US20130142809A1 - METHODS OF TREATMENT USING AN IFN gamma INHIBITOR - Google Patents

METHODS OF TREATMENT USING AN IFN gamma INHIBITOR Download PDF

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US20130142809A1
US20130142809A1 US13/683,684 US201213683684A US2013142809A1 US 20130142809 A1 US20130142809 A1 US 20130142809A1 US 201213683684 A US201213683684 A US 201213683684A US 2013142809 A1 US2013142809 A1 US 2013142809A1
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ifn
patient
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Andrew A. Welcher
Michael J. Boedigheimer
James B. Chung
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Amgen Inc
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Assigned to AMGEN INC. reassignment AMGEN INC. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: WELCHER, ANDREW A., BOEDIGHEIMER, MICHAEL J., CHUNG, JAMES B.
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Priority to US14/862,096 priority patent/US20160046709A1/en
Assigned to AMGEN INC. reassignment AMGEN INC. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: WELCHER, ANDREW A., BOEDIGHEIMER, MICHAEL J., CHUNG, JAMES B.
Priority to US15/693,160 priority patent/US11230597B2/en
Priority to US17/551,098 priority patent/US20220144933A1/en
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Definitions

  • This invention is in the field of methods of patient stratification and methods treatment using an interferon gamma (IFN- ⁇ ) inhibitor, as well as uses of IFN- ⁇ inhibitors.
  • IFN- ⁇ interferon gamma
  • IFN- ⁇ plays an important role in regulating the immune system. It is a cytokine with pleiotropic effects and is thought to play a role in mediating various autoimmune diseases, as well as immune responses to infectious agents and cancer cells. See, e.g., Heremans et al., Develop. Biol. Standard., 71: 113-119, in Symposium on Monoclonal Antibodies for Therapy, Prevention and in vivo diagnosis of human disease, Ultrecht, The Netherlands, 1989, S. Karger, Basel, 1990. Comparatively recent analyses of RNA and protein levels have yielded detailed information concerning the identities of collections of genes that are over- and under-expressed in biological samples from patients suffering from autoimmune diseases.
  • type I i.e., IFN ⁇ , IFN ⁇ , IFN ⁇ , IFN ⁇ , and IFN ⁇
  • type II i.e., IFN- ⁇
  • interferon-induced genes are overexpressed.
  • Type I and type II interferons affect expression of a distinct, but overlapping, set of genes, and such effects may vary depending on the tissue examined. See, e.g., van Baarsen et al. (2006), Genes and Immunity 7: 522-531 and Baechler et al. (2003), Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 100(5): 2610-2615.
  • IFN- ⁇ inhibitors are episodic in nature and have variable clinical manifestations, and possibly also variable etiologies. Some of these diseases have long asymptomatic periods between symptoms or prior to the onset of symptoms. There is a need to determine whether a patient is a candidate for a particular treatment and/or whether an ongoing treatment is having the desired effects. Because of the biological variations between patients who are clinically diagnosed as having the same disease, it is possible that IFN- ⁇ inhibitors may be efficacious for some patients having a particular disease and not for others.
  • Methods provided herein utilize current technologies for assessing gene expression at the RNA and protein levels to provide more refined and effective methods of treatment using inhibitors of IFN- ⁇ , of identifying optimal doses, and of identifying individuals who are likely to respond to treatment, and/or who are or are not responding to treatment.
  • Described herein are methods of treatment that include administration of an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor to a patient and determination of levels of one or more biomarkers in a biological sample from the patient before and/or after administration of the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor so as to assess the suitability as a treatment or the biological effects of the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor. Such methods can inform decisions as to whether to initiate or continue treatment with an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor. Also described are methods for distinguishing patients likely to benefit from treatment with an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor from those unlikely to benefit by assessing the levels of one or more biomarkers in a biological sample from a patient as compared to the levels of the same biomarkers in biological samples from a healthy control group. Further described herein are methods of treatment that include the use of doses of an anti-IFN- ⁇ antibody within a specified range and/or at a specified frequency of dosing.
  • a method of treating a patient suffering from an IFN- ⁇ -mediated disease comprising administering to the patient a monoclonal anti-human interferon gamma (anti-huIFN- ⁇ ) antibody at a dose, which can be from about 15 mg (mg) to about 300 mg or from about 30, 40, 50, or 60 mg to about 80, 120, 180, 200, 250, 300 or 400 mg, wherein expression at the RNA or protein level of one or more gene(s) listed in Table 1, 2, 4, 5, and/or 6 in a biological sample from the patient taken before the antibody is administered deviates from expression of that gene(s) in a control biological sample in a direction consistent with excess IFN- ⁇ .
  • a monoclonal anti-human interferon gamma (anti-huIFN- ⁇ ) antibody at a dose, which can be from about 15 mg (mg) to about 300 mg or from about 30, 40, 50, or 60 mg to about 80, 120, 180, 200, 250, 300 or 400 mg, wherein expression at the
  • a monoclonal anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody as a medicament to treat a patient suffering from an IFN- ⁇ -mediated disease
  • the dose of the antibody administered is from about 15, 30, 40, 50, or 60 milligrams to about 80, 120, 180, 200, 250, or 300 milligrams and wherein expression at the RNA or protein level of one or more gene(s) listed in Table 1, 2, 4, 5, and/or 6 in a biological sample taken from the patient taken before the antibody is administered deviates from expression of that gene(s) in a control biological sample in a direction consistent with excess IFN- ⁇ .
  • the biological sample from the patient can exhibit expression of one or more of the following human genes at the RNA or protein level that deviates from expression in the control biological sample in a direction consistent with excess IFN- ⁇ : indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1), ankyrin repeat domain 22 (ANKRD22), chemokine (C—X—C motif) ligand 9 (CXCL9), family with sequence similarity 26, member F (FAM26F), purinergic receptor P2Y, G-protein coupled, 14 (P2RY14), guanylate binding binding protein 5 (GBP5), serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade G, member 1 (SERPING1), Fc fragment of IgG, high affinity Ib, receptor (CD64), guanylate binding protein 1, interferon-inducible, 67 kDa (GBP1), chemokine (C—X—C motif) ligand 10 (CXCL10), ets variant 7 (ETV7), lymphatic vessel end
  • the biological sample from the patient can exhibit elevated expression at the RNA or protein level of GBP1 as compared to expression in the control biological sample.
  • the IFN- ⁇ -mediated disease can be systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), discoid lupus, lupus nephritis, psoriasis, or an inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
  • the dose of the anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody can be from about 40 mg or 60 mg to about 300 mg, from about 20 mg or 80 mg to about 200 or 250 mg, from about 60 or 100 mg to about 180 mg, or about 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 120, 150, or 180 mg.
  • the anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody can be administered subcutaneously or intravenously.
  • a gluococorticoid and/or mycophenolate mofetil, azathioprine, leflunomide, methotrexate, or an anti-malarial can be administered concurrently with the antibody.
  • a method for treating a patient having an IFN- ⁇ -mediated disease for example SLE or an inflammatory bowel disease, with an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor comprising: (a) determining the level(s) of expression in a biological sample from the patient of one or more genes listed in Tables 1, 2, 4, 5, and/or 6 at the RNA or protein level, wherein level of expression of the same gene(s) in a control biological sample is known or determined; (b) comparing the level(s) of expression of the gene(s) in the biological sample from the patient and in the control biological sample; and (c) if the level(s) of expression of the gene(s) in the biological sample from the patient deviate from the levels of expression of the gene(s) in the control biological sample in a direction consistent with excess IFN- ⁇ , administering to the patient a therapeutically effective dose of an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor.
  • an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor as a medicament to treat a patient having an IFN- ⁇ -mediated disease, for example SLE or an inflammatory bowel disease, (a) wherein the level(s) of expression in a biological sample from the patient of one or more gene(s) listed in Tables 1, 2, 4, 5, and/or 6 at the RNA or protein level is determined, (b) wherein the level(s) of expression of the same gene(s) in a control biological sample is known or determined, (c) wherein the level(s) of expression of the same gene(s) in the biological sample from the patient and the control biological sample are compared, and (d) wherein if the level(s) of expression of the gene(s) in the biological sample from the patient deviate from the levels of expression of the gene(s) in the control biological sample in a direction consistent with excess IFN- ⁇ , a therapeutically effective dose of the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor is administered.
  • an IFN- ⁇ -mediated disease for example SLE or an inflammatory bowel disease
  • the one or more genes listed in Tables 1, 2, 4, 5, and/or 6 of (a) can include at least about 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 25, 30, 35, or 40 genes.
  • the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor can be a human or humanized anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody.
  • the dose of the anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody administered can be from about 15, 30, or 60 mg to about 300 mg, from about 20, 40, or 80 mg to about 250 mg, or from about 40, 50, or 60 mg to about 120, 150, 180 or 200 mg.
  • the patient can have discoid lupus, lupus nephritis, psoriasis, ulcerative colitis, or Crohn's disease.
  • the biological sample from the patient can exhibit expression of one or more of the following genes at the RNA or protein level that deviates from expression in the control biological sample in a direction consistent with excess IFN- ⁇ : indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1), ankyrin repeat domain 22 (ANKRD22), chemokine (C—X—C motif) ligand 9 (CXCL9), family with sequence similarity 26, member F (FAM26F), purinergic receptor P2Y, G-protein coupled, 14 (P2RY14), guanylate binding binding protein 5 (GBP5), serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade G, member 1 (SERPING1), Fc fragment of IgG, high affinity Ib, receptor (CD64), guanylate binding protein 1, interferon-inducible, 67 kDa (GBP1), chemokine (C—X—C motif) ligand 10 (CXCL10), ets variant 7 (ETV7), lymphatic vessel endo
  • the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor can be an anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody that has a heavy chain complementarity determining region 1 (CDR1) comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:34, a heavy chain complementarity determining region 2 (CDR2) comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:35, a heavy chain complementarity determining region 3 (CDR3) comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:36 or SEQ ID NO:37, a light chain CDR1 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO:39, or SEQ ID NO:40, a light chain CDR2 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:41 or SEQ ID NO:42, and a light chain CDR3 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:43 or SEQ ID NO:44.
  • the one or more genes listed in Tables 1, 2, 4, 5, and/or 6 of (a) can include at least about 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 25, 30, 35, or 40 genes.
  • the one or more genes can be from Table 1, 2, 4, 5, or 6.
  • described herein is a use of an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor as a medicament for treating a patient having an IFN- ⁇ -mediated disease, wherein the level(s) of expression in a biological sample from the patient of one or more of one of the genes listed in Table 1, 2, 4, 5, and/or 6 is determined at the RNA or protein level, wherein the level(s) of expression of the same gene(s) in a control biological sample is known or determined; wherein the level(s) of expression of the gene(s) in the biological sample from the patient and in the control biological sample are compared; and wherein if the level(s) of expression of the gene(s) in the biological sample from the patient deviate from the level(s) in the control biological sample in a direction consistent with excess IFN
  • the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor can be an anti-human IFN- ⁇ antibody, for example an antibody comprising the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 6 and 8, 10 and 12, 14, and 16, 14 and 31, or 30 and 12.
  • the therapeutically effective dose can be from 60 mg to 500 mg, from 80 mg to 400 mg, from 100 mg to 350 mg, from 60 mg to 180 mg, or from 120 mg to 300 mg.
  • the IFN- ⁇ -mediated disease can be SLE including discoid lupus and lupus nephritis, an inflammatory bowel disease including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, or psoriasis, among other IFN- ⁇ -mediated diseases disclosed herein.
  • the gene(s) can include one or more of the following genes: indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1), ankyrin repeat domain 22 (ANKRD22), chemokine (C—X—C motif) ligand 9 (CXCL9), family with sequence similarity 26, member F (FAM26F), purinergic receptor P2Y, G-protein coupled, 14 (P2RY14), guanylate binding binding protein 5 (GBP5), serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade G, member 1 (SERPING1), Fc fragment of IgG, high affinity Ib, receptor (CD64), guanylate binding protein 1, interferon-inducible, 67 kDa (GBP1), chemokine (C—X—C motif) ligand 10 (CXCL10), ets variant 7 (ETV7), lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronan receptor 1 (LYVE1), serpin peptidase inhibitor clade B (ov
  • a method for treating a patient suffering from an IFN- ⁇ -mediated disease comprising: (a) determining the level(s) of expression at the RNA or protein level in a biological sample from the patient of one or more of the genes in Table 1, 2, 4, 5, and/or 6; (b) then administering to the patient a pharmacodynamically effective dose of an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor, for example an anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody; (c) then determining the level of expression of the gene(s) of step (a) in a biological sample from the patient; and (d) if the level(s) of expression of the gene(s) determined in step (c), as compared to the level(s) of expression determined in step (a), is modulated in a direction consistent with inhibition of IFN- ⁇ , then continuing treatment of the patient with another pharmacodynamically effective dose of the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor.
  • an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor for example an anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody
  • the one or more genes listed in Tables 1, 2, 4, 5, and/or 6 of (a) can include at least about 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 25, 30, 35, or 40 genes.
  • an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor antibody for example an anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody
  • a pharmacodynamically effective dose of the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor is administered to the patient
  • the level(s) of expression of the gene(s) of step (a) in a biological sample from the patient is determined
  • (d) if the level(s) of expression of the gene(s) determined in step (c), as compared to the level(s) of expression determined in step (a) is modulated in a direction consistent with inhibition of
  • the pharmacodynamically effective dose can be from about 15, 30, or 60 mg to about 300 mg, from about 20, 40, or 80 mg to about 250 mg, or from about 60 mg to about 180 or 220 mg.
  • the IFN- ⁇ -mediated disease can be selected from the group consisting of SLE, lupus nephritis, discoid lupus, psoriasis, and inflammatory bowel diseases including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.
  • the human genes whose level(s) of expression are determined in (a) and (c) can be selected from the group consisting of: indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1), ankyrin repeat domain 22 (ANKRD22), chemokine (C—X—C motif) ligand 9 (CXCL9), family with sequence similarity 26, member F (FAM26F), purinergic receptor P2Y, G-protein coupled, 14 (P2RY14), guanylate binding binding protein 5 (GBP5), serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade G, member 1 (SERPING1), Fc fragment of IgG, high affinity Ib, receptor (CD64), guanylate binding protein 1, interferon-inducible, 67 kDa (GBP1), chemokine (C—X—C motif) ligand 10 (CXCL10), ets variant 7 (ETV7), lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronan receptor 1 (LYVE1)
  • a method for treating a patient suffering from an IFN- ⁇ -mediated disease for example SLE, lupus nephritis, discoid lupus, psoriasis, or an inflammatory bowel disease, with an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor, for example an anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody, comprising the following steps: (a) determining the level(s) of expression at the RNA or protein level of one or more genes listed in Tables 1, 2, 4, 5, and/or 6 in a biological sample from the patient; (b) thereafter administering a pharmacodynamically effective dose of the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor to the patient; (c) thereafter determining the level(s) of expression of the gene(s) of (a) in a second biological sample from the patient; and (d) if the level(s) of expression of the gene(s) in second biological sample of (c) is substantially the same as that in the biological sample of (a) or if the level of expression of the gene(s) in second biological
  • an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor for example an anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody
  • a pharmacodynamically effective dose of the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor can be administered to the patient;
  • a pharmacodynamically effective dose of the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor can be administered to the patient;
  • the level(s) of expression of the gene(s) of (a) in a second biological sample from the patient can be determined; and
  • the level(s) of expression of the gene(s) in second biological sample of (c) is substantially the same as that in the biological sample of (a) or if the level of expression of the gene(s) in second biological sample of (c) deviates from the level of expression in the biological sample of (a) in a direction that is consistent with an excess of IFN- ⁇ ,
  • the one or more genes listed in Tables 1, 2, 4, 5, and/or 6 of (a) can include at least about 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 25, 30, 35, or 40 genes.
  • the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor is an anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody
  • the pharmacodynamically effective dose can be from about 15, 30, or 60 mg to about 80, 100, 120, 150, 200, 250, or 300 mg, from about 20, 40, or 80 mg to about 90, 100, 120, 150, 180, or 250 mg, or from about 60 mg to about 180 or 220 mg.
  • the patient can be suffering from systemic lupus erythematosus, lupus nephritis and/or discoid lupus.
  • the patient can be suffering from psoriasis or an inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.
  • the genes whose level(s) of expression are determined in (a) and (c) can be selected from the group consisting of: indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1), ankyrin repeat domain 22 (ANKRD22), chemokine (C—X—C motif) ligand 9 (CXCL9), family with sequence similarity 26, member F (FAM26F), purinergic receptor P2Y, G-protein coupled, 14 (P2RY14), guanylate binding binding protein 5 (GBP5), serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade G, member 1 (SERPING1), Fc fragment of IgG, high affinity Ib, receptor (CD64), guanylate binding protein 1, interferon-inducible, 67 kDa (GBP1), chemokine (C—X—C motif) ligand 10 (CXCL
  • any of the methods or uses described above or below that utilize an anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody can utilize an anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody which can have a heavy chain CDR1 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:34, a heavy chain CDR2 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:35, a heavy chain CDR3 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:36 or SEQ ID NO:37, a light chain CDR1 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO:39, or SEQ ID NO:40, a light chain CDR2 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:41 or SEQ ID NO:42, and a light chain CDR3 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:43 or SEQ ID NO:44.
  • a heavy chain CDR1 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:34
  • a heavy chain CDR2 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:35
  • a heavy chain CDR3 compris
  • the heavy chain CDR3 can comprise the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:36
  • the light chain CDR1 can comprise the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:38
  • the light chain CDR2 can comprise the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:41
  • the light chain CDR3 can comprise the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:43.
  • the heavy chain variable region of the antibody can comprise the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:14, or SEQ ID NO:30
  • the light chain variable region of the antibody can comprise the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:12, SEQ ID NO:16, or SEQ ID NO:31.
  • the heavy chain variable region can comprise the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:6, and the light chain variable region comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:8.
  • the heavy chain variable region can comprise the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:10, and the light chain variable region can comprise the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:12.
  • the heavy chain variable region can comprise the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:14, and the light chain variable region can comprise the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:16.
  • the heavy chain variable region can comprise the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:30, and the light chain variable region can comprise the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:12.
  • the heavy chain variable region can comprise the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:14, and the light chain variable region can comprise the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:31.
  • the anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody can be a human, humanized, or chimeric antibody of the IgG, IgM, IgE, IgD, or IgA isotype.
  • the anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody can be an IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, or IgG4 antibody.
  • a method for treating a patient suffering from an IFN- ⁇ -mediated disease comprising administering to the patient a dose of an anti-IFN- ⁇ antibody such that the concentration of total IFN- ⁇ protein in the patient's serum is maintained at a plateau concentration for at least about two weeks following administration of the antibody, wherein the antibody comprises the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NO:6 and SEQ ID NO:8.
  • the dose can comprise at least about 20, 40, 60, or 80 milligrams and not more than 100, 200, 300, 400, or 500 milligrams of an anti-IFN- ⁇ antibody.
  • the plateau concentration can be maintained for at least about 3, 4, 5, 6, or 8 weeks after the antibody is administered.
  • the plateau concentration of IFN- ⁇ protein in the patient's blood can be from about 100 pg/mL to about 2000 pg/mL and/or at least about 200 or 300 pg/mL.
  • the anti-IFN- ⁇ antibody can comprise a heavy chain CDR1 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:34, a heavy chain CDR2 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:35, a heavy chain CDR3 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:36 or SEQ ID NO:37, a light chain CDR1 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO:39, or SEQ ID NO:40, a light chain CDR2 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:41 or SEQ ID NO:42, and a light chain CDR3 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:43 or SEQ ID NO:44.
  • the anti-IFN- ⁇ antibody can comprise the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 6 and 8, SEQ ID NOs: 10 and 12, SEQ ID NOs: 14 and 16, SEQ ID NOs: 30 and 12, or SEQ ID NOs: 14 and 31.
  • the dose of the anti-IFN- ⁇ antibody can be at least about 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 150, 180, 200, 220, or 250 mg and/or not more than 180, 200, 220, 240, 260, 280, 300, 350, 400, 450, or 500 mg and can be administered subcutaneously or intravenously.
  • the level of IFN- ⁇ in the patient's serum can remain above about 100, 200, 250, 300, or 350 picograms per milliliter for at least about 14, 16, 18, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, or 50 days subsequent to a single dose.
  • the IFN- ⁇ -mediated disease can be psoriasis, SLE, lupus nephritis, discoid lupus, or an inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.
  • a gluococorticoid and/or mycophenolate mofetil, azathioprine, leflunomide, methotrexate, or an anti-malarial can be administered concurrently with the antibody.
  • a method for identifying a patient that can benefit from treatment with an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor comprising the following steps: obtaining a biological sample from the patient; determining the levels of IFN- ⁇ protein in the biological sample; and comparing the levels of IFN- ⁇ protein in the biological sample from the patient with the levels determined in a control biological sample; wherein if the levels of total IFN- ⁇ protein in the biological sample from the patient are higher than those in the control biological sample, then the patient is identified as a patient that may benefit from treatment with an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor; and wherein if the levels of IFN- ⁇ protein in the biological sample from the patient are lower than or the same as those in the control biological sample, then the patient is identified as a patient that may not benefit from treatment with an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor.
  • the levels of IFN- ⁇ protein determined can be the levels of total IFN- ⁇ protein, meaning the total of free and bound IFN- ⁇ protein.
  • the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor can be an anti-IFN- ⁇ antibody.
  • the anti-IFN- ⁇ antibody can comprise a heavy chain CDR1 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:34, a heavy chain CDR2 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:35, a heavy chain CDR3 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:36 or SEQ ID NO:37, a light chain CDR1 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO:39, or SEQ ID NO:40, a light chain CDR2 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:41 or SEQ ID NO:42, and a light chain CDR3 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:43 or SEQ ID NO:44.
  • the anti-IFN- ⁇ antibody can comprise the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:14, or SEQ ID NO:30 and SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:12, SEQ ID NO:16, or SEQ ID NO:31.
  • a gluococorticoid and/or mycophenolate mofetil, azathioprine, leflunomide, methotrexate, or an anti-malarial can be administered concurrently with the antibody.
  • a method for treating an IFN- ⁇ -mediated disease comprising administering a dose of an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor such that the concentration of total IFN- ⁇ protein in serum is maintained at a plateau concentration for at least about two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, or ten weeks after administration.
  • the plateau concentration of total IFN- ⁇ protein in serum can be from about 200 to about 2000 picograms per milliliter (pg/mL).
  • the plateau concentration of total IFN- ⁇ protein in serum can be at least about 250, 300, or 350 pg/mL and/or not more than 600, 800, 1000, or 1500 pg/mL.
  • the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor can be a protein that binds to IFN- ⁇ , for example, an anti-IFN- ⁇ antibody.
  • the anti-IFN- ⁇ antibody can comprise a heavy chain CDR1 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:34, a heavy chain CDR2 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:35, a heavy chain CDR3 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:36 or SEQ ID NO:37, a light chain CDR1 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO:39, or SEQ ID NO:40, a light chain CDR2 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:41 or SEQ ID NO:42, and a light chain CDR3 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:43 or SEQ ID NO:44.
  • the anti-IFN- ⁇ antibody can comprise the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:14, or SEQ ID NO:30 and SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:12, SEQ ID NO:16, or SEQ ID NO:31.
  • Further doses of the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor can be administered at a frequency that maintains a serum concentration of total IFN- ⁇ that is at least half of the plateau concentration.
  • a gluococorticoid and/or mycophenolate mofetil, azathioprine, leflunomide, methotrexate, or an anti-malarial can be administered concurrently with the antibody.
  • a method of determining a suitable dose of an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor for a patient comprising: determining the total IFN- ⁇ protein concentration in a biological sample from the patient before dosing; administering the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor to the patient at a first dosage amount; and determining the total IFN- ⁇ protein concentration in similar biological samples from the patient periodically after dosing; wherein the first dosage amount is not suitable because it is too low if a plateau concentration of total IFN- ⁇ protein lasting at least two weeks is not achieved or wherein the first dosage amount is high enough if a plateau concentration of total IFN- ⁇ protein lasting at least two weeks is achieved.
  • the patient can maintain a plateau concentration of IFN- ⁇ protein for at least about two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, or 10 weeks after dosing. If this is the case, after the concentration of IFN- ⁇ protein has fallen below the plateau level, a second, lower dosage amount of the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor can be administered and total IFN- ⁇ protein concentrations in similar biological samples from the patient can be determined periodically after dosing at the second, lower dosage amount. If the first dosage amount is too low, a second, higher dosage amount of the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor can be subsequently administered and total IFN- ⁇ protein concentration in similar biological samples from the patient can be determined periodically after dosing at the second, higher dosage amount.
  • the biological samples can be serum samples or peripheral blood samples.
  • the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor can be a protein that binds to IFN- ⁇ , for example an anti-IFN- ⁇ antibody, which can be an anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody.
  • an anti-IFN- ⁇ antibody can comprise a heavy chain CDR1 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:34, a heavy chain CDR2 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:35, a heavy chain CDR3 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:36 or SEQ ID NO:37, a light chain CDR1 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO:39, or SEQ ID NO:40, a light chain CDR2 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:41 or SEQ ID NO:42, and a light chain CDR3 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:43 or SEQ ID NO:44.
  • Such an anti-IFN- ⁇ antibody can comprise the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:14, or SEQ ID NO:30 and SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:12, SEQ ID NO:16, or SEQ ID NO:31.
  • the anti-IFN- ⁇ antibody can be a human or humanized antibody.
  • a gluococorticoid and/or mycophenolate mofetil, azathioprine, leflunomide, methotrexate, or an anti-malarial can be administered concurrently with the antibody.
  • a method of treating a patient suffering from an IFN- ⁇ -mediated disease comprising: selecting a patient, wherein expression at the RNA or protein level of one or more gene(s) listed in Table(s) 1, 2, 4, 5, and/or 6 in a biological sample taken from the patient before treating the patient deviates from expression of that gene(s) in a control biological sample in a direction consistent with excess IFN- ⁇ pathway activation; and administering to the patient a monoclonal human anti-human interferon gamma (anti-huIFN- ⁇ ) antibody at a dose of from about 20 milligrams to about 300 milligrams, wherein the antibody is an IgG1 antibody and comprises the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NO:6 and SEQ ID NO:8.
  • the IFN- ⁇ -mediated disease can be selected from the group consisting of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), discoid lupus, lupus nephritis, inflammatory bowel diseases including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, alopecia greata, Sjogren's syndrome, antiphospholipid syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, polymyositis, dermatomyositis, type I diabetes, sarcoidosis, macrophage activation syndrome (MAS), and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH).
  • SLE systemic lupus erythematosus
  • discoid lupus lupus nephritis
  • inflammatory bowel diseases including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
  • psoriasis alopecia greata
  • Sjogren's syndrome antiphospholipid syndrome
  • the biological sample from the patient can exhibit elevated expression at the RNA or protein level as compared to expression in the control biological sample of one or more of the following genes: indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1), ankyrin repeat domain 22 (ANKRD22), chemokine (C—X—C motif) ligand 9 (CXCL9), family with sequence similarity 26, member F (FAM26F), purinergic receptor P2Y, G-protein coupled, 14 (P2RY14), guanylate binding binding protein 5 (GBP5), serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade G, member 1 (SERPING1), Fc fragment of IgG, high affinity Ib, receptor (CD64), guanylate binding protein 1, interferon-inducible, 67 kDa (GBP1), chemokine (C—X—C motif) ligand 10 (CXCL10), ets variant 7 (ETV7), and/or programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1).
  • the dose can be from about 20 milligrams to about 300 milligrams, from about 80 milligrams to about 200, 250, or 300 milligrams, or from about 20 milligrams to about 60, 70, or 80 milligrams.
  • the antibody can comprise the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NO:17 and SEQ ID NO:18 and can be administered subcutaneously or intravenously.
  • a gluococorticoid and/or mycophenolate mofetil, azathioprine, leflunomide, methotrexate, or an anti-malarial can be administered concurrently with the antibody.
  • a method for treating a patient having an IFN- ⁇ -mediated disease with a human anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody comprising: (a) taking a biological sample from the patient before treatment, wherein level(s) of expression of one or more genes listed in Table(s) 1, 2, 4, 5, and/or 6 at the RNA or protein level in the biological sample is determined and wherein level(s) of expression of the same gene(s) in a control biological sample is known or determined; (b) comparing the levels of expression of the gene(s) in the biological sample from the patient and in the control biological sample; and (c) if the level(s) of expression of the gene(s) in the biological sample from the patient deviate from the level(s) of expression of the gene(s) in the control biological sample in a direction consistent with excess IFN- ⁇ pathway activation, administering to the patient a therapeutically effective dose of the antibody at a dose of from about 30, 40, 50, 60, or 70 mg to about 80, 100, 120, 150,
  • the IFN- ⁇ -mediated disease can be selected from the group consisting of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), discoid lupus, lupus nephritis, inflammatory bowel diseases including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, alopecia greata, Sjogren's syndrome, antiphospholipid syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, polymyositis, dermatomyositis, type I diabetes, sarcoidosis, macrophage activation syndrome (MAS), and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH).
  • SLE systemic lupus erythematosus
  • discoid lupus lupus nephritis
  • inflammatory bowel diseases including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
  • psoriasis alopecia greata
  • Sjogren's syndrome antiphospholipid syndrome
  • the levels of expression of at least 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or 50 genes from Table 5 or 6 deviate from the levels of expression of the genes in the control biological sample in a direction consistent with excess IFN- ⁇ pathway activation.
  • the biological sample from the patient can exhibit elevated expression at the RNA or protein level as compared to expression in the control biological sample of one or more of the following genes: indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1), ankyrin repeat domain 22 (ANKRD22), chemokine (C—X—C motif) ligand 9 (CXCL9), family with sequence similarity 26, member F (FAM26F), purinergic receptor P2Y, G-protein coupled, 14 (P2RY14), guanylate binding binding protein 5 (GBP5), serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade G, member 1 (SERPING1), Fc fragment of IgG, high affinity Ib, receptor (CD64), guanylate binding protein 1, interferon-inducible, 67
  • the dose administered can be from about 5, 10, 20, or 30 mg to about 60, 70, or 80 mg or can be from about 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, or 120 mg to about 150, 180, 200, or 250 mg.
  • a gluococorticoid and/or mycophenolate mofetil, azathioprine, leflunomide, methotrexate, or an anti-malarial can be administered concurrently with the antibody.
  • a method for treating a patient suffering from an IFN- ⁇ -mediated disease comprising: (a) taking a biological sample from the patient before administering a human anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody in step (b), wherein the level(s) of expression at the RNA or protein level in the biological sample from the patient of one or more of the genes in Table(s) 1, 2, 4, 5, and/or 6 is determined; (b) administering to the patient a pharmacodynamically effective dose of the human anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody, wherein the antibody has a heavy chain CDR1 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:34, a heavy chain CDR2 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:35, a heavy chain CDR3 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:36 or SEQ ID NO:37, a light chain CDR1 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO:39, or SEQ ID NO:40, a light chain CDR1 comprising the amino acid sequence of
  • the IFN- ⁇ -mediated disease can be selected from the group consisting of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), discoid lupus, lupus nephritis, inflammatory bowel diseases including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, alopecia greata, Sjogren's syndrome, antiphospholipid syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, polymyositis, dermatomyositis, type I diabetes, sarcoidosis, macrophage activation syndrome (MAS), and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH).
  • SLE systemic lupus erythematosus
  • discoid lupus lupus nephritis
  • inflammatory bowel diseases including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
  • psoriasis alopecia greata
  • Sjogren's syndrome antiphospholipid syndrome
  • the pharmacodynamically effective dose can be from about 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, or 60 mg to about 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100 mg or from about 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100 mg to about 120, 150, 180, 200, or 250 mg.
  • the heavy chain CDR3 can comprise the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:36
  • the light chain CDR1 comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:38
  • the light chain CDR2 comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:41
  • the light chain CDR3 comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:43.
  • the heavy chain variable region of the antibody can comprise the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:14, or SEQ ID NO:30, and the light chain variable region of the antibody can comprise the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:12, SEQ ID NO:16, or SEQ ID NO:31.
  • the antibody can comprise the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs:6 and 8, 10 and 12, 14 and 16, 30 and 12, or 14 and 31.
  • the level(s) of expression of one or more of the following genes at the protein or RNA level can be determined in steps (a) and (c): indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1), ankyrin repeat domain 22 (ANKRD22), chemokine (C—X—C motif) ligand 9 (CXCL9), family with sequence similarity 26, member F (FAM26F), purinergic receptor P2Y, G-protein coupled, 14 (P2RY14), guanylate binding binding protein 5 (GBP5), serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade G, member 1 (SERPING1), Fc fragment of IgG, high affinity Ib, receptor (CD64), guanylate binding protein 1, interferon-inducible, 67 kDa (GBP1), chemokine (C—X—C motif) ligand 10 (CXCL10), ets variant 7 (ETV7), programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1), basic leucine
  • a human anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody comprising the following steps: (a) taking a biological sample from the patient before administering a human anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody in step (b), wherein the level(s) of expression at the RNA or protein level of one or more genes listed in Table(s) 1, 2, 3, 5 and/or 6 in the biological sample are determined; (b) administering to the patient the human anti-human IFN- ⁇ antibody, wherein the antibody has a heavy chain CDR1 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:34, a heavy chain CDR2 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:35, a heavy chain CDR3 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:36 or SEQ ID NO:37, a light chain CDR1 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO:39, or SEQ ID NO:40, a light chain CDR2 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:
  • the anti-human IFN- ⁇ antibody can be a human or humanized IgG1 antibody.
  • the dose of the antibody administered in (b) can be from about 20, 30, 40, 60, 80, or 100 mg to about 120, 150, 180, 200, 250, or 300 mg or from about 10, 20, or 30 mg to about 80 mg.
  • the dose can be about 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 100, 120, 150, or 180 mg.
  • the IFN- ⁇ -mediated disease can be selected from the group consisting of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), discoid lupus, lupus nephritis, inflammatory bowel diseases including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, alopecia greata, Sjogren's syndrome, antiphospholipid syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, polymyositis, dermatomyositis, type I diabetes, sarcoidosis, macrophage activation syndrome (MAS), and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH).
  • SLE systemic lupus erythematosus
  • discoid lupus lupus nephritis
  • inflammatory bowel diseases including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
  • psoriasis alopecia greata
  • Sjogren's syndrome antiphospholipid syndrome
  • a method for treating a patient suffering from SLE, lupus nephritis, discoid lupus, psoriasis, or an inflammatory bowel disease comprising administering to the patient a dose of at least about 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, or 100 milligrams and not more than about 80, 90, 100, 120, 150, 180, 200, 250, or 300 milligrams of an anti-human IFN- ⁇ antibody, wherein the anti-human IFN- ⁇ antibody comprises a heavy chain CDR1 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:34, a heavy chain CDR2 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:35, a heavy chain CDR3 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:36 or SEQ ID NO:37, a light chain CDR1 comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO:39, or SEQ ID NO:40, a light chain CDR2 comprising the
  • the anti-IFN- ⁇ antibody can comprise the heavy and light chain variable region amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NOs: 6 and 8, SEQ ID NOs: 10 and 12, SEQ ID NOs: 14 and 16, SEQ ID NOs: 30 and 12, or SEQ ID NOs: 14 and 31.
  • Levels of expression of at least 5 genes listed in Table(s) 1, 2, 4, 5, and/or 6 in a biological sample taken from the patient after administration of the antibody can deviate from levels of these genes in a similar biological sample taken from the patient taken at baseline in a direction consistent with inhibition of IFN- ⁇ .
  • the dose of the anti-IFN- ⁇ antibody can be from about 5, 10, 20, 30, or 40 milligrams to about 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100 milligrams or from about 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, or 120 milligrams to about 125, 150, 180, 200, or 250 milligrams.
  • the dose can be administered subcutaneously or intravenously.
  • the level of total IFN- ⁇ protein in the patient's serum can remain above about 200 pg/mL for at least about 2 weeks subsequent to a single dose.
  • a gluococorticoid, optionally prednisone, and/or mycophenolate mofetil, azathioprine, leflunomide, methotrexate, or an anti-malarial can be administered concurrently with the antibody.
  • a method for identifying SLE, psoriasis, or inflammatory bowel disease patients that can benefit from treatment with a human anti-human IFN- ⁇ antibody and treating such patients comprising the following steps: (a) obtaining a biological sample from the patient before administration of the antibody, wherein the level of total IFN- ⁇ protein in the biological sample is determined; (b) administering to the patient a dose of the antibody; (c) obtaining a second biological sample from the patient after administration of the antibody, wherein the level of total IFN- ⁇ protein in the second biological sample is determined; and (d) if the level of total IFN- ⁇ protein determined in (c) is higher than the level determined in (a), then continuing treatment with the antibody; wherein the antibody is an IgG1 antibody and comprises the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NO:6, SEQ ID NO:10, SEQ ID NO:14, or SEQ ID NO:30 and SEQ ID NO:8, SEQ ID NO:12, SEQ ID NO:16, or SEQ
  • a method for treating an IFN- ⁇ -mediated disease comprising administering to a patient in need thereof a dose of a human anti-human IFN- ⁇ antibody comprising the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NO:6 and SEQ ID NO:8 such that the concentration of total IFN- ⁇ protein in the patient's serum is maintained at a plateau concentration for at least about two, three, four, five, or six weeks following administration.
  • the plateau concentration of total IFN- ⁇ protein in serum can be from about 100, 200, or 300 pg/mL to about 2000 pg/mL.
  • FIG. 1 Volcano plot of expression of an array of genes post-vs. pre-IFN- ⁇ stimulation of whole blood from healthy volunteers. The average fold change in RNA expression for each gene is plotted with the associated p-value from an analysis of variance (ANOVA). The circled points have been designated as the top 20 IFN- ⁇ regulated genes, which are those with the largest absolute fold change and that have a p-value less than 0.001.
  • FIG. 2 Analysis of serum protein levels.
  • Top Boxplot of interleukin-18 (IL-18), chemokine (C—X—C motif) ligand 10 (CXCL10; also known as interferon gamma inducible protein 10 (IP10)), and chemokine (C—C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2; also known as MCP-1) protein levels in healthy volunteers (HV), SLE, and lupus nephritis (LN) subjects.
  • the ⁇ -axis is log-scaled.
  • the horizontal lines are the group medians and the boxes represent the 25th and 75th percentiles.
  • the whiskers represent the most extreme data point within 1.5 times the inter-quartile range away from the boxes.
  • the black crosses are points outside the whiskers.
  • FIG. 3 IFN-related gene expression in SLE patients treated with AMG 811 compared to patients treated with a placebo.
  • Left Volcano plot of RNA expression of an array of genes in biological samples from treated subjects at day 15 (described in Example 3) versus samples from untreated/placebo treated subjects. The average fold difference in RNA expression for each gene is plotted with the associated p-value. The top 20 IFN- ⁇ signature genes (see FIG. 1 ) are circled.
  • Right Relationship between AMG 811 serum concentration and guanylate binding protein 1 (GBP1) transcript expression in SLE patients. Samples were taken on Day ⁇ 1 (pre-dosing; ( ⁇ ) and Day 15 ( ⁇ ) in the clinical trial described in Example 3.
  • the x axis indicates the serum concentration of AMG 811
  • the y axis indicates the fold difference in guanylate binding protein 1 (GBP1) RNA expression from that seen in a control group of healthy people.
  • FIG. 4 Dose dependent decrease in CXCL10 protein level in response to AMG 811 administration. Symbols are average change from baseline in CXCL10 levels for each dose group by study day of the study described in Example 3. The error bars reflect the 95% confidence interval around the mean. Time points are indicated as follows: ⁇ , day 15 (Dy15) of the study; ⁇ , day 56 (Dy56) of the study; and ⁇ , end of study (EOS).
  • FIG. 5 Mean AMG 811 serum concentration-time profiles following a single subcutaneous or intravenous dose of AMG 811 in systemic lupus erythematosus patients.
  • the x axis indicates the time post-injection, and the y axis indicates the serum concentration of AMG 811 in nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml).
  • the doses represented by the various symbols and the number of patients dosed (n) are indicated in the legend in the figure.
  • FIGS. 6A and 6B Median ( 6 A) and mean ( 6 B) serum total IFN- ⁇ protein concentration-time profiles following a single subcutaneous or intravenous dose of AMG 811 in systemic lupus erythematosus patients.
  • the x axis indicates time post-injection, and the y axis indicates the median or mean serum concentration of IFN- ⁇ .
  • the doses represented by the various symbols and the number of patients dosed (n) are indicated in the legend in the figure.
  • FIG. 7 Average post-dose AMG 811 score in lupus nephritis patients. An “AMG 811 score” was determined as explained in Example 4 for lupus nephritis patients. Diamonds indicate the average score for each dose while vertical lines indicate the 95% confidence interval.
  • FIG. 8 Dose dependent decrease in CXCL10 protein level in response to multiple doses of AMG 811 in general SLE patients. Symbols (circles, squares, triangles, etc.) indicate the average fold change from baseline values in CXCL10 levels, and the vertical lines represent the 95% confidence interval. The data are from the study described in Example 4. Each group of seven vertical lines represents data from patient samples taken at, from left to right, day 8 (D8), 16 (D16), 29 (D29), 57 (D57), 86 (D86), 113 (D113), and end of study (EOS), as indicated. The dose of AMG 811 administered is indicated below. A dose of zero indicates that those patients received a placebo.
  • FIG. 9 Dose dependent decrease in CXCL10 (IP-10) protein level in response to multiple doses of AMG 811 in lupus nephritis patients. Symbols (circles, squares, triangles, etc.) indicate the average fold change from baseline values in CXCL10 levels, and the vertical lines represent the 95% confidence interval. Each group of seven vertical lines represents data from patient samples taken at, from left to right, day 8 (D8), 16 (D16), 29 (D29), 57 (D57), 86 (D86), 113 (D113), and end of study (EOS) of the study described in Example 4, with the dose of AMG 811 administered indicated below. A dose of zero indicates that those patients received a placebo.
  • FIG. 10 Relationship between AMG 811 levels and changes in IP-10 (CXCL10) expression in SLE and lupus nephritis patients.
  • This graph shows the AMG 811 concentration (x axis) in peripheral blood of patients plotted against the fold change in IP-10 concentration from baseline for lupus and lupus nephritis patients involved in the trial described in Example 4 at a variety of time points in the trial, as indicated.
  • FIG. 11 Relationship between AMG 811 serum concentration and GBP1 transcript expression in lupus nephritis patients. Blood samples were taken from lupus nephritis patients at baseline and on day 15 in the multi-dose clinical trial described in Example 4. The x axis indicates the serum concentration of AMG 811, and the y axis indicates the fold difference in guanylate binding protein 1 (GBP1) RNA expression from that seen in a control group of healthy people.
  • GBP1 guanylate binding protein 1
  • FIG. 12 Blinded data showing the amount of protein detected in 24-hour urine samples from lupus nephritis patients treated with multiple doses of AMG 811 or placebo. This graph show the levels of protein in twenty four hour urine samples from lupus nephritis patients from cohorts 4 (left panel) and 5 (right panel) of the clinical trial described in Example 4. Cohort 4 contained eight patients, two of which received placebo and six of which received 3 doses of 20 mg of AMG 811. Cohort 5 contained 12 patients, three of which received placebo and nine of which received three doses of 60 mg of AMG 811.
  • FIG. 13 Blinded spot urine protein/creatinine ratio (UPCR) in lupus nephritis patients.
  • UPCR urine protein/creatinine ratio
  • FIG. 14 Blinded data showing PASI scores of psoriasis patients treated with AMG 811 or placebo.
  • This graph shows the PASI scores (y axis) of individual psoriasis patients treated with AMG 811 or placebo at various time points during the trial described in Example 6, as indicated along the x axis.
  • the baseline measurement (B) was taken one to three days prior to the single dose of AMG 811 administered on day 1 of the study.
  • the methods utilize techniques for determining levels of proteins and/or RNA transcripts in a biological sample. Using such techniques, overlapping sets of transcripts, the expression of which is modulated by IFN- ⁇ ex vivo and by AMG 811 in vivo, have been defined. Similarly, it has been found that a particular set of transcripts and at least one serum protein is downregulated by an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor in human patients in vivo, thus making it possible to determine dosages at which these effects are observable and to determine which transcripts in blood cells are regulated by IFN- ⁇ in vivo.
  • Dosages determined by such methods can be used to treat patients.
  • assay of these sets of transcripts can be used to predict which patients are likely to respond to treatment, i.e., those that overexpress genes whose expression can be downregulated by the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor and/or those that are up- or down-regulated by activation of the IFN- ⁇ pathway.
  • these techniques can be used to determine whether a particular dosage of an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor is having a biological effect, especially in patients suffering from an episodic disease in which changes in symptoms may not be readily apparent. Further, if an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor is not having a biological effect as measured by expression of such biomarkers, treatment with the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor can be discontinued and, optionally, a new treatment can be initiated. Alternatively, if an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor is having a biological effect as measured by biomarker expression, treatment with the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor can be continued.
  • an “antibody,” as meant herein, can be a full length antibody containing two full length heavy chains (containing a heavy chain variable region (V H ), a first constant domain (C H 1), a second constant domain (C H 2) and a third constant domain (C H 3)) and two full length light chains (containing a light chain variable region (V L ) and a light chain constant region (C L )).
  • an antibody can contain only a single V H region or V L region, such as the single variable domain antibodies described in, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 7,563,443. The portions of this reference describing such antibodies are incorporated herein by reference.
  • an antibody can also be a fragment of a full length antibody that binds to the target antigen, which may also contain other sequences.
  • an antibody can be an a single chain antibody that comprises V H and V L regions joined by a peptide linker (i.e., an scFv), a Fab fragment, which may or may not include the hinge region, an scFv-Fc, among many other possible formats.
  • a peptide linker i.e., an scFv
  • Fab fragment which may or may not include the hinge region, an scFv-Fc, among many other possible formats.
  • the term “antibody” comprises any protein that includes at least one V H or V L region.
  • Baseline is a timepoint before dosing begins in a clinical trial that can typically be up to about a month before dosing with a test drug or placebo begins.
  • a “biological sample,” as meant herein, is a sample of a liquid, such as blood or cerebrospinal fluid, or a solid piece of tissue, such as a skin biopsy or an excised tumor, taken from a patient.
  • Two biological samples are said to be “similar” if they are taken from similar tissue. For example, two whole blood samples from different patients are similar, as meant herein. Further, two skin biopsies taken from lesions from different patients are also similar as meant herein.
  • a drug or treatment is “concurrently” administered with another drug or treatment, as meant herein, if it is administered in the same general time frame as the other drug, optionally, on an ongoing basis. For example, if a patient is taking Drug A once a week on an ongoing basis and Drug B once every six months on an ongoing basis, Drugs A and B are concurrently administered whether or not they are ever administered on the same day. Similarly, if Drug A is taken once per week on an ongoing basis and Drug B is administered only once or a few times on a daily basis, Drugs A and B are concurrently administered as meant herein. Similarly, if both Drugs A and B are administered for short periods of time either once or multiple times within a one month period, they are administered concurrently as meant herein as long as both drugs are administered within the same month.
  • a “control group,” as meant herein, is a group of healthy people to which a patient having a particular disease is compared in some way. For example, expression of certain genes at the protein or RNA level in a biological sample from a patient can be compared to expression of those genes in one or more similar biological samples from people in a control group. In some situations, normal ranges for levels of expression for particular genes can be established by analysis of biological samples from members of a control group. In such a situation, expression levels in a given sample from a patient having a disease can be compared to these established normal ranges to determine whether expression in the sample from the patient is normal or above or below normal.
  • a “control biological sample,” as meant herein, is (a) a group of biological samples from a “control group” that is compared to a similar biological sample from a patient or (b) a biological sample from non-diseased tissue from a patient that is compared to a biological sample from diseased tissue from the same patient.
  • a skin biopsy from non-lesional tissue from a discoid lupus patient can be a “control biological sample” for a skin biopsy from lesional tissue from the same discoid lupus patient.
  • a group of skin biopsies from a healthy “control group” can be a “control biological sample” to which a skin biopsy from a discoid lupus patient can be compared.
  • a group of blood samples from healthy people can be a “control biological sample” to which to compare a blood sample from an SLE patient.
  • Determining the level of expression refers to determining the amount of expression of a gene in a biological sample at either the protein or RNA level. Such levels can be determined in biological samples from patients suffering from an IFN- ⁇ -mediated disease and in control biological samples from healthy people or from non-diseased tissue from the patient (for example in a skin sample not having psoriatic plaques in a psoriasis patient). The comparison between a patient's biological sample from diseased tissue (or blood in a systemic disease) and a control biological sample can provide information as to whether the biomarkers in question are expressed at normal, elevated, or lowered levels. To assay for protein levels in liquid samples, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) can be used.
  • ELISA enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
  • RNA levels For example, real time quantitative PCR (for example using a Taqman® kit available from Invitrogen (Carlsbad, Calif.)) or microarrays (such as described, for example, in Chen et al. (1998), Genomics 51: 313-324) are generally used.
  • IFN- ⁇ inhibitor is a molecule, which can be a protein or a small molecule, that can inhibit the activity of IFN- ⁇ as assayed by the A549 bioassay, which can be performed as follows.
  • IFN- ⁇ is its anti-proliferative effect on a variety of cell populations. See e.g. Aune and Pogue (1989), J. Clin. Invest. 84: 863-875.
  • the human lung cell line A549 has been used frequently in publications describing the bioactivity of IFN- ⁇ . See e.g. Aune and Pogue, supra; Hill et al. (1993), Immunology 79: 236-240.
  • the activity of an inhibitor is tested at a concentration of a stimulating substance, in this case IFN- ⁇ , that falls within a part of the dose-response curve where a small change in dose will result in a change in response.
  • EC 80 and EC 90 the concentrations at which 80% or 90%, respectively, of the maximum response is achieved.
  • An IFN- ⁇ dose-response curve can be generated to determine the EC 90 for the lung epithelial carcinoma cell line A549.
  • different concentrations of an IFN- ⁇ -inhibitor can be mixed with a fixed dose of IFN- ⁇ , and the ability of the IFN- ⁇ -inhibitor to inhibit the biological activity of the anti-proliferative effect of IFN- ⁇ can be determined.
  • the assay can be performed for 5 days, and proliferation can be measured by determining fluorescence generated by the reduction of ALAMARBLUETM (AccuMed International, Inc., Chicago, Ill.), a dye used to indicate cell growth, by metabolically active, i.e., proliferating, cells. See e.g., de Fries and Mitsuhashi, 1995, J. Clin. Lab. Analysis 9(2): 89-95; Ahmed et al., 1994, J. Immunol. Methods 170(2): 211-24.
  • IFN- ⁇ -mediated disease is a disease in which evidence from an in vitro or a non-human model system or from human patients indicates IFN- ⁇ is likely to play a role in driving the course of the disease.
  • Diseases that are included among “IFN- ⁇ -mediated diseases” include, for example, diseases in which patient samples display elevated levels of a type I or II IFN or a type I-related “IFN signature” pattern of gene expression. See, e.g., Baechler et al. (2003), Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 100(5): 2610-2615; Bennett et al. (2003), J. Exp. Med. 197(6): 711-723.
  • IFN- ⁇ -mediated diseases include, for example, SLE, discoid lupus, lupus nephritis, alopecia greata, Graves'disease, Sjogren's syndrome, antiphospholipid syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, dermatomyositis, polimyositis, bacterial septicemia, antigen/antibody complex diseases (Arthus-like syndromes), anaphylactic shock, multiple sclerosis (MS), type I diabetes, thyroiditis, graft versus host disease, transplant rejection, atherosclerosis, immune-mediated hepatic lesions, autoimmune hepatitis, inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, giant cell arteritis, uveitis, macrophage activation syndrome (MAS), hemophage, and others.
  • SLE discoid lupus, lupus
  • interferon signature refers to the characteristic pattern of over- and under-expression of genes observed in response to type 1 interferons. See, e.g., Bennett et al. (2003), J. Exp. Med. 197(6): 711-723; Baechler et al. (2003), Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 100(5): 2610-2615, the relevant portions of which are incorporated herein by reference.
  • the expression of a particular gene in a biological sample from a patient is said to “deviate” from the expression of that gene in a control biological sample or in a biological sample from the patient taken at a different time “in a direction consistent with excess IFN- ⁇ ” or “in a direction consistent with excess IFN- ⁇ pathway activation” when it is found to be up- or down-modulated at the RNA or protein level in the same direction as noted in Table 1 below for blood samples stimulated with IFN- ⁇ .
  • Table 1 lists the group of genes that are up- or down-regulated in human whole blood from healthy volunteers in response to stimulation with IFN- ⁇ ex vivo.
  • a gene to “deviate” from the expression of that gene in a control biological sample or in a biological sample from the patient taken at a different time “in a direction consistent with excess IFN- ⁇ ” it must be listed in Table 1.
  • the expression of a gene can be “modulated in a direction consistent with inhibition of IFN- ⁇ ” or “modulated in a direction consistent with IFN- ⁇ pathway inhibition.” This means that the expression of the gene is decreased if the expression of that gene is up-regulated in response to ex vivo stimulation with IFN- ⁇ as noted in Table 1, and that the expression is increased if the expression of that gene is down-regulated in response to ex vivo stimulation with IFN- ⁇ as noted in Table 1.
  • a “monoclonal antibody,” as meant herein, is an antibody that specifically binds to an antigen at an epitope, wherein a preparation of the antibody contains substantially only antibodies having the same amino acid sequence, although there may be certain low levels of antibodies that include one or more alteration of certain amino acids or internal, amino-terminal, or carboxyterminal cleavages of the amino acid chain. Such minor alterations may occur during the production of the antibodies or during storage.
  • a preparation of a “polyclonal” antibody contains antibodies having many different amino acid sequences that bind to different epitopes on the same antigen.
  • the term “monoclonal antibody” includes, without limitation, the following kinds of molecules: tetrameric antibodies comprising two heavy and two light chains such as an IgG, IgA, IgD, IgM, or IgE antibody; single chain antibodies (scFv's) containing a V H and a V L region joined by a peptide linker; variable domain antibodies as described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No.
  • a “pharmacodynamically effective dose,” as meant herein, is a dose of an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor that can modulate the expression of a gene “in a direction consistent with inhibition of IFN- ⁇ ,” as defined herein.
  • Genes regulated by IFN- ⁇ ex vivo are listed in Table I.
  • a “plateau concentration,” as meant herein, is a concentration of total IFN- ⁇ that is observed in a biological sample, such as peripheral blood or serum, taken from a patient after dosing with an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor.
  • the plateau concentration is higher than the concentration of total IFN- ⁇ protein in a similar biological sample taken from the same patient at baseline, and once it is attained, it is “substantially maintained” for at least about 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 weeks.
  • a concentration is considered to be substantially maintained if it varies by no more than ⁇ 50% of its total value.
  • a “therapeutically effective dose,” as meant herein, is a dose that is effective to decrease one or more observable symptoms of a disease or to delay onset or mitigate the symptoms of a more serious condition that often follows after the condition that a patient is currently experiencing.
  • a therapeutically effective dose may, but need not necessarily, completely eliminate all symptoms of the disease. For example, in lupus nephritis, a lowering of the degree of proteinuria and lowering or stabilization of serum concentration of creatinine would indicate an improvement in kidney function and, thus, an improvement in a symptom of the disease.
  • a dose of an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor that could cause a decrease in proteinuria and lower or stabilize serum creatinine concentration would be both a therapeutically effective dose and a phamacodynamically effective dose.
  • Interferons were first recognized for their ability to impede viral infections and are now known to also play important roles in mediating host defense against infection by bacteria and other pathogens, as well as in integrating early, innate immune responses and later adaptive immune responses. Decker et al. (2002), J. Clin. Invest. 109(10): 1271-1277.
  • Type I interferons are produced by most cell types under appropriate conditions and are known to play a role in resisting viral infection, whereas IFN- ⁇ is produced by limited cell types, such as NK cells and activated Th1 cells, and is known to strengthen immune responses to unicellular microorganisms, intracellular pathogens, and viruses.
  • type I and type II interferons bind to distinct receptors, which are, respectively, the interferon alpha/beta receptor (IFNAR, containing IFNAR1 and IFNAR2 chains) and the interferon gamma receptor (IFNGR, containing IFNGR1 and IFNGR2 chains).
  • IFNAR interferon alpha/beta receptor
  • IFNGR interferon gamma receptor
  • Both of these receptors are associated with Janus kinases which, along with other intracellular proteins, mediate the transcriptional activation of genes having interferon-stimulated response elements (IFNAR only) and genes having IFN- ⁇ -activated site elements (both IFNAR and IFNGR). Decker et al. (2002), J. Clin. Invest. 109(10): 1271-1277; Trinchieri (2010), J. Exp. Med. 207(10): 2053-2063. Thus, although the sets of genes activated by type I and II interferons differ, there is considerable overlap in the two sets. See, e.g., Baechler et al. (2003), Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.
  • type I and II interferons The relationship between the biological activities of type I and II interferons is complex and intertwined and dependent on the expression of other genes. Thus, different cell types can have differing responses to the IFNs. IFN- ⁇ is a more potent activator of phagocytic cell and antigen-presenting cell function than type I interferons. Trinchieri (2010), J. Exp. Med. 207(10): 2053-2063. Both type I and II interferons can be produced in the course of an immune response. In some situations, type I interferons can inhibit production of IFN- ⁇ , and in other situations, for example, in the absence of STAT1, type I interferons can increase IFN- ⁇ production. Nguyen et al. (2000), Nature Immunol.
  • IFN- ⁇ - and type I IFN-activated genes are overlapping sets, an elevated interferon signature score could implicate elevated activity of IFN- ⁇ and/or a type I IFN.
  • autoimmune and/or inflammatory diseases many of which characterized by extremely heterogeneous and episodic symptoms, it has been found that a substantial proportion of patients or persons at increased risk of disease have a gene expression pattern reflecting elevated IFN activity and/or have elevated levels of an IFN or a protein whose expression is known to be induced by type I IFN.
  • diseases include, for example, SLE (Bauer et al. (2006), PLoS Med. 2(12): 2274-2284; Arma ⁇ anzas et al. (2009), IEEE Transactions on Inform. Tech. in Biomed. 13(3): 341-350), systemic sclerosis (Sozzani et al.
  • Elevated expression of genes whose expression is induced by IFNs is found in about half of adult SLE patients and the majority of pediatric SLE patients. Baechler et al. (2003), Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.; 100: 2610-2615; Bennett et al. (2003), J. Exp. Med. 197: 711-723; Kirou et al. (2004), Arthr. & Rheum. 50: 3958-3967.
  • CXCL10 IP-10
  • CCL2 CCL2
  • CCL19 chemokine (C—C motif) ligand 19
  • Bauer et al. (2009), Arthr. & Rheum 60(10): 3098-3107; Bauer et al. (2006), PLoS. Med. 3: e491; Lit et al. (2006), Ann. Rheum. Dis. 65: 209-215; Narumi et al. (2000), Cytokine 12: 1561-1565; Baechler et al. (2003), Proc. Natl. Acad.
  • CXCL10 has been shown to be a major contributor to the overall association of disease with IFN signature and an independent predictor of future disease flare.
  • Bauer et al. (2009), Arthritis & Rheum. 60: 3098-3107;
  • Bauer et al. (2009), Arthritis Rheum. 60:S209.
  • peripheral blood T cells from SLE patients expressed significantly more IFN- ⁇ in response to CD28 costimulation than did T cells from normal controls. Harigai et al. (2008), J. Immunol. 181: 2211-2219. Thus, many different kinds of evidence indicate that IFN- ⁇ is likely to play a role in mediating SLE.
  • SLE is an autoimmune disease of unknown etiology marked by autoreactivity to nuclear self antigens. Its clinical manifestations are so diverse that it is questionable whether it is truly a single disease or a group of related conditions.
  • Symptoms can include the following: constitutional symptoms such as malaise, fatigue, fevers, anorexia, and weight loss; diverse skin symptoms including acute, transient facial rashes in adults, bullous disease, and chronic and disfiguring rashes of the head and neck; arthritis; muscle pain and/or weakness; cardiovascular symptoms such as mitral valve thickening, vegetations, regurgitation, stenosis, pericarditis, and ischemic heart disease, some of which can culminate in stroke, embolic disease, heart failure, infectious endocarditis, or valve failure; nephritis, which is a major cause of morbidity in SLE; neurological symptoms including cognitive dysfunction, depression, psychosis, coma, seizure disorders, migraine, and other headache syndromes, aseptic meningitis, chorea, stroke, and cranial neuropathies; hemotologic symptoms including leucopenia, thrombocytopenia, serositis, anemia, coagulation abnormalities, splenomegaly, and lymphadenopathy; and various
  • SLE Systemic Lupus Erythrmatosus Disease Activity Index
  • SLEDAI Systemic Lupus Erythrmatosus Disease Activity Index
  • BILAG British Isles Lupus Assessment Group
  • a BILAG score is assigned by giving separate numeric or alphabetic disease activity scores in each of eight organ-based systems, general (such as fever and fatigue), mucocutaneous (such as rash and alopecia, among many other symptoms), neurological (such as seizures, migraine headaches, and psychosis, among many other symptoms), musculoskeletal (such as arthritis), cardiorespiratory (such as cardiac failure and decreased pulmonary function), vasculitis and thrombosis, renal (such as nephritis), and hematological. Id.
  • the treatments described herein can be useful in lessening or eliminating symptoms of SLE as measured by the BILAG index.
  • Discoid lupus is a particular form of chronic cutaneous lupus in which the patient has circular lesions that occur most commonly in sun-exposed areas. The lesions can leave disfiguring scars. Up to about 25% of SLE patients develop discoid lupus lesions at some point in the course of their disease. These lesions may occur in patients that have no other symptoms of SLE.
  • the symptoms that relate specifically to skin in cutaneous forms of lupus can be scored using the Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus Disease Area and Severity Index (CLASI), which takes into consideration both disease activity (including erythema, scaling, and hypertrophy of the skin in various areas, as well as mucus membrane lesions and alopecia) and disease-related damage (including dyspigmentation, scarring, atrophy, and panniculitis of the skin as well as scarring of the scalp).
  • CLASI Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus Disease Area and Severity Index
  • Such symptoms can be affected by a treatment for discoid lupus such as an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor.
  • the CLASI is described in detail by Albrecht et al. (2005), J. Invest. Dermatol. 125: 889-894.
  • psoriasis Another cutaneous disease that can be mediated by IFN- ⁇ is psoriasis. Symptoms of psoriasis include itchy, dry skin that can be pink/red in color, thickened and covered with flakes. It is a common condition and is episodic in nature, that is, patients can experience flares and periods of remission. There are five type of psoriasis, erythrodermic, guttate, inverse, plaque, and pustular. Plaque psoriasis is the most common type.
  • the severity of disease in psoriasis patients can be measured in a variety of ways.
  • One way disease activity is commonly measured in clinical trials the PASI score.
  • a PASI score can range from 0 to 72, with 72 being the most severe disease.
  • the body is considered to consist of four sections, legs, torso (that is, stomach, chest, back, etc.), arms, and head, which are considered to have 40%, 30%, 20%, and 10% of a person's skin, respectively.
  • the percent of the area of skin affected is estimated and transformed into a grade of from 0 to 6, with 0 being no affected skin and 6 being 90-100% of the skin of the body section in question being affected.
  • the severity of disease is scored by separately considering three features of the affected skin, redness (erythema), scaling, and thickness, and assigning a severity score of from 0 to 4 for each feature for each body section.
  • the sum of the severity scores for all three features for each body section is calculated, and this sum is multiplied by the weight of the respective section as determined by how much of the total skin that body section contains and by the percent of the body section affected. After this number is calculated for each body section, these numbers are added to yield the PASI score.
  • the PASI score can be expressed as follows:
  • PASI 0.1(score for percent of the head affected)(sum of 3 severity scores for the head)+0.2(score for percent of the arms affected)(sum of 3 severity scores for the arms)+0.3(score for percent of the torso affected)(sum of 3 severity scores for the torso)+0.4(score for percent of the legs affected)(sum of 3 severity scores for the legs)
  • PASI 75 at a particular time point in a clinical trial means that the PASI score of a patient has decreased by 75% as compared to that patient's PASI score at baseline.
  • PASI 50 or a PASI 90 denotes a 50% or 90% reduction in PASI score.
  • sPGA static Physicians Global Assessment
  • ENBREL® etanercept
  • a sPGA score of “clear” or “minimal” (sometimes alternately referred to as “almost clear”) requires no or minimal elevation of plaques, no or only very faint redness, and no scaling or minimal scaling over ⁇ 5% of the area of the plaques.
  • ENBREL® etanercept
  • Package Insert 2008.
  • the individual elements of psoriasis plaque morphology or degree of body surface area involvement are not quantified. Nonetheless, sPGA scores correlate to some extent with PASI scores. Langley and Ellis (2004), J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. 51(4): 563-69. The methods described herein lessen or eliminate psoriasis symptoms as measured by a PASI or an sPGA score.
  • MS Multiple sclerosis
  • Symptoms can include loss of balance, muscle spasms, tremors, weakness, loss of ability to walk, loss of coordination, various bowel and bladder problems, numbness, pain, tingling, slurred speech, difficulty chewing and swallowing, double vision, loss of vision, uncontrollable eye movements, and depression, among many other possible symptoms. In many patients episodes in which symptoms occur are interspersed with long periods of remission. A subset of MS patients exhibit a pattern of gene expression consistent with high type I IFN activity, although a correlation between this pattern of gene expression and disease severity has not been demonstrated. Id. The methods described herein can lessen or eliminate one or more symptoms of MS.
  • Type I diabetes is an autoimmune disease resulting in the destruction of insulin-producing ⁇ -cells in the pancreas, which leads to a lack of insulin.
  • Antibodies against ⁇ -cell epitopes are detected in the sera of pre-diabetic patients, suggesting that there is an autoimmune process in progress during a long asymptomatic period that precedes the onset of clinical symptoms.
  • the lack of insulin leads to high glucose levels in the blood and urine causing a variety of symptoms including frequent urination, increased hunger and thirst, fatigue, and weight loss. It is generally treated with insulin, a treatment that must be continued indefinitely.
  • RNAs encoded by a group genes activated by type I interferon although diabetic patients do not overexpress these RNAs.
  • Such overexpression may be an indication of future disease. Since various strategies for inhibiting the progress of the disease are known and may be discovered in the future, it is useful to detect the disease before the onset of clinical symptoms. The methods described herein may be useful to detect and/or treat type I diabetes before and/or after the onset of clinical symptoms.
  • IBDs Inflammatory bowel diseases
  • Crohn's disease is chronic and debilitating inflammatory bowel disease that is thought to reflect a overly-active T H 1-mediated immune response to the flora of the gut.
  • the lesions of Crohn's disease can appear anywhere in the bowel and occasionally elsewhere in the gastrointestinal tract.
  • Ulcerative colitis lesions usually appear in the colon. The nature of the lesions is also different, but the diseases are sufficiently similar that is sometimes difficult to distinguish them clinically. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,558,661.
  • Sarcoidosis is a systemic granulomatous disease that can affect essentially any tissue, but it primarily affects the lung and lymphatic systems. It is characterized by the presence of noncaseating epithelioid cell granulomas in more than one organ system. Most commonly the granulomas are found in lung, lymph nodes, skin, liver, and/or spleen, among other possible sites. It can be fatal. For example, fibrosis of the lungs can lead to fatality. Increases in IFN- ⁇ levels have been observed in sarcoidosis.
  • Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis is a rare and often fatal disease having clinical manifestations including fever, hepatosplenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, jaundice and rash.
  • Laboratory findings associated with HLH include lymphocytosis and histiocytosis and the pathologic finding of hemophagocytosis. Pancytopenia, elevated serum ferritin levels, and abnormal liver enzymes are also frequently present. IFN- ⁇ has been clearly implicated in driving the disease process in a murine model for hemophagocytic anemia. Zoller et al. (2011), J. Exp. Med. 208(6): 1203-1214.
  • the methods described herein may be useful for selecting HLH patients to treat, for treating HLH patients, and/or for reducing or eliminating symptoms of HLH.
  • IFN- ⁇ -mediated disease For any IFN- ⁇ -mediated disease, it would be valuable to have a test to identify patients likely to benefit from a particular treatment. Due to the episodic nature of symptoms in many such diseases, it would also be desirable to be able to evaluate the biological effects of a given treatment without having to wait for the recurrence of symptoms, or lack thereof.
  • expression of one or more biomarkers listed in Table 1, 2, 4, 5, and/or 6 can be measured before treatment begins as a method for determining whether genes regulated by IFN- ⁇ are dysregulated in the patient. If so, an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor may be an effective treatment.
  • Expression of biomarkers can also be measured after treatment has begun to determine whether the dosage of the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor is having a biological effect. Such information can inform treatment decisions and may be correlated with clinical signs and symptoms of the disease. For example, if the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor is not having a biological effect, treatment can be discontinued or a different dosage can be administered. If the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor is having a biological effect, then the treatment can be continued. Such information can also be used to determine what doses are having a phamacodynamic effect, i.e., are modulating the expression of a gene or genes whose expression is regulated by IFN- ⁇ .
  • inhibitors of human IFN- ⁇ which can be proteins, small molecules, or proteins conjugated to non-protein moieties, such as, for example, a pegylated protein.
  • the capacity of a particular small molecule or protein to inhibit the activity of human IFN- ⁇ can be measured by the A549 bioassay described above.
  • anti-IFN- ⁇ antibodies can inhibit IFN- ⁇ .
  • These can be human, humanized, or chimeric antibodies that bind to human IFN- ⁇ and/or other mammalian homologs such a rhesus, cynomolgus monkey, chimpanzee, mouse, rabbit, rat, baboon, gorilla, and/or marmoset IFN- ⁇ .
  • They can be of the IgG, IgE, IgM, IgA, or IgD isotypes. They can be IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, or IgG4 antibodies.
  • these antibodies that contain the following pairs of heavy and light chain variable regions: SEQ ID NOs:6 and 8; SEQ ID NOs:10 and 12; SEQ ID NOs: 14 and 16; SEQ ID NOs:14 and 31; and SEQ ID NOs:30 and 12. Further, these antibodies can contain the following pairs of heavy and light chain amino acid sequences: SEQ ID NO:19 and SEQ ID NO:20; SEQ ID NO:17 and SEQ ID NO:18; SEQ ID NO:21 and SEQ ID NO:22; SEQ ID NO:32 and SEQ ID NO:20; or SEQ ID NO:21 and SEQ ID NO:33.
  • These antibodies which include an antibody called AMG 811 that is used in the clinical trials described in the Examples below, are described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 7,335,743. The portions of U.S. Pat. No. 7,335,743 that describe these antibodies are incorporated herein by reference.
  • These antibodies can contain a heavy chain CDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO:34, a heavy chain CDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO:35, a heavy chain CDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO:36 or SEQ ID NO:37, a light chain CDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO:38.
  • the antibody can include the following heavy chain CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3 and light chain CDR1, CDR2, and CDR3, respectively: a) SEQ ID NO:34, SEQ ID NO:35, SEQ ID NO:37, SEQ ID NO:39, SEQ ID NO:41, and SEQ ID NO:43; b) SEQ ID NO:34, SEQ ID NO:35, SEQ ID NO:36, SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO:41, and SEQ ID NO:43; c) SEQ ID NO:34, SEQ ID NO:35, SEQ ID NO:37, SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO:41, and SEQ ID NO:43; or d) SEQ ID NO:34, SEQ ID NO:35, SEQ ID NO:37, SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO:41, and SEQ ID NO:43; or d) SEQ ID NO:34, SEQ ID NO:35, SEQ ID NO:37, SEQ ID NO:38, SEQ ID NO
  • IFN- ⁇ inhibitors are also contemplated. Any monoclonal anti-IFN- ⁇ antibody capable of inhibiting the activity of human IFN- ⁇ can be used. Among these are the humanized anti-IFN- ⁇ antibody fontolizumab (HUZAF® PDL Biopharma, Inc.). The sequences of the heavy and light chain variable regions of this antibody are reported in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2002/0091240 as SEQ ID NOs:6 and 8, respectively. These sequences and any other description of this antibody included in U.S. Patent Application Publication 2002/0091240 are incorporated herein by reference. The IFN- ⁇ inhibitors described in U.S. Pat. No.
  • IFN- ⁇ inhibitors comprising a portion of a naturally occurring human IFN- ⁇ receptor, the sequence of which is reported in Aguet et al. (1988), Cell 55: 273-280 (the relevant portions of which are incorporated herein by reference), can be used to practice the methods described herein.
  • IFN- ⁇ inhibitor is a fusion protein comprising the extracellular region of the human IFN- ⁇ receptor fused to a human IgG1 Fc region, which is described in U.S. Pat. No.
  • IFN- ⁇ inhibitors are the fusion proteins containing part or all of the extracellular regions of IFN- ⁇ receptor ⁇ and IFN- ⁇ receptor ⁇ , as described is U.S. Patent Application Publication 2007/0020283, the relevant portions of which are incorporated herein by reference.
  • Another IFN- ⁇ inhibitor is the cytokine which is a specific antagonist of IFN- ⁇ , which is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,612,195, the relevant portions of which are incorporated herein by reference.
  • Still other IFN- ⁇ inhibitors are the genetically modified, inactivated protein derivatives of human IFN- ⁇ described in U.S.
  • BCRF1 protein which inhibits production of IFN- ⁇
  • IFN- ⁇ inhibitor that can be used to practice the methods described herein.
  • U.S. Pat. No. 5,736,390 describes such BCRF1 proteins, and the portions of U.S. Pat. No. 5,736,390 that describe these proteins and how to make them are incorporated herein by reference.
  • IFN- ⁇ inhibitors various chemical compounds (which are not proteins) are known to inhibit the synthesis of IFN- ⁇ and are considered to be IFN- ⁇ inhibitors, as meant herein.
  • these are the bis phenol or phenoxy compounds and derivatives thereof described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,880,146.
  • the portions of U.S. Pat. No. 5,880,146 that describes such compounds and how to make them are incorporated herein by reference.
  • the compounds described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,985,863 that inhibit production of IFN- ⁇ by inhibiting production of IFN- ⁇ inducing factor or inhibiting interleukin-1 ⁇ converting enzyme are IFN- ⁇ inhibitors that can be used to practice the methods described herein.
  • Antibodies can be made by introducing hybridoma cells that produce the antibody into the peritoneal cavity of a live mouse, a so-called ascites preparation. Hybridoma cells producing an antibody can also be cultured in vitro. Other in vivo methods of protein production include, for example, protein production in hen eggs, tobacco leaves, and milk.
  • Protein inhibitors of IFN- ⁇ can also be made in prokaryotic or eukaryotic host cells, including bacteria such as Escherichia coli , various yeasts including Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia pastoris , and various kinds of mammalian cells including, without limitation, human cells, baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells, Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, VERO, BHK, HeLa, CV1 (including Cos), MDCK, 293, 3T3, myeloma cell lines (e.g., NSO, NS1), PC12, and WI38 cells.
  • Such host cells, into which nucleic acids encoding the desired protein have been introduced can be cultured in appropriate culture medium, many of which are known in the art, and the desired protein can be recovered from the cell mass or the cell culture medium.
  • CHO cells are widely used for the production of complex recombinant proteins, e.g. cytokines, clotting factors, and antibodies (Brasel et al. (1996), Blood 88:2004-2012; Kaufman et al. (1988), J. Biol. Chem. 263:6352-6362; McKinnon et al. (1991), J. Mol. Endocrinol. 6:231-239; Wood et al. (1990), J. Immunol. 145:3011-3016).
  • DHFR dihydrofolate reductase
  • DXB11 and DG-44 are desirable CHO host cell lines because the efficient DHFR selectable and amplifiable gene expression system allows high level recombinant protein expression in these cells (Kaufman R. J. (1990), Meth. Enzymol. 185:537-566, which is incorporated by reference). In addition, these cells are easy to manipulate as adherent or suspension cultures and exhibit relatively good genetic stability. CHO cells and recombinant proteins expressed in them have been extensively characterized and have been approved for use in clinical commercial manufacturing by regulatory agencies. The methods of the invention can also be practiced using hybridoma cell lines that produce an antibody. Methods for making hybridoma lines are well known in the art.
  • Described herein are methods for determining a pharmacodynamically effective dosage of an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor for treating an IFN- ⁇ mediated disease, as well as methods of treatment using such dosages.
  • the method includes assaying for the expression of one or more genes at either the protein or RNA level both before and after administering an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor.
  • the gene(s) can be selected from the genes listed in Table 1 (genes whose expression is modulated in human blood by stimulation with IFN- ⁇ ex vivo), Table 2 (twenty genes whose expression is modulated in human blood to the greatest extent by IFN- ⁇ stimulation ex vivo), Table 3 (ten genes whose expression is modulated to the greatest extent by administration of AMG 811 in vivo), Table 5 (genes whose expression is modulated by a neutralizing human anti-human IFN- ⁇ antibody in vivo), and/or Table 6 (genes whose expression is modulated in human blood by stimulation with IFN- ⁇ ex vivo and whose expression is modulated by a neutralizing human anti-human IFN- ⁇ antibody in vivo). Those doses that modulate the expression of one or more of these genes in a direction consistent with inhibition of IFN- ⁇ can be used to treat an IFN- ⁇ mediated disease.
  • a pharmacodynamically effective dosage and/or dosing frequency of an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor can be determined by the effect of an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor on the serum concentration of total IFN- ⁇ protein.
  • an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor for example an IFN- ⁇ binding protein such as AMG 811, can cause elevation of the serum levels of total IFN- ⁇ . See FIGS. 6A and 6B below. Presumably, this effect results from protection of IFN- ⁇ that is bound by the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor from degradation or more rapid clearance. If patients receiving a higher dose of an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor (for example, 180 mg SC of AMG 811 in FIG.
  • a desirable dose of an IFN- ⁇ binding protein for example AMG 811, would be one that causes patients to achieve a higher-than-baseline level of total IFN- ⁇ and to maintain this “plateau” concentration for a time period of, for example, at least about 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 weeks and/or at least about 1, 2, 3, or 4 months. Based on the data in FIGS.
  • a desirable dose can be greater than about 20 mg SC, at least about 60 mg SC, at least about 180 mg SC, and/or at least about 60 mg IV.
  • dosing frequency can be adjusted such that the levels of total IFN- ⁇ do not fall below about 25%, 50%, 60%, 70%, or 80% of this plateau value.
  • dosing can be more frequent, whereas at a higher dose of an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor where a plateau value is maintained for a longer period, dosing can be less frequent.
  • doses can be administered approximately every 2, 3, 4, or 5 weeks.
  • doses can be administered approximately every 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 weeks.
  • At least the lower end of dosage ranges for treating patients having SLE and/or lupus nephritis with a human anti-human IFN- ⁇ antibody called AMG 811 have been clarified. See Examples 3 and 4 and FIGS. 4 , 6 - 9 , and 12 - 14 .
  • the lowest dose at which a clear biological effect was observed was a dose of 20 milligrams, although clearer effects were observed in some cases at a dose of 60 mg.
  • the dose can be at least about 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200, 210, 220, 230, 240, or 250 mg and/or may not exceed 180, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, or 2000 mg.
  • a per-treatment dose of about 15-500, 20-400, 30-300, 60-180, 80-200, or 100-200 milligrams of the antibody can be used to treat an IFN- ⁇ -mediated disease.
  • a per-treatment dose of about 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200, 220, 240, 260, 270, 290, 300, 350, or 400 milligrams can be used.
  • a dose can be gauged on the basis of a patient's body weight.
  • the dose can be from about 0.2 mg/kg to about 10 mg/kg, from about 0.25 mg/kg to about 8 mg/kg, from about 0.5 mg/kg to about 5 mg/kg, from about 1 mg/kg to about 2 mg/kg, from about 1 mg/kg to about 3 mg/kg, or from about 3 mg/kg to about 5 mg/kg.
  • a dose can be administered on the basis of the calculated body surface area of a patient.
  • a dose of at least about 4, 6, 8, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84, 96, 108, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, or 190 milligrams per square millimeter (mg/mm 2 ) and/or not more than 200, 220, 240, 260, 280, 300, 320, 340, 360, or 380 mg/mm 2 can be administered.
  • the dose can be from about 8 mg/mm 2 to about 380 mg/mm 2 , from about 10 mg/mm 2 to about 300 mg/mm 2 , from about 20 mg/mm 2 to about 190 mg/mm 2 , from about 40 mg/mm 2 to about 80 mg/mm 2 , from about 80 mg/mm 2 to about 200 mg/mm 2 .
  • IFN- ⁇ -mediated diseases are chronic and/or recurrent, repeated doses of the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor, optionally an anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody, may be required.
  • Repeated doses can be administered, for example, twice per week, once a week, every two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, or twelve weeks, or once every one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, or twelve months.
  • autoimmune and inflammatory diseases including SLE, including discoid lupus and lupus nephritis, rheumatoid arthritis, type I diabetes, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, dermatomyositis, sarcoidosis, HLH, and IBDs including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, among a number of others.
  • SLE discoid lupus and lupus nephritis
  • rheumatoid arthritis type I diabetes
  • multiple sclerosis multiple sclerosis
  • psoriasis psoriasis
  • dermatomyositis dermatomyositis
  • sarcoidosis HLH
  • IBDs Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
  • kits for identifying patients suffering from an IFN- ⁇ mediated disease likely to benefit from treatment with an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor comprising determining whether the expression of one or more genes listed in Tables 1, 2, 4, 5, and/or 6 in a biological sample from the patient deviates from the expression of that gene(s) in a control biological sample in a direction consistent with excess IFN- ⁇ . If the level of expression of one or more genes mentioned above in the biological sample from the patient deviates from the levels of expression in the control biological sample in a direction consistent with excess IFN- ⁇ , it can indicate that the patient is a candidate for treatment with an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor.
  • the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor can be an anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody or an IFN- ⁇ receptor.
  • patients likely to benefit from treatment with an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor can be identified by determining the levels of total IFN- ⁇ in a biological sample from the patient as, for example, described in Example 3. Patients with undetectable or very low levels of total IFN- ⁇ may not benefit from therapy with an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor, for example an IFN- ⁇ binding protein such an antibody. On the other hand, patients whose biological samples have total IFN- ⁇ levels that are substantially higher than those detected in a control biological sample can benefit from therapy with an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor, for example an IFN- ⁇ binding protein such an antibody. Thus, determination of total IFN- ⁇ levels in a biological sample from a patient can be used to identify patients likely to benefit from therapy with an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor, for example an IFN- ⁇ binding protein such as an anti-IFN- ⁇ antibody.
  • the methods provided herein can be useful for patients and clinicians in deciding whether to continue a treatment with an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor in a particular patient.
  • the expression of a number of genes is modulated in a statistically significant manner in response to treatment with an anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody.
  • a variable and episodic disease such as, for example, SLE or MS, it may be impossible to tell from clinical signs and symptoms whether a treatment is having an effect within a given time period, such as, for example, 1, 2, or 3 weeks or 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 months.
  • an anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody can comprise the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 6, 10, 14, or 30 and SEQ ID NO: 8, 12, 16, or 31 and/or can comprise a light chain CDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO:38, 39, or 40, a light chain CDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO:41 or 42, a light chain CDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO:43 or 44, a heavy chain CDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO:34, a heavy chain CDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO:35, and a heavy chain CDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO:36 or 37.
  • a method for determining the efficacy of an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor as a treatment for an IFN- ⁇ -mediated disease can comprise the following steps: 1) determining the level of expression of one or more of the genes listed in Table 1, 2, 4, 5, and/or 6 in a biological sample from a patient at the protein or RNA level; 2) determining the level of expression of the same gene(s) in a biological sample from the patient after administration of the drug; 3) comparing the expression of the gene(s) in biological samples from the patient before and after administration of the drug; 4) determining that the drug has shown evidence of efficacy if the level of expression of the gene(s) in the biological sample taken after administration of the drug has been modulated in a direction consistent with inhibition of IFN- ⁇ ; and 5) continuing treatment with the drug if it is determined that the drug has shown evidence of efficacy and discontinuing treatment with the drug if it is determined that the drug has not shown evidence of efficacy.
  • IFN- ⁇ -mediated diseases Treatments exist for most IFN- ⁇ -mediated diseases, even though many of these treatments are relatively ineffective, effective for only a subset of patients, and/or have substantial toxicities that limit patient tolerance of treatment.
  • the IFN- ⁇ inhibitors described herein can be combined with other existing therapies for IFN- ⁇ -mediated diseases.
  • an SLE patient can be treated concurrently with another therapy for SLE plus an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor such as an anti-IFN- ⁇ antibody comprising SEQ ID NO:6 and SEQ ID NO:8 and/or comprising a light chain CDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO:38, a light chain CDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO:41, a light chain CDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO:43, a heavy chain CDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO:34, a heavy chain CDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO:35, and a heavy chain CDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO:36.
  • an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor such as an anti-IFN- ⁇ antibody comprising SEQ ID NO:6 and SEQ ID NO:8 and/or comprising a light chain CDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO:38, a light chain CDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO:41, a light chain CDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO:43, a heavy chain CDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO:34, a heavy
  • glucocorticoids such as prednisone, prednisolone, and methylprednisolone
  • antimalarials such as hydroxychloroquine, quinacrine, and chloroquine
  • retinoic acid aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
  • NSAIDs nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
  • cyclophosphamide dehydroepiandrosterone
  • mycophenolate mofetil mycophenolate mofetil
  • azathioprine chlorambucil
  • methotrexate tacrolimus
  • dapsone thalidomide
  • leflunomide cyclosporine
  • anti-CD20 antibodies such as rituximab
  • BLyS inhibitors such as belimumab
  • fusion proteins such as abatacept.
  • a patient suffering from an inflammatory bowel disease can be concurrently treated with a therapy for IBD plus an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor, such as an anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody comprising SEQ ID NO:6 and SEQ ID NO:8 and/or comprising a light chain CDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO:38, a light chain CDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO:41, a light chain CDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO:43, a heavy chain CDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO:34, a heavy chain CDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO:35, and a heavy chain CDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO:36.
  • an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor such as an anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody comprising SEQ ID NO:6 and SEQ ID NO:8 and/or comprising a light chain CDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO:38, a light chain CDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO:41, a light chain CDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO:43, a heavy chain CDR
  • Existing therapies for IBD include sulfasalazine, 5-aminosalicylic acid and its derivatives (such as olsalazine, balsalazide, and mesalamine), anti-TNF antibodies (including infliximab, adalimumab, golimumab, and certolizumab pegol), corticosteroids for oral or parenteral administration (including prednisone, methylprednisone, budesonide, or hydrocortisone), adrenocorticotropic hormone, antibiotics (including metronidazole, ciprofloxacin, or rifaximin), azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine, methotrexate, cyclosporine, tacrolimus, and thalidomide.
  • Methods of patient stratification and biomarker monitoring concurrently with treatment, as described herein, can be used in patients receiving such combination drug treatments.
  • a patient suffering from rheumatoid arthritis can be concurrently treated with a drug used for RA therapy plus an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor, such as an anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody comprising SEQ ID NO:6 and SEQ ID NO:8 and/or comprising a light chain CDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO:38, a light chain CDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO:41, a light chain CDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO:43, a heavy chain CDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO:34, a heavy chain CDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO:35, and a heavy chain CDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO:36.
  • an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor such as an anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody comprising SEQ ID NO:6 and SEQ ID NO:8 and/or comprising a light chain CDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO:38, a light chain CDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO:41, a light chain CDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO:43,
  • RA rheumatoid arthritis
  • NSAIDs non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
  • COX-2 cyclooxygenase-2
  • DMARDs disease modifying anti-inflammatory drugs
  • anti-malarials such as hydroxychloroquine
  • cyclophosphamide D-penicillamine, azathioprine, gold salts
  • tumor necrosis factor inhibitors such as etanercept, infliximab, adalimumab, golimumab, and certolizumab pegol
  • CD20 inhibitors such as rituximab
  • IL-1 antagonists such as anakinra
  • IL-6 inhibitors such as tocilizumab
  • JK Janus kinases
  • a patient suffering from sarcoidosis can be concurrently treated with a drug used for sarcoidosis therapy plus an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor, such as an anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody comprising SEQ ID NO:6 and SEQ ID NO:8 and/or comprising a light chain CDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO:38, a light chain CDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO:41, a light chain CDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO:43, a heavy chain CDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO:34, a heavy chain CDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO:35, and a heavy chain CDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO:36.
  • an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor such as an anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody comprising SEQ ID NO:6 and SEQ ID NO:8 and/or comprising a light chain CDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO:38, a light chain CDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO:41, a light chain CDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO:43,
  • Therapies for sarcoidosis include corticosteroids (may be topical or parenteral, depending on symptoms), salicylates (such as aspirin), and colchicine. Methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have also been used in sarcoidosis.
  • Various other treatment strategies can be helpful for some of the many different symptoms of sarcoidosis. For example, heart arrhythmias can be treated with antiarrhythmics or a pacemaker. Hypercalcemia can be treated with hydration, reduction in calcium and vitamin D intake, avoidance of sunlight, or ketoconazole.
  • Skin lesions can be treated with chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, methotrexate, or thalidomide.
  • Methods of patient stratification and biomarker monitoring concurrently with treatment, as described herein, can be used in patients receiving such a combination treatment including an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor plus an existing treatment for sarcoidosis.
  • a patient suffering from HLH can be concurrently treated with a drug used for HLH therapy plus an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor such as an anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody comprising SEQ ID NO:6 and SEQ ID NO:8 and/or comprising a light chain CDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO:38, a light chain CDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO:41, a light chain CDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO:43, a heavy chain CDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO:34, a heavy chain CDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO:35, and a heavy chain CDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO:36.
  • an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor such as an anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody comprising SEQ ID NO:6 and SEQ ID NO:8 and/or comprising a light chain CDR1 comprising SEQ ID NO:38, a light chain CDR2 comprising SEQ ID NO:41, a light chain CDR3 comprising SEQ ID NO:43, a heavy chain CDR1
  • Therapies for HLH include corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin, IL-1 inhibiting agents such as anakinra, VP-16, etoposide, cyclosporine A, dexamethasone, various other chemotherapeutics, bone marrow transplant or stem cell transplant, and antiviral and/or antibacterial agents. Any one or more of these therapies can be combined with an anti-huIFN- ⁇ treatment. Further, methods of patient stratification and biomarker monitoring concurrently with treatment, as described herein, can be used in patients receiving such a combination treatment including an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor plus an existing treatment for HLH.
  • IFN- ⁇ inhibitors and the other disease treatments described herein can be administered by any feasible method.
  • Therapeutics that comprise a protein will ordinarily be administered by injection since oral administration, in the absence of some special formulation or circumstance, would lead to hydrolysis of the protein in the acid environment of the stomach.
  • Subcutaneous, intramuscular, intravenous, intraarterial, intralesional, or peritoneal injection are possible routes of administration.
  • Topical administration is also possible, especially for diseases involving the skin.
  • IFN- ⁇ inhibitors, and/or other therapeutics comprising a protein can be administered through contact with a mucus membrane, for example by intra-nasal, sublingual, vaginal, or rectal administration or as an inhalant.
  • Therapeutics that are small molecules can be administered orally, although the routes of administration mentioned above are also possible.
  • Extracted feature intensities for each channel on each array were processed separately by subtracting the lower 0.1 th percentile from all intensities and then taking the log base 2.
  • the transformed intensities were mapped using a non-linear function to ensure the distribution of the intensities were comparable between arrays and channels.
  • Arrays were hybridized using a loop-design that allowed estimation and removal of technical bias when averaging the technical repeats.
  • a pre-filtering step was applied. Reporters with low levels of expression were removed if 90% of the values fell below the limit of detection, defined as 1.96 standard deviations above mean background. Background was determined by a set of sequences on the array that are specifically designed to not hybridize with human sequences. Reporters with small dispersion are unlikely to be meaningfully changed, and so, to reduce noise, these were removed. They were defined as those where the fold change between the 5 th and 95 th percentile was less than 1.5.
  • each dot represents the average fold change in expression of an individual gene at the RNA level in blood from a healthy volunteer stimulated ex vivo with IFN- ⁇ as compared to the same blood pre-stimulation.
  • the x-axis reflects the fold change
  • the y-axis represents the p-value of the difference in gene expression in post-stimulation blood as compared to pre-stimulation blood.
  • a p-value of 0.05 or less would be considered to indicate statistical significance.
  • the circled dots in FIG. 1 correspond to the twenty genes that showed the greatest fold change in expression upon stimulation with IFN- ⁇ , where the change had a nominal significance level of 0.001 or less.
  • A_23_P421423 SEQ ID NO: 263 TNFAIP2 NM_006291 tumor necrosis factor, alpha-induced protein 2 up A_23_P14174 SEQ ID NO: 213 TNFSF13B NM_006573 tumor necrosis factor (ligand) superfamily, up member 13b A_23_P29237 SEQ ID NO: 404 APOL3 NM_145641 apolipoprotein L, 3 up A_23_P64721 SEQ ID NO: 276 GPR109B NM_006018 G protein-coupled receptor 109B up A_23_P166633 SEQ ID NO: 405 ITGB5 NM_002213 integrin, beta 5 down A_24_P98109 SEQ ID NO: 334 SNX10 NM_013322 sorting nexin 10 up A_24_P243528 SEQ ID NO: 406 HLA-DPA1 NM_033554 major histocompatibility complex, class
  • A_23_P209678 SEQ ID NO: 237 PLEK NM_002664 pleckstrin up A_23_P258493 SEQ ID NO: 247 LMNB1 NM_005573 lamin B1 up A_23_P146943 SEQ ID NO: 484 ATP1B1 NM_001677 ATPase, Na+/K+ transporting, beta 1 up polypeptide A_23_P208119 SEQ ID NO: 84 PSTPIP2 NM_024430 proline-serine-threonine phosphatase up interacting protein 2 A_24_P915692 SEQ ID NO: 485 PHLDA1 NM_007350 pleckstrin homology-like domain, family A, down member 1 A_23_P259561 SEQ ID NO: 486 A_23_P259561 THC2632039 Low quality annotation - Q8SPE4_9PRIM up (Q8SPE4) Major histocompatibility complex (
  • A_23_P35912 SEQ ID NO: 129 CASP4 NM_033306 caspase 4, apoptosis-related cysteine up peptidase A_23_P252413 SEQ ID NO: 495 MT2A ENST00000245185 metallothionein 2A up A_32_P118013 SEQ ID NO: 496 A_32_P118013 THC2657593
  • A_23_P201587 SEQ ID NO: 497 SORT1 NM_002959 sortilin 1 up A_23_P347040 SEQ ID NO: 255 DTX3L NM_138287 deltex 3-like ( Drosophila ) up A_23_P47304 SEQ ID NO: 267 CASP5 NM_004347 caspase 5, apoptosis-related cyst
  • A_23_P116414 SEQ ID NO: 532 HRASLS3 NM_007069 HRAS-like suppressor 3 up A_23_P59210 SEQ ID NO: 533 CDKN1A NM_000389 cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A (p21, up Cip1)
  • A_23_P42969 SEQ ID NO: 266 FGL2 NM_006682 fibrinogen-like 2 up A_24_P403417
  • SEQ ID NO: 534 PTGES NM_004878 prostaglandin E synthase down A_23_P17655 SEQ ID NO: 230 KCNJ15 NM_170736 potassium inwardly-rectifying channel, up subfamily J, member 15 A_23_P91230 SEQ ID NO: 535 SLPI NM_003064 secretory leukocyte peptidase inhibitor up A_23_P152234 SEQ ID NO: 536 CMTM2 NM_144673 CKLF-
  • A_23_P44836 SEQ ID NO: 565 NT5DC2 NM_022908 5′-nucleotidase domain containing 2 down A_23_P68106 SEQ ID NO: 566 TMSB10 NM_021103 thymosin, beta 10 up A_23_P2793 SEQ ID NO: 567 ALOX5AP NM_001629 arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase-activating down protein A_24_P481844 SEQ ID NO: 568 HLA-DMB BC035650 major histocompatibility complex, class II, up DM beta A_23_P133133 SEQ ID NO: 206 ALPK1 NM_025144 alpha-kinase 1 up A_24_P315405 SEQ ID NO: 569 A_24_P315405 A_24_P315405 Unknown up A_23_P251480 SEQ ID NO: 245 NBN NM_001024688 nibrin up
  • A_23_P256724 SEQ ID NO: 616 TNFRSF10C NM_003841 tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, down member 10c, decoy without an intracellular domain A_23_P205489 SEQ ID NO: 617 SLC7A8 NM_182728 solute carrier family 7 (cationic amino acid down transporter, y+ system), member 8 A_24_P243749 SEQ ID NO: 618 PDK4 NM_002612 pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase, isozyme 4 down A_24_P272389 SEQ ID NO: 619 LOC285216 AK092228 hypothetical protein LOC285216 up A_23_P161125 SEQ ID NO: 620 MOV10 NM_020963 Mov10, Moloney leukemia virus 10, homolog up (mouse) A_24_P659202 SEQ ID NO: 323 A_24_P659202 THC252777
  • A_24_P7322 SEQ ID NO: 632 A_24_P7322 A_24_P7322 Unknown up A_23_P343837 SEQ ID NO: 254 PARP11 NM_020367 poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase family, up member 11 A_23_P90041 SEQ ID NO: 633 NLRP12 NM_033297 NLR family, pyrin domain containing 12 down A_32_P121978 SEQ ID NO: 634 A_32_P121978 A_32_P121978 Unknown up A_23_P202837 SEQ ID NO: 635 CCND1 NM_053056 cyclin D1 up A_24_P136866 SEQ ID NO: 636 SLC8A1 NM_021097 solute carrier family 8 (sodium/calcium up exchanger), member 1 A_24_P97342 SEQ
  • A_23_P303242 SEQ ID NO: 668 MT1X NM_005952 metallothionein 1X up A_24_P156490 SEQ ID NO: 133 KCNMA1 NM_002247 potassium large conductance calcium- up activated channel, subfamily M, alpha member 1 A_32_P103695 SEQ ID NO: 669 FAM92A1 CR627475 family with sequence similarity 92, member up A1 A_24_P335305 SEQ ID NO: 670 OAS3 NM_006187 2′-5′-oligoadenylate synthetase 3, 100 kDa up A_23_P52266 SEQ ID NO: 671 IFIT1 NM_001548 interferon-induced protein with up tetratricopeptide repeats 1 A_23_P24104 SEQ ID NO: 672 PLAU NM_002658 plasminogen activator, urokinase up A_23_P16
  • A_23_P87879 SEQ ID NO: 677 CD69 NM_001781 CD69 molecule up A_23_P41344 SEQ ID NO: 678 EREG NM_001432 epiregulin down A_23_P48596 SEQ ID NO: 679 RNASE1 NM_198232 ribonuclease, RNase A family, 1 (pancreatic) down A_23_P135755 SEQ ID NO: 680 IL8RB NM_001557 interleukin 8 receptor, beta down A_23_P132822 SEQ ID NO: 115 XRN1 NM_019001 5′-3′ exoribonuclease 1 up A_23_P213014 SEQ ID NO: 681 SLC2A9 NM_001001290 solute carrier family 2 (facilitated glucose up transporter), member 9 A_32_P399546 SEQ ID NO: 343 ARNTL2 AF256215 aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear up translocator
  • sequences of the Agilent® probes are publicly available in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) Database of NCBI.
  • GEO Gene Expression Omnibus
  • Serum CXCL10, CCL2, C—C motif chemokine 5 (CCL5; also known as RANTES), and IL-18 concentrations were determined with commercially available ELISAs according to the manufacturers' instructions (R&D Systems, Minneapolis, Minn. and Medical & Biological Laboratories Co, Ltd, Des Plaines, Ill.). Samples were analyzed in triplicate and levels were quantified by interpolation from a standard curve run in parallel on each micro-titer plate. Log ratio of gene expression in lupus subjects relative to healthy subjects along with 95% confidence intervals were estimated using linear regression and expressed as fold change. See Kackar, R. N., and Harville, D. A. 1984. Approximations for Standard Errors of Estimators of Fixed and Random Effects in Mixed Linear-Models. Journal of the American Statistical Association 79: 853-862, the relevant portions of which are incorporated herein by reference.
  • Described below is a phase 1, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single dose escalation study of an anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibody (AMG 811) in subjects with mild, stable SLE.
  • Anti-huIFN- ⁇ antibodies including AMG 811, are described herein (above under the heading “Interferon Gamma Inhibitors”) and in U.S. Pat. No. 7,335,743, the relevant portions of which are incorporated herein by reference.
  • Adults aged 18 to 65 with a diagnosis of SLE (as defined by the American College of Rheumatology classification criteria) of at least 6 months duration were enrolled.
  • Anti-malarials, leflunomide, or methotrexate, and up to 20 mg/day of prednisone (or equivalent) were permitted as concomitant therapies.
  • the subjects had stable disease, that is, symptoms that were constant with no change in therapy for at least 30 days prior to randomization.
  • AMG 811 Fifty percent of placebo subjects and 28% of the subjects receiving AMG 811 were on corticosteroids, receiving mean doses of 10 mg/day and 13.5 mg/day, respectively. Seventy five percent of placebo subjects and 100% of the subjects receiving AMG 811 were on anti-malarials, while a single subject in the AMG 811 group was on an immunosuppressant (methotrexate).
  • Each subject was treated with a single dose of AMG 811 (2 milligrams (mg) subcutaneous (SC), 6 mg SC, 20 mg SC, 60 mg SC, 180 mg SC, or 60 mg intravenous (IV)) or placebo (vehicle control) on day 1 of the study.
  • the end of study (EOS) ranged from day 84 to day 196 depending on the dose level.
  • Serum tube and PAXgene® blood RNA tube samples were collected from all cohorts at baseline, that is, on day 1 prior to dosing and at days 15, 56, and EOS after treatment. All samples were collected and included for analysis with the exception of one placebo EOS sample, one EOS sample from the 6 mg treated cohort, and two day 15 samples from the 20 mg cohort.
  • RNA was isolated from each sample and processed and analyzed by hybridization to a microarray as described in Example 1 above, except that the pre-filtering step to remove genes having low levels of expression was not performed.
  • results are shown in the left panel of FIG. 3 , which shows the fold difference in expression of individual genes at the RNA level in day 15 blood samples from patients treated with AMG 811 and baseline or placebo-treated subjects.
  • dots represent data from a particular gene sequence.
  • the x-axis shows the fold difference in RNA expression in samples from patients treated with AMG 811 versus in samples from patients treated with placebo. Dots representing the same twenty genes that were circled in FIG. 1 are also circled here.
  • A_23_P112026 SEQ ID NO: 350 INDO1, indoleamine 2,3- SEQ ID NO: 50 11.3 1.1 ⁇ 1.4 0.076 dioxygenase 1 (10.0, 12.8) ( ⁇ 1.2, 1.4) ( ⁇ 2.0, 1.0) (NM_002164)
  • A_23_P161428 SEQ ID NO: 72 ANKRD22, ankyrin repeat SEQ ID NO: 51 10.8 1.3 ⁇ 2.2 ⁇ 0.001 domain 22 (NM_144590) (8.8, 13.2) ( ⁇ 1.0, 1.7) ( ⁇ 3.0, ⁇ 1.6)
  • A_23_P18452 SEQ ID NO: 109 CXCL9, chemokine SEQ ID NO: 52 9.8 1.3 ⁇ 1.3 ⁇ 0.001 (C-X-C motif) ligand 9 (8.4, 11.4) (1.1, 1.5) ( ⁇ 1.6, ⁇ 1.2) (NM_002416)
  • GBP1 RNA expression decreased at day 15 as compared to day ⁇ 1 in each patient treated with AMG 811.
  • GBP-1 is one of the genes whose expression is upregulated by IFN- ⁇ stimulation of blood of healthy volunteers ex vivo, these results suggest that inhibition of IFN- ⁇ is occurring in every patient treated with AMG 811 in this study.
  • FIG. 4 shows the fold change in CXCL10 protein levels at Days 15 and 56 and at the end of study (EOS) as compared to baseline CXCL10 protein levels, with error bars showing the 95% confidence intervals using small sample size correction.
  • AMG 811 in serum were determined using a validated sandwich immunoassay at Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, Calif. Study samples were added to a plate coated with a mouse anti-AMG 811 monoclonal antibody. After capture of AMG 811 with the immobilized antibody, unbound materials were removed by a wash step. Biotin conjugated rabbit anti-AMG 811 polyclonal antibody (Amgen Inc., CA) was added to detect the captured AMG 811. After another incubation step with streptavidin-HRP, a tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) peroxide substrate solution (KPL Inc., MD) was added to produce a colorimetric signal, which was proportional to the amount of AMG 811 bound by the capture reagent.
  • TMB tetramethylbenzidine
  • AMG 811 exhibited linear pharmacokinetics (PK, with a mean terminal half-life (t 1/2,z ) ranging from 12 to 21 days. Following a single 60 mg IV dose, the mean area under the curve (AUC) value was approximately 3-fold higher than for the 60 mg SC dose, indicating an approximate 30% bioavailability.
  • Mean AMG 811 PK parameters are presented in Table 3.
  • IFN- ⁇ protein in patients dosed with AMG 811 were also determined.
  • the total IFN- ⁇ concentration in human serum was measured using a validated sandwich immunoassay at Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, Calif. Specifically, study samples were incubated with 25 ⁇ g/mL of AMG 811 at 37° C. to form IFN- ⁇ -AMG 811 complexes prior to being added to a plate coated with a mouse anti-IFN- ⁇ monoclonal antibody (Hycult Biotechnology, Uden, Netherlands). After capture of IFN- ⁇ -AMG 811 complex with the immobilized anti-IFN- ⁇ monoclonal antibody, unbound materials were removed by a wash step.
  • Biotin conjugated rabbit anti-AMG 811 polyclonal antibody (Amgen Inc., CA) was added for detection of the captured IFN ⁇ -AMG 811 complex.
  • a tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) peroxide substrate solution (KPL Inc., MD) was added to produce a colorimetric signal, which was proportional to the amount of IFN ⁇ bound by the capture reagent.
  • the color development was stopped by addition of H 2 SO 4 , and the optical density (OD) signal was measured at 450 nm with reference to 650 nm.
  • the absorbance versus concentration relationship was regressed according to a four-parameter logistic (auto-estimate) regression model with a weighting factor of 1/Y.
  • the LLOQ of the method was 50 pg/mL.
  • the total IFN- ⁇ concentration represents both bound and free endogenous levels. Free IFN- ⁇ levels were not assessed separately. An amount of AMG 811 sufficient to saturate all IFN- ⁇ was added to the serum samples, and the resulting AMG 811:IFN- ⁇ complexes were detected by means of the sandwich immunoassay, as described above. These results are shown in FIGS. 6A (median levels) and 6 B (mean levels). Total IFN- ⁇ median levels increased in a dose-dependent manner, then returned to baseline by approximately 6 to 7 months postdose. FIG. 6A . The plateau in C max values at doses of 60 and 180 mg SC and 60 mg IV may indirectly reflect the saturation of circulating, IFN- ⁇ levels by AMG 811. These data suggest that 60 mg SC was the lowest dose tested that saturated the available IFN- ⁇ in patients. At doses of 180 mg SC or 60 mg IV, the data suggest that this saturation of available IFN- ⁇ was maintained for a longer period of time.
  • dosing frequency can be adjusted so as to maintain levels of total IFN- ⁇ at or near the plateau concentrations observed at the higher doses.
  • a level of total IFN- ⁇ of almost 400 pg/ml is achieved at early timepoints, which starts to drop off at about three or four weeks post-dosing.
  • Dosing repeated about every 3, 4, 5, or 6 weeks could be beneficial at a dose of 60 mg SC.
  • levels of total IFN- ⁇ of around 400 pg/ml are achieved, but start to drop off at about 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 weeks post dosing.
  • Dosing repeated about every 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, or 14 weeks could be beneficial at doses of 180 mg SC or 60 mg IV.
  • IFN- ⁇ is undetectable or detectable at only low levels in peripheral blood.
  • the comparatively high levels of total IFN- ⁇ detected upon dosing with AMG 811 indicate that IFN- ⁇ is likely produced at much higher levels than are generally appreciated and rapidly clearly from circulation.
  • the relatively high levels of IFN- ⁇ detected in the presence of AMG 811 may be due to protection of the IFN- ⁇ from degradation and/or reduced clearance by binding to AMG 811. This assay allows for a better determination of the total production of IFN- ⁇ in an individual and can be useful for determination of dose, dosing frequency, and stratification purposes.
  • a multi-dose trial was initiated to determine the safety and tolerability of multiple subcutaneous doses of AMG 811 in SLE patients with or without lupus nephritis.
  • Part A of the study included three cohorts, 1, 2, and 3, each containing eight SLE patients without lupus nephritis.
  • a patient must have been diagnosed with SLE at least 6 months before the start of the study.
  • Prednisone at a dose of 20 mg/day was permitted during the study, as were concurrently administered medications used for treating SLE including mycophenolate mofetil, azathioprine, leflunomide, methotrexate, and anti-malarials.
  • Part B of the study will include cohorts, 4, 5, and 6.
  • Patients in cohorts 4-6 are required to have been diagnosed with SLE at least 6 months before the start of the study and with proliferative glomerulonephritis, as evidenced by a renal biopsy and urine protein/creatinine ratio of >1 or a 24 hour urine protein level of >1 g/day.
  • Cohorts 4 and 5 contained eight and twelve SLE patients that had lupus nephritis, respectively.
  • Cohort 6 is to contain eight lupus nephritis patients.
  • Two of the patients in each of cohorts 4 and 6 and three of the twelve patients in cohort 5 will receive (and, in some cases, have received) three doses of placebo administered every four weeks, and the other patients will receive three doses AMG 811 (20, 60, or 120 mg for cohorts 4, 5, and 6, respectively) administered every four weeks, that is, on days 1, 29, and 57.
  • Blood samples will be taken at baseline, i.e., one to three days before dosing, and on days, 1 (after dosing), 3, 8, 15, 29, 57, 85, 113, and 197 (which was the end of the study (EOS)) to determine levels of expression of various biomarker genes.
  • Samples will be analyzed for RNA expression by DNA array as described above in Example 3 or for expression of selected proteins by ELISA assay.
  • Blood samples taken at baseline and on days 1 (after dosing), 3, 5, 8, 15, 22, 29 (pre-dosing), 43, 57 (pre- and post-dosing), 59, 61, 64, 71, 78, 85, 113,141, 169, and 197 will be analyzed to assess a number of laboratory parameters. Twenty four hour urine samples were taken at baseline and on days 15, 29 (pre-dosing), 57 (pre-dosing), 85, 113, 141, 169, and 197 (EOS).
  • Urine samples were taken at baseline and on days 3, 8, 15, 22, 29 (pre-dosing), 43, 57 (pre-dosing), 71, 85, 113, 141, 169, and 197 (EOS).
  • Urine samples were analyzed for levels of urine protein using the a dye-binding assay (pyrocatechol violet-ammonium molybdate dye), which was analyzed in a “dry-slide” format using an automated laboratory analyzer such as the Ortho-Clinical VITROS® 5,1 FS Chemistry Analyzer from Ortho Clinical Diagnostics.
  • a dye-binding assay pyrocatechol violet-ammonium molybdate dye
  • Creatinine levels in urine samples were assessed by a multi-step coupled enzymatic two-point rate colorimetric assay (creatinine amidohydrolase/creatine amidinohydrolase/sarcosine oxidase/peroxidase) analyzed using a dry-slide format and automated laboratory analyzer.
  • a multi-step coupled enzymatic two-point rate colorimetric assay creatinine amidohydrolase/creatine amidinohydrolase/sarcosine oxidase/peroxidase
  • Table 4 below are listed the ten genes whose expression, as detected at the RNA level, was most significantly correlated with the concentration of AMG 811 in serum as assessed in the single dose clinical trial described in Example 3. Data from the multiple dose clinical trial described in Example 4 showed that the average of the expression levels of these ten genes was responsive to the dosage level of AMG 811.
  • FIG. 7 shows the average AMG 811 Score for the lupus nephritis patients receiving placebo or 20 or 60 mg of AMG 811.
  • the average AMG 811 Score for patients receiving 20 mg or 60 mg was significantly less than the average score for patients receiving placebo.
  • the amount of reduction in the AMG 811 Score was smaller than what was seen in the general SLE population (data not shown), suggesting that the 60 mg doses may not be high enough to achieve the maximal pharmacodynamic effect of AMG 811 in lupus nephritis patients.
  • FIG. 8 shows the fold change from baseline in the expression of CXCL10 at the protein level as measured by ELISA.
  • FIG. 9 shows similar data from the lupus nephritis patients in cohorts 4 and 5, who received multiple doses of 20 mg and 60 mg, respectively. These data indicate that the 20 mg and 60 mg multiple dose regimes used were effective to reduce in vivo expression of CXCL10 among SLE patients, indicating that these dosage regimes are having a biological effect. These data indicate that the 60 mg multiple dose regime did reduce in vivo expression of CXCL10 in lupus nephritis patients at some early time points, although effects were not as clear as those observed in SLE patients without nephritis.
  • lupus nephritis patients dosed with 20 mg of AMG 811 did not exhibit a clear decrease in serum levels of CXCL10.
  • This difference in apparent dosing requirements between SLE and lupus nephritis patients could reflect a generally more highly activated IFN- ⁇ pathway in lupus nephritis patients as compared to SLE patients.
  • More highly expressed IL-18, IP-10, and CCL2 proteins FIG. 2
  • these data suggest that expression of biomarkers, for example, CXCL10, IL-18, CCL2, etc., could guide dose selection.
  • FIG. 10 shows serum CXCL10 levels as fold change from baseline plotted against serum concentration of AMG 811 in combined patients with general SLE and with lupus nephritis. Higher levels of AMG 811 correlate with further reduction in CXCL10 levels. This suggests that AMG 811 is reducing CXCL10 levels in these patients.
  • amino acid and protein sequences included in the database entries having the accession numbers listed in Table 5 are incorporated herein by reference.
  • sequences of the AGILENT® probes are publicly available in GEO database of NCBI website as mentioned above.
  • AMG 811 affects expression of many genes in viva Among these are a number of genes whose expression is also modulated by IFN- ⁇ ex vivo as described in Example 1 and Table 1 above.
  • the thresholds for being included in this list included (a) being included in Table 1 and (b) being significantly (p ⁇ 0.05) modulated in vivo in patients receiving AMG 811 as compared to patients receiving placebo.
  • Assaying for levels of expression of one or more of the genes in Tables 1, 2, 4, 5, and/or 6 in a biological sample from a diseased patient, optionally an SLE patient, before treatment with an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor, such as AMG 811, and comparison to levels of expression in a control biological sample can indicate which patients might benefit from treatment with an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor.
  • Patients expressing elevated levels of an RNA or protein that is downregulated in vivo by AMG 811 or decreased levels of an RNA or protein that is upregulated by AMG 811 in vivo might benefit from treatment with an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor.
  • patients expressing elevated or lowered levels of an RNA or protein that is up- or down-regulated by IFN- ⁇ could also benefit from treatment with an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor.
  • comparison of expression levels of one or more of the genes listed in Tables 1, 2, 4, 5, and/or 6 before and after treatment with an IFN- ⁇ inhibitor can indicate whether the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor is having a biological effect in a particular patient in vivo. If so, continuing treatment can be advantageous for that patient. If not, treatment can be discontinued, or the IFN- ⁇ inhibitor can be administered at a higher dose or at a greater frequency.
  • FIG. 11 levels of GBP1 transcript versus AMG 811 concentration in serum on days 1 and 15 of the study in lupus nephritis patients are plotted. Comparing FIG. 11 to the right panel of FIG. 3 , which contains similar data from SLE patients, a number of conclusions can be made. First, lupus nephritis patients as a group have higher levels of GBP1 expression at baseline than SLE patients as a group. Further, whereas all SLE patients exhibited a decrease in GBP1 expression upon administration of AMG 811, this was not true for lupus nephritis patients.
  • Urine protein amounts were determined by a dye-binding assay (pyrocatechol violet-ammounium molybdate dye) analyzed in a “dry slide” format using an automated laboratory analyzer. Samples used were either a collection of all the patient's urine over a 24 hour period (24 hour urine protein) or a single urine sample (spot urine protein). Urine creatinine was assessed by a multi-step coupled enzymatic two-point rate colorimetric assay (creatininie amidohydrolase/creatine amidinohydrolase/sarcosine oxidase/peroxidase) analyzed using a “dry slide” format in an automated laboratory analyzer.
  • a dye-binding assay pyrocatechol violet-ammounium molybdate dye
  • Cohorts 4 and 5 comprised lupus nephritis patients receiving doses of 20 mg or 60 mg AMG 811, respectively, or placebo. Although some results from these cohorts are now available, the results are still blinded. Since only two of eight (cohort 4) and three of twelve (cohort 5) patients received placebo, differences in clinical parameters between cohorts 4 and 5 might indicate dose-dependent responses to AMG 811. Among the various measurements made, the following tests indicated no clear difference between cohorts 4 and 5: spot urine creatinine, 24 hour urine creatinine, serum creatinine, serum albumin, complement factors C3 and C4, and anti-double stranded DNA antibodies.
  • urine protein in a 24 hour urine collection and the ratio of urine protein to urine creatinine (UPCR) clearly differed between cohorts 4 and 5, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 .
  • High amounts of urine protein and/or high UPCR indicate impairment of kidney function. Since all but two of the patients in cohort 4 and two or three in cohort 5 received AMG 811, these data suggest that AMG 811 may have a dose-dependent effect on kidney function in lupus nephritis patients. More specifically, these results suggest that a dose of more than 20 mg of AMG 811 is necessary to have a positive effect on kidney function in lupus nephritis patients.
  • a phase 1b single dose crossover study in discoid lupus has been enrolled. Sixteen subjects (of twenty planned subjects) with discoid lupus were dosed with a single dose of 180 milligrams of AMG 811 and a single dose of placebo, each administered subcutaneously, in one of two sequences. Per study protocol, twelve patients were to receive 180 mg SC of AMG 811 on day 1 and a dose of placebo on day 85, and eight patients were to receive a dose of placebo on day 1 and 180 mg SC of AMG 811 on day 85. However, enrollment of the study was stopped after sixteen patients had been enrolled. As primary endpoints of the study, treatment-emergent adverse events, vital signs, clinical laboratory tests, ECGs, and the incidence of binding and neutralizing antibodies to AMG 811 were monitored. Physical examinations were also to be performed.
  • the pharmacokinetic profile of AMG 811 is determined, and CLASI scores are determined.
  • Expression of biomarkers in peripheral blood at the RNA level are assessed by hybridization to a DNA array as described above in samples taken at baseline (in the time period from three days prior to dosing to one day prior to dosing) and on days 15, 29, 57, 85, 99, 113, 141, 169, and 197 (which is the end of study). Analysis of selected biomarkers at the protein level by ELISA may also be performed. In addition, skin samples were taken at baseline and on days 15 and 57 for analysis of biomarker expression at the RNA level by hybridization to a DNA array.
  • Selected biomarkers may also be assayed at the protein level in the skin samples using immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, or ELISA. Information available to date indicates that clinical parameters, such as improvements in the CLASI score, did not correlate clearly with dosing of AMG 811. The results of this trial are still blinded.
  • a phase 1b single dose, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in psoriasis is in progress.
  • Nine subjects with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis (having a PASI score 10 and an affected body surface area 10) were enrolled in the study. The study is still blinded. Proceeding with a study plan that originally included ten, not nine, patients, seven or eight patients will receive drug, and one or two patients will receive placebo. Those that receive drug will receive (or have received) a single dose of 180 milligrams of AMG 811 on study day 1.
  • Treatment-emergent adverse events, vital signs, clinical laboratory tests, ECGs, and the incidence of binding and neutralizing antibodies to AMG 811 were monitored. Physical examinations were also performed.
  • FIG. 14 blinded data showing PASI scores for the nine patients in this trial are displayed. Given the design of the trial, one or two of these patients received placebo, and seven or eight received AMG 811. All but one of these eight patients experienced a decrease, i.e., an improvement, in PASI score at some or all post-dose time points, a result indicating that most patients receiving AMG 811 experienced at least a temporary clinical benefit. However, since the data is blinded and one or two of these patients received placebo, the effects of AMG 811 on PASI scores will be more clear when the data is unblinded.

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