Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C07—ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
  • C07F—ACYCLIC, CARBOCYCLIC OR HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS CONTAINING ELEMENTS OTHER THAN CARBON, HYDROGEN, HALOGEN, OXYGEN, NITROGEN, SULFUR, SELENIUM OR TELLURIUM
  • C07F9/00—Compounds containing elements of Groups 5 or 15 of the Periodic Table
  • C07F9/02—Phosphorus compounds
  • C07F9/547—Heterocyclic compounds, e.g. containing phosphorus as a ring hetero atom
  • C07F9/6596—Heterocyclic compounds, e.g. containing phosphorus as a ring hetero atom having atoms other than oxygen, sulfur, selenium, tellurium, nitrogen or phosphorus as ring hetero atoms
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61P—SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS
  • A61P21/00—Drugs for disorders of the muscular or neuromuscular system
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61P—SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS
  • A61P21/00—Drugs for disorders of the muscular or neuromuscular system
  • A61P21/04—Drugs for disorders of the muscular or neuromuscular system for myasthenia gravis
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61P—SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS
  • A61P25/00—Drugs for disorders of the nervous system
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C07—ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
  • C07F—ACYCLIC, CARBOCYCLIC OR HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS CONTAINING ELEMENTS OTHER THAN CARBON, HYDROGEN, HALOGEN, OXYGEN, NITROGEN, SULFUR, SELENIUM OR TELLURIUM
  • C07F9/00—Compounds containing elements of Groups 5 or 15 of the Periodic Table
  • C07F9/02—Phosphorus compounds
  • C07F9/547—Heterocyclic compounds, e.g. containing phosphorus as a ring hetero atom
  • C07F9/6558—Heterocyclic compounds, e.g. containing phosphorus as a ring hetero atom containing at least two different or differently substituted hetero rings neither condensed among themselves nor condensed with a common carbocyclic ring or ring system
  • C07F9/65583—Heterocyclic compounds, e.g. containing phosphorus as a ring hetero atom containing at least two different or differently substituted hetero rings neither condensed among themselves nor condensed with a common carbocyclic ring or ring system each of the hetero rings containing nitrogen as ring hetero atom
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12N—MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA
  • C12N15/00—Mutation or genetic engineering; DNA or RNA concerning genetic engineering, vectors, e.g. plasmids, or their isolation, preparation or purification; Use of hosts therefor
  • C12N15/09—Recombinant DNA-technology
  • C12N15/11—DNA or RNA fragments; Modified forms thereof; Non-coding nucleic acids having a biological activity
  • C12N15/113—Non-coding nucleic acids modulating the expression of genes, e.g. antisense oligonucleotides; Antisense DNA or RNA; Triplex- forming oligonucleotides; Catalytic nucleic acids, e.g. ribozymes; Nucleic acids used in co-suppression or gene silencing
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12N—MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA
  • C12N2310/00—Structure or type of the nucleic acid
  • C12N2310/30—Chemical structure
  • C12N2310/31—Chemical structure of the backbone
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12N—MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA
  • C12N2310/00—Structure or type of the nucleic acid
  • C12N2310/30—Chemical structure
  • C12N2310/32—Chemical structure of the sugar
  • C12N2310/323—Chemical structure of the sugar modified ring structure
  • C12N2310/3233—Morpholino-type ring
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12N—MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA
  • C12N2310/00—Structure or type of the nucleic acid
  • C12N2310/30—Chemical structure
  • C12N2310/33—Chemical structure of the base
  • C12N2310/331—Universal or degenerate base
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12N—MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA
  • C12N2310/00—Structure or type of the nucleic acid
  • C12N2310/30—Chemical structure
  • C12N2310/35—Nature of the modification
  • C12N2310/351—Conjugate

Definitions

• the present invention is generally related to oligonucleotide analogues (oligomers) useful as antisense compounds, and more particularly to boronic acid conjugates of oligonucleotide analogues, and the use of such oligonucleotide analogues in antisense applications.
• Antisense oligomers are generally designed to bind to DNA or RNA of disease-causing proteins to prevent the production of such proteins. Requirements for successful implementation of antisense therapeutics include (a) stability in vivo, (b) sufficient membrane permeability and cellular uptake, and (c) a good balance of binding affinity and sequence specificity. Many oligonucleotide analogues have been developed in which the phosphodiester linkages of native DNA are replaced by other linkages that are resistant to nuclease degradation (see, e.g., Barawkar, D.A. et al, Proc. Na't'lAcad. Sci. USA 95(19): 11047-52 (1998); Linkletter,B.A.
• oligonucleotides have been modified by peptide conjugation in order to enhance cellular uptake (Moulton, H.M. et al, Bioconjug Chem 75(2):290-9 (2004); Nelson, M.H. et al, Bioconjug. Chem. i ⁇ 5(4):959-66 (2005); Moulton, H.M.et al, Biochim Biophys Acta (2010)) .
• nucleic acid analogues as antisense or antigene drugs has been hampered by certain characteristics of the various analogues.
• analogues with negatively charged linkages including phosphorothioate-linked analogues, suffer from considerable electrostatic repulsion between the negative charges of the oligomer and the DNA or RNA target.
• the phosphorothioates also exhibit nonspecific binding to other cellular components such as proteins.
• DNG guanidinium linked nucleosides
• Such improved antisense or antigene performance includes; stronger affinity for DNA and RNA without compromising sequence selectivity; improved pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution; improved cellular delivery and reliable and controllable in vivo distribution.
• the present invention provides oligonucleotide analogues which provide improvements over existing antisense molecules in the art.
• the present inventors have found that conjugation of a boronic acid or boronic ester moiety to one or more of the intersubunit linkages and/or the 5' and/or 3' terminus of an oligonucleotide analogue, for example a morpholino oligonucleotide, results in an antisense oligomer having superior properties.
• the disclosed oligomers have enhanced cell delivery, potency, and/or tissue distribution compared to other oligonucleotide analogues and/or can be effectively delivered to the target organs. These superior properties give rise to favorable therapeutic indices, reduced clinical dosing, and lower cost of goods.
• the present disclosure provides an oligonucleotide analogue comprising a backbone, a 3 '-terminus and a 5 '-terminus, the backbone comprising a sequence of morpholino ring structures joined by intersubunit linkages, the intersubunit linkages joining a 3 '-end of one morpholino ring structure to a 5 '-end of an adjacent morpholino ring structure, wherein each morpholino ring structure is bound to a base-pairing moiety, such that the oligonucleotide analogue can bind in a sequence- specific manner to a target nucleic acid, wherein at least one of the intersubunit linkages the 3 '-terminus or the 5 '-terminus comprises a boronic acid or boronic ester moiety covalently bound thereto.
• the present disclosure provides a method of inhibiting production of a protein, the method comprising exposing a nucleic acid encoding the protein to an oligomer of the present disclosure.
• the disclosure is directed to a method of treating disease in a subject, the method comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of an oligomer as disclosed herein.
• Methods of making the oligomers and methods for their use are also provided.
• Figure 1 shows short sequences of exemplary boronic acid-nucleotide conjugates.
• Figure 2 shows short sequences of exemplary boronic acid-nucleotide conjugates.
• Amino refers to the -NH 2 radical.
• Halo refers to a fluoro, chloro, bromo or iodo radical.
• Niro refers to the -N0 2 radical.
• a “boronic acid” is a moiety comprising a -B(OH) 2 radical.
• a “boronic ester) is a moiety comprising a -(OR a ) 2 radical, wherein Ra is, at each occurrence, independently H or an alkyl radical as defined below.
• Alkyl refers to a straight or branched hydrocarbon chain radical which is saturated or unsaturated (i.e., contains one or more double and/or triple bonds), having from one to thirty carbon atoms. Alkyls comprising any number of carbon atoms from 1 to 30 are included. An alkyl comprising up to 30 carbon atoms is referred to as a Ci-C 30 alkyl, likewise, for example, an alkyl comprising up to 12 carbon atoms is a C 1 -C 12 alkyl. Alkyls (and other moieties defined herein) comprising other numbers of carbon atoms are represented similarly.
• Alkyl groups include, but are not limited to, Ci-C 3 o alkyl, Ci- C 20 alkyl, C 1 -C 15 alkyl, C 1 -C 10 alkyl, Ci-Cs alkyl, Ci-C 6 alkyl, C 1 -C4 alkyl, Ci-C 3 alkyl, Ci-C 2 alkyl, C 2 -C 8 alkyl, C 3 -C 8 alkyl and C 4 -C 8 alkyl.
• alkyl groups include, but are not limited to, methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, 1-methylethyl (z ' so-propyl), n-butyl, z ' -butyl, s -butyl, n-pentyl, 1 ,1-dimethylethyl (t-butyl), 3-methylhexyl,
• Alkyls include saturated, unsaturated and cyclic (cycloalkyl) alkyls. Unless stated otherwise specifically in the specification, an alkyl group may be optionally substituted as described below.
• Alkylene or “alkylene chain” refers to a straight or branched divalent hydrocarbon chain linking the rest of the molecule to a radical group. Alkylenes may be saturated or unsaturated (i.e., contains one or more double and/or triple bonds).
• alkylenes include, but are not limited to, C 1 -C 12 alkylene, Ci-Cg alkylene, Ci-C 6 alkylene, C1-C4 alkylene, Ci-C 3 alkylene, C1-C2 alkylene, Ci alkylene.
• alkylene groups include, but are not limited to, methylene, ethylene, propylene, n-butylene, ethenylene, propenylene, n-butenylene, propynylene,
• alkylene chain is attached to the rest of the molecule through a single or double bond and to the radical group through a single or double bond.
• the points of attachment of the alkylene chain to the rest of the molecule and to the radical group can be through one carbon or any two carbons within the chain.
• an alkylene chain may be optionally substituted as described below.
• Alkoxy refers to a radical of the formula -OR a where R a is an alkyl radical as defined. Unless stated otherwise specifically in the specification, an alkoxy group may be optionally substituted as described below.
• Alkoxyalkyl refers to a radical of the formula -R b OR a where R a is an alkyl radical as defined and where R b is an alkylene radical as defined. Unless stated otherwise specifically in the specification, an alkoxyalkyl group may be optionally substituted as described below.
• an alkylcarbonyl group may be optionally substituted as described below.
• Alkylamino refers to a radical of the formula -NHRa or -NR a R a where each R a is, independently, an alkyl radical as defined above. Unless stated otherwise specifically in the specification, an alkylamino group may be optionally substituted as described below.
• Aminoalkyl refers to a radical of the formula -Rb-NRaRa where Rb is an alkylene radical as defined above, and each R a is independently a hydrogen or an alkyl radical.
• Aryl refers to a radical derived from a hydrocarbon ring system comprising hydrogen, 6 to 30 carbon atoms and at least one aromatic ring.
• the aryl radical may be a monocyclic, bicyclic, tricyclic or tetracyclic ring system, which may include fused or bridged ring systems.
• Aryl radicals include, but are not limited to, aryl radicals derived from the hydrocarbon ring systems of aceanthrylene, acenaphthylene, acephenanthrylene, anthracene, azulene, benzene, chrysene, fluoranthene, fluorene, as- indacene, s-indacene, indane, indene, naphthalene, phenalene, phenanthrene, pleiadene, pyrene, and triphenylene.
• Alkyl refers to a radical of the formula -Rt,-R c where R b is an alkylene chain as defined above and R c is one or more aryl radicals as defined above, for example, benzyl, diphenylmethyl, trityl and the like. Unless stated otherwise specifically in the specification, an aralkyl group may be optionally substituted.
• Arylamino refers to a radical of the formula -NHR a or -NR a R a where each R a is, independently, an aryl radical as defined above. Unless stated otherwise specifically in the specification, an arylamino group may be optionally substituted as described below.
• an arylaminocarbonyl group may be optionally substituted as described below.
• Alkylamino refers to a radical of the formula -NR b R a where each R a is an aryl radical and R b is an alkylene chain as defined above. Unless stated otherwise specifically in the specification, an arylamino group may be optionally substituted as described below.
• Aryloxycarbonylaminyl refers to a radical of the formula
• R a is hydrogen or an alkyl radical and R c is an aryl radical as defined above, for example, phenyl. Unless stated otherwise specifically in the specification, an aryloxycarbonyl group may be optionally substituted.
• Alkyloxycarbonylaminyl refers to a radical of the formula
• Ra is hydrogen or an alkyl radical
• Rb is an alkylene chain as defined above
• Rc is one or more aryl radicals as defined above, for example, phenyl.
• an aralkyloxycarbonyl group may be optionally substituted.
• Aryloxy refers to a radical of the formula -ORc where Rc is one or more aryl radicals as defined above, for example, phenyl. Unless stated otherwise specifically in the specification, an arylcarbonyl group may be optionally substituted.
• Cycloalkyl refers to a stable, non-aromatic, monocyclic or polycyclic carbocyclic ring, which may include fused or bridged ring systems, which is saturated or unsaturated, and attached to the rest of the molecule by a single bond.
• cycloalkyls include, but are not limited to, cycloaklyls having from three to fifteen carbon atoms and from three to eight carbon atoms
• Monocyclic cyclcoalkyl radicals include, for example, cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, cycloheptyl, and cyclooctyl.
• Polycyclic radicals include, for example, adamantyl, norbornyl, decalinyl, and 7,7-dimethyl-bicyclo[2.2.1]heptanyl. Unless otherwise stated specifically in the specification, a cycloalkyl group may be optionally substituted.
• Carbocyclic includes cycloalkyls and aryls as defined above.
• fused refers to any ring structure described herein which is fused to an existing ring structure.
• the fused ring is a heterocyclyl ring or a heteroaryl ring
• any carbon atom on the existing ring structure which becomes part of the fused heterocyclyl ring or the fused heteroaryl ring may be replaced with a nitrogen atom.
• Heterocyclyl refers to a stable 3- to 24-membered non-aromatic ring radical comprising 2 to 23 carbon atoms and from one to 8 heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, oxygen,
• the heterocyclyl radical may be a monocyclic, bicyclic, tricyclic or tetracyclic ring system, which may include fused or bridged ring systems; and the nitrogen, carbon or sulfur atoms in the heterocyclyl radical may be optionally oxidized; the nitrogen atom may be optionally quaternized; and the heterocyclyl radical may be partially or fully saturated.
• heterocyclyl radicals include, but are not limited to, dioxolanyl, thienyl[l,3]dithianyl, decahydroisoquinolyl, imidazolinyl, imidazolidinyl,
• Heteroaryl is a type of heterocycle and refers to a 5- to 14-membered ring system radical comprising hydrogen atoms, one to thirteen carbon atoms, one to six heteroatoms selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorous and sulfur, and at least one aromatic ring.
• the heteroaryl radical may be a monocyclic, bicyclic, tricyclic or tetracyclic ring system, which may include fused or bridged ring systems; and the nitrogen, carbon or sulfur atoms in the heteroaryl radical may be optionally oxidized; the nitrogen atom may be optionally quaternized. Examples include, but are not limited to, azepinyl, acridinyl,
• heteroaryl group may be optionally substituted.
• Hydroxyalkyl refers to a radical of the formula -R b -OH where R b is an alkylene radical as defined above. Hydroxyalklys include primary, secondary and tertiary alkyl alcohols.
• substituted means any of the above groups (i.e., alkyl, alkylene, alkoxy, alkoxyalkyl, alkylcarbonyl, alkyloxycarbonyl, alkyloxycarbonylaminyl, alkyloxyimino, alkylamino, amidyl, aminoalkyl, aminocarbonyl, alkylaminocarbonyl, aryl, aralkyl, arylamino, arylaminocarbonyl, aralkylamino, aralkylamino, aralkylaminocarbonyl, arylcarbonyl, aryloxycarbonyl, aralkylcarbonyl, aralkyloxycarbonyl, aralkyloxycarbonyl, aralkyloxycarbonyl, aryloxy, cycloalkyl, heterocyclyl, heteroaryl and or hydroxyalkyl), may be further functionalized wherein at least one hydrogen
• cycloalkylcarbonyl cycloalkylalkylcarbonyl, cycloalkyloxycarbonyl, heterocyclyl, heteroaryl, dialkylamines, arylamines, alkylarylamines, diarylamines, N-oxides, imides, and enamines; a silicon atom in groups such as trialkylsilyl groups, dialkylarylsilyl groups, alkyldiarylsilyl groups, triarylsilyl groups, perfiuoroalkyl or perfluoroalkoxy, for example, trifiuoromethyl or trifluoromethoxy.
• “Substituted” also means any of the above groups in which one or more hydrogen atoms are replaced by a higher-order bond (e.g., a double- or triple-bond) to a heteroatom such as oxygen in oxo, carbonyl, carboxyl, and ester groups; and nitrogen in groups such as imines, oximes, hydrazones, and nitriles.
• R g and R are the same or different and independently hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxy, alkylamino, thioalkyl, aryl, aralkyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkylalkyl, haloalkyl, heterocyclyl, N-heterocyclyl, heterocyclylalkyl, heteroaryl, N-heteroaryl and/or heteroarylalkyl.
• each of the foregoing substituents may also be optionally substituted with one or more of the above substituents.
• any of the above groups may be substituted to include one or more internal oxygen or sulfur atoms.
• an alkyl group may be substituted with one or more internal oxygen atoms to form an ether or poly ether group.
• an alkyl group may be substituted with one or more internal sulfur atoms to form a thioether, disulfide, etc.
• antisense oligomer or “antisense compound” are used interchangeably and refer to a sequence of subunits, each having a base carried on a backbone subunit composed of ribose or other pentose sugar or morpholino group, and where the backbone groups are linked by intersubunit linkages that allow the bases in the compound to hybridize to a target sequence in a nucleic acid (typically an RNA) by Watson-Crick base pairing, to form a nucleic acid:oligomer heteroduplex within the target sequence.
• the oligomer may have exact sequence complementarity to the target sequence or near complementarity.
• Such antisense oligomers are designed to block or inhibit translation of the mR A containing the target sequence, and may be said to be "directed to" a sequence with which it hybridizes.
• a “morpholino oligomer” or “PMO” refers to a polymeric molecule having a backbone which supports bases capable of hydrogen bonding to typical polynucleotides, wherein the polymer lacks a pentose sugar backbone moiety, and more specifically a ribose backbone linked by phosphodiester bonds which is typical of nucleotides and nucleosides, but instead contains a ring nitrogen with coupling through the ring nitrogen.
• An exemplary"morpholino" oligomer comprises morpholino subunit structures linked together by (thio)phosphoramidate or (thio)phosphorodiamidate linkages, joining the morpholino nitrogen of one subunit to the 5' exocyclic carbon of an adjacent subunit, each subunit comprising a purine or pyrimidine base-pairing moiety effective to bind, by base- specific hydrogen bonding, to a base in a polynucleotide.
• PMOs include PMOs wherein the intersubunit linkages comprise a dimethylamino moiety.
• a "phosphoramidate” group comprises phosphorus having three attached oxygen atoms and one attached nitrogen atom
• a “phosphorodiamidate” group comprises phosphorus having two attached oxygen atoms and two attached nitrogen atoms.
• one nitrogen is always pendant to the backbone chain.
• the second nitrogen, in a phosphorodiamidate linkage, is typically the ring nitrogen in a morpholino ring structure.
• Intersubunit linkage refers to the linkage connecting two morpholino subunits, for example structure (I).
• An oligonucleotide or antisense oligomer "specifically hybridizes" to a target polynucleotide if the oligomer hybridizes to the target under physiological conditions, with a Tm greater than 37 °C, greater than 45 °C, preferably at least 50 °C, and typically 60 °C-80 °C or higher.
• the "Tm” of an oligomer is the temperature at which 50% hybridizes to a complementary polynucleotide. Tm is determined under standard conditions in physiological saline, as described, for example, in Miyada et al, Methods Enzymol. 154:94-107 (1987). Such hybridization may occur with "near" or “substantial” complementary of the antisense oligomer to the target sequence, as well as with exact complementarity.
• Polynucleotides are described as "complementary" to one another when hybridization occurs in an antiparallel configuration between two single-stranded polynucleotides.
• Complementarity the degree that one polynucleotide is
• a first sequence is an "antisense sequence" with respect to a second sequence if a polynucleotide whose sequence is the first sequence specifically binds to, or specifically hybridizes with, the second polynucleotide sequence under physiological conditions.
• targeting sequence is the sequence in the oligonucleotide analog that is complementary (meaning, in addition, substantially complementary) to the target sequence in the RNA genome. The entire sequence, or only a portion, of the analog compound may be complementary to the target sequence. For example, in an analog having 20 bases, only 12-14 may be targeting sequences.
• the targeting sequence is formed of contiguous bases in the analog, but may alternatively be formed of non-contiguous sequences that when placed together, e.g., from opposite ends of the analog, constitute sequence that spans the target sequence.
• Target and targeting sequences are described as “complementary” to one another when hybridization occurs in an antiparallel configuration.
• a targeting sequence may have “near” or “substantial” complementarity to the target sequence and still function for the purpose of the presently described methods, that is, still be
• the oligonucleotide analog compounds employed in the presently described methods have at most one mismatch with the target sequence out of 10 nucleotides, and preferably at most one mismatch out of 20.
• the antisense oligomers employed have at least 90% sequence homology, and preferably at least 95% sequence homology, with the exemplary targeting sequences as designated herein.
• a guanine base may be complementary to either a cytosineor uracil RNA base.
• heteroduplex refers to a duplex between an oligonculeotide analog and the complementary portion of a target RNA.
• nuclease-resistant heteroduplex refers to a heteroduplex formed by the binding of an antisense oligomer to its
• heteroduplex is substantially resistant to in vivo degradation by intracellular and extracellular nucleases, such as RNAse H, which are capable of cutting double-stranded RNA/RNA or RNA/DNA complexes.
• RNAse H intracellular and extracellular nucleases
• agent is "actively taken up by mammalian cells” when the agent can enter the cell by a mechanism other than passive diffusion across the cell membrane.
• the agent may be transported, for example, by "active transport”, referring to transport of agents across a mammalian cell membrane by e.g. an ATP-dependent transport mechanism, or by "facilitated transport”, referring to transport of antisense agents across the cell membrane by a transport mechanism that requires binding of the agent to a transport protein, which then facilitates passage of the bound agent across the membrane.
• modulating expression and/or “antisense activity” refer to the ability of an antisense oligomer to either enhance or, more typically, reduce the expression of a given protein, by interfering with the expression or translation of R A.
• the antisense oligomer may directly block expression of a given gene, or contribute to the accelerated breakdown of the RNA transcribed from that gene. Morpholino oligomers as described herein are believed to act via the former (steric blocking) mechanism.
• Preferred antisense targets for steric blocking oligomers include the ATG start codon region, splice sites, regions closely adjacent to splice sites, and 5 '-untranslated region of mRNA, although other regions have been successfully targeted using morpholino oligomers.
• an “effective amount” or “therapeutically effective amount” refers to an amount of antisense oligomer administered to a mammalian subject, either as a single dose or as part of a series of doses, which is effective to produce a desired therapeutic effect, typically by inhibiting translation of a selected target nucleic acid sequence.
• Treatment of an individual (e.g. a mammal, such as a human) or a cell is any type of intervention used in an attempt to alter the natural course of the individual or cell. Treatment includes, but is not limited to, administration of a pharmaceutical composition, and may be performed either prophylactically or subsequent to the initiation of a pathologic event or contact with an etiologic agent.
• oligomers oligonucleotide analogues
• oligomers comprising boronic acid or boronic ester moieties.
• Boronic acids are known to have special affinity for
• carbohydrates they bind in a covalent, bidentate fashion to the 1,2-diol or 1,3-diol unit present in sugars.
• Boronic acids can thus be considered synthetic lectins.
• the surface of a eukaryotic or prokaryotic cell contains many carbohydrate structures available for reaction with boronic acids.
• Compounds of the present invention are antisense phosphorodiamidate oligomers (PMO) containing boronic acids (or boronic esters which are expected to cleave to boronic acids in vivo) that are intended to bind covalently to cell surface carbohydrates, phosphate head groups, and sulfated polysaccharides; once bound, the compounds of the invention undergo uptake and internalization into the interior of the cell, followed by translocation to the cytoplasm and the nucleus where biological action takes place.
• PMO antisense phosphorodiamidate oligomers
• the compounds of the present invention are able to: 1) efficiently penetrate cell membranes and translocate to the cytoplasma and the nucleus; and 2) gain long residence times in plasma, thus avoiding excretion by and accumulation in the kidney.
• the structural features and properties of the various linkage types and oligomers are described in more detail in the following discussion.
• Figures 1 and 2 provide examples of oligomers of the invention.
• the depicted oligomers are shorter than typical.
• the oligomers comprise from about 10 to about 30 subunits (i.e., bases). In some
• the oligomers comprise from about 18 to about 25 subunits.
• the examples provided in Figures 1 and 2 depict boronic acid conjugates at both the terminal end and at the intersubunit linkages.
• the boronic acid (or ester) moiety may be at either the 5 '-terminal end. 3 '-terminal end or the intersubunit linkage, or any combination thereof.
• the actual number of boronic acid or boronic ester conjugates in an oligomer is not critical, provided the oligomer comprises at least one of these conjugates.
• the present invention is directed to an
• oligonucleotide analogue comprising a backbone, a 3 '-terminus and a 5'- terminus, the backbone comprising a sequence of morpholino ring structures joined by intersubunit linkages, the intersubunit linkages joining a 3 '-end of one morpholino ring structure to a 5 '-end of an adjacent morpholino ring structure, wherein each morpholino ring structure is bound to a base-pairing moiety, such that the oligonucleotide analogue can bind in a sequence-specific manner to a target nucleic acid, wherein at least one of the intersubunit linkages, the 3 '-terminus or the 5 '-terminus comprises a boronic acid or boronic ester moiety covalently bound thereto.
• the oligomer comprises at least one linkage comprising a boronic acid or boronic ester moiety covalently bound thereto (a "boron-containing linkage).
• the oligomer includes at least two consecutive born containing linkages.
• at least 5% of the linkages in the oligomer are born containing linkages; for example in some embodiments, 5%-95%, 10% to 90%, 10% to 50%, or 10% to 35% of the linkages may be boron containing linkages.
• At least one of the morpholino ring structures has the following structure (i):
• P is, at each occurrence, independently a base-pairing moiety.
• the boronic acid or boronic ester moiety has, at each occurrence, independently one of the following structures (I) or (II):
• R 1 is, at each occurrence, independently H or alkyl
• R 2 is H or alkyl, wherein R 2 may join with one of R 3 , R 4 , R 5 or R 6 to form a ring;
• R 3 , R 4 , R 5 and R 6 are, at each occurrence, independently absent, H, alkyl, hydroxy, hydroxyalkyl, aminoalkyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, halo, nitro, cyano amidyl, amino, alkylamino, arylamino, aralklyamino, aralkyloxycarbonylaminyl,
• alkyloxycarbonylaminyl aryloxycarbonylaminyl, -C0 2 H
• alkylcarbonyl arylcarbonyl, aralkylcarbonyl, aminocarbonyl, alkylaminocarbonyl, arylaminocarbonyl,
• R 3 , R 4 , R 5 or R 6 may join with another one of R 3 , R 4 , R 5 or R 6 to form a carbocyclic or heterocyclic ring, and wherein one of R 3 , R 4 , R 5 or R 6 may join with R 2 to form a heterocyclic ring;
• R 7 , R 8 and R 9 are, at each occurrence, independently alkyl or alkyl amino;
• A represents, at each occurrence, independently a 6-membered aryl or heteroaryl ring
• L 1 is, at each occurrence, independently an optional linker up to 18 atoms in length comprising moieties selected from alkyl ,aryl, hydroxyl, alkoxy, ether, amino, heteroaryl, phosphorous, alkylamino, guanidinyl, amidinyl, amide, ester, carbonyl, sulfide, disulfide, carbonyl, carbamate, phosphorodiamidate, phosphoroamidate, phosphorothioate, piperazine, phosphodiester and heterocyclyl moieties, wherein ⁇ represents a point of covalent attachment of L 1 to one of the intersubunit linkages, the 3 '-terminus or the 5 '-terminus.
• the intersubunit linkages have the following structure (III):
• X is, at each occurrence, independently structure (I), structure (II) or
• R 10 and R 11 are, at each occurrence, independently hydrogen or Ci-C 6 alkyl.
• At least one X is structure (I) or (II).
• LI serves as a linkage to covalently attach the P atom in structure (III) to the remainder of structures (I) or (II).
• at least one X is -N(CH 3 ) 2 .
• X is either structure (I) or (II) or -N(CH 3 ) 2 , that is each X that is not structure (I) or (II) is -N(CH 3 ) 2 .
• the oligonucleotide analogue comprises from 1 to 5 intersubunit linkages which comprise structure (I) or (II), for example in some embodiments X in from 1 to 5 of the intersubunit linkages is structure (I) or (II).
• the 3 '-terminus is covalently linked to structure (I) or structure (II) (via linker L 1 ) and has one of the following structures (IV) or (V):
• the 5 '-terminus is covalently linked to structure (I) or (II) (via linker L 1 ) and has one of the following structures (VI) or VII):
• P is a base-pairing moiety
• structure (I) has one of the following structures (la), (lb), (Ic) or (Id):
• structure (II) has one of the following structures (Ila), (lib), (lie) or (lid):
• R 2 joins with one of R 3 , R 4 , R 5 or R 6 to form a form a heterocyclic ring.
• structure (I) has the following structure (Ie):
• At least one R 1 is H or R 2 is H.
• each R 1 and R 2 is H.
• R 3 , R 4 , R 5 and R 6 are each independently absent, H, hydroxyl, alkyl, hydroxyalkyl, aminoalkyl, alkoxy, aryloxy, halo, nitro, cyano amidyl, amino, alkylamino, aryloxycarbonylaminyl, -C0 2 H, alkyloxycarbonyl, alkyloxyimino or heteroaryl.
• structure (I) has a structure selected from any of those depicted in Table 1 below.
• the linker L 1 is optional and serves as a point of covalent attachment between the remainder of structure (I) or (II) and an intersubunit linkage, the 3 '-terminal end or the 5 '-terminal of the oligonucleotide analogue.
• the actual structure and length of the linker is not critical so long as it provides a covalent point of attachment and does not interfere with binding of the oligonucleotide analogue to its target sequence.
• the amide bond provides a facile method for covalent attachment of (I) or (II) to the oligonucleotide analogue, and in some embodiments, L 1 comprises amide bonds.
• L 1 has one of the following structures:
• R 12 is absent, H or Ci-C 6 alkyl.
• the 3' or 5 '-terminal end may be modified to contain a moiety to improve solubility.
• moieties include triethylene glycol, which may be linked to the oligonucleotide via an LI linker.
• some embodiments include oligonucleotide analogues having the following moiety covalently attached at the 3' or 5 '-terminal end.
• the above triethylene glycol moiety is covalently attached at the 5 '-terminal end via the following L 1 linker:
• compositions comprising the oligonucleotide analogue of any one of the above embodiments and a pharmaceutically acceptable vehicle are also contemplated.
• Pharmaceutical compositions are described in more detail below.
• the present disclosure is directed to oligomer comprising boronic acid or boronic ester moieties which impart desirable properties (e.g., better cell penetration, residence time, etc.) to the oligomers.
• the oligomer comprises a backbone comprising a sequence of morpholino ring structures joined by intersubunit linkages, the intersubunit linkages joining a 3 '-end of one morpholino ring structure to a 5 '-end of an adjacent morpholino ring structure, wherein each morpholino ring structure is bound to a base-pairing moiety, such that the oligomer can bind in a sequence-specific manner to a target nucleic acid.
• the morpholino ring structures may have the following structure (i):
• Pi is, at each occurrence, independently a base-pairing moiety.
• Each morpholino ring structure supports a base pairing moiety (Pi), to form a sequence of base pairing moieties which is typically designed to hybridize to a selected antisense target in a cell or in a subject being treated.
• the base pairing moiety may be a purine or pyrimidine found in native DNA or RNA (A, G, C, T, or U) or an analog, such as hypoxanthine (the base component of the nucleoside inosine) or 5 -methyl cytosine.
• Analog bases that confer improved binding affinity to the oligomer can also be utilized. Exemplary analogs in this regard include C5-propynyl-modifed pyrimidines, 9- (aminoethoxy)phenoxazine (G-clamp) and the like.
• the oligomer may be modified, in accordance with an aspect of the invention, to include one or more linkages comprising structure (I) or (II), e.g. up to about 1 per every 2-5 linkages, typically 3-5 per every 10 linkages. Certain embodiments also include one or more linkages comprising structure (I) or (II).
• the linkages comprising structure (I) or (II) are interspersed along the backbone.
• the oligomer does not have a strictly alternating pattern of linkages comprising structure (I) or (II) linkages along its entire length.
• the oligomers may optionally comprise a structure (I) or (II) covalently linked to the 5' and/or 3' end.
• Oligomers for use in antisense applications generally range in length from about 10 to about 40 subunits, more preferably about 15 to 25 subunits.
• an oligomer of the invention having 19-20 subunits, a useful length for an antisense oligomer may ideally have two to seven, e.g. four to six, or three to five, linkages comprising structure (I) or (II).
• An oligomer having 14-15 subunits may ideally have two to five, e.g. 3 or 4, linkages comprising structure (I) or (II).
• the oligomer may be 100% complementary to the nucleic acid target sequence, or it may include mismatches, e.g., to accommodate variants, as long as a heteroduplex formed between the oligomer and nucleic acid target sequence is sufficiently stable to withstand the action of cellular nucleases and other modes of degradation which may occur in vivo.
• Mismatches if present, are less destabilizing toward the end regions of the hybrid duplex than in the middle. The number of mismatches allowed will depend on the length of the oligomer, the percentage of G:C base pairs in the duplex, and the position of the mismatch(es) in the duplex, according to well understood principles of duplex stability.
• an antisense oligomer is not necessarily 100% complementary to the nucleic acid target sequence, it is effective to stably and specifically bind to the target sequence, such that a biological activity of the nucleic acid target, e.g. , expression of encoded protein(s), is modulated.
• the stability of the duplex formed between an oligomer and the target sequence is a function of the binding T m and the susceptibility of the duplex to cellular enzymatic cleavage.
• the T m of an antisense compound with respect to complementary- sequence RNA may be measured by conventional methods, such as those described by Hames et ah, Nucleic Acid Hybridization, IRL Press, 1985, pp.107-108 or as described in Miyada C.G. and Wallace R.B., 1987, Oligonucleotide hybridization techniques, Methods Enzymol. Vol. 154 pp. 94-107.
• each antisense oligomer has a binding T m , with respect to a complementary-sequence RNA, of greater than body temperature or in other embodiments greater than 50°C. In other embodiments T m 's are in the range 60-80°C or greater.
• T m of an oligomer compound, with respect to a complementary-based RNA hybrid can be increased by increasing the ratio of C:G paired bases in the duplex, and/or by increasing the length (in base pairs) of the heteroduplex. At the same time, for purposes of optimizing cellular uptake, it may be advantageous to limit the size of the oligomer.
• oligomers for example longer than 20 bases may have certain advantages.
• longer oligomers may find particular utility for use in exon skipping or splice modulation.
• the targeting sequence bases may be normal DNA bases or analogues thereof, e.g., uracil and inosine that are capable of Watson-Crick base pairing to target- sequence R A bases.
• the oligomers may also incorporate guanine bases in place of adenine when the target nucleotide is a uracil residue. This is useful when the target sequence varies across different viral species and the variation at any given nucleotide residue is either cytosine or uracil.
• guanine in the targeting oligomer at the position of variability, the well-known ability of guanine to base pair with uracil (termed C/U:G base pairing) can be exploited.
• C/U:G base pairing By incorporating guanine at these locations, a single oligomer can effectively target a wider range of RNA target variability.
• the oligomers may exist in different isomeric forms, for example structural isomers (e.g., tautomers). With regard to stereoisomers, the compounds may have chiral centers and may occur as racemates, enantiomerically enriched mixtures, individual enantiomers, mixture or diastereomers or individual diastereomers. All such isomeric forms are included within the present invention, including mixtures thereof. The compounds may also possess axial chirality which may result in atropisomers.
• structural isomers e.g., tautomers
• stereoisomers the compounds may have chiral centers and may occur as racemates, enantiomerically enriched mixtures, individual enantiomers, mixture or diastereomers or individual diastereomers. All such isomeric forms are included within the present invention, including mixtures thereof.
• the compounds may also possess axial chirality which may result in atropisomers.
• crystalline forms of the compounds may exist as polymorphs, which are included in the present invention.
• some of the compounds may also form solvates with water or other organic solvents. Such solvates are similarly included within the scope of this invention.
• oligomers described herein may be used in methods of inhibiting production of a protein or replication of a virus. Accordingly, in one embodiment a nucleic acid encoding such a protein is exposed to an oligomer as disclosed herein.
• the antisense oligomer comprises base pairing moieties B which form a sequence effective to hybridize to a portion of a target nucleic acid at a location effective to inhibit production of the protein. In one embodiment, the location is an ATG start codon region of an mRNA, a splice site of a pre-mRNA, or a viral target sequence as described below.
• the oligomer has a T m with respect to binding to the target sequence of greater than about 50 °C, and it is taken up by mammalian cells or bacterial cells.
• T m with respect to binding to the target sequence of greater than about 50 °C
• the preparation and properties of morpholino oligomers is described in more detail below and in U.S. Patent No. 5,185,444 and WO/2009/064471, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
• the present disclosure also provides for formulation and delivery of the disclosed oligomer. Accordingly, in one embodiment the present disclosure is directed to a composition comprising an oligomer as disclosed herein and a pharmaceutically acceptable vehicle.
• Routes of antisense oligomer delivery include, but are not limited to, various systemic routes, including oral and parenteral routes, e.g.,
• intravenous, subcutaneous, intraperitoneal, and intramuscular, as well as inhalation, transdermal and topical delivery may be determined by one of skill in the art, as appropriate to the condition of the subject under treatment.
• an appropriate route for delivery of an antisense oligomer in the treatment of a viral infection of the skin is topical delivery, while delivery of a antisense oligomer for the treatment of a viral respiratory infection is by inhalation.
• the oligomer may also be delivered directly to the site of viral infection, or to the bloodstream.
• the antisense oligomer may be administered in any convenient vehicle which is physiologically and/or pharmaceutically acceptable.
• a composition may include any of a variety of standard pharmaceutically acceptable carriers employed by those of ordinary skill in the art. Examples include, but are not limited to, saline, phosphate buffered saline (PBS), water, aqueous ethanol, emulsions, such as oil/water emulsions or triglyceride emulsions, tablets and capsules.
• PBS phosphate buffered saline
• emulsions such as oil/water emulsions or triglyceride emulsions
• tablets and capsules include, but are not limited to, saline, phosphate buffered saline (PBS), water, aqueous ethanol, emulsions, such as oil/water emulsions or triglyceride emulsions, tablets and capsules.
• suitable physiologically acceptable carrier will vary dependent
• the compounds (e.g., oligomers) of the present invention may generally be utilized as the free acid or free base.
• the compounds of this invention may be used in the form of acid or base addition salts.
• Acid addition salts of the free amino compounds of the present invention may be prepared by methods well known in the art, and may be formed from organic and inorganic acids.
• Suitable organic acids include maleic, fumaric, benzoic, ascorbic, succinic, methanesulfonic, acetic, trifluoroacetic, oxalic, propionic, tartaric, salicylic, citric, gluconic, lactic, mandelic, cinnamic, aspartic, stearic, palmitic, glycolic, glutamic, and benzenesulfonic acids.
• Suitable inorganic acids include hydrochloric, hydrobromic, sulfuric, phosphoric, and nitric acids.
• Base addition salts included those salts that form with the carboxylate anion and include salts formed with organic and inorganic cations such as those chosen from the alkali and alkaline earth metals (for example, lithium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, barium and calcium), as well as the ammonium ion and substituted derivatives thereof (for example, dibenzylammonium, benzylammonium, 2- hydroxyethylammonium, and the like).
• the term “pharmaceutically acceptable salt” of structure (I) is intended to encompass any and all acceptable salt forms.
• prodrugs are also included within the context of this invention.
• Prodrugs are any covalently bonded carriers that release a compound of structure (I) in vivo when such prodrug is administered to a patient.
• Prodrugs are generally prepared by modifying functional groups in a way such that the modification is cleaved, either by routine manipulation or in vivo, yielding the parent compound.
• Prodrugs include, for example, compounds of this invention wherein hydroxy, amine or sulfhydryl groups are bonded to any group that, when administered to a patient, cleaves to form the hydroxy, amine or sulfhydryl groups.
• representative examples of prodrugs include (but are not limited to) acetate (and esters in general, e.g., boronic esters), formate and benzoate derivatives of alcohol and amine functional groups of the compounds of structure (I).
• esters may be employed, such as methyl esters, ethyl esters, and the like.
• liposomes may be employed to facilitate uptake of the antisense oligonucleotide into cells.
• Hydrogels may also be used as vehicles for antisense oligomer administration, for example, as described in WO
• the oligonucleotides may be administered in microspheres or microparticles.
• the use of gas-filled microbubbles complexed with the antisense oligomers can enhance delivery to target tissues, as described in US Patent No.
• Sustained release compositions may also be used. These may include semipermeable polymeric matrices in the form of shaped articles such as films or microcapsules.
• antisense inhibition is effective in treating infection of a host animal by a virus, by contacting a cell infected with the virus with an antisense agent effective to inhibit the replication of the specific virus.
• the antisense agent is administered to a mammalian subject, e.g., human or domestic animal, infected with a given virus, in a suitable pharmaceutical carrier. It is contemplated that the antisense oligonucleotide arrests the growth of the RNA virus in the host.
• the RNA virus may be decreased in number or eliminated with little or no detrimental effect on the normal growth or development of the host.
• the subject is a human subject, e.g., a patient diagnosed as having a localized or systemic viral infection.
• the condition of a patient may also dictate prophylactic administration of an antisense oligomer of the invention, e.g. in the case of a patient who (1) is immunocompromised; (2) is a burn victim; (3) has an indwelling catheter; or (4) is about to undergo or has recently undergone surgery.
• the oligomer is a phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer, contained in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, and is delivered orally.
• the oligomer is a phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer, contained in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, and is delivered intravenously (i.v.).
• the subject is a livestock animal, e.g., a chicken, turkey, pig, cow or goat, etc, and the treatment is either prophylactic or therapeutic.
• the invention also includes a livestock and poultry food composition containing a food grain supplemented with a subtherapeutic amount of an antiviral antisense compound of the type described above. Also contemplated is, in a method of feeding livestock and poultry with a food grain supplemented with subtherapeutic levels of an antiviral, an improvement in which the food grain is supplemented with a subtherapeutic amount of an antiviral oligonucleotide composition as described above.
• the antisense compound is administered in an amount and manner effective to result in a peak blood concentration of at least 200-400 nM antisense oligomer.
• one or more doses of antisense oligomer are
• Preferred doses for oral administration are from about 1-1000 mg oligomer per 70 kg. In some cases, doses of greater than 1000 mg oligomer/patient may be necessary. For i.v. administration, preferred doses are from about 0.5 mg to 1000 mg oligomer per 70 kg.
• the antisense oligomer may be administered at regular intervals for a short time period, e.g., daily for two weeks or less. However, in some cases the oligomer is administered intermittently over a longer period of time. Administration may be followed by, or concurrent with, administration of an antibiotic or other therapeutic treatment.
• the treatment regimen may be adjusted (dose, frequency, route, etc.) as indicated, based on the results of immunoassays, other biochemical tests and physiological examination of the subject under treatment.
• An effective in vivo treatment regimen using the antisense oligonucleotides of the invention may vary according to the duration, dose, frequency and route of administration, as well as the condition of the subject under treatment (i.e., prophylactic administration versus administration in response to localized or systemic infection). Accordingly, such in vivo therapy will often require monitoring by tests appropriate to the particular type of viral infection under treatment, and corresponding adjustments in the dose or treatment regimen, in order to achieve an optimal therapeutic outcome. Treatment may be monitored, e.g., by general indicators of disease and/or infection, such as complete blood count (CBC), nucleic acid detection methods, immunodiagnostic tests, viral culture, or detection of heteroduplex.
• CBC complete blood count
• the efficacy of an in vivo administered antiviral antisense oligomer of the invention in inhibiting or eliminating the growth of one or more types of RNA virus may be determined from biological samples (tissue, blood, urine etc.) taken from a subject prior to, during and subsequent to administration of the antisense oligomer.
• Assays of such samples include (1) monitoring the presence or absence of heteroduplex formation with target and non-target sequences, using procedures known to those skilled in the art, e.g., an electrophoretic gel mobility assay; (2) monitoring the amount of viral protein production, as determined by standard techniques such as ELISA or Western blotting, or (3) measuring the effect on viral titer, e.g. by the method of Spearman-Karber.
• the oligomer is actively taken up by mammalian cells.
• the oligomer may be conjugated to a transport moiety (e.g., transport peptide) as described herein to facilitate such uptake.
• the morpholino subunits, the modified intersubunit linkages and oligomers comprising the same can be prepared as described in the examples and in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,185,444 and 7,943, 762 which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
• the morpholino subunits can be prepared according to the following general Reaction Scheme I. Reaction Scheme 1. Preparation of Morpho lino Subunits
• the morpholino subunits may be prepared from the corresponding ribinucleoside (1) as shown.
• the morpholino subunit (2) may be optionally protected by reaction with a suitable protecting group precursor, for example trityl chloride.
• the 3' protecting group is generally removed during solid-state oligomer synthesis as described in more detail below.
• the base pairing poiety may be suitable protected for sold phase oligomer synthesis.
• Suitable protecting groups include benzoyl for adenine and cytosine, phenylacetyl for guanine, and pivaloyloxymethyl for hypoxanthine (I).
• the pivaloyloxymethyl group can be introduced onto the Nl position of the hypoxanthine heterocyclic base.
• an unprotected hypoxanthine subunit may be employed, yields in activation reactions are far superior when the base is protected.
• Other suitable protecting groups include those disclosed in co-pending U.S. Application No. 12/271,040, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
• Compounds of structure 4 can be prepared using any number of methods known to those of skill in the art. For example, such compounds may be prepared by reaction of the corresponding amine and phosphorous oxychloride. In this regard, the amine starting material can be prepared using any method known in the art, for example those methods described in the
• a compound of structure 5 can be used in solid-phase automated oligomer synthesis for preparation of oligomers comprising the intersubunit linkages. Such methods are well known in the art. Briefly, a compound of structure 5 may be modified at the 5 ' end to contain a linker to a solid support. For example, compound 5 may be linked to a solid support by a linker comprising L 1 .
• An exemplary method is
• the oligo may comprise a 5'- terminal modification after oligomer synthesis is complete and the oligomer is cleaved from the solid support.
• the protecting group of 5 e.g., trityl
• the free amine is reacted with an activated phosphorous moiety of a second compound of structure 5.
• This sequence is repeated until the desired length oligo is obtained.
• the protecting group in the termina 5' end may either be removed or left on if a 5'- modification is desired.
• the oligo can be removed from the solid support using any number of methods, or example treatment with a base to cleave the linkage to the solid support.
• boronic acid (or ester) moiety is prepared according to methods known in the art.
• a suitable linkage for example a carboxylic acid-containing moiety, is covalently attached to the boronic acid moiety.
• Conjugation of the boronic acid moiety is then completed by activation of the boronic acid with a suitable activating agent (e.g., EDC and the like) in the presence of an oligomer containing a free amine.
• a suitable activating agent e.g., EDC and the like
• the present invention is directed to a method of treating a disease in a mammalian subject, the method comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of an oligonucleotide analogue of any of the preceding claims to a subject in need thereof.
• the present disclosure also provides a method of inhibiting production of a protein, the method comprising exposing a nucleic acid encoding the protein to an oligomer as disclosed herein. Accordingly, in one embodiment a nucleic acid encoding such a protein is exposed to an antisense oligomer comprising at least one boronic acid or boronic acide ester moiety, as disclosed herein, where the base pairing moieties Pi form a sequence effective to hybridize to a portion of the nucleic acid at a location effective to inhibit production of the protein.
• the oligomer may target, for example, an ATG start codon region of an mR A, a splice site of a pre-mRNA, or a viral target sequence as described below.
• the disclosure provides a method of enhancing antisense activity of an oligomer having a sequence of morpholino subunits, joined by intersubunit linkages, supporting base-pairing moieties, the method comprises modifying an oligomer as described herein to at least one boronic acid or boronic ester moiety.
• enhancement of antisense activity may be evidenced by:
• modification provides this activity in a cell-free translation assay, a splice correction translation assay in cell culture, or a splice correction gain of function animal model system as described herein.
• activity is enhanced by a factor of at least two, at least five or at least ten.
• the disease is a neuromuscular disease, for example Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
• the oligonucleotide analogue for treating neuromuscular disease may be selected from the group consisting of:
• an antisense oligomer targeted against human myostatin having a base sequence complementary to at least 12 contiguous bases in a target region of the human myostatin mRNA identified by SEQ ID NO: 1, for treating a muscle wasting condition, as described previously (See, e.g., U.S. Patent Apn. No. 12/493,140, which is incorporated herein by reference; and PCT publication WO2006/086667).
• Exemplary murine targeting sequences are listed as SEQ ID NOs: 2-4.
• an antisense oligomer capable of producing exon skipping in the DMD protein such as a PMO having a sequence selected from SEQ ID NOs: 5-18 and 39, to restore partial activity of the dystrophin protein, for treating DMD, as described previously (See, e.g., PCT Pubn. Nos. WO/2010/048586 and
• SMA spinal muscle atrophy
• DM myotonic dystrophy
• SMA is an autosomal recessive disease caused by chronic loss of alpha- motor neurons in the spinal cord and can affect both children and adults.
• Reduced expression of survival motor neuron (SMN) is responsible for the disease (Hua, Sahashi et al. 2010). Mutations that cause SMA are located in the SMNl gene but a paralogous gene, SMN2, can allow viability by compensating for loss of SMNl if expressed from an alternative splice form lacking exon 7 (delta7 SMN2).
• Antisense compounds targeted to intron 6, exon 7 and intron 7 have all been shown to induce exon 7 inclusion to varying degrees. Antisense compounds targeted to intron 7 are employed in certain embodiments (see e.g., PCT Publication Nos.
• WO/2010/148249 Exemplary antisense sequences that target the SMN2 pre- mRNA and induce improved exon 7 inclusion are listed below as SEQ ID NOs: 19-21. It is contemplated that selected modifications of these oligomer sequences using the boronic acid or boronic ester moieties described herein would have improved properties compared to those known in the art. Furthermore, it is contemplated that any oligomer targeted to intron 7 of the SMN2 gene and incorporating the features of the present invention has the potential to induce exon 7 inclusion and provide a therapeutic benefit to SMA patients.
• Myotonic Dystrophy type 1 (DM1) and type 2 (DM2) are dominantly inherited disorders caused by expression of a toxic RNA leading to neuromuscular degeneration.
• DM1 and DM2 are associated with long polyCUG and polyCCUG repeats in the 3'-UTR and intron 1 regions of the transcript dystrophia myotonica protein kinase (DMPK) and zinc finger protein 9 (ZNF9), respectively (see e.g., WO2008/036406). While normal individuals have as many as 30 CTG repeats, DM1 patients carry a larger number of repeats ranging from 50 to thousands. The severity of the disease and the age of onset correlates with the number of repeats.
• DMPK transcript dystrophia myotonica protein kinase
• ZNF9 zinc finger protein 9
• RNA-BP RNA-binding proteins
• MBNL and CUGBP have been identified as antagonistic splicing regulators of transcripts affected in DM1 such as cardiac troponin T (cTNT), insulin receptor (IR) and muscle-specific chloride channel (ClC-1).
• cTNT cardiac troponin T
• IR insulin receptor
• ClC-1 muscle-specific chloride channel
• antisense oligonucleotides targeted to the expanded repeats of the DMPK gene can displace R A-BP sequestration and reverse myotonia symptoms in an animal model of DM1 (WO2008/036406).
• oligomers incorporating features of the present invention would provide improved activity and therapeutic potential for DM1 and DM2 patients.
• Exemplary sequences targeted to the polyCUG and polyCCUG repeats described above are listed below as SEQ ID NOs: 22-38 and further described in US Appn. No. 13/101,942 which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
• Additional embodiments of the present invention for treating neuralmuscular disorders are anticipated and include oligomers designed to treat other DNA repeat instability genetic disorders. These diseases include Huntington's disease, spino-cerebellar ataxia, X-linked spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy and spinocerebellar ataxia type 10 (SCA10) as described in WO2008/018795.
• SCA10 spinocerebellar ataxia type 10
• CAG 18mer CAG CAG CAG CAG CAG CAG CAG CAG 25
• CAG 25mer CAG CAG CAG CAG CAG CAG CAG CAG CAG CAG CAG CAG C 35
• EGFP sequence 5'-EG3: GCT ATT ACC TTA ACC CAG Compound 2
• EGFP sequence 5'-EG3: GCT ATT ACC TTA ACC CAG
• the 3 '-morpholino may be protected (e.g., trityl) to avoid any unwanted coupling of the boronic acid moiety to the 3 '-end.
• EGFP sequence 5'-EG3: GCT ATT ACC TTA ACC CAG
• the 3 '-morpholino may be protected (e.g., trityl) to avoid any unwanted coupling of the boronic acid moiety to the 3 '-end.

Landscapes

• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Genetics & Genomics (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Biomedical Technology (AREA)
• Bioinformatics & Cheminformatics (AREA)
• Molecular Biology (AREA)
• Biochemistry (AREA)
• Biotechnology (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
• Zoology (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
• Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
• Pharmacology & Pharmacy (AREA)
• Neurology (AREA)
• Nuclear Medicine, Radiotherapy & Molecular Imaging (AREA)
• Medicinal Chemistry (AREA)
• General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• Biophysics (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Plant Pathology (AREA)
• Microbiology (AREA)
• Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
• Orthopedic Medicine & Surgery (AREA)
• Neurosurgery (AREA)
• Pharmaceuticals Containing Other Organic And Inorganic Compounds (AREA)
• Medicines That Contain Protein Lipid Enzymes And Other Medicines (AREA)
• Medicinal Preparation (AREA)

Priority Applications (16)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=49223176

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (14)

Cited By (10)

Families Citing this family (3)

Citations (26)

Family Cites Families (22)

• 2013
  • 2013-03-07 JP JP2015501712A patent/JP6542662B2/ja active Active
  • 2013-03-07 NZ NZ700399A patent/NZ700399A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2013-03-07 AU AU2013235691A patent/AU2013235691B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 2013-03-07 ES ES13765016T patent/ES2706198T3/es active Active
  • 2013-03-07 BR BR112014023347A patent/BR112014023347A2/pt active Search and Examination
  • 2013-03-07 KR KR1020147029235A patent/KR102079284B1/ko not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2013-03-07 CN CN201380023605.6A patent/CN104411831B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2013-03-07 EA EA201491726A patent/EA031110B1/ru unknown
  • 2013-03-07 CA CA2868174A patent/CA2868174A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2013-03-07 EP EP13765016.4A patent/EP2828395B1/en active Active
  • 2013-03-07 US US14/386,720 patent/US9920085B2/en active Active
  • 2013-03-07 WO PCT/US2013/029684 patent/WO2013142087A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2013-03-07 MX MX2014011276A patent/MX358497B/es active IP Right Grant
• 2014
  • 2014-10-09 IN IN8451DEN2014 patent/IN2014DN08451A/en unknown
• 2017
  • 2017-05-01 AU AU2017202883A patent/AU2017202883A1/en not_active Abandoned
• 2019
  • 2019-03-22 AU AU2019201989A patent/AU2019201989A1/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (29)

Non-Patent Citations (16)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events