Patent ID: 6372207
Filing Date: 2002-04-16
Classification: A61K,A61P,C07K

Abstract:
A method for prolonging the in vivo effect of Type I interferon (IFN), comprising:administering to a patient in need of Type I IFN therapy a complex of Type I IFN and a subunit of the human interferon &agr;/&bgr; receptor (IFNAR) which is capable of binding to the Type I IFN of the complex, in an amount effective to provide such IFN therapy, wherein said Type I IFN has a sequence consisting essentially of the sequence of a) a native Type I IFN; b) a fragment of a) which has Type I IFN receptor agonist or antagonist activity; c) a variant of a) or b) which has at least 70% sequence identity with a) or b) and which has Type I IFN receptor agonist or antagonist activity; or d) a variant of a) or b) which is encoded by a DNA sequence which hybridizes to the complement of the native DNA sequence encoding a) or b) under moderately stringent conditions and which has Type I IFN receptor agonist or antagonist activity; or a salt or functional derivative of a), b), c), or d) which has Type I IFN receptor agonist or antagonist activity; andwherein said IFNAR has a sequence consisting essentially of the sequence of e) a native human IFNAR polypeptide chain; f) a fragment of e) which has IFNAR receptor agonist or antagonist activity; g) a variant of e) or f) which has at least 70% sequence identity with e) or f) and which has IFNAR receptor agonist or antagonist activity; h) a variant of e) or f) which is encoded by a DNA sequence which hybridizes to the complement of the native DNA sequence encoding e) or f) under moderately stringent conditions and which has IFNAR biological activity; or a salt or functional derivative of e), f), g), or h) which has IFNAR biological activity,with the proviso that when said Type I IFN and said IFNAR are administered separately and said complex is formed in vivo, the amount of IFNAR administered is an amount effective to prolong the in vivo effect of the Type I IFN.