Anti-procalcitonin antibodies and the preparation and use thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to anti-procalcitonin antibodies, their preparation and use, in particular in therapy and diagnostics. The antibodies comprise binding to procalcitonin but not to free calcitonin, free katacalcin and free N-procalcitonin.

1 . An antibody which binds procalcitonin but not free calcitonin, free katacalcin and free N-procalcitonin.  
     
     
         2 . An antibody as claimed in  claim 1  which binds to a peptide having the amino acid sequence Asp-Ser-Pro-Arg-Ser-Lys-Arg-Cys-Gly-Asn-Leu-Ser or the amino acid sequence Val-Gly-Ala-Pro-Gly-Lys-Lys-Arg-Asp-Met-Ser-Ser.  
     
     
         3 . An antibody as claimed in  claim 1  or  2  which is produced by the hybridoma cell line 98-31/04 (DSM ACC2437).  
     
     
         4 . A specific binding partner which binds to an epitope recognized by an antibody as claimed in one of claims  1 - 3 .  
     
     
         5 . An antibody or a specific binding partner as claimed in one of claims  1 - 4  both or either of which are associated with a solid phase and/or a reporter system component.  
     
     
         6 . An antibody or a specific binding partner as claimed in one of claims  1 - 4  which is used as an in vitro or in vivo diagnostic agent or as an ingredient of an in vitro or in vivo diagnostic agent.  
     
     
         7 . An antibody or a specific binding partner as claimed in one of claims  1 - 4  which is used in a method for quantitative or qualitative detection of an analyte, preferably procalcitonin, in a sample.  
     
     
         8 . An antibody or a specific binding partner as claimed in one of claims  1 - 4  which is used in affinity chromatography.  
     
     
         9 . An antibody or a specific binding partner as claimed in one of claims  1 - 4  in a pharmaceutically suitable sterile injection medium.  
     
     
         10 . An antibody or a specific binding partner as claimed in one of claims  1 - 4  which is used as a medicament or as an ingredient of a medicament.  
     
     
         11 . An antibody or a specific binding partner as claimed in one of claims  1 - 4  for the treatment of sepsis, SIRS and/or tumors.  
     
     
         12 . A test kit comprising one or more antibodies and/or one or more specific binding partners as claimed in one of claims  1 - 5 .  
     
     
         13 . A medicament comprising one or more antibodies and/or one or more specific binding partners as claimed in one of claims  1 - 4 .  
     
     
         14 . A process for preparing an antibody as claimed in one of claims  1 - 3 , which comprises using for the immunization one or more peptides which comprise the amino acid sequence Arg-Ser-Lys-Arg-Cys-Gly, preferably the amino acid sequence Asp-Ser-Pro-Arg-Ser-Lys-Arg-Cys-Gly-Asn-Leu-Ser, and/or the amino acid sequence Pro-Gly-Lys-Lys-Arg-Asp, preferably the amino acid sequence Val-Gly-Ala-Pro-Gly-Lys-Lys-Arg-Asp-Met-Ser-Ser.  
     
     
         15 . The process as claimed in  claim 14  wherein at least one of the peptides used for the immunization is an oligopeptide, preferably a carrier-bound oligopeptide.  
     
     
         16 . An animal, plant or prokaryotic cell or an isolated human cell which produces antibodies as claimed in one of claims  1 - 3 .  
     
     
         17 . A hybridoma cell line which produces antibodies as claimed in one of claims  1 - 3 .  
     
     
         18 . The hybridoma cell line as claimed in  claim 17  which is named 98-31/04 and which was deposited with the DSMZ under accession number DSM ACC2437.  
     
     
         19 . A peptide having the amino acid sequence Asp-Ser-Pro-Arg-Ser-Lys-Arg-Cys-Gly-Asn-Leu-Ser.  
     
     
         20 . A peptide having the amino acid sequence Val-Gly-Ala-Pro-Gly-Lys-Lys-Arg-Asp-Met-Ser-Ser.