BackgroundAlzheimer disease (AD) is characterized by the accumulation of beta-amyloid (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles composed of hyperphosphorylated tau, which together lead to neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. Current therapeutic approaches have primarily aimed to reduce pathological aggregates of either Aβ or tau, yet phase 3 clinical trials of these approaches have thus far failed to delay disease progression in humans. Strong preclinical evidence indicates that these two abnormally aggregated proteins interact synergistically to drive downstream neurodegeneration. Therefore, combinatorial therapies that concurrently target both Aβ and tau might be needed for effective disease modification.MethodsA combinatorial vaccination approach was designed to concurrently target both Aβ and tau pathologies. Tau22/5xFAD (T5x) bigenic mice that develop both pathological Aβ and tau aggregates were injected intramuscularly with a mixture of two MultiTEP epitope vaccines: AV-1959R and AV-1980R, targeting Aβ and tau, respectively, and formulated in AdvaxCpG, a potent polysaccharide adjuvant. Antibody responses of vaccinated animals were measured by ELISA, and neuropathological changes were determined in brain homogenates of vaccinated and control mice using ELISA and Meso Scale Discovery (MSD) multiplex assays.ResultsT5x mice immunized with a mixture of Aβ- and tau-targeting vaccines generated high Aβ- and tau-specific antibody titers that recognized senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles/neuropil threads in human AD brain sections. Production of these antibodies in turn led to significant reductions in the levels of soluble and insoluble total tau, and hyperphosphorylated tau as well as insoluble Aβ42, within the brains of bigenic T5x mice.ConclusionsAV-1959R and AV-1980R formulated with AdvaxCpG adjuvant are immunogenic and therapeutically potent vaccines that in combination can effectively reduce both of the hallmark pathologies of AD in bigenic mice. Taken together, these findings warrant further development of this vaccine technology for ultimate testing in human AD.

Pathological tau correlates well with cognitive impairments in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients and therefore represents a promising target for immunotherapy. Targeting an appropriate B cell epitope in pathological tau could in theory produce an effective reduction of pathology without disrupting the function of normal native tau. Recent data demonstrate that the N-terminal region of tau (aa 2-18), termed the “phosphatase activation domain (PAD)”, is hidden within native Tau in a ‘paperclip’-like conformation. Conversely, PAD is exposed in pathological tau and plays an essential role in the inhibition of fast axonal transport and tau polymerization. Thus, we hypothesized that anti-tau2-18 antibodies may safely and specifically reduce pathological tau and prevent further aggregation, which in turn would neutralize tau toxicity. Therefore, we evaluated the immunogenicity and therapeutic efficacy of our MultiTEP platform-based vaccine targeting tau2-18 formulated with AdvaxCpG adjuvant (AV-1980R/A) in PS19 tau transgenic mice. The AV-1980R/A induced extremely high antibody responses and the resulting sera recognized neurofibrillary tangles and plaque-associated dystrophic neurites in AD brain sections. In addition, under non-denaturing conditions AV-1980R/A sera preferentially recognized AD-associated tau. Importantly, vaccination also prevented age-related motor and cognitive deficits in PS19 mice and significantly reduced insoluble total and phosphorylated tau species. Taken together, these findings suggest that predominantly targeting misfolded tau with AV-1980R/A could represent an effective strategy for AD immunotherapy.

The DNA vaccine, AV-1959D, targeting N-terminal epitope of Aβ peptide, has been proven immunogenic in mice, rabbits, and non-human primates, while its therapeutic efficacy has been shown in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here we report for the first time on IND-enabling biodistribution and safety/toxicology studies of cGMP-grade AV-1959D vaccine in the Tg2576 mouse model of AD. We also tested acute neuropathology safety profiles of AV-1959D in another AD disease model, Tg-SwDI mice with established vascular and parenchymal Aβ pathology in a pre-clinical translational study. Biodistribution studies two days after the injection demonstrated high copy numbers of AV-1959D plasmid after single immunization of Tg2576 mice at the injection sites but not in the tissues of distant organs. Plasmids persisted at the injection sites of some mice 60 days after vaccination. In Tg2576 mice with established amyloid pathology, we did not observe short- or long-term toxicities after multiple immunizations with three doses of AV-1959D. Assessment of the repeated dose acute safety of AV-1959D in cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) prone Tg-SwDI mice did not reveal any immunotherapy-induced vasogenic edema detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or increased microhemorrhages. Multiple immunizations of Tg-SwDI mice with AV-1959D did not induce T and B cell infiltration, glial activation, vascular deposition of Aβ, or neuronal degeneration (necrosis and apoptosis) greater than that in the control group determined by immunohistochemistry of brain tissues. Taken together, the safety data from two different mouse models of AD substantiate a favorable safety profile of the cGMP grade AV-1959D vaccine supporting its progression to first-in-human clinical trials.

Accumulation of misfolded proteins such as amyloid-β (Aβ), tau, and α-synuclein (α-Syn) in the brain leads to synaptic dysfunction, neuronal damage, and the onset of relevant neurodegenerative disorder/s. Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) are characterized by the aberrant accumulation of α-Syn intracytoplasmic Lewy body inclusions and dystrophic Lewy neurites resulting in neurodegeneration associated with inflammation. Cell to cell propagation of α-Syn aggregates is implicated in the progression of PD/DLB, and high concentrations of anti-α-Syn antibodies could inhibit/reduce the spreading of this pathological molecule in the brain. To ensure sufficient therapeutic concentrations of anti-α-Syn antibodies in the periphery and CNS, we developed four α-Syn DNA vaccines based on the universal MultiTEP platform technology designed especially for the elderly with immunosenescence. Here, we are reporting on the efficacy and immunogenicity of these vaccines targeting three B-cell epitopes of hα-Syn aa85–99 (PV-1947D), aa109–126 (PV-1948D), aa126–140 (PV-1949D) separately or simultaneously (PV-1950D) in a mouse model of synucleinopathies mimicking PD/DLB. All vaccines induced high titers of antibodies specific to hα-Syn that significantly reduced PD/DLB-like pathology in hα-Syn D line mice. The most significant reduction of the total and protein kinase resistant hα-Syn, as well as neurodegeneration, were observed in various brain regions of mice vaccinated with PV-1949D and PV-1950D in a sex-dependent manner. Based on these preclinical data, we selected the PV-1950D vaccine for future IND enabling preclinical studies and clinical development.

Metastatic chondrosarcoma is a bone malignancy not responsive to conventional therapies; new approaches and therapies are urgently needed. We have previously reported that mTORC1 inhibitor, antitumorigenic cytostatic proline rich polypeptide 1 (PRP-1), galarmin caused a significant upregulation of tumor suppressors including TET1/2 and SOCS3 (known to be involved in inflammatory processes), downregulation of oncoproteins and embryonic stem cell marker miR-302C and its targets Nanog, c-Myc and Bmi-1 in human chondrosarcoma. To understand better the mechanism of PRP-1 action it was very important to identify the receptor it binds to. Nuclear pathway receptor and GPCR assays indicated that PRP-1 receptors are not G protein coupled, neither do they belong to family of nuclear or orphan receptors. In the present study, we have demonstrated that PRP-1 binding interacting partners belong to innate immunity pattern recognition toll like receptors TLR1/2 and TLR6 and gel forming secreted mucin MUC5B. MUC5B was identified as PRP-1 receptor in human chondrosarcoma JJ012 cell line using Ligand-receptor capture technology. Toll like receptors TLR1/2 and TLR6 were identified as binding interaction partners with PRP-1 by western blot analysis in human chondrosarcoma JJ012 cell line lysates. Immunocytochemistry experiments confirmed the finding and indicated the localization of PRP-1 receptors in the tumor nucleus predominantly. TLR1/2, TLR6 and MUC5B were downregulated in human chondrosarcoma and upregulated in dose-response manner upon PRP-1 treatment. Experimental data indicated that in this cellular context the mentioned receptors had tumor suppressive function.

Abstract. Cytokines produced in the tumour microenvironment exert an important role in cancer pathogenesis and in the inhibition of disease progression. Cancer of the cartilage is termed metastatic chondrosarcoma; however, the signaling events resulting in mesenchymal cell transformation to sarcoma have yet to be fully elucidated. The present study aimed to characterize the cytokine expression profile in the human JJ012 chondrosarcoma cell line, as well as the effect of cytostatic proline-rich polypeptide-1 (PRP-1). Western blot experiments demonstrated that the levels of suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) were upregulated in chondrocytes compared with chondrosarcoma cells. Addition of PRP-1 restored the expression of the tumor suppressors, SOCS3 and ten-eleven-translocation methylcytosine dioxygenase 1 and 2 (TET1/2), in a dose-responsive manner. It is known that methylation of histone H3K9 was eliminated from the promoters of the inflammation-associated genes. PRP-1 inhibited H3K9 demethylase activity with an IC 50 (concentration required to give half-maximal inhibition) value of 3.72 µg/ml in the chondrosarcoma cell line. Data obtained from ELISA experiments indicated that the expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in chondrosarcoma cells was 86-fold lower compared with that in C28 chondrocytes. In the present study, a 53-fold downregulation of IL-6 expression in co-culture of chondrosarcoma cells and C28 chondrocytes was identified as well. Downregulation of IL-6 expression has been documented in numerous other tumor types, although the reasons for this have not been fully established. In chondrosarcoma, IL-6 manifests itself as an anti-inflammatory agent and, possibly, as an anti-tumorigenic factor. To explore protein-DNA interactions leading to such differences, a gel-shift chemiluminescent assay was performed. Gel shifts were observed for chondrosarcoma and chondrocytes in the lanes that contained nuclear cell extract and oligo-IL-6 DNA. Notably, the DNA-protein complexes in C28 chondrocytes were markedly larger compared with those in chondrosarcoma cells. The mechanisms that underpin such differences, and characterization of the interacting proteins, remain to be fully elucidated.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) are characterized by the aberrant accumulation of intracytoplasmic misfolded and aggregated α-synuclein (α-Syn), resulting in neurodegeneration associated with inflammation. The propagation of α-Syn aggregates from cell to cell is implicated in the spreading of pathological α-Syn in the brain and disease progression. We and others demonstrated that antibodies generated after active and passive vaccinations could inhibit the propagation of pathological α-Syn in the extracellular space and prevent/inhibit disease/s in the relevant animal models. We recently tested the immunogenicity and efficacy of four DNA vaccines on the basis of the universal MultiTEP platform technology in the DLB/PD mouse model. The antibodies generated by these vaccines efficiently reduced/inhibited the accumulation of pathological α-Syn in the different brain regions and improved the motor deficit of immunized female mice. The most immunogenic and preclinically effective vaccine, PV-1950D, targeting three B-cell epitopes of pathological α-Syn simultaneously, has been selected for future IND-enabling studies. However, to ensure therapeutically potent concentrations of α-Syn antibodies in the periphery of the vaccinated elderly, we developed a recombinant protein-based MultiTEP vaccine, PV-1950R/A, and tested its immunogenicity in young and aged D-line mice. Antibody responses induced by immunizations with the PV-1950R/A vaccine and its homologous DNA counterpart, PV-1950D, in a mouse model of PD/DLB have been compared.

Pathological forms of Tau protein are directly associated with neurodegeneration and correlate with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) symptoms, progression, and severity. Previously, using various mouse models of Tauopathies and AD, we have demonstrated the immunogenicity and efficacy of the MultiTEP-based adjuvanted vaccine targeting the phosphatase activating domain (PAD) of Tau, AV-1980R/A. Here, we analyzed its immunogenicity in non-human primates (NHP), the closest phylogenic relatives to humans with a similar immune system, to initiate the transition of this vaccine into clinical trials. We have demonstrated that AV-1980R/A is highly immunogenic in these NHPs, activating a broad but unique to each monkey repertoire of MultiTEP-specific T helper (Th) cells that, in turn, activate B cells specific to PAD. The resulting anti-PAD IgG antibodies recognize pathological Tau tangles and Tau-positive neuritis in AD case brain sections with no staining in control non-AD cases. These published data and efficacy results support the AV-1980R/A vaccine progression to first-in-human clinical trials.