Antagonist antibodies against GDF-8 and uses in treatment of ALS and other GDF-8-associated disorders

• Main Authors: ZALESKA, MARGARET M, PANGALOS, MENELAS N, HOLZBAUR-HOWLAND, ERIKA L.F, HOWLAND, DAVID S, WALLACE, KAREN, KARIM, RIYEZ, WEBER, NICHOLAS, KWAK, SEUNG POON, TCHISTIAKOVA, LIOUDMILA, KELLEY, PAMELA, WALSH, FRANK S, TAN, XIANG-YANG
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 18.01.2012
• Subjects: BEER; BIOCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; CULTURE MEDIA; ENZYMOLOGY; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MEASURING; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; METALLURGY; MICROBIOLOGY; MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY; PEPTIDES; PHYSICS; PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL, OR TOILET PURPOSES; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS ORMEDICINAL PREPARATIONS; SPIRITS; TESTING; VINEGAR; WINE

The disclosure provides novel molecules related to growth and differentiation factor-8 (GDF-8), in particular mouse and humanized antibodies, and antibody fragments, including those that inhibit GDF-8 activity and signaling in vitro and/or in vivo. The disclosure also provides methods for diagnosing, treating, ameliorating, preventing, prognosing, or monitoring degenerative orders of muscle, bone, and insulin metabolism, etc., in particular amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In addition, the disclosure provides pharmaceutical compositions for the treatment of such disorders by using the antibodies, polypeptides, polynucleotides, and vectors of the invention.