Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
  • A61K9/00—Medicinal preparations characterised by special physical form
  • A61K9/14—Particulate form, e.g. powders, Processes for size reducing of pure drugs or the resulting products, Pure drug nanoparticles
  • A61K9/16—Agglomerates; Granulates; Microbeadlets ; Microspheres; Pellets; Solid products obtained by spray drying, spray freeze drying, spray congealing,(multiple) emulsion solvent evaporation or extraction
  • A61K9/167—Agglomerates; Granulates; Microbeadlets ; Microspheres; Pellets; Solid products obtained by spray drying, spray freeze drying, spray congealing,(multiple) emulsion solvent evaporation or extraction with an outer layer or coating comprising drug; with chemically bound drugs or non-active substances on their surface
  • A61K9/1676—Agglomerates; Granulates; Microbeadlets ; Microspheres; Pellets; Solid products obtained by spray drying, spray freeze drying, spray congealing,(multiple) emulsion solvent evaporation or extraction with an outer layer or coating comprising drug; with chemically bound drugs or non-active substances on their surface having a drug-free core with discrete complete coating layer containing drug
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
  • A61K9/00—Medicinal preparations characterised by special physical form
  • A61K9/0012—Galenical forms characterised by the site of application
  • A61K9/0014—Skin, i.e. galenical aspects of topical compositions
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
  • A61K9/00—Medicinal preparations characterised by special physical form
  • A61K9/0012—Galenical forms characterised by the site of application
  • A61K9/0019—Injectable compositions; Intramuscular, intravenous, arterial, subcutaneous administration; Compositions to be administered through the skin in an invasive manner
  • A61K9/0021—Intradermal administration, e.g. through microneedle arrays, needleless injectors
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
  • A61K47/00—Medicinal preparations characterised by the non-active ingredients used, e.g. carriers or inert additives; Targeting or modifying agents chemically bound to the active ingredient
  • A61K47/06—Organic compounds, e.g. natural or synthetic hydrocarbons, polyolefins, mineral oil, petrolatum or ozokerite
  • A61K47/16—Organic compounds, e.g. natural or synthetic hydrocarbons, polyolefins, mineral oil, petrolatum or ozokerite containing nitrogen, e.g. nitro-, nitroso-, azo-compounds, nitriles, cyanates
  • A61K47/18—Amines; Amides; Ureas; Quaternary ammonium compounds; Amino acids; Oligopeptides having up to five amino acids
  • A61K47/183—Amino acids, e.g. glycine, EDTA or aspartame
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
  • A61K47/00—Medicinal preparations characterised by the non-active ingredients used, e.g. carriers or inert additives; Targeting or modifying agents chemically bound to the active ingredient
  • A61K47/06—Organic compounds, e.g. natural or synthetic hydrocarbons, polyolefins, mineral oil, petrolatum or ozokerite
  • A61K47/20—Organic compounds, e.g. natural or synthetic hydrocarbons, polyolefins, mineral oil, petrolatum or ozokerite containing sulfur, e.g. dimethyl sulfoxide [DMSO], docusate, sodium lauryl sulfate or aminosulfonic acids
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
  • A61K47/00—Medicinal preparations characterised by the non-active ingredients used, e.g. carriers or inert additives; Targeting or modifying agents chemically bound to the active ingredient
  • A61K47/06—Organic compounds, e.g. natural or synthetic hydrocarbons, polyolefins, mineral oil, petrolatum or ozokerite
  • A61K47/26—Carbohydrates, e.g. sugar alcohols, amino sugars, nucleic acids, mono-, di- or oligo-saccharides; Derivatives thereof, e.g. polysorbates, sorbitan fatty acid esters or glycyrrhizin
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
  • A61K9/00—Medicinal preparations characterised by special physical form
  • A61K9/14—Particulate form, e.g. powders, Processes for size reducing of pure drugs or the resulting products, Pure drug nanoparticles
  • A61K9/141—Intimate drug-carrier mixtures characterised by the carrier, e.g. ordered mixtures, adsorbates, solid solutions, eutectica, co-dried, co-solubilised, co-kneaded, co-milled, co-ground products, co-precipitates, co-evaporates, co-extrudates, co-melts; Drug nanoparticles with adsorbed surface modifiers
  • A61K9/145—Intimate drug-carrier mixtures characterised by the carrier, e.g. ordered mixtures, adsorbates, solid solutions, eutectica, co-dried, co-solubilised, co-kneaded, co-milled, co-ground products, co-precipitates, co-evaporates, co-extrudates, co-melts; Drug nanoparticles with adsorbed surface modifiers with organic compounds

Definitions

• the present invention relates to efficient devices for administration of DNA based pharmaceutical agents into mammalian skin.
• devices for administration of DNA vaccines into the skin of the mammal and preferably into human skin.
• the present invention provides a microneedle DNA pharmaceutical agent delivery device having at least one skin-piercing element which comprises a support member coated with a solid reservoir medium containing, in solid solution or suspension within it, the DNA pharmaceutical agent, and a stabilising agent that inhibits the degradative effects of free radicals.
• the solid pharmaceutical reservoir medium coated onto such devices is a polyol, preferably being a polyol in an amorphous state (such as a glass).
• the free radical stabilising agent is preferably a free radical scavenger and/or a metal ion chelator.
• the DNA vaccine devices of the present invention comprise a DNA plasmid, a free radical scavenger, and a metal ion chelator, in solid solution within a glassy sugar reservoir medium, coated onto a support member.
• the DNA devices of the present invention are storage stable, and only substantially release the DNA pharmaceutical after penetration of the skin piercing portion into the skin.
• the DNA pharmaceutical delivery devices are proportioned such that agent is delivered into defined layers of the skin, and preferred delivery devices comprise skin-piercing portions that deliver the pharmaceutical agent into the epithelium or the dermis.
• Preferred reservoir media comprise sugars, and in particular stabilising sugars that form a glass such as lactose, raffinose, trehalose, glucose or sucrose.
• vaccine delivery devices for administration of vaccines into the skin are provided, methods of their manufacture, and their use in medicine.
• the skin represents a significant barrier to external agents.
• a summary of human skin is provided in Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 28 th Edition. Starting from the external layers, working inwards, the skin comprises the epithelium comprising the stratum corneum, the viable epithelium, and underlying the epithelium is the dermis.
• the epithelium consists of five layers: Stratum corneum, Stratum lucidium, Stratum granulosum, Stratum spinosum, and Stratum basale.
• the epithelium (including all five layers) is the outermost non-vascular layer of the skin, and varies between 0.07 and 0.12 mm thick (70-120 ⁇ m).
• the epithelium is populated with keratinocytes, a cell that produces keratin and constitutes 95% of the dedicated epidermal cells.
• the other 5% of cells are melanocytes.
• the underlying dermis is normally found within a range of 0.3 to about 3 mm beneath the surface of the stratum corneum, and contains sweat glands, hair follicles, nerve endings and blood vessels.
• the stratum corneum dominates the skin permeability barrier and consists of a few dozen horny, keratinised epithelium layers.
• the narrow interstices between the dead or dying keratinocytes in this region are filled with crystalline lipid multilamellae. These efficiently seal the interstices between the skin or body interior and the surroundings by providing a hydrophobic barrier to entry by hydrophilic molecules.
• the stratum corneum being in the range of 30-70 ⁇ m thick.
• Langerhans cells are found throughout the basal granular layer of the epithelium (stratum spinosum and stratum granulosum, (Small Animal Dermatology - Third Edition, Muller - Kirk - Scott, Ed: Saunders (1983)) and are considered to play an important role in the immune system's initial defence against invading organisms. This layer of the skin therefore represents a suitable target zone for certain types of vaccine.
• Solid dosage forms comprising a pharmaceutical agents and a stabilising polyol, such as a sugar wherein the dosage forms are in the form of powders and trocars are described in WO 96/03978.
• Supercoiled DNA in pharmaceutical preparations are known to degrade over time resulting in the loss of the supercoiled structure and associated formation of open circle or linear DNA structures (Evans et al., 2000, Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 89(1), 76-87; WO 97/40839).
• One mechanism by which this chain scission reaction may occur is oxidation of the DNA by free hydroxyl radicals produced from dissolved oxygen in the DNA solutions, a process that is catalysed by metal ions.
• the free radical formation reaction may be catalysed by several transition metal ions, the most common of which, however, are iron and copper ions (Fe , Fe , Cu or Cu ; Evans et al. supra).
• Plasmid based delivery of genes, particularly for immunisation or gene therapy purposes is known.
• administration of naked DNA by injection into mouse muscle is outlined in WO90/11092.
• Johnston et al WO 91/07487 describe methods of transferring a gene to veterbrate cells, by the use of microprojectiles that have been coated with a polynucleotide encoding a gene of interest, and accelerating the microparticles such that the microparticles can penetrate the target cell.
• DNA vaccines usually consist of a bacterial plasmid vector into which is inserted a strong viral promoter, the gene of interest which encodes for an antigenic peptide and a polyadenylation/transcriptional termination sequences.
• the gene of interest may encode a full protein or simply an antigenic peptide sequence relating to the pathogen, tumour or other agent which is intended to be protected against.
• the plasmid can be grown in bacteria, such as for example E.coli and then isolated and prepared in an appropriate medium, depending upon the intended route of administration, before being administered to the host. Following ac iinistration the plasmid is taken up by cells of the host where the encoded protein or peptide is produced.
• the plasmid vector will preferably be made without an origin of replication which is functional in eukaryotic cells, in order to prevent plasmid replication in the mammalian host and integration within chromosomal DNA of the animal concerned.
• DNA vaccination may also encompass techniques such as administration of viral or bacterial vectors, which encode and express the heterogenous vaccine antigen.
• the present invention overcomes the problems of the prior art and provides a device which is capable of administering and releasing the DNA agents efficiently into the skin, and also in which the DNA is stabilised such that it is released in its supercoiled form.
• FIG 1. shows the plasmids used in this study A. pEGFP-Cl, B. pGL3CMV, C. pVA.Cl.ova
• FIG 2. shows 0.8% agarose gel electrophoresis using an E-gel, for analysis of supercoiled plasmid DNA, pEGFP-Cl, after coating onto and immediate elution from sewing needles.
• FIG 3. shows 1.2% agarose gel electrophoresis using an E-gel, for analysis of supercoiled plasmid DNA, pEGFP-Cl, after coating onto and elution from sewing needles.
• FIG. 4 shows 1.2% agarose gel electrophoresis using an E-gel, for analysis of supercoiled plasmid DNA, pGL3CMV, after coating onto and elution from sewing needles stored for varying time periods at 4°C.
• FIG. 5 shows 1% agarose gel electrophoresis, in the absence of ethidium bromide, (EtBr), for analysis of supercoiled plasmid DNA, pGL3CMN, after coating onto sewing needles.
• EtBr ethidium bromide
• FIG. 6 shows 1.2% agarose gel electrophoresis using an E-gel, for analysis of supercoiled plasmid D ⁇ A, pGL3CMN, after coating onto and immediate elution from sewing needles or 30G hypodermic needles.
• FIG. 7 shows 1% agarose gel electrophoresis, in the absence of ethidium bromide, (EtBr), for analysis of supercoiled plasmid D ⁇ A, pNaclova, (resuspended in a variety of different formulations at 5ug/ul), after coating onto sewing or hypodermic needles of different gauges and 'release' into agarose.
• FIG. 8 shows 1% agarose gel electrophoresis, in the absence of ethidium bromide, (EtBr), for analysis of supercoiled plasmid D ⁇ A, pNac 1 ova,
• FIG. 9 shows comparative luciferase activity, (48 hours post fransfection), derived from plasmid pGL3CMN, delivered either intradermally, (ID, Fig. 9 A), or intramuscularly, (J , Fig. 9B), to mice, from D ⁇ A coated 30G hypodermic needles compared to controls of standard ID and standard IM delivery in saline.
• FIG 10 shows comparative luciferase activity, (48 hours post fransfection), derived from plasmid pGL3CMN, delivered intradermally, (ID), to mice, from D ⁇ A coated 30G hypodermic needles and D ⁇ A coated sowing needles, compared to controls of standard ID delivery in saline.
• FIG 11 shows comparative luciferase activity, (24 hours post fransfection), derived from plasmid pGL3CMN, delivered either intradermally, (ID, Fig. 11 A), or intramuscularly, (TM, Fig. 1 IB), to mice, from pairs of D ⁇ A coated sowing needles and compared to D ⁇ A coated 2 needle array electrodes plus electroporation.
• FIG 12 shows comparative luciferase activity, (24 hours post fransfection), derived from plasmid pGL3CMN, delivered intradermally, (JO), to mice, from D ⁇ A coated microneedles plus electroporation through calliper electrodes.
• FIG 13 shows a graphical plot of the percentage of supercoiled plasmid, (%ccc), both monomeric, (%cccmon), and dimeric, (%cccdim), plasmid forms; after coating and lyophilization onto sowing needles and storage at 37°C.
• the plasmid formulations used contain varying amounts of sugars: FIG 13 A: 5% Sucrose, FIG 13B: 10% Sucrose, FIG 13C: 17.5% Sucrose, FIG 13D: 40% Sucrose, FIG 13E: 40% Trehalose, FIG 13F: 40% Glucose.
• FIG 14 shows differential scanning calorimetry, (DSC), data, for plasmid DNA, (lOmg/ml), formulations in 40% sucrose.
• Fig 14A & B formulations also contain: lOOmM TrisHCl pH8.0, ImM EDTA, lOmM methionine and 2.9% ethanol;
• Fig 14A & C represent a 24 hour lyophilization cycle;
• Fig 14B & D represent a 1 hour lyophilization cycle.
• FIG 15 shows polarized light microscopy data, for plasmid DNA, (lOmg/ml), formulations in 40% sucrose.
• Fig 15A formulations also contain: lOOmM TrisHCl pH8.0, ImM EDTA, lOmM methionine and 2.9% ethanol, Figl5C: only contains 40% sucrose and Fig 15D: shows crystals of the excipients described in the formulation shown in Fig 15 A.
• 1AM, 2AM & 3 AM represent a 24 hour lyophilization cycle, whereas 1ST, 2ST & 3 ST represent a 1 hour lyophilization cycle.
• FIG 16 shows polarized light microscopy data, for lyophilisized plasmid DNA
• Fig 16A sample 1: 40% w/v ficoll, sample 2: 20% w/v dextran, sample 3: 40% w/v sucrose, sample 4: 20% w/v maltotriose.
• Fig 16B sample 5: 20% w/v lactose, sample 6: 30% w/v maltose, sample 7: 40% w/v glucose, sample 8: 40% w/v trehalose.
• the present invention provides a microneedle DNA-based pharmaceutical agent delivery device having at least one skin-piercing microneedle which comprises a support member coated with a solid reservoir medium containing the DNA pharmaceutical agent, and a stabilising agent that inhibits the degradative effects of free radicals.
• the skin piercing microneedle may consist of the solid DNA pharmaceutical agent reservoir medium without the support member.
• Certain embodiments of the devices described herein also have the significant advantage of being stored at room temperature thus reducing logistic costs and releasing valuable refrigerator space for other products.
• the skin piercing microneedles formed by coating the support members with the solid reservoir medium containing the agent to be delivered, after coating with the reservoir medium onto the support member, are long enough and sharp enough to pierce the stratum corneum of the skin.
• the pharmaceutical agent delivery device has been administered to the surface of the skin, and the coated skin-piercing member or microneedle has pierced through the stratum corneum, the solid reservoir medium biodegrades thereby releasing the agent into the skin underlying the stratum corneum.
• DNA vaccine delivery devices form a preferred aspect of the present invention.
• the agent to be delivered is a polynucleotide that encodes an antigen or antigens derivable from a pathogen such as micro-organisms or viruses, or may be a self antigen in the case of a cancer vaccine or other self antigen.
• the support members which when coated with reservoir medium to form the skin piercing microneedles of the devices of the present invention, may be made of almost any material which can be used to create a protrusion that is strong enough to withstand piercing the stratum corneum, and which is safe for the purpose.
• the protrusions may be made of a metal, such as pharmaceutical grade stainless steel, gold or titanium or other such metal used in prostheses, alloys of these or other metals; ceramics, semi-conductors, silicon, polymers, plastics, glasses or composites.
• a metal such as pharmaceutical grade stainless steel, gold or titanium or other such metal used in prostheses, alloys of these or other metals; ceramics, semi-conductors, silicon, polymers, plastics, glasses or composites.
• the delivery devices may be in the form of a single needle, trocar or cannula, or may comprise multiple skin piercing elements in the form of a patch.
• the patches of the present invention generally comprise a backing plate or supportive structure from which depend a plurality of piercing protrusions such as microneedles or microblades.
• the piercing protrusions themselves may take many forms, and may be solid or hollow, and as such may be in the form of a solid needle or blade (such as the microblade aspects and designs described in McAllister et al., Annu. Rev. Biomed. Eng., 2000, 2, 289-313; Henry et al., Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 1998, 87, 8, 922-925; Kaushik et al, Anesth. Analg., 2001, 92, 502-504; McAllister et al, Proceed. Int'l. Symp. Control. Rel.
• the piercing protrusions may be in the form of a microcannula having a hollow central bore.
• the central bore may extend through the needle to form a channel communicating with both sides of the microneedle device (EP 0 796 128 Bl). Solid needles and microblades are preferred.
• the length of the skin-piercing microneedle for administration of the DNA into the skin may be varied depending on which anatomical location the patch is to be administered and which layer of skin it is desired to administer the pharmaceutical agent in the vaccinee species. Typically between l ⁇ m to 3mm, preferably between 1 ⁇ m and 1mm, preferably between 50 ⁇ m and 600 ⁇ m, and more preferably between 100 and 400 ⁇ m.
• the length of the skin-piercing microneedle maybe selected according to the site chosen for targeting delivery of the agent, namely, preferably, the dermis and most preferably the epidermis.
• the support members of the devices of the present invention may be take the form of, and be manufactured by the methods described in US 5,879,326, WO 97/48440, WO 97/48442, WO 98/28037, WO 99/29298, WO 99/29364, WO 99/29365, WO 99/64580, WO 00/05339, WO 00/05166, or WO 00/16833; or McAllister et al, Annu. Rev. Biomed. Eng., 2000, 2, 289-313; Henry et al, Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 1998, 87, 8, 922-925; Kaushik et al., Anesth. Analg., 2001, 92, 502-504; McAllister et al, Proceed. Int'l. Symp. Control Rel. Bioact. Mater., 26, (1999), Controlled Release Society, Inc., 192- 193.
• microblade devices to be coated with the pharmaceutical agent reservoir medium to form devices of the present invention are described in WO 99 48440 and Henry et al, Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 1998, 87, 8, 922-925, the contents of both are fully incorporated herein.
• the devices of the present invention preferably comprise a plurality of skin- piercing microneedles, preferably up to 1000 microneedles per device, more preferably up to 500 skin-piercing microneedles per device.
• the piercing protrusion may flat or may have a circular or polygonal cross section.
• the protrusions can have straight or tapered shafts and may be flat or circular, or other polygonal shape, in cross section.
• the microblades may have a curved blade or be formed into a V-section groove.
• the protrusions may have more complex shapes to enhance adherence and fluid dynamics such as a five pointed star.
• the skin-piercing microneedles may be integral with the backing plate or may be attached thereto.
• the piercing protrusion may be formed of the reservoir medium.
• Such devices may be made by formed by drawing or extruding a molten reservoir medium containing the agent into fine points.
• molten reservoir medium could be cast directly onto a backing plate through a multipore head, where the hot extrudate cools and sticks to the plate. When you draw back the extrudate a series of pointed ends is formed.
• the surface of the protrusion maybe textured.
• the surface may be coarse grained, rippled or ribbed.
• solid microblades may further comprise through holes, such that the reservoir may dry therein and create a reservoir tie, to hold the reservoir onto the blade more securely.
• the friable reservoir may be entirely held within such holes thereby protected from breakage during puncture of the skin.
• the microneedles, support members or reservoir medium maybe physically separable from the patch or backing plate prior to DNA release.
• the skin piercing microneedles (or at least the tips thereof) are formed from the reservoir itself
• the piercing protrusions separates from the base support thus allowing the patch to be removed from the skin, whilst leaving the reservoir behind in the skin.
• the separation of the reservoir from the backing plate may be by physical shearing or by biodegradation of part of the needles adjacent the backing plate.
• One embodiment of this may be to cast the microprotrusion tips out of a relatively poorly soluble disaccharide reservoir medium (containing a dispersion of the agent to be delivered) followed by casting the remaining portion of the microprotrusion and backing plate out of a relatively easily soluble material.
• the relatively easily soluble microprotrusion shaft would degrade away, thereby allowing the patch to be removed from the skin, whilst leaving the tips within the skin. The tips, remaining in the skin can then slowly release the agent by slower biodegradation.
• the devices may be electroporation devices.
• US 6261281 describes liquid intramuscular DNA vaccination followed by insertion of electrodes to pass an electric current across the muscle cells to enhance uptake of the DNA into the cells.
• WO 00/44438 describes needle patches coated with DNA in the absence of a reservoir medium, the metal needles being used as electrodes.
• a electroporation device comprising a plurality of skin piercing elements which comprise a support member coated with an amorphous solid reservoir medium containing the DNA pharmaceutical agent, and a stabilising agent that inhibits the degradative effects of free radicals.
• One preferred embodiment of this are the devices described in WO 00/44438 (the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference) the needles of which are coated with an amorphous reservoir medium containing a DNA vaccine and a stabilising agent that inhibits the degradative effects of free radicals.
• the polyol biodegradable agent reservoir may be any made from any medium that fulfils the function required for the present invention.
• the reservoir must be capable of adhering to the support member to a sufficient extent that the reservoir remains physically stable and attached during prolonged storage, and also remains substantially intact during the administration procedure when the coated microneedles pierce the stratum corneum.
• the reservoir must also be capable of holding or containing a suspension or solution of agent to be delivered in any dry or partially dry form, which is released into the skin during biodegradation of the reservoir medium.
• Biodegradation of the medium in the sense of the present invention means that the reservoir medium changes state, such that changes from its non-releasing to its releasing states whereby the agent enters into the skin.
• the release of the active agent may involve one or more physical and/or chemical processes such as hydration, diffusion, phase transition, crystallisation, dissolution, enzymatic reaction and/or chemical reaction.
• biodegradation can be induced by one or more of the following: water, body fluids, humidity, body temperature, enzymes, catalysts and/or reactants.
• the change of the reservoir medium may therefore be induced by hydration, and warming associated with the higher humidity and temperature of the skin.
• the reservoir medium may then degrade by dissolution and/or swelling and/or change phase (crystalline or amorphous), thereby disintegrating or merely increase the permeation of the medium.
• the medium dissolves, and is metabolised or expelled or excreted from the body, but the reservoir may alternatively remain attached to the support member to be removed from the skin when the device is removed. Release of the agent by dissolution of the reservoir medium is preferred.
• the solid reservoir medium is a polyol (such as those described in WO96/03978).
• Suitable polyol reservoir media include carbohydrates (such as sugars), polysaccharides, substituted polyols such as hydrophobically derivatised carbohydrates, amino acids, biodegradable polymers or co-polymers such as poly(hydroxy acid)s, polyahhydrides, poly(ortho)esters, polyurethanes, poly(butyric acid)s, poly(valeric acid)s, and poly(lactide-co-caprolactone)s, or polylactide co- glycolide.
• the solid reservoir may be in an amorphous or crystalline state and may also be partially amorphous and partially crystalline.
• the reservoir is in an amorphous state. More preferably still is that the amorphous reservoir is in the form of a glass (US 5,098,893). Most preferably the reservoir is a sugar glass.
• Particularly preferred reservoir media are those that stabilise the agent to be delivered over the period of storage. For example, antigen or agent dissolved or dispersed in a polyol glass or simply dried in a polyol are storage stable over prolonged periods of time (US 5,098,893, US 6,071,428; WO 98/16205; WO 96/05809; WO 96/03978; US 4,891,319; US 5,621,094; WO 96/33744). Suchpolyols form the preferred set of reservoir media.
• Preferred polyols include sugars, including mono, di, tri, or oligo saccharides and their corresponding sugar alcohols.
• Suitable sugars for use in the present invention are well known in the art and include, trehalose, glucose, sucrose, lactose, fructose, galactose, mannose, maltulose, iso-maltulose and lactulose, maltose, or dextrose and sugar alcohols of the aforementioned such as mannitol, lactitol and maltitol.
• Sucrose, Lactose, Raffinose and Trehalose are preferred. Most preferred are glucose, trehalose or sucrose.
• the DNA and stabilising agent are in a solid solution within the amorphous, and preferably glassy reservoir medium. It is preferred that the reservoir medium forms an amorphous glass upon drying.
• the glass reservoir may have any glass fransition temperature, but preferably it has a glass transition temperature that both stabilises the pharmaceutical agent during storage and also facilitates rapid release of the agent after insertion of the reservoir into the skin. Accordingly, the glass transition temperature is greater than ambient storage temperatures, but may be is around body temperature (such as, but not limited to 35-50°C).
• the preferred reservoir media used to coat the skin-piercing members of the devices are those that release the pharmaceutical agent over a short period of time.
• the preferred reservoir formulations release substantially all of the agent within 10 minutes, more preferably within 5 minutes, more preferably within 2 minutes, more preferably within 1 minute, and most preferably within 30 seconds of insertion into a 1% agarose gel.
• sufficient DNA is released to give its biological effect within 24 hours of administration to the skin, preferably sufficient DNA is released within 8 hours and most preferably within 1 hour of administration to the skin.
• Such fast releasing reservoirs can be achieved, for example, by thin coatings of amorphous glass reservoirs, particularly fast dissolving/swelling glassy reservoirs having low glass transition temperatures.
• a low glass transition temperature can be achieved by selecting the appropriate glass forming sugar, and/or increasing humidity and or ionic strength of the glass. Additionally, increased speed of dissolution of glass reservoirs may also be achieved by warming the device before or during application to the skin, pre-hydrating the skin or by administering liquid at the same time as inserting the microneedles into the skin (such as injecting liquid through the bores of the dry reservoir coated microcannulas) or adding additional agents to the formulation in order to decrease the dissolution time.
• the DNA component of the present invention may be linear or open circular or supercoiled plasmid DNA, but may in a related form of the present invention the DNA may be in the form of a live attenuated bacterial or viral vector.
• the DNA is in the form of a supercoiled plasmid.
• a supercoiled plasmid is stabilised so that upon release, it largely remains in its supercoiled form, and preferably in its monomeric supercoiled form.
• Plasmid DNA stability can be defined in a number of ways and can be a relative phenomenon determined by the conditions of storage such as pH, humidity and temperature. For storage in the presence of iron ions on the coated reservoir, preferably >50% of plasmid remains supercoiled, (ccc, covalently closed circular), upon storage for 3 months at 4°C.
• >60% of plasmid remains ccc and more preferably, under these storage conditions, >90% of plasmid remains ccc for 3 months at 4°C.
• the stability of plasmid DNA would be preferably >60% and more preferably 80% and most preferably >90% ccc after 3 months storage at 4°C. More preferably, under these storage conditions, >90% of plasmid remains ccc for 1 year at 4°C, and more preferably >90% of plasmid remains ccc for 2 years at 4°C.
• the DNA within a solid reservoir medium coated onto sewing needles is preferably stabilised in its supercoiled (ccc) form during accelerated stability studies, and most preferably the DNA is stabilised in its monomeric ccc form.
• ccc supercoiled
• An example of an acellarated stability study is where dry coated needles are maintained at 37°C for 4 weeks followed by analysis of the DNA structure over time.
• the ratio of monomeric:dimeric ccc DNA is about 1 (such as within the range of 0.8-1.2, or more preferably within the range of 0.9- 1.1 and most preferably within the range of 0.95- 1.5), or greater than 1.
• the ratio of monomeric:dimeric ccc can be measured by image intensity analysis after agarose gel electrophoresis (in the absence of any intercalating agents) and EtBr staining, using commercially available software such as Lab works 4.0 running on a UVP Bioimaging system.
• the reservoir mediums of the present invention contain a stabilising agent that inhibits the degradative effects of free radicals.
• Preferred stabilising agents include stabilising metal ion chelating agents, while preferred metal ion chelating agents include inositol hexaphosphate, tripolyphosphate, succinic and malic acid, emylenediamine tefraacetic acid (EDTA), tris (hydroxymethyl) amino methane (TRIS), Desferal, diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTP A) and ethylenediamindihydroxyphenylacetic acid (EDDHA).
• Other preferred stabilising agents are non-reducing free radical scavengers, and preferably such as agents are ethanol, methionine or glutathione.
• Suitable chelators and scavengers may be readily identified by the man skilled in the art by routine experimentation (as described in WO 97/40839).
• the amounts of the components present may be determined by the man skilled in the art, but generally are in the range of 0.1-1 OmM for the metal ion chelators, Ethanol is present in an amount up to about 5% (v/v), methionine is present at about 0.1 to lOOmM and Glutathione is present at about 0.1 to 10% (v/v).
• Preferred combinations of stabilising agents are (a) Phosphate buffered ethanol solution in combination with methionine or EDTA, (b) Tris buffered EDTA in combination with methionine or ethanol (or combinations of methionine and ethanol).
• Particularly preferred formulations which may be combined with the DNA and the polyols: sucrose or trehalose in demetalated water or Phosphate or Tris based buffers and then dried onto the devices of the present invention are: A. lOmM methionine and 2.9% ethanol
• the preferred solid reservoir media in the devices of the present invention contain a metal ion chelating agent or a non-reducing free radical scavenger. Most preferably the solid reservoir media in the devices of the present invention contain both a metal ion chelating agent and a non-reducing free radical scavenger.
• further steps may be taken to enhance the stability of the DNA in the solid vaccines.
• the formulations maybe made using solutions which themselves were demetalated before use (for example by using commercially available demetalating resin such as Chelex 100 from Biorad) and/or the formulation may be finalised in a high pH (such as pH 8-10)
• the formulations comprising the agent to be delivered and biodegradable reservoir medium are preferably mixed in aqueous solution and then dried onto the support member or the formulation could be melted and then applied to the support member.
• a preferred process for coating the support members comprises making an aqueous solution of vaccine antigen and water soluble polyol (such as trehalose), followed by coating the solution onto the support members by dipping the member into the solution one or more times followed by drying at ambient temperature or lyophilisation to give a porous coating.
• the initial solution of water soluble polyol or sugar is viscous, such as the viscosity achieved from 40% sugar.
• minute picolitre volumes of solution or melted formulation may be sprayed onto individual support members by technology commonly used in the art of bubble-jet printers, followed by drying.
• An alternative method would be to prepare microspheres or microparticles or powders of amorphous formulation containing polyol such as sugar, using techniques known in the art (such as spray drying or spray freeze drying or drying and grinding) and by controlling the moisture content to achieve a relatively low glass transition temperature (for example 30°C), followed by spraying or dipping to bring the micropheres or microparticles or powders into contact with the support member heated to a temperature above that of the glass transition temperature of the microsphere (for example 45 °C).
• the coated particles would then melt and adhere to the support member and then dry or the coated support member would be further dried (to remove residual moisture content) thereby increasing the glass fransition temperature of the reservoir medium suitable for storage.
• the support member may be coated using a freeze coating technique.
• the temperature of the microneedle support member may be lowered below that of the freezing point of water (for example by dipping in liquid nitrogen) and then aqueous solutions of the reservoir medium and agent may be sprayed onto the cold support members, or the support members may be dipped into the solution of agent.
• the agent and reservoir medium rapidly adheres to the microneedle support member, which can then be sublimed by lyophilisation, or evaporated at higher temperatures, to dry the reservoir coating.
• Another method to coat the microneedle support is to dip them in a solvent, such as water (optionally comprising a surfactant to ensure good contact) then dipping wetted support members in a powdered form of the reservoir medium which is soluble in the solvent, followed by drying to remove the solvent.
• a solvent such as water (optionally comprising a surfactant to ensure good contact)
• a process for coating a support member with a viscous solution of reservoir forming medium which is sufficiently fluid to allow sterile filtration through a 220 nm pore membrane Accordingly there is provided a vaccine formulation comprising antigen in a filterable viscous sugar solution formulation.
• filterable viscous sugar solutions are solutions of between about 20 to about 50 % sugar (weight/volume of the final vaccine formulation prior to drying). More preferably the viscous filterable sugar solutions are in the range of about 30% to about 45% sugar, and most preferable are about 40% (weight sugar/volume of the final vaccine formulation prior to drying).
• the most preferred sugar solutions comprise sucrose, raffinose, trehalose, glucose or lactose.
• each skin piercing microneedle may be loaded with relatively high amounts of pharmaceutical agent.
• Each piercing member preferably being loaded with up to 500 ng of DNA pharmaceutical, more preferably up to 1 ⁇ g of pharmaceutical DNA, more preferably up to 5 ⁇ g of pharmaceutical DNA and most preferably up to lO ⁇ g of pharmaceutical DNA.
• the vaccine formulations of the present invention contain DNA that encode an antigen or antigenic composition capable of eliciting an immune response against a human pathogen, which antigen or antigenic composition is derived from HJN-1, (such as tat, nef, gpl20 or gpl60), human herpes viruses, such as gD or derivatives thereof or Immediate Early protein such as ICP27 from HSV1 or HSV2, cytomegalovirus ((esp Human)(such as gB or derivatives thereof), Rotavirus
• hepatitis virus such as hepatitis B virus (for example Hepatitis B Surface antigen or a derivative thereof), hepatitis A virus, hepatitis C virus and hepatitis E virus, or from other viral pathogens, such as paramyxo viruses: Respiratory Syncytial virus (such as F and G proteins or derivatives thereof), parainfluenza virus, measles virus, mumps virus, human papilloma viruses (for example HPV6, 11, 16, 18, ..), flaviviruses (e.g.
• Influenza virus whole live or inactivated virus, split influenza virus, grown in eggs or MDCK cells, or Vero cells or whole flu virosomes (as described by R. Gluck, Vaccine, 1992, 10, 915-920) or purified or recombinant proteins thereof, such as HA, NP, NA, or M proteins, or combinations thereof), or derived from bacterial pathogens such as Neisseria spp, including N. gonorrhea and N.
• meningitidis for example capsular polysaccharides and conjugates thereof, transferrin-binding proteins, lactoferrin binding proteins, PilC, adhesins
• S. pyogenes for example M proteins or fragments thereof, C5 A protease, lipoteichoic acids
• S. agalactiae S. mutans
• H. ducreyi Moraxella spp, including M catarrhalis, also known as Branhamella catarrhalis (for example high and low molecular weight adhesins and invasins ; Bordetella spp, including B.
• pertussis for example pertactin, pertussis toxin or derivatives thereof, filamenteous hemagglutinin, adenylate cyclase, fimbriae), B. parapertussis and B. bronchiseptica
• Mycobacterium spp. including M. tuberculosis (for example ESAT6, Antigen 85A, -B or -C), M. bovis, M. leprae, M. avium, M. paratuberculosis, M. smegmatis; Legionella spp, including L. pneumophila;
• Escherichia spp including enterotoxic E. coli (for example colonization factors, heat- labile toxin or derivatives thereof, heat-stable toxin or derivatives thereof), enterohemorragic E. coli, enteropathogenic E. coli (for example shiga toxin-like toxin or derivatives thereof); Vibrio spp, including V. cholera (for example cholera toxin or derivatives thereof); Shigella spp, including S. sonnei, S. dysenteriae, S. flexnerii; Yersinia spp, including Y. enterocolitica (for example a Yop protein) , Y. pestis, Y.
• enterotoxic E. coli for example colonization factors, heat- labile toxin or derivatives thereof, heat-stable toxin or derivatives thereof
• enterohemorragic E. coli enteropathogenic E. coli (for example shiga toxin-like toxin or derivatives
• Campylobacter spp including C.jejuni (for example toxins, adhesins and invasins) and C. coli; Salmonella spp, including S. typhi, S. paratyphi, S. choleraesuis, S. enteritidis; Listeria spp., including L. monocytogenes; Helicobacter spp, including H. pylori (for example urease, catalase, vacuolating toxin);
• Pseudomonas spp including P. aeruginosa; Staphylococcus spp., including S. aureus, S. epidermidis; Enterococcus spp., including E. faecalis, E.faecium; Clostridium spp., including C. tetani (for example tetanus toxin and derivative thereof), C. botulinum (for example botulinum toxin and derivative thereof), C. difficile (for example clostridium toxins A or B and derivatives thereof); Bacillus spp., including B.
• anthracis for example botulinum toxin and derivatives thereof
• Corynebacterium spp. including C. diphtheriae (for example diphtheria toxin and derivatives thereof); Borrelia spp., including B. burgdorferi (for example OspA, OspC, DbpA, DbpB), B. garinii (for example OspA, OspC, DbpA, DbpB), B. afzelii (for example OspA, OspC, DbpA, DbpB), B. andersonii (for example OspA, OspC, DbpA, DbpB), B.
• Plasmodium spp. including P. falciparum
• Toxoplasma spp. including T. gondii (for example SAG2, SAG3, Tg34); Entamoeba spp., including E. histolytica
• Babesia spp. including B. microti
• Trypanosoma spp. including T. cruzi
• Giardia spp. including G. lamblia
• Leshmania spp. including L. major
• Pneumocystis spp. including P. carinii
• Trichomonas spp. including T.
• bacterial vaccines comprise antigens derived from Haemophilus spp., including H. influenzae type B (for example PRP and conjugates thereof), non typeable H. influenzae, for example OMP26, high molecular weight adhesins, P5, P6, protein D and lipoprotein D, and fimbrin and fimbrin derived peptides (US 5,843,464).
• the DNA vaccine coated devices may be used for prophylactic or therapeutic vaccination and for priming and/or boosting the immune response.
• the DNA vaccine may further comprise an agent to enhance uptake of the DNA into the cell, an adjuvant or other immunostimulant to improve and/or direct the immune response, and may also further comprise pharmaceutically acceptable excipient(s).
• the solid pharmaceutical reservoir medium may preferably contain a DNA condensing agent for example spermidine or PEI (polyethyleneimine).
• excipients which may be included in the formulation include buffers, amino acids, phase change inhibitors ('crystal poisoners') which may be added to prevent phase change of the coating during processing or storage or inhibitors to prevent deleterious chemical reactions during processing or storage such Maillard reaction inhibitors like amino acids.
• phase change inhibitors 'crystal poisoners'
• a preferred additional agent to the co-entrapped within the reservoir medium with the DNA is a DNAase inhibitor.
• a DNAase inhibitor which is preferred is aurinticarboxylic acid (ATA, Glasspool-Malone, J. et al, (2000), Molecular Therapy 2: 140-146).
• the DNA vaccines of the present invention may advantageously also include an adjuvant.
• Suitable adjuvants for vaccines of the present invention comprise those adjuvants that are capable of enhancing the antibody responses against the IgE peptide immunogen.
• Adjuvants are well known in the art (Vaccine Design - The Subunit and Adjuvant Approach, 1995, Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Volume 6, Eds. Powell, M.F., and Newman, M. J., Plenum Press, New York and London, ISBN 0-306-44867-X).
• Suitable adjuvants for vaccines of the present invention comprise those adjuvants that are capable of enhancing the antibody responses against the immunogen.
• Suitable immunostimulatory agents include, but this list is by no means exhaustive and does not preclude other agents: synthetic imidazoquinolines such as imiquimod [S-26308, R-837], (Dockrell and Kinghorn, 2001, Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 48, 751-755; Harrison, et al. 'Reduction of recurrent HSV disease using imiquimod alone or combined with a glycoprotein vaccine', Vaccine 19: 1820-1826, (2001)); and resiquimod [S-28463, R-848] (Vasilakos, et al.
• Adjuvant activites of immune response modifier R-848 Comparison with CpG ODN', Cellular immunology 204: 64-74 (2000).), Schiff bases of carbonyls and amines that are constitutively expressed on antigen presenting cell and T-cell surfaces, such as tucaresol (Rhodes, J. et al.
• cytokme cytokme
• chemokine and co-stimulatory molecules as either protein or peptide
• pro-inflammatory cytokines such as GM-CSF, IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, TGF- alpha and TGF - beta
• Thl inducers such as interferon gamma, LL-2, LL-12, JX-15 and JL-18
• Th2 inducers such as JX-4, LL-5, JL-6, JL-10 and LL-13 and other chemokine and co-stimulatory genes
• MCP-1, MIP-1 alpha, MLP-1 beta, RANTES, TCA- 3, CD80, CD86 and CD40L, , other immunostimulatory targeting ligands such as CTLA-4 and L-selectin, apoptosis stimulating proteins and peptides such as Fas, (49), synthetic lipid
• Certain preferred adjuvants for eliciting a predominantly Thl -type response include, for example, a Lipid A derivative such as monophosphoryl lipid A, or preferably 3-de-O-acylated monophosphoryl lipid A.
• MPL ® adjuvants are available from Corixa Corporation (Seattle, WA; see, for example, US Patent Nos. 4,436,727; 4,877,611 ; 4,866,034 and 4,912,094).
• CpG-containing oligonucleotides in which the CpG dinucleotide is unmethylated also induce a predominantly Thl response.
• oligonucleotides are well known and are described, for example, in WO 96/02555, WO 99/33488 and U.S. Patent Nos. 6,008,200 and 5,856,462. Immunostimulatory DNA sequences are also described, for example, by Sato et al., Science 273:352,
• Another preferred adjuvant comprises a saponin, such as Quil A, or derivatives thereof, including QS21 and QS7 (Aquila Biopharmaceuticals Inc., Framingham, MA); Escin; Digitonin; or Gypsophila or Chenopodium quinoa saponins.
• a saponin such as Quil A, or derivatives thereof, including QS21 and QS7 (Aquila Biopharmaceuticals Inc., Framingham, MA); Escin; Digitonin; or Gypsophila or Chenopodium quinoa saponins.
• the preferred immunostimulatory agent or adjuvant is immiquimod or other related molecules (such as resiquimod) as described in PCT patent application publication number WO 94/17043 (the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference).
• a polynucleotide is administered/delivered as "naked" DNA, for example as described in Ulmer et al., Science 259:1745 -1749, 1993 and reviewed by Cohen, Science 259:1691-1692, 1993.
• the uptake of naked DNA may be increased by coating the DNA onto small microbeads beads, such as gold, or biodegradable beads, which are efficiently transported into the cells; or by using other well known fransfection facilitating agents, such as Calcium Phosphate or DEAE dextran.
• DNA may also be administered in conjunction with a carrier such as, for example, liposomes, and everything being entrapped in the reservoir medium.
• a carrier such as, for example, liposomes, and everything being entrapped in the reservoir medium.
• liposomes are cationic, for example imidazolium derivatives (WO95/14380), guanidine derivatives (WO95/14381), phosphatidyl choline derivatives (WO95/35301), piperazine derivatives (WO95/14651) and biguanide derivatives.
• Suitable pharmaceutically acceptable excipients include water, phosphate buffered saline, isotonic buffer solutions.
• agent or vaccine into the skin rapidly and with high yield of administration.
• This may be even further enhanced by a number of means, comprising the use of highly soluble carbohydrates as the reservoir medium, and also by agitating and/or heating the microneedle member during administration.
• each vaccine dose is selected as an amount which induces an immunoprotective response without significant adverse side effects in typical vaccinees. Such amount will vary depending upon which specific DNA construct is employed, however, it is expected that each dose will generally comprise 1-1000 ⁇ g of DNA, preferably 1-500 ⁇ g, more preferably 1-100 ⁇ g, of which 1 to
• the present invention provides for a method of treating a mammal susceptible to or suffering from an infectious disease or cancer, or allergy, or autoimmune disease.
• a vaccine as herein described for use in medicine. Vaccine preparation is generally described in New Trends and Developments in Vaccines, edited by Voller et al., University Park Press, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. 1978.
• the present invention is exemplified by, but not limited to, the following examples.
• Example 1 Demonstration of coating of needles with lyophilised plasmid DNA.
• pEGFP-Cl is a GFP expression vector, (Clontech, Palo Alto, California, USA).
• pGL3CMV is a luciferase expression vector based upon pGL3 Basic, (Promega Corporation., Madison, Wisconsin, USA), where the CMN immediate early promoter drives luciferase expression.
• pNACl .ova is a chicken ovalbumin expression plasmid, constructed by ligating PCR amplified cD ⁇ A encoding chicken ovalbumin from pUGONA, into the expression vector pNACl .
• pNACl is a modification of the mammalian expression vector, pCI, (Promega), where the multiple cloning site, from EcoRI to Bst ZI, has been replaced by the EMCN IRES sequence flanked 5' by unique ⁇ he I, Rsr II and Xho I and 3 ' by unique Pac I, Asc I and Not I restriction enzyme sites, amplified from pGL3Basic, (Promega).
• Supercoiled plasmid DNA, (low endotoxin) was purified on a large scale, aproximately lOOmg yield, to high purity using a combination of alkaline SDS lysis, ultrafiltration and anion exchange column chromatography.
• Plasmids were resuspended in TE, (lOmM TrisHCl, ImM EDTA), pH 8.0 at lug / ul. And determined as >95% supercoiled upon analysis by agarose gel electrophoresis. Plasmids were formulated in a variety of solutions, for coating needles, by a standard large-scale ethanol precipitation procedure. The precipitated DNA was resuspended directly into the aqueous formulation solutions at concentrations of 0.5 to 12 ug/ul, (See Chapter 1, Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, Sambrook, J. et al, 2 nd Edition, 1989, CSH laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, USA).
• Acid treated needles were dipped for 5 seconds in concentrated hydrochloric acid, (HC1), followed by distilled water washing and air drying on paper towels. Needles were then stored in a sterile glass beaker and subject to a single wet autoclave cycle for 20 minutes at 15 psi. Needles were then dried in a fume hood and stored at room temperature.
• HC1 concentrated hydrochloric acid
• Coated needles were lyophilised under vacuum for a minimum of one hour at -45°C or below using a Modulyo 4K Freezer Dryer, (Edwards, Crawley, UK). DNA coated, lyophilised needles were either used immediately or stored sealed at 4°C. Plasmid DNA was eluted from coated needles by shaking for 30 minutes in 0.5ml of lOOmM Tris /HC1 pH 8.0, ImM EDTA, lOmM methionine, 2.9% ethanol in 2ml plastic screw capped tubes, Sarstedt, at room temperature. Plasmid DNA was then recovered by standard ethanol precipitation, (Sambrook, J.
• Plasmid DNA solutions were prepared at very high concentration 5ug/ul or lOug/ul in lOOmM Tris, ImM EDTA, lOmM methionine, 2.9% ethanol pH 8.0, (formulation 2).
• Example 2 Stability of high concentrations of plasmid after coating on to needles.
• Example 3 Improved short— term stability of high concentrations of plasmid after coating on to needles.
• Fig. 4 shows: (A) Eluted pGL3CMV plasmid from formulation (HS) or formulation (HT), coated on to methanol washed sewing needles.
• Example 4 Release into agarose gels of high concentrations of plasmid from coated needles.
• DNA 'release' was achieved by placing the needles, freshly coated with lyophilised plasmid DNA, into thick, 1% agarose gels, just above the gel wells, for increasing increments of time from 15 sec. to 15 min. and performing electrophoresis. Gels were then stained with SYBR gold, the most sensitive DNA stain available, (see, Fig. 5A). Any remaining plasmid was eluted from the needles after 'stabbing' in to agarose and precipitated and analysed in SYBR gold stained agarose gels, as above, (see, Fig. 5B). The results, shown in Figure 5, demonstrated that the majority of the plasmid DNA, (>90%), about 10 ug, was released from the needles in 1 to 2 min. Fig 5:
• B Plasmid retained by and eluted from coated sewing needles after insertion into an agarose gel for increasing time periods, (A). with each lane representing: 1) lug of lkb DNA ladder, (Promega). 2) Gel release for 15 seconds, (HT). 3) Gel release for 60 seconds, (HT). 4) Gel release for 2 minutes, (HT).
• Example 5 Improved dose of plasmid coated onto a single hypodermic needle compared to a single sewing needle.
• hypodermic needles were coated by the same plasmid DNA / needle coating procedure, (using the HS formulation, see Fig. 4b), alongside identical coating procedures for sewing needles and the amount of plasmid eluted was analysed by agarose gel electrophoresis,. Five identical needles of each type were analysed.
• Example 6 Optimal formulations for plasmid DNA release, after coating and lyophilization, from sewing and hypodermic needles.
• the lanes were pierced with needles coated with the following formulations:
• FIG 7A FIG 7B Formulation and needle combinations Lane:- 1) A1 FI
• the preferred formulations for optimal DNA release in this assay are those containing sucrose, (either 17.5 %, or 40%) or a full formulation of chelators and free-radical scavengers, (formulation 2) or more preferably a combination of both.
• the data also demonstrates that DNA release in this assay, for the majority of formulations tested, was best using the sewing needles and hypodermic needles of bore size greater than 26G, (26G optimal), with 30G hypodermic needles being poorest for DNA release in this assay.
• Example 7 Optimal formulations to stabilise plasmid DNA after coating, lyophilization and storage on needles.
• Fig. 8 shows plasmid DNA eluted from methanol-washed sewing needles after storage which were formulated in a variety of different formulations, A - I, as described in Example 6. Lanes:-
• Example 8 Demonstration of in vivo delivery of functionally active plasmid DNA from coated, lyophilised needles.
• Plasmid DNA delivery from coated needles was performed into Balb/c x C3H FI female mice both intramuscularly, (IM), and intradermally, (ID).
• IM intramuscularly
• ID intradermally
• mice were anaesthetised with isofluorane and a coated 30G hypodermic needle was inserted into a pre-shaved area of abdomen under low powered microscopy for 2 minutes.
• lOug of plasmid DNA in saline was injected by standard procedure both IM and ID. Groups of 10 animals or tissues were analysed versus six positive controls. Mice were sacrificed and samples were removed 48 hours post plasmid delivery and snap frozen in liquid nitrogen.
• Total protein concentration was calculated by Coomassie Plus protein assay reagent kit (Pierce) using the manufacturer's protocol. Briefly, 5 ⁇ l of cell lysate was assayed together with 145 ⁇ l of water (Sigma) and 150 ⁇ l of coomasie blue reagent in 96 well flat-bottomed plates (Costar). The absorbance was measured at 595nm on a Molecular Devices Spectra Max 340. Luciferase activity was expressed as relative light units (RLU)/mg of total protein.
• RLU relative light units
• FIG. 9 Data from such an experiment is shown in Figure 9, where luciferase activity derived from plasmid 'released from coated needles' is compared to that derived from plasmid delivered by standard IM, (Fig. 9A), and ID, (Fig. 9B), injections. Data suggested that at least 1/10 mice were positive for luciferase actvity after ID DNA release from coated needle administration and at least 3/10 mice were positive after the similar IM procedure. This demonstrates the principle that plasmid DNA can be released from these formulations when coated onto needles in a transcriptionally active form to allow expression of an encoded gene or antigen.
• Example 9 Demonstration that in vivo delivery of plasmid DNA, intradermally, (ID), from coated, lyophilised needles can show similar efficiency of gene expression to injection of liquid plasmid DNA.
• Example 8 This was performed as described in Example 8 for ID delivery to mouse skin.
• all DNA formulations unless otherwise stated, used for gene delivery in vivo, contained pGL3CMV plasmid DNA at lOmg/ml and 40% sucrose, lOOmM Tris /HCl pH 8.0, ImM EDTA, lOmM methionine and 2.9% ethanol, and were coated onto sowing needles by lyophilisation as described previously.
• the electroporation conditions were: 875 volts, 3 pulses of 100 microseconds followed by reverse polarity and 3 pulses of 100 microseconds with an interpulse delay of 125 milliseconds, (Glasspool-Malone, J. et al, (2000), Molecular Therapy 2: 140-146).
• the data is presented as the mean of 9 animals, 3 in the case of the uncoated needles, as luciferase activity in counts per second, (CPS) / mg protein.
• the electroporation conditions were: 900 volts, 3 pulses of 100 microseconds followed by reverse polarity and 3 pulses of 100 microseconds with an interpulse delay of 1 second, (Vicat, J., et al., (2000), Human Gene Therapy 11: 909-916).
• the data is presented as the mean of 9 animals, 3 in the case of the uncoated needles, as luciferase activity in relative light units, (RLU) / mg protein.
• Example 11 Demonstration of in vivo delivery of functionally active plasmid DNA from coated, lyophilised microneedles and electroporation.
• Cross-shaped hollow out-of-wafer-plane silicon microneedles with openings in the shaft were manufactured by a deep reactive ion etching, (DRJJE), process, (Griss, P. & Stemme, G., 'Side-Opened Out-of-Plane Microneedles for Microfiuidic Transdermal Liquid Transfer', (2002), In 'Micromachined Interfaces for Medical and Biochemical Applications', PHD Thesis, Griss, P., Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden).
• DRJJE deep reactive ion etching
• Microneedle parameters were for 5mm x 5mm square silicon microchips with an equidistant array of 100 microneedles, as 10 by 10. Individual microneedles were 240-250 microns in length.
• the 5mm x 5mm square silicon microchips were fixed centrally onto 1cm square holding plates to allow for application to mouse skin.
• the silicon microchips were coated by spreading lOul of DNA / sugar / excipient formulation, onto the surface of the microneedle with a Gilson pipette, and lyophilising the coated microneedle, as described previously. These were placed on to the skin of pre-shaved Balb/c mice, at the lower back above the base of the tail. Mouse skin had been pre- hydrated in this region by the application of 5 ⁇ l of phosphate buffered saline to the microneedle application site.
• mice were maintained under general anaesthesia using an oxygen-controlled inhaled Isoflourane mask and were given Rimadyl, (Carprofen), as an analgesic at a sub-cutaneous dose of 5mg/Kg, (delivered in 20 ⁇ l/mouse), whilst under general anaesthesia but prior to microneedle application.
• Electroporation was performed after 2 minutes of DNA delivery, using a BTX 830 square wave electroporation device, (BTX, California, USA), using a 1cm square calliper electrode separated by 1mm, on the fold of shaved skin where the microneedle had been applied. Parameters used were 75 volts, 3 pulses of 20 milliseconds with an interpulse delay of 100 milliseconds, (Zhang, L et al., (2002), Biochim. Biophysic. Acta 1572: 1-9).
• Example 12 Stability of plasmid DNA, in different sugar formulations, after coating, lyophilization and storage on needles, at 37° C.
• Example 7 A similar procedure was conducted to that described in Example 7 to compare the plasmid DNA stability of a series of different DNA formulations where either the amount of sucrose or the type of sugar used in the formulation was varied. All other excipients previously described as optimal for DNA stability and release remained present in all formulations, (ie. lOOmM TrisHCl ⁇ H8.0, ImM EDTA, lOmM methionine and 2.9% ethanol). The formulations were compared for their ability to stabilise supercoiled plasmid DNA, after coating and lyophilisation onto needles, upon storage for up to one month at 37°C, (accelerated DNA stability study).
• Plasmid DNA was then eluted and recovered in the standard manner and subject to agarose gel electrophoresis, (100V, 100mA for 2 hours), in the absence of intercalating agents, (Sambrook, J. et al, supra). The integrity of the eluted plasmid DNA was then monitored after staining with ethidium bromide and visualisation under UV light. The percentage of supercoiled monomeric and dimeric plasmid forms and also any linear and open circular forms from these samples were measured as image intensity using the Labworks 4.0 image analysis software on the UVP Bioimaging System.
• the data is displayed in FIG 13, as a graphical plot of the percentage of supercoiled plasmid, (%ccc), both monomeric, (%cccmon), and dimeric, (%cccdim), plasmid forms; after coating and lyophilization onto sowing needles and storage at 37°C.
• the plasmid formulations used contain varying amounts of sugars: FIG 13 A: 5% sucrose, FIG 13B: 10% sucrose, FIG 13C: 17.5% sucrose, FIG 13D: 40% sucrose, FIG 13E: 40% trehalose, FIG 13F: 40% glucose.
• Example 13 Demonstration of amorphous glass formation after lyophilization of plasmid DNA, in sucrose formulations containing excipients.
• Samples of lyophilised DNA / sucrose formulations were prepared containing plasmid DNA, (lOmg/ml), in 40% sucrose and also lyophilised samples were prepared additionally containing lOOmM TrisHCl pH8.0, ImM EDTA, lOmM methionine and 2.9%o ethanol. Samples were split and subject to either 1 hour or 24 hour lyophilization cycles. The samples were then subject to analysis by differential scanning calorimetry, (DSC), to determine the solid state form. This was performed on a TA mstruments DSC2920 machine over a temperature range from 25°C to 300°C, using nitrogen as the purge gas with a flow rate of 20ml / min.
• DSC differential scanning calorimetry
• the sample pan type was pinhole aluminium and the sample weight was determined on the day of analysis on a Mettler M3 balance.
• the data is displayed in FIG 14. All samples contain plasmid DNA, (lOmg/ml), in 40% sucrose.
• Fig 14A & B formulations also contain: lOOmM TrisHCl pH8.0, ImM EDTA, lOmM methionine and 2.9% ethanol;
• Fig 14A & C represent a 24 hour lyophilization cycle;
• Fig 14B & D represent a 1 hour lyophilization cycle.
• FIG 15 The data is shown in FIG 15 where all formulations contain plasmid DNA, (lOmg/ml), in 40% sucrose.
• Fig 15A formulations also contain: lOOmM TrisHCl pH8.0, ImM EDTA, lOmM methionine and 2.9% ethanol,
• Figl5C only contains 40% sucrose and
• Fig 15D shows crystals of the major solid excipient.
• 1AM, 2AM & 3 AM represent a 24 hour lyophilization cycle
• 1ST, 2ST & 3ST represent a 1 hour lyophilization cycle.
• Example 14 Demonstration of amorphous glass formation after lyophilization of plasmid DNA, in different sugar / polyol formulations containing excipients.
• the polyol was varied. A number of similar formulations that differed only in the polyol present were generated, lyophilised and analysed by polarised light microscopy. This was performed in a similar manner to that described in example 13 except that on this occasion an Olympus BX51 polarized light microscope was used.
• FIG 16 The data is shown in FIG 16 where all formulations contain lyophilisized plasmid DNA, (lOmg/ml), and lOOmM TrisHCl pH8.0, ImM EDTA, lOmM methionine and 2.9% ethanol.
• Fig 16A sample 1 : 40% w/v ficoll, sample 2: 20% w/v dextran, sample 3: 40% w/v sucrose, sample 4: 20% w/v maltotriose.
• Fig 16B sample 5: 20% w/v lactose, sample 6: 30% w/v maltose, sample 7: 40% w/v glucose, sample 8: 40% w/v frehalose.

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• Medicines That Contain Protein Lipid Enzymes And Other Medicines (AREA)
• Pharmaceuticals Containing Other Organic And Inorganic Compounds (AREA)
• Acyclic And Carbocyclic Compounds In Medicinal Compositions (AREA)

Priority Applications (6)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (2)

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ID=9929749

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (10)

Cited By (4)

Families Citing this family (12)

Family Cites Families (18)

• 2002
  • 2002-01-25 GB GBGB0201736.6A patent/GB0201736D0/en not_active Ceased
• 2003
  • 2003-01-23 DE DE60326930T patent/DE60326930D1/de not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2003-01-23 WO PCT/GB2003/000282 patent/WO2003061636A2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2003-01-23 EP EP03701595A patent/EP1467720B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-01-23 AU AU2003202685A patent/AU2003202685A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2003-01-23 ES ES03701595T patent/ES2322572T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2003-01-23 AT AT03701595T patent/ATE427105T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2003-01-23 JP JP2003561581A patent/JP2005526016A/ja active Pending
  • 2003-01-23 CA CA002473679A patent/CA2473679A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2003-01-23 US US10/502,285 patent/US20050080028A1/en not_active Abandoned

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