United States Patent:  6,072,040

Assignee:  Medical Analysis Systems, Inc. (Camarillo, CA)

Filed:  October 15, 1997

The present invention provides methods for preparing, and compositions comprising, stabilized protein-polymer conjugates. More particularly, the present invention relates to the stabilization of individual subunits of multisubunit protein complexes by conjugation to polymers. Such conjugation acts to stabilize the individual subunit in its native conformation in liquid medium, which in turn acts to stabilize its biological activity.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns stabilization of individual subunits of multisubunit protein complexes. Stabilization is accomplished by conjugating the individual subunits to a polymer. The stabilizing effect of conjugation allows the individual subunit to be stored in liquid medium for longer periods of time than an equivalent unconjugated or "free" individual subunit. This greatly enhances the shelf life of the composition. In a preferred embodiment, the stabilized individual subunits are either cTnl or cTnT, which in their unconjugated form are highly unstable in liquid medium.

Polymers which are useful in the present invention can be naturally occurring or synthetic. Whereas certain synthetic polymers may be preferred for stabilization of free cTnI, as will be discussed below, natural polymers such as serum proteins are preferred for stabilization of cTnT. A particularly preferred class of synthetic polymer is PEG. Other suitable polymers include, but are not limited to polyalkylene glycols, polyoxyethylated polyols, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyhydroxyethyl methacrylate, polyvinyl alcohols, and polyurethane.

The polymers which are useful in the present invention may vary in molecular weight, and must have a molecular weight which is sufficient to stabilize the individual subunit. This generally requires that the polymer have a molecular weight between 100 and 200,000, more preferably between 1,000 and 40,000, and most preferably between 2,500 and 10,000.

In order to conjugate the polymer to the individual protein subunit, it should be in an "active" form, which means it must contain at least one reactive group capable of reacting with pendant groups on the protein to form a covalent linkage. When the polymer is PEG, a preferred active form is monomethoxy-PEG p-nitrophenyl carbonate.

The ratio of individual subunit to polymer in the conjugation reaction must be sufficient to stabilize the individual subunit. This generally requires that the polymer is provided in a molar concentration which is at least equivalent to the molar concentration of the individual subunit. Preferably, the polymer is provided in excess to ensure that a sufficient number of polymers are covalently attached to the individual subunits.

As an alternative to polymers, monomers (at least some of which are in an active form) can be used to form the protein-polymer conjugates of the present invention, which may polymerize during conjugation and may even attach directly to the protein subunit to afford the desired stability.

Another aspect of the present invention relates to compositions that consist of individual subunit-polymer conjugates in liquid medium. Suitable liquid media include water, aqueous solvents, serum, and mixtures thereof. Preferably, the liquid medium is mammalian serum, and more preferably, it is a mixture of human serum and bovine serum.

Other excipients, such as salts, buffers, proteins, polymers, carbohydrates, preservatives and reducing agents may also be added to the liquid medium.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention relates to stabilized conjugates of cTnI which are useful as control reagent compositions for immunoassays. Preferably, the cTnI conjugates are formed by conjugating a synthetic polymer, such as PEG, to the protein's pendant amine groups. Because cTnI's amine-containing lysine residues are not located in the cardiac-specific N-terminal portion of the protein, conjugation to PEG does not appreciably affect the ability of the cTnI to bind to cardiac-specific anti-cTnI antibodies.

In another embodiment, the present invention relates to a method of stabilizing individual subunits of multisubunit complexes by providing a solution of the individual subunit, adding a multifunctional crosslinking agent to activate the subunit, then simultaneously or subsequently adding a polymer to effect conjugation of the subunit to the polymer via the crosslinking agent. This method of stabilization is particularly preferred for conjugating serum proteins such as albumin to cTnT via glutaraldehyde, although it is also useful for other combinations of polymers and subunits as described herein, as well as with other multifunctional crosslinking agents.

Claim 1 of 16 Claims

1. A method of stabilizing an individual subunit of a multisubunit protein complex in liquid medium wherein the individual subunit is cardiac troponin I (cTnI), the method comprising the steps of:

a) providing a solution of cTnI; and

b) mixing said solution of cTnI with an active polymer for a time sufficient and under conditions suitable to form a stabilized cTnI-polymer conjugate.

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