| abstract |
REFERRING TO A FUSION PROTEIN THAT INCLUDES A NATRIURETIC PEPTIDE OF FORMULA: X-La-F: F-La-X OR X-La-F: F, AND AN ANTIBODY Fc DOMAIN, WHERE THE NATRIURETIC PEPTIDE IS CONJUGATED WITH THE DOMAIN Fc DIRECTLY OR THROUGH A CONNECTOR AND WHERE X IS A NATRIURETIC PEPTIDE, L IS A CONNECTOR THAT INCLUDES AMINO ACID RESIDUES, a IS A WHOLE NUMBER; : IT IS A CHEMICAL ASSOCIATION OR CROSS-LINKING; F IS A PART OF AN IMMUNOGLOBULIN Fc DOMAIN THAT INCLUDES A JOIN SITE FOR FcRn. THE NATRIURETIC PEPTIDE IS A NATRIURETIC PEPTIDE TYPE A (ANP) OR A NATRIURETIC PEPTIDE TYPE B (BNP); THE CONNECTOR IS 6, 11, 16 OR 20 AMINO ACIDS IN LENGTH. IT IS ALSO REFERRED TO A POLYPEPTIDE. SUCH FUSION PROTEINS HAVE DIURETIC, NATRIURETIC AND VASODILATING ACTIVITY AND ARE USEFUL IN THE TREATMENT OF CHRONIC HEART FAILURE, HEART FIBROSIS, AMONG OTHERS |