is serine or aspartic acid, and wherein Xaa at position 58 is asparagine or aspartic acid). In an embodiment, Xaa at position 1 of SEQ ID NO: 7 is glutamic acid or pyroglutamic acid. In an embodiment, Xaa at position 65 of SEQ ID NO: 7 is lysine or glutamine. In an embodiment, Xaa at position 28 of SEQ ID NO: 8 is serine or aspartic acid. In an embodiment, Xaa at position 58 of SEQ ID NO: 8 is asparagine or aspartic acid. In a particular embodiment, Xaa at position 1 of SEQ ID NO: 7 is glutamic acid, Xaa at position 65 of SEQ ID NO: 7 is lysine, Xaa at position 28 of SEQ ID NO: 8 is serine, and Xaa at position 58 of SEQ ID NO: 8 is asparagine. In another particular embodiment, Xaa at position 1 of SEQ ID NO: 7 is glutamic acid, Xaa at position 65 of SEQ ID NO: 7 is glutamine, Xaa at position 28 of SEQ ID NO: 8 is aspartic acid, and Xaa at position 58 of SEQ ID NO: 8 is aspartic acid.

The present invention also provides an anti-alpha-synuclein antibody comprising a HC and a LC, wherein the amino acid sequence of the HC is given by SEQ ID NO: 9

(XVQLLESGGGLVQPGGSLRLSCAASGFTFSSYAMSWVRQAPGKGLEWVSAISGSGGDT YY AD S VXGRFTISRDNSKNTLYLQMN SLRAEDTA VYY C ARGY GMD VW GQGTTVTV S S ASTKGPSVFPLAPCSRSTSESTAALGCLVKDYFPEPVTVSWNSGALTSGVHTFPAVLQSSG LYSLSSVVTVPSSSLGTKTYTCNVDHKPSNTKVDKRVESKYGPPCPPCPAPEAAGGPSVF LFPPKPKDTLMISRTPEVTCVVVDVSQEDPEVQFNWYVDGVEVHNAKTKPREEQFNSTY RVV SVLTVLHQDWLNGKEYKCKV SNKGLPSSIEKTISKAKGQPREPQVYTLPPSQEEMTK NQVSLTCLVKGFYPSDIAVEWESNGQPENNYKTTPPVLDSDGSFFLYSRLTVDKSRWQE GNVFSCSVMHEALHNHYTQKSLSLSLX; wherein Xaa at position 1 is glutamic acid or pyroglutamic acid, wherein Xaa at position 65 is lysine or glutamine, and wherein Xaa at position 441 is glycine or absent), and the amino acid sequence of the LC is given by SEQ ID NO: 10 (DVVMTQSPLSLPVTLGQPASISCRSSQXLVHSDGNTYLMWFQQRPGQSPRRLIYKVSXR NSGVPDRFSGSGSGTDFTLKISRVEAEDVGVYYCMQGTKQYPTFGQGTKLEIKRTVAAPS VFIFPPSDEQLKSGTASWCLLNNFYPREAKVQWKVDNALQSGNSQESVTEQDSKDSTYS LSSTLTLSKADYEKHKVYACEVTHQGLSSPVTKSFNRGEC; wherein Xaa at position 28 is serine or aspartic acid, and wherein Xaa at position 58 is asparagine or aspartic acid). In an embodiment, Xaa at position 1 of SEQ ID NO: 9 is glutamic acid or pyroglutamic acid. In an embodiment, Xaa at position 65 of SEQ ID NO: 9 is lysine or glutamine. In an embodiment, Xaa at position 441 of SEQ ID NO: 9 is glycine or absent. In an embodiment, Xaa at position 28 of SEQ ID NO: 10 is serine or aspartic acid, and Xaa at position 58 of SEQ ID NO: 10 is asparagine or aspartic acid. In a particular embodiment, Xaa at position 1 of SEQ ID NO: 9 is glutamic acid, Xaa at position 65 of SEQ ID NO: 9 is lysine, Xaa at position 441 of SEQ ID NO: 9 is glycine, Xaa at position 28 of SEQ ID NO: 10 is serine, and Xaa at position 58 of SEQ ID NO: 10 is asparagine. In another particular embodiment, Xaa at position 1 of SEQ ID NO: 9 is glutamic acid, Xaa at position 65 of SEQ ID NO: 9 is glutamine, Xaa at position 441 of SEQ ID NO: 9 is glycine, Xaa at position 28 of SEQ ID NO: 10 is aspartic acid, and Xaa at position 58 of SEQ ID NO: 10 is aspartic acid.

The present invention also provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising an antibody of the present invention, and one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers, diluents, or excipients.

The present invention provides a method of treating a patient having a synocleinopathy, comprising administering to the patient an effective amount of an antibody of the present invention. In an embodiment, the synocleinopathy is PD, MSA, or AD. In a particular embodiment, the synocleinopathy is DLB. In another particular embodiment, the synocleinopathy is PD.

The present invention also provides an antibody of the present invention for use in therapy.

In an embodiment, the antibody of the present invention is for usein the treatment of a synocleinopathy. In an embodiment, the synocleinopathy is PD, MSA, or AD. In a particular embodiment, the synocleinopathy is DLB. In another particular embodiment, the synocleinopathy is PD.

The present invention provides the use of an antibody of the present invention in the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment of a synocleinopathy. In an embodiment, the synocleinopathy is Parkinson’s Disease (PD), multiple system atrophy (MSA), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), or dementia with Lewy body (DLB).

The present invention also provides a DNA molecule comprising a polynucleotide that encodes the antibody HC whose amino acid sequence is given by SEQ ID NO: 9. In an embodiment, the DNA molecule has the polynucleotide sequence given by SEQ ID NO: 11.

The present invention also provides a DNA molecule comprising a polynucleotide that encodes the antibody LC whose amino acid sequence is given by SEQ ID NO: 10. In an embodiment, the DNA molecule has the polynucleotide sequence given by SEQ ID NO: 12.

The present invention provides a DNA molecule comprising a polynucleotide that encodes the HC whose amino acid sequence is given by SEQ ID NO: 9, and comprising a polynucleotide that encodes the LC whose amino acid sequence is given by SEQ ID NO: 10. In an embodiment, the sequence of the polynucleotide that encodes the HC is given by SEQ ID NO: 11, and the sequence of the polynucleotide that encodes the LC is given by SEQ ID NO: 12.

The present invention also provides a mammalian cell transformed with a DNA molecule comprising a polynucleotide that encodes the antibody HC whose amino acid sequence is given by SEQ ID NO: 9 and a DNA molecule comprising a polynucleotide that encodes the antibody LC whose amino acid sequence is given by SEQ ID NO: 10, which transformed mammalian cell is capable of expressing an antibody comprising two HCs and two LCs, in which the amino acid sequence of each HC is given by SEQ ID NO: 9, and the amino acid sequence of each LC is given by SEQ ID NO: 10.

The present invention also provides a mammalian cell transformed with a DNA molecule comprising 1) a polynucleotide that encodes the HC whose amino acid sequence is given by SEQ ID NO: 9, and 2) a polynucleotide that encodes the LC whose amino acid sequence is given by SEQ ID NO: 10, which transformed mammalian cell is capable of expressing an antibody comprising two HCs and two LCs, in which the amino acid sequence of each HC is given by SEQ ID NO: 9, and the amino acid sequence of each LC is given by SEQ ID NO: 10.

The present invention provides a process for producing an antibody, which antibody comprises two HCs and two LCs, in which the amino acid sequence of each HC is given by SEQ ID NO: 9 and the amino acid sequence of each LC is given by SEQ ID NO: 10, and which process comprises cultivating a mammalian cell transformed with a DNA molecule comprising a polynucleotide that encodes the antibody HC whose amino acid sequence is given by SEQ ID NO: 9 and a DNA molecule comprising a polynucleotide that encodes the antibody LC whose amino acid sequence is given by SEQ ID NO: 10, which transformed mammalian cell is capable of expressing an antibody comprising two HCs and two LCs, in which the amino acid sequence of each HC is given by SEQ ID NO: 9, and the amino acid sequence of each LC is given by SEQ ID NO: 10, under conditions such that the antibody is expressed, and recovering the expressed antibody. In an embodiment, the present invention provides an antibody obtainable by the process for producing an antibody.

The present invention provides a process for producing an antibody, which antibody comprises two HCs and two LCs, in which the amino acid sequence of each HC is given by SEQ ID NO: 9 and the amino acid sequence of each LC is given by SEQ ID NO: 10, and which process comprises cultivating a mammalian cell transformed with a DNA molecule comprising a polynucleotide that encodes the HC whose amino acid sequence is given by SEQ ID NO: 9, and comprising a polynucleotide that encodes the LC whose amino acid sequence is given by SEQ ID NO: 10, which transformed mammalian cell is capable of expressing an antibody comprising two HCs and two LCs, in which the amino acid sequence of each HC is given by SEQ ID NO: 9, and the amino acid sequence of each LC is given by SEQ ID NO: 10, under conditions such that the antibody is expressed, and recovering the expressed antibody. In an embodiment, the present invention provides an antibody obtainable by the process for producing an antibody.

The present invention also provides an alpha-synuclein antibody that binds human alpha-synuclein at one or more of residues aspartic acid at position 115, methionine at position 116, aspartic acid at position 119, glutamic acid at position 126, and proline at position 128 of SEQ ID NO: 13. In an embodiment, the antibody binds at least two amino acids of residues aspartic acid at position 115, methionine at position 116, aspartic acid at position 119, glutamic acid at position 126, and proline at position 128 of SEQ ID NO: 13. In another embodiment, the antibody binds at least three amino acids of residues aspartic acid at position 115, methionine at position 116, aspartic acid at position 119, glutamic acid at position 126, and proline at position 128 of SEQ ID NO: 13. In another embodiment, the antibody binds at least four amino acids of residues aspartic acid at position 115, methionine at position 116, aspartic acid at position 119, glutamic acid at position 126, and proline at position 128 of SEQ ID NO: 13. In another embodiment, the antibody binds residues aspartic acid at position 115, methionine at position 116, aspartic acid at position 119, glutamic acid at position 126, and proline at position 128 of SEQ ID NO: 13. In some such embodiments, the binding is determined by alanine scanning. It is believed that these antibodies might be more efficacious in removing cleaved alpha-synuclein in addition to full-length alpha-synuclein.

The present invention provides an antibody that inhibits uptake an alpha-synuclein fragment comprising residues 1-121 of SEQ ID NO: 13. The present invention also provides an antibody that inhibits uptake of an alpha-synuclein fragment comprising residues 120-140 of SEQ ID NO: 13. In some embodiments, the antibody inhibits uptake of both 1-121 and 120-140 fragments.

The present invention also provides an antibody that binds an alpha-synuclein fragment comprising residues 1-120 of SEQ ID NO: 13. The present invention also provides an antibody that binds an alpha-synuclein fragment comprising residues 120-140 of SEQ ID NO: 13. In an embodiment, the antibody binds both 1-120 and 120-140 alpha-synuclein fragments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Fig. la. Inhibition of alpha-synuclein 1-121 fragment internalization.

Figure lb. Inhibition of alpha-synuclein internalization.

Figure 2. Binding of antibody to full-length and alpha-synuclein fragments.

DEFINITIONS

As used herein, unless otherwise stated, alpha-synuclein refers to a wild-type alpha-synuclein, and preferably, to a wild-type human alpha-synuclein that has the amino acid sequence given by SEQ ID NO: 13. An“anti-alpha-synuclein antibody” or“alpha-synuclein antibody” refers to an antibody that preferentially binds to dimerized forms of alpha-synuclein, and when administered in vitro or in vivo, results in an achieved response such as at least one significantly lessened desired activity such as aggregation of alpha-synuclein and prevention of alpha-synuclein aggregate uptake into cells.

The term“aggregated” or“aggregation” as used herein refers to assemblies comprised of greater than one alpha-synuclein monomer.

“Seeding” refers to induction of intracellular aggregation. Specifically, seeding refers to the uptake of extracellular alpha-synuclein into cells and induction of monomeric pools of alpha-synuclein to form aggregates.

The term“antibody” as used herein refers to an engineered, non-naturally occurring polypeptide complex having two heavy chains (HC) and two light chains (LC) such that the heavy chains and the light chains are interconnected by disulfide bonds, wherein the antibody is an IgG isotype antibody. Each heavy chain is comprised of an N-terminal HCVR and a heavy chain constant region. Each light chain is comprised of an N-terminal LCVR and a light chain constant region. When expressed in certain biological systems, antibodies are glycosylated in the Fc region. Typically, glycosylation occurs in the Fc region of the antibody at a highly conserved N-glycosylation site. N-glycans typically attach to asparagine. Antibodies may be glycosylated at other positions as well.

Antibodies of the present invention lack effector function. Preferably, antibodies of the present invention are IgG4PAA antibodies. An IgG4PAA antibody is an IgG4 antibody having a serine to proline substitution and two leucine to alanine substitutions at positions (according to EU numbering) 228, 234, 235, respectively (S228P, F234A, L235A). S228P mutation eliminates half antibody formation. The two alanine mutations are known to disrupt hydrophobic interactions with FcyRs to eliminate residual effector function.

The constant region of the heavy chains contains CHI, CH2, and CH3 domains. CHI comes after the HCVR; the CHI and HCVR form the heavy chain portion of an antigen -binding (Fab) fragment, which is the part of an antibody that binds antigen(s). CH2 comes after the hinge region and before CH3. CH3 comes after CH2 and is at the carboxy -terminal end of the heavy chain. The constant region of the light chains contains one domain, CL. CL comes after the LCVR; the CL and LCVR form the light chain portion of a Fab.

The HCVR and LCVR regions of an antibody of the present invention can be further subdivided into regions of hyper-variability, termed complementarity determining regions (“CDRs”), interspersed with regions that are more conserved, termed framework regions (“FR”). Each HCVR and LCVR is composed of three CDRs and four FRs, arranged from amino -terminus

to carboxy-terminus in the following order: FR1, CDR1, FR2, CDR2, FR3, CDR3, FR4. Herein, the three CDRs of the heavy chain are referred to as“HCDRl, HCDR2, and HCDR3” and the three CDRs of the light chain are referred to as“LCDR1, LCDR2 and LCDR3”. The CDRs contain most of the residues which form specific interactions with the antigen. The Rabat CDR definition (Rabat, et al., Ann. NY Acad. Sci. 190:382-93 (1971); Rabat et al., Sequences of Proteins of Immunological Interest, Fifth Edition, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, NIH Publication No. 91-3242 (1991)) is based upon antibody sequence variability. The Chothia CDR definition (Chothia et al.,“Canonical structures for the hypervariable regions of immunoglobulins”, Journal of Molecular Biology, 196, 901-917 (1987); Al-Lazikani et al., “Standard conformations for the canonical structures of immunoglobulins”, Journal of Molecular Biology, 273, 927-948 (1997)) is based on three-dimensional structures of antibodies and topologies of the CDR loops. The Chothia CDR definitions are identical to the Rabat CDR definitions with the exception of HCDRl and HCDR2. The North CDR definition (North et al.,

“A New Clustering of Antibody CDR Loop Conformations”, Journal of Molecular Biology, 406, 228-256 (2011)) is based on affinity propagation clustering with a large number of crystal structures. For the purposes of the present invention, assignment of amino acids to CDR domains within the LCVR and HCVR regions of the antibodies of the present invention is based on the well-known Rabat numbering convention and North numbering convention. In the case of the light chain CDRs of the antibodies of the present invention, the North CDR definitions are used.

In the heavy chain, both HCDRl and HCDR3 also use the North definition. HCDR2 uses a hybrid of North and Rabat definitions. The North definition is used to identify the starting N-terminal site while Rabat is used to define the last position.

The present invention contemplates that the antibodies of the present invention are humanized or human antibodies. In the context of monoclonal antibodies, the terms“human” and “humanized” are well-known to those of ordinary skill in the art (Weiner LJ, J. Immunother.

2006; 29: 1-9; Mallbris L, et al., J. Clin. Aesthet. Dermatol. 2016; 9: 13-15).

A DNA molecule of the present invention is a DNA molecule that comprises a non-naturally occurring polynucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide having the amino acid sequence of at least one of the polypeptides in an antibody of the present invention (e.g., heavy chain, light chain, variable heavy chain, and variable light chain).

An isolated DNA encoding a HCVR region can be converted to a full-length heavy chain gene by operably linking the HCVR-encoding DNA to another DNA molecule encoding heavy chain constant regions. The sequences of human, as well as other mammalian, heavy chain constant region genes are known in the art. DNA fragments encompassing these regions can be obtained, e.g., by standard PCR amplification.

An isolated DNA encoding a LCVR region may be converted to a full-length light chain gene by operably linking the LCVR-encoding DNA to another DNA molecule encoding a light chain constant region. The sequences of human, as well as other mammalian, light chain constant region genes are known in the art. DNA fragments encompassing these regions can be obtained by standard PCR amplification. The light chain constant region can be a kappa or lambda constant region. Preferably, for antibodies of the present invention, the light chain constant region is a kappa constant region.

The polynucleotides of the present invention can be expressed in a host cell after the sequences have been operably linked to an expression control sequence. The expression vectors are typically replicable in the host organisms either as episomes or as an integral part of the host chromosomal DNA. Commonly, expression vectors will contain selection markers, e.g., tetracycline, neomycin, and dihydrofolate reductase, to permit detection of those cells transformed with the desired DNA sequences.

The antibodies of the present invention can readily be produced in mammalian cells, non limiting examples of which includes CHO, NSO, HEK293 or COS cells. The host cells are cultured using techniques well known in the art.

The vectors containing the polynucleotide sequences of interest (e.g., the polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides of the antibody and expression control sequences) can be transferred into the host cell by well-known methods, which vary depending on the type of cellular host.

Various methods of protein purification may be employed to purify proteins, including, but not limited to, antibodies and such methods are known in the art.

An antibody of the present invention, or a pharmaceutical composition comprising the same, may be administered by parenteral routes, non-limiting examples of which are

subcutaneous administration and intravenous administration. An antibody of the present invention may be administered to a patient with pharmaceutically acceptable carriers, diluents, or excipients in single or multiple doses. Pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention can be prepared by methods well known in the art (e.g., Remington: The Science and Practice of Pharmacy, 22nd ed. (2012), A. Loyd et ah, Pharmaceutical Press) and comprise an antibody, as disclosed herein, and one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers, diluents, or excipients.

The term "treating" (or "treat" or "treatment") refers to slowing, interrupting, arresting, alleviating, stopping, reducing, or reversing the progression or severity of an existing symptom, disorder, condition, or disease.

"Effective amount" means the amount of an anti-alpha-synuclein antibody of the present invention or pharmaceutical composition comprising such an antibody that will elicit the biological or medical response of or desired therapeutic effect on a tissue, system, animal,

mammal, or human that is being sought by the researcher, medical doctor, or other clinician. An effective amount of the antibody may vary according to factors such as the disease state, age, sex, and weight of the individual, and the ability of the antibody to elicit a desired response in the individual. Such benefit includes, but is not limited to reduced spread of pathological Lewy Bodies, improved motor function, and/or improvements in cognition. An effective amount can be readily determined by one skilled in the art, by the use of known techniques, and by observing results obtained under analogous circumstances. In determining the effective amount for a patient, a number of factors are considered by the attending diagnostician, including, but not limited to: the patient’s size, age, and general health; the specific disease or disorder involved; the degree of, or involvement, or the severity of the disease or disorder; the response of the individual patient; the particular compound administered; the mode of administration; the bioavailability characteristics of the preparation administered; the dose regimen selected; the use of concomitant medication; and other relevant circumstances.

As used herein, the term“synucleinopathy” refers to a neurodegenerative disease or family of neurodegenerative disease characterized by the abnormal accumulation of aggregates of a-synuclein protein in neurons. Exemplary conditions include Alzheimer’s Disease (AD),

Parkinson’s disease (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and multiple system atrophy (MSA).

EXAMPLES

Example: Antibody Expression and Purification

Anti-alpha-synuclein antibodies of the present invention can be expressed and purified essentially as follows. An appropriate host cell, such as HEK 293 or CHO, can be either transiently or stably transfected with an expression system for secreting antibodies using an optimal predetermined HC:LC vector ratio (such as 1:3 or 1:2) or a single vector system encoding both the HC and the LC. Clarified media, into which the antibody has been secreted, may be purified using any of many commonly-used techniques. For example, the medium may be applied to a MabSelect® column (GE Healthcare), or KappaSelect column (GE Healthcare) for Fab fragment, that has been equilibrated with a compatible buffer, such as phosphate buffered saline (pH 7.4). The column may be washed to remove nonspecific binding components.

The bound antibody may be eluted, for example, by pH gradient (such as 20 mM Tris buffer, pH 7.0 to 10 mM sodium citrate buffer, pH 3.0, or phosphate buffered saline pH 7.4 to 100 mM glycine buffer, pH 3.0). Antibody fractions may be detected, such as by SDS-PAGE, and then may be pooled. Further purification is optional, depending on intended use. The antibody may be concentrated and or sterile filtered using common techniques. Soluble aggregate and

multimers may be effectively removed by common techniques, including size exclusion, hydrophobic interaction, ion exchange, multimodal, or hydroxyapatite chromatography. The purity of the antibody after these chromatography steps is between about 95% to about 99%.

It is expected that a low percentage (about 1%) of the glutamic acid at the N-terminus of the antibody heavy chain may be converted to pyroglutamic acid. In addition, a low percentage (about less than 1%) of the glycine at the C-terminus of the antibody heavy chain may be truncated (clipped) post-translationally.

The product may be held refrigerated, immediately frozen at -70°C, or may be lyophilized. Amino acid SEQ ID NOs for exemplified human antibodies of the present invention are shown below in Table 1.

Table 1. Amino acid sequences of Antibody 1 and Antibody 2

* * Xaa at position 1 is glutamic acid or pyroglutamic acid, and Xaa at position 441 is glycine or absent.

Example: Antibody Affinity to Recombinant Human a-Synuclein Fibril

An Enzyme- Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) is performed for quantitative determination of antibody affinity to recombinant human a-synuclein fibril. Human a-synuclein fibrils are generated by shaking recombinant a-synuclein monomers continuously for two weeks before sonicating (Polinski et al, J. Parkinson’s Disease 8 (2018) 303-322).

An ELISA plate is coated with recombinant human a-synuclein fibril at 1 pg/ml in PBS overnight at 4°C. The next day, the plate is incubated with 1% casein for 1 hour at room temperature to block non-specific binding sites on the plate. The plate is then washed three times with 0.1% PBST and incubated with 3x serials diluted antibody (Antibody 1, Antibody 2, or comparator antibody 1) for 1 hour at room temperature. Comparator antibody 1 (“C.A. 1”) is described as an antibody having HCDRs 1-3 (Hu9E4VHv3) and LCDRs 1-3 (Hu9E4VLv3) as shown and described in United States Patent Number 8,609,820 (e.g. Figure 1 and Figure 2).

After incubation, the plate is washed three times with 0.1% PBST to remove un-bound antibody and incubated with a detection agent (1: 1000 diluted goat-anti-human Kappa-AP) in 0.1% PBST for 1 hour at room temperature. The plate is washed three times with 0.1% PBST to remove un bound detection agent and incubated with a substrate for 15 minutes at room temperature. The OD is then read in an ELISA plate reader at 560 nm. The binding curve is obtained based on the

antibody concentration and OD560 readout. Antibody affinity is determined as the concentration that gives 50% of maximal binding signal (EC50).

Following procedures essentially as described above, the following data were obtained.

Table 2 Binding affinity of antibodies to human a-synuclein fibril as determined by ELISA.

These data demonstrate that the antibodies of the present invention bind human alpha-synuclein fibril with high affinity.

Example: Binding of Antibody 1 and Antibody 2 to Monomeric Alpha-Synuclein

The binding affinities of Antibody 1 and Antibody 2 to monomeric human a-synuclein (SNCA, UniProtKB P37840; SEQ ID NO: 13) is assessed. Binding affinities of Antibody 1 and Antibody 2 are also determined for various species, including human, cynomolgus monkey, rabbit, rat, and mouse alpha-synuclein.

Monomeric a-synuclein binding affinity is measured at 37°C using a Kinetic Exclusion Assay (Kinexa) (Darling, R, and Brault, P.A. (2004) Assay Drug Dev. Technol., 2(6):647-657). The Kinexa assay is particularly physiologically relevant due to its ability to evaluate the affinity of a-synuclein in solution, in contrast to the clustered nature of a-synuclein in plate-based ELISA assays.

Separate vessels of fixed antibody concentration at 200 pM are mixed with serial dilutions of monomeric alpha-synuclein ranging from 50 mM to 847 pM. These samples are incubated for 24 to 48 hours at 37C to allow for steady state equilibrium to be achieved. During this time, sepharose beads are conjugated with monomeric human alpha-synuclein and blocked with a suitable non-specific binding protein (typically BSA or casein). Once steady state is achieved, a small capillary is packed with coated beads and samples of each fixed antibody/alpha-synuclein monomer are injected over the column. During this step, free, unassociated antibody is captured selectively from complexed antibody, and subsequently detected via a fluorescently labeled secondary anti-human antibody. This step is repeated for each concentration of alpha-synuclein monomer and resultant fluorescent signal (proportional to percent free antibody) and then plotted as a function of fluorescent signal versus monomeric a -synuclein concentration and globally fit to a 1 : 1 binding model to obtain KD. Independent runs (n=3) run with technical duplicates (95% confidence intervals) are reported.

In experiments conducted essentially as described above, the following data were obtained for the following species of a-synuclein: human (uniprot accession P37840), cynomolgous monkey (uniprot accession P61142), rat (uniprot accession P37377), rabbit (uniprot accession G1U0V2) and mouse (uniprot accesssion 055042).

Table 3: Binding affinities to monomeric alpha-svnuclein as measured bv Kinexa at 37°C.

These data demonstrate that Antibody 1 and Antibody 2 bind human, cynomolgus monkey, rat, and mouse alpha-synuclein, and to a lesser extent, rabbit alpha-synuclein.

Example: Binding of Antibody 1 and Antibody 2 to Dimeric Alpha-Synuclein

The binding affinities of Antibody 1 and Antibody 2 to an avidity-surrogate dimeric presentation of a C-terminal fragment of human a-synuclein containing residues 100-140 on a mouse Fc (mIgGl-hAsynl00-140) are assessed. Binding affinities are determined using a plate- capture method based on the principles of Kinexa, called MSD-SET (Estrep, et al. (2013) MAbs, 5(2): 270-278). A synthetic dimeric presentation of human alpha-synuclein comprising the last 40 amino acids of SEQ ID NO: 13 fused onto the C-terminal end of a mouse Fc fragment, separated by a short unstructured linker element is engineered (mIgGl-hAsynl00-140). This synthetic surrogate molecule provides a relatively stable and homogeneous presentation of an avidity- competent human a-synuclein aggregate surrogate for biochemical characterization efforts.

Antibody (100 fM) is mixed with increasing concentrations of mIgGl-hAsynl00-140 ranging from 3.67 fM to 7.69 nM in a two-fold dilution series and allowed to achieve steady state equilibrium at either 25°C or 37°C. During this incubation time, an MSD Sector plate is coated with monomeric human alpha-synuclein and blocked with a blocking reagent (i.e. BSA, casein). Following steady state equilibrium incubation times, individual antibody/mlgGl-hAsyn 100-140 mixtures are added simultaneously to the plate and allowed to incubate for 10 minutes to capture free antibody and minimize exchange with antibody in complex with mIgGl-hAsynl00-140. Following this short incubation, plates are subsequently washed and incubated with a biotinylated anti-human secondary antibody, followed by detection using streptavidin-S-tag on the MSD instrument. The resultant MSD signal (proportional to % free antibody) is then plotted as a function of mIgGl-hAsynl00-140 concentration and globally fit to a four parameter fit to obtain IC50 (KD). Reported 95% confidence intervals represent the fitting of N=3 independent runs each with technical duplicates. The avidity -factor is the ratiometric difference between monomer affinity and dimer affinity and represents the selectivity in binding between monomeric and dimeric a-synuclein for antibody. Affinity values are reported in Table 4.

WE CLAIM:

1. An anti-alpha-synuclein antibody comprising a heavy chain (HC) and a light chain (LC), wherein the HC comprises a heavy chain variable region (HCVR) and the LC comprises a light chain variable region (LCVR), and wherein the HCVR comprises a HCDR1, HCDR2, and HCDR3, and the LCVR comprises a LCDR1, LCDR2, and LCDR3, wherein the amino acid sequence of the HCDR1 is given by SEQ ID NO: 1, the amino acid sequence of the HCDR2 is given by SEQ ID NO: 2 (AISGSGGDTYYADSVXG; wherein Xaa at position 16 is lysine or glutamine), the amino acid sequence of the HCDR3 is given by SEQ ID NO: 3, the amino acid sequence of the LCDR1 is given by SEQ ID NO: 4 (RSSQXLVHSDGNTYLM; wherein Xaa at position 5 is serine or aspartic acid), the amino acid sequence of the LCDR2 is given by SEQ ID NO: 5 (YKVSXRNS; wherein Xaa at position 5 is asparagine or aspartic acid), and the amino acid sequence of the LCDR3 is given by SEQ ID NO: 6.

2. The antibody of Claim 1, wherein Xaa at position 16 of SEQ ID NO: 2 is lysine, Xaa at position 5 of SEQ ID NO: 4 is serine, and Xaa at position 5 of SEQ ID NO: 5 is asparagine.

3. The antibody of Claim 1, wherein Xaa at position 16 of SEQ ID NO: 2 is

glutamine, Xaa at position 5 of SEQ ID NO: 4 is aspartic acid, and Xaa at position 5 of SEQ ID NO: 5 is aspartic acid.

4. The antibody of Claim 1, wherein the amino acid sequence of the HCVR is given by SEQ ID NO: 7

(XVQLLESGGGLVQPGGSLRLSCAASGFTFSSYAMSWVRQAPGKGLEWV SAISGSGGDTYYADSVXGRFTISRDNSKNTLYLQMNSLRAEDTAVYYCA RGYGMDVWGQGTTVTVSS; wherein Xaa at position 1 is glutamic acid or pyroglutamic acid, and wherein Xaa at position 65 is lysine or glutamine), and the amino acid sequence of the LCVR is given by SEQ ID NO: 8

(DVVMTQSPLSLPVTLGQPASISCRSSQXLVHSDGNTYLMWFQQRPGQSP RRLIYKVSXRNSGVPDRFSGSGSGTDFTLKISRVEAEDVGVYYCMQGTK QYPTFGQGTKLEIK; wherein Xaa at position 28 is serine or aspartic acid, and wherein Xaa at position 58 is asparagine or aspartic acid).

5. The antibody of Claim 4, wherein Xaa at position 1 of SEQ ID NO: 7 is glutamic acid, Xaa at position 65 of SEQ ID NO: 7 is lysine, Xaa at position 28 of SEQ ID NO: 8 is serine, and Xaa at position 58 of SEQ ID NO: 8 is asparagine.

6. The antibody of Claim 4, wherein Xaa at position 1 of SEQ ID NO: 7 is glutamic acid, Xaa at position 65 of SEQ ID NO: 7 is glutamine, Xaa at position 28 of SEQ ID NO: 8 is aspartic acid, and Xaa at position 58 of SEQ ID NO: 8 is aspartic acid.

7. The antibody of Claim 1 or 4, wherein the amino acid sequence of the HC is given by SEQ ID NO: 9 and the amino acid sequence of the LC is given by SEQ ID NO: 10; and wherein:

a. The amino acid sequence given by SEQ ID NO: 9 is

XVQLLESGGGLVQPGGSLRLSCAASGFTFSSYAMSWVRQAPGKGLE WVSAISGSGGDTYYADSVXGRFTISRDNSKNTLYLQMNSLRAEDTAV YY CARGY GMD VWGQGTTVTVSS ASTKGPSVFPLAPCSRSTSESTAAL GCLVKDYFPEPVTV SWNSGALTSGVHTFPAVLQS SGLY SLSS VVTVP SSSLGTKTYTCNVDHKPSNTKVDKRVESKYGPPCPPCPAPEAAGGPS VFLFPPKPKDTLMISRTPEVTCVVVDVSQEDPEVQFNWYVDGVEVHN AKTKPREEQFN STYRVV SVLTVLHQDWLNGKEYKCKV SNKGLPS SIE KTISKAKGQPREPQ VYTLPPS QEEMTKN Q V SLT CLVKGFYP SDIA VE WESNGQPENNYKTTPPVLDSDGSFFLYSRLTVDKSRWQEGNVFSCSV MHEAFHNHYTQKSFSFSFX; and wherein Xaa at position 1 is glutamic acid or pyroglutamic acid, wherein Xaa at position 65 is lysine or glutamine, and wherein Xaa at position 441 is glycine or absent; and

b. the amino acid sequence given by SEQ ID NO: 10 is

D V VMT Q SPFSFPVTFGQP ASIS CRS S QXFVHSDGNTYFMWFQQRPGQ SPRRFIYKVSXRNSGVPDRFSGSGSGTDFTFKISRVEAEDVGVYYCM QGTKQYPTFGQGTKFEIKRTVAAPSVFIFPPSDEQFKSGTASVVCFFN NFYPREAKVQWKVDNAFQSGNSQESVTEQDSKDSTYSFSSTFTFSKA DYEKHKVY ACE VTHQGF S SPVTKSFNRGEC ; and wherein Xaa at position 28 is serine or aspartic acid, and wherein Xaa at position 58 is asparagine or aspartic acid.

8. The antibody of Claim 7, wherein Xaa at position 1 of SEQ ID NO: 9 is glutamic acid, Xaa at position 65 of SEQ ID NO: 9 is lysine, Xaa at position 441 of SEQ ID NO: 9 is glycine, Xaa at position 28 of SEQ ID NO: 10 is serine, and Xaa at position 58 of SEQ ID NO: 10 is asparagine.

9. The antibody of Claim 7, wherein Xaa at position 1 of SEQ ID NO: 9 is glutamic acid, Xaa at position 65 of SEQ ID NO: 9 is glutamine, Xaa at position 441 of SEQ ID NO: 9 is glycine, Xaa at position 28 of SEQ ID NO: 10 is aspartic acid, and Xaa at position 58 of SEQ ID NO: 10 is aspartic acid.

10. An alpha-synuclein antibody that binds human alpha-synuclein at residues

aspartic acid at position 115, methionine at position 116, aspartic acid at position 119, glutamic acid at position 126, and proline at position 128 of SEQ ID NO: 13.

11. The antibody of any one of Claims 1-10, wherein the antibody binds an alpha- synuclein fragment comprising residues 1-120 of SEQ ID NO: 13.

12. The antibody of any one of Claims 1-11, wherein the antibody binds an alpha- synuclein fragment comprising residues 120-140 of SEQ ID NO: 13.

13. A pharmaceutical composition comprising the antibody of any one of Claims 1- 12, and one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers, diluents, or excipients.

14. A method of treating a patient having a synocleinopathy, comprising

administering to the patient an effective amount of the antibody of any one of Claims 1-12.

15. The method of Claim 14, wherein the synocleinopathy is PD, MSA, or AD.

16. The method of Claim 14, wherein the synocleinopathy is DLB.

17. The method of Claim 14 or Claim 15, wherein the synocleinopathy is PD.

18. The antibody of any one of Claims 1-12 for use in therapy.

19. The antibody of any one of Claims 1-12 for use in the treatment of a

synocleinopathy.

20. The antibody for use according to Claim 19, wherein the synocleinopathy is PD, MSA, or AD.

21. Use of the antibody of any one of Claims 1-12 in the manufacture of a

medicament for the treatment of a synocleinopathy.

22. The use of Claim 21, wherein the synocleinopathy is PD, MSA, or AD.

23. A DNA molecule comprising a polynucleotide that encodes the antibody HC whose amino acid sequence is given by SEQ ID NO: 9.

24. A DNA molecule comprising a polynucleotide that encodes the antibody LC whose amino acid sequence is given by SEQ ID NO: 10.

25. The DNA molecule of Claim 23, in which the sequence of the polynucleotide that encodes the HC is given by SEQ ID NO: 11.

26. The DNA molecule of Claim 24, in which the sequence of the polynucleotide that encodes the LC is given by SEQ ID NO: 12.

27. A DNA molecule comprising a polynucleotide that encodes the HC whose amino acid sequence is given by SEQ ID NO: 9, and comprising a polynucleotide that encodes the LC whose amino acid sequence is given by SEQ ID NO: 10.

28. The DNA molecule of Claim 27, wherein the sequence of the polynucleotide that encodes the HC is given by SEQ ID NO: 11, and the sequence of the

polynucleotide that encodes the LC is given by SEQ ID NO: 12.

29. A mammalian cell transformed with the DNA molecule of Claim 23 and the DNA molecule of Claim 24, which transformed mammalian cell is capable of expressing an antibody comprising two HCs and two LCs, in which the amino acid sequence of each HC is given by SEQ ID NO: 9, and the amino acid sequence of each LC is given by SEQ ID NO: 10.

30. A mammalian cell transformed with the DNA molecule of Claim 27, which transformed mammalian cell is capable of expressing an antibody comprising two HCs and two LCs, in which the amino acid sequence of each HC is given by SEQ ID NO: 9, and the amino acid sequence of each LC is given by SEQ ID NO: 10.

31. A process for producing an antibody, which antibody comprises two HCs and two LCs, in which the amino acid sequence of each HC is given by SEQ ID NO: 9 and the amino acid sequence of each LC is given by SEQ ID NO: 10, and which process comprises:

a. cultivating the mammalian cell of Claim 29 or the mammalian cell of Claim 30 under conditions such that the antibody is expressed, and

b. recovering the expressed antibody.

32. An antibody obtainable by the process of Claim 31.