A potent, long-lasting form of interferon alpha-2a mono-pegylated with a 40 kilodalton branched poly(ethylene glycol) was designed, synthesized, and characterized. Mono-pegylated interferon alpha-2a was comprised of four major positional isomers involving Lys31, Lys121, Lys131, and Lys134 of interferon. The in vitro anti-viral activity of pegylated interferon alpha-2a was found to be only 7% of the original activity. In contrast, the in vivo antitumor activity was severalfold enhanced compared to interferon alpha-2a. Pegylated interferon alpha-2a showed no immunogenicity in mice. After subcutaneous injection of pegylated interferon alpha-2a, a 70-fold increase in serum half-life and a 50-fold increase in mean plasma residence time concomitant with sustained serum concentrations were observed relative to interferon alpha-2a. These preclinical results suggest a significantly enhanced human pharmacological profile for pegylated interferon alpha-2a. Results of Phase II/III hepatitis C clinical trials in humans confirmed the superior efficacy of pegylated interferon alpha-2a compared to unmodified interferon alpha-2a.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/bc000082gDOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

interferon alpha-2a
44
pegylated interferon
20
interferon
13
alpha-2a
11
potent long-lasting
8
long-lasting form
8
form interferon
8
branched polyethylene
8
pegylated
5
rational design
4

Similar Publications

Background: Corneal squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) is a rare neoplasm of dogs that can be treated with various modalities, principally by superficial keratectomy (SK) surgery. It is common to treat cSCC with multiple adjunctive therapies, but this may not always be practical for clinicians, clients, or patients.

Aim: This retrospective study describes the signalment of affected dogs, concurrent medical therapy, and success rate of surgical treatment of cSCC with SK surgery alone or in combination with adjunct therapy.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Brain derived β-interferon is a potential player in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis and cognitive impairment.

Alzheimers Res Ther

December 2024

Department of Neurology and Institute on Aging and Brain Disorders, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, University of Science and Technology of China, Lujiang Road 17, Hefei, 230001, China.

Background: Recent research has postulated that the activation of cGAS-STING-interferon signalling pathways could be implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the precise types of interferons and related cytokines, both from the brain and periphery, responsible for cognitive impairment in patients with AD remain unclear.

Methods: A total of 131 participants (78 [59.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

HBV serum RNA kinetics during nucleic acid polymers based therapy predict functional cure.

Antiviral Res

December 2024

Program for Experimental & Theoretical Modeling, Division of Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood, IL, USA. Electronic address:

Article Synopsis
  • Serum HBV-RNA (seRNA) is being explored as a marker for measuring the activity of HBV replication in liver cells, and the study investigates its behavior under a specific treatment regimen.
  • The trial involved 40 individuals with chronic HBV who received a combination of tenofovir, pegylated interferon, and a nucleic-acid polymer (NAP) over 48 weeks, revealing unique seRNA patterns in response to the treatments.
  • Results showed that having a lower seRNA half-life was linked to achieving a partial or functional cure, suggesting that faster inactivation of cccDNA – the genetic material driving the virus – might lead to better treatment outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The application of biologic agents has benefited patients with Behcet's uveitis (BU) who do not respond to conventional treatment regimens. However, there is currently no consensus on the optimal treatment regimen of interferon alpha-2a (IFN-α2a) for refractory BU.

Objectives: To evaluate treatment outcomes and safety of IFN-α2a in a large series of refractory BU patients and to explore whether nonbiologic immunomodulatory agents (cyclosporin A) other than corticosteroids should be concomitantly used.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Site-Specific Glyco-Tagging of Native Proteins for the Development of Biologicals.

J Am Chem Soc

December 2024

Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research, Utrecht University, Utrecht, CG 3584, The Netherlands.

Glycosylation is an attractive approach to enhance biological properties of pharmaceutical proteins; however, the precise installation of glycans for structure-function studies remains challenging. Here, we describe a chemoenzymatic methodology for glyco-tagging of proteins by peptidoligase catalyzed modification of the -terminus of a protein with a synthetic glycopeptide ester having an -acetyl-glucosamine (GlcNAc) moiety to generate an -GlcNAc modified protein. The GlcNAc moiety can be elaborated into complex glycans by -glycosylation using well-defined sugar oxazolines and mutant forms of endo β--acetylglucosaminidases (ENGases).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!