Compositions and methods for targeted immunomodulatory antibodies and fusion proteins

Abstract

The present invention is based on the seminal discovery that targeted immunomodulatory antibodies and fusion proteins can counter act or reverse immune tolerance of cancer cells. Cancer cells are able to escape elimination by chemotherapeutic agents or tumor-targeted antibodies via specific immunosuppressive mechanisms in the tumor microenvironment and such ability of cancer cells is recognized as immune tolerance. Such immunosuppressive mechanisms include immunosuppressive cytokines (for example, Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β)) and regulatory T cells and/or immunosuppressive myeloid dendritic cells (DCs). By counteracting tumor-induced immune tolerance, the present invention provides effective compositions and methods for cancer treatment, optional in combination with another existing cancer treatment. The present invention provides strategies to counteract tumor-induced immune tolerance and enhance the antitumor efficacy of chemotherapy by activating and leveraging T cell-mediated adaptive antitumor immunity against resistant or disseminated cancer cells.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An isolated fusion molecule comprising a targeting moiety fused with an immunomodulatory moiety, wherein:
 a) the targeting moiety comprises a polypeptide that specifically binds a component of a tumor cell that is a tumor cell surface molecule; and   b) the immunomodulatory moiety comprises a ligand binding amino acid sequence of the extracellular domain of interleukin-10 receptor (IL-10R).   
     
     
         2 . The fusion molecule of  claim 1 , wherein the targeting moiety specifically binds a tumor cell surface molecule selected from the group consisting of a tumor antigen, growth factor receptor, cytokine receptor, or co-inhibitory ligand. 
     
     
         3 . The fusion molecule of  claim 1 , wherein the targeting moiety comprises an antigen-binding domain of an immunoglobulin, antibody, bispecific or multispecific antibody, antibody fragment, single chain variable fragment (scFv), bivalent or multivalent scFv, or Fc-containing polypeptide. 
     
     
         4 . The fusion molecule of  claim 1 , wherein said immunomodulatory moiety is fused to the C-terminus or N-terminus of said targeting moiety. 
     
     
         5 . The fusion molecule of  claim 1 , wherein the targeting moiety is fused to the immunomodulatory moiety via a linker. 
     
     
         6 . The fusion molecule of  claim 5 , wherein the linker is (GGGGS)n and wherein n is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8. 
     
     
         7 . The fusion molecule of  claim 5 , wherein the targeting moiety is an Fc-containing polypeptide comprising a linker at the CH3 region of the Fc. 
     
     
         8 . The fusion molecule of  claim 3 , wherein the targeting moiety that binds interleukin-4 receptor (IL4R). 
     
     
         9 . The fusion molecule of  claim 1 , wherein the targeting moiety binds Programmed Death-1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) and/or Programmed Death-1 ligand 2 (PD-L2). 
     
     
         10 . The fusion molecule of  claim 9 , wherein the targeting moiety comprises a ligand binding amino acid sequence of the extracellular domain of Programmed-Death 1 (PD-1). 
     
     
         11 . The fusion molecule of  claim 10 , wherein the targeting moiety comprises the amino acid sequence corresponding to SEQ ID NO: 93 or a ligand binding fragment thereof.