NZ733310B2 - Compositions for inhibiting MASP-2 dependent complement activation - Google Patents

Abstract

isolated monoclonal antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, that binds to human MASP-2, comprising a heavy chain variable region comprising the amino acid sequences set forth as amino acid residues 1 to 120 of SEQ ID NO:56, and a light chain variable region comprising the amino acid sequences set forth as amino acid residues 146 to 250 of SEQ ID NO:56. ences set forth as amino acid residues 146 to 250 of SEQ ID NO:56.

Description

PATENTS FORM NO. 5 Our ref: FIP237959NZPR Divisional application out of NZ 715226 In turn a divisional application out of NZ 617487 NEW ZEALAND PATENTS ACT 1953 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION Compositions for ting MASP-2 dependent complement activation We, Omeros Corporation, of 201 Elliott Avenue West, Seattle, 98119, Washington, United States of America hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us and the method by which it is to be med, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: (followed by page 1a) COMPOSITIONS FOR TING MASP-2 ENT COMPLEMENT ACTIVATION FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present ion s to anti-MASP-2 inhibitory antibodies and itions comprising such antibodies for use in inhibiting the adverse effects of MASP-2 dependent complement activation.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO D APPLICATION This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/482,567 filed May 4, 2011, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

This application was divided from NZ 715226, which was in turn d from NZ 617487. The description of the t ion and the inventions of NZ 715226 and NZ 617487 are retained herein for clarity and completeness.

ENT REGARDING SEQUENCE LISTING The sequence listing associated with this application is provided in text format in lieu of a paper copy and is hereby incorporated by reference into the specification. The name of the text file containing the sequence listing is MP_1_0115_PCT_SequenceListingasFiled_20120504_ST25. The text file is 158 KB, was created on May 4, 2012; and is being submitted via EFS-Web with the filing of the specification.

BACKGROUND The complement system provides an early acting mechanism to initiate, amplify and trate the immune response to microbial infection and other acute insults (M.K. Liszewski and J.P. Atkinson, 1993, in Fundamental Immunology, Third Edition, edited by W.E. Paul, Raven Press, Ltd., New York) in humans and other vertebrates. While complement activation provides a valuable first-line defense against ial pathogens, the activities of complement that promote a protective immune response can also represent a potential threat to the host (K.R. Kalli, et al., Springer Semin. Immunopathol. 15 :417-431, 1994; B.P. Morgan, Eur. J. Clinical Investig. 24 :219-228, 1994). For example, the C3 and C5 proteolytic products recruit and activate neutrophils. While indispensable for host defense, activated neutrophils are indiscriminate in their release of destructive enzymes and may cause organ damage. In addition, complement (followed by page 2) W0 2012/]51481 PCT/U82012/036509 activation may cause the deposition of lytic complement components on nearby host cells as well as on microbial targets, resulting in host cell lysis.

The complement system has also been implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous acute and chronic disease states, ing: myocardial infarction, stroke, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), reperfusion injury, septic shock, ary leakage following l burns, post cardiopulmonary bypass inflammation, transplant rejection, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, and Alzheimer's disease. In almost all of these conditions, complement is not the cause but is one of several factors involved in pathogenesis. heless, complement activation may be a major pathological mechanism and represents an effective point for al control in many of these disease states.

The growing ition of the importance of complement—mediated tissue injury in a variety of disease states underscores the need for effective ment inhibitory drugs. To date, Eculizumab (Soliris®), an antibody against C5, is the only complement- targeting drug that has been approved for human use. Yet, C5 is one of several effector molecules located tream” in the complement system, and blockade of C5 does not t activation of the complement system. Therefore, an inhibitor of the initiation steps of complement activation would have significant ages over a “downstream” complement inhibitor.

Currently, it is widely accepted that the complement system can be activated through three distinct pathways: the classical pathway, the lectin pathway, and the alternative pathway. The classical pathway is usually triggered by a complex composed of host antibodies bound to a foreign particle (i.e., an antigen) and thus requires prior exposure to an antigen for the generation of a specific antibody response. Since activation of the classical pathway depends on a prior ve immune response by the host, the classical y is part of the acquired immune . In contrast, both the lectin and alternative pathways are independent of ve immunity and are part of the innate immune system.

The activation of the ment system results in the sequential activation of serine protease zymogens. The first step in activation of the classical pathway is the binding of a specific recognition molecule, Clq, to n-bound IgG and IgM complexes. Clq is associated with the Clr and Cls serine protease proenzymes as a complex called Cl. Upon binding of Clq to an immune complex, autoproteolytic cleavage of the e site of Clr is followed by Clr-mediated cleavage and activation of C13, which thereby acquires the ability to cleave C4 and C2. C4 is cleaved into two fragments, ated C4a and C4b, and, similarly, C2 is cleaved into C2a and C2b. C4b fragments are able to form covalent bonds with adjacent hydroxyl or amino groups and te the C3 convertase (C4b2a) through noncovalent ction with the C2a fragment of activated C2. C3 convertase (C4b2a) activates C3 by proteolytic cleavage into C3a and C3b subcomponents leading to generation of the C5 convertase (C4b2a3b), which, by cleaving C5 leads to the ion of the ne attack complex (C5b combined with C6, C7, C8 and C9, also referred to as “MAC”) that can disrupt cellular membranes leading to cell lysis. The activated forms of C3 and C4 (C3b and C4b) are covalently deposited on the foreign target surfaces, which are recognized by complement receptors on multiple phagocytes.

Independently, the first step in activation of the complement system through the lectin y is also the binding of ic recognition molecules, which is followed by the activation of associated serine protease proenzymes. However, rather than the binding of immune xes by Clq, the recognition molecules in the lectin pathway comprise a group of carbohydrate-binding proteins (mannan-binding lectin (MBL), H—ficolin, M-flcolin, L—ficolin and C—type lectin CL-l 1), collectively referred to as lectins. See J. Lu et al., m. Bioplzys. Acta 1572:387—400, 2002; Holmskov et al., Annu. Rev. Immunol. 21:547—578 (2003); Teh et al., Immunology 101 :225—232 (2000)).

See also J. Luet et al., Bz'oclzz’m Biophys Acta 1572:387-400 (2002); Holmskov et al, Annu Rev Immunol 21:547-578 (2003); Teh et al., Immunology 101 1225-232 (2000); Hansen S. et al., J. l 185(10):6096—6104 (2010).

Ikeda et al. first demonstrated that, like Clq, MBL could activate the complement system upon binding to yeast mannan—coated erythrocytes in a C4-dependent manner (Ikeda ct al., J. Biol. Chem. 262:7451—7454, 1987). MBL, a member of the collectin n family, is a m—dependent lectin that binds carbohydrates with 3— and 4-hydroxy groups oriented in the equatorial plane of the pyranose ring. Prominent ligands for MBL are thus D-mannose and N—acetyl-D-glucosamine, while carbohydrates not g this steric requirement have undetectable affinity for MBL (Weis, W.l., et al., Nature 7-134, 1992). The interaction between MBL and monovalent sugars is extremely weak, with dissociation constants typically in the single-digit millimolar range.

MBL achieves tight, specific binding to glycan ligands by avidity, tie, by interacting simultaneously with multiple monosaccharide residues located in close proximity to each other (Lee, R.T., et al., Archiv. Biochem. Biophys. 9-136, 1992). MBL recognizes the carbohydrate patterns that commonly decorate microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast, parasites and certain s. In contrast, MBL does not recognize D—galactose and sialic acid, the penultimate and ultimate sugars that usually decorate "mature" complex glycoconjugates present on mammalian plasma and cell surface glycoproteins. This binding specificity is thought to promote recognition of “foreign” surfaces and help protect from “self~activation.” However, MBL does bind with high affinity to clusters of high-mannose "precursor" glycans on N-linked glycoproteins and glycolipids sequestered in the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi of mammalian cells (Maynard, Y., et al., J. Biol.

Chem. 88-3794, 1982). Therefore, d cells are potential targets for lectin pathway activation via MBL binding.

The ficolins possess a different type of lectin domain than MBL, called the fibrinogen—like domain. Ficolins bind sugar residues in a Ca++-independent manner. In humans, three kinds of ficolins' (L—ficolin, M—ficolin and in), have been identified.

The two scrum ficolins, lin and H—ficolin, have in common a specificity for N-acetyl-D-glucosamine; however, H—ficolin also binds N-acetyl-D-galactosamine. The difference in sugar specificity of L-ficolin, H—ficolin, CL-ll and MBL means that the ent lectins may be complementary and target different, though overlapping, glycoconjugates. This concept is supported by the recent report that, of the known lectins in the lectin y, only L—ficolin binds specifically to lipoteichoic acid, a cell wall glycoconjugate found on all Gram-positive bacteria (Lynch, N.J.,et al., J. l. 172:1198-1202, 2004). The collectins (i.e., MBL) and the ficolins bear no significant similarity in amino acid sequence. However, the two groups of proteins have similar domain organizations and, like C lq, assemble into oligomeric structures, which maximize the ility of multisite binding.

The serum trations of MBL are highly variable in healthy populations and this is cally controlled by the polymorphism/mutations in both the promoter and coding regions of the MBL gene. As an acute. phase protein, the expression of MBL is further upregulated during inflammation. in is t in serum at concentrations similar to those of MBL. Therefore, the L-ficolin branch of the lectin pathway is potentially comparable to the MBL arm in strength. MBL and ficolins can also function as opsonins, which allow phagocytes to target MBL— and ficolin-decorated surfaces (see W0 20121151481 PCT/U52012/036509 Jack et a1., J Leukac Biol, 77(3):328—36 (2004); Matsushita and Fujita, Immunobz’ology, ):490-7 (2002); Aoyagi et al., J Immunol 174(1):4l8—25 (2005). This opsonization requires the interaction of these proteins with phagocyte ors (Kuhlman, M., et al., J. Exp. Med. 16921733, 1989; Matsushita, M., et al., J. Biol.

Chem. 271 :2448-54, 1996), the ty of which has not been ished.

Human MBL forms a specific and high-affinity interaction h its collagen-like domain with unique Clr/Cls-like serine proteases, termed MEL—associated serine ses (MASPS). To date, three MASPs have been described. First, a single enzyme "MASP" was identified and characterized as the enzyme responsible for the initiation of the ment cascade (i.e., cleaving C2 and C4) (Matsushita M and Fujita T., JExp Med 176(6):]497-1502 (1992), Ji, Y.1-1., et a1., J. Immunol. [50:571-578, 1993).

It was subsequently determined that the MASP activity was, in fact, a mixture of two proteases: MASP—l and MASP-2 (Thiel, S., et a1., Nature 386:506—510, 1997). However, it was trated that the MBL-MASP-2 x alone is sufficient for complement activation (Vorup-Jensen, T., et al., J. Immunol. 165:2093-2100, 2000). Furthermore, only MASP-2 cleaved C2 and C4 at high rates (Ambrus, G., ct a1., J. Immunol. 170:1374—1382, 2003). Therefore, MASP-2 is the se sible for activating C4 and C2 to generate the C3 convertase, C4b2a. This is a significant difference from the Cl complex of the classical pathway, where the coordinated action of two specific serine proteases (Clr and C1 s) leads to the activation of the complement system. In addition, a third novel protease, MASP-3, has been isolated (Dahl, M.R., et a1., [Immunity 15:127-35, 2001). MASP—l and MASP—3 are alternatively spliced products of the same gene.

MASPs share identical domain organizations with those of Clr and C13, the enzymatic components of the Cl complex (Sim, R.B., et a1., Biochem. Soc. Trans. 28:545, 2000). These domains include an N-terminal Clr/Cls/sea urchin VEGF/bone morphogenic protein (CUB) domain, an epidermal growth factor—like domain, a second CUB domain, a tandem of complement control protein domains, and a serine protease domain. As in the C1 proteases, tion of MASP-Z occurs through cleavage of an Arg-Ile bond adjacent to the serine se domain, which splits the enzyme into disulfide-linked A and B chains, the latter ting of the serine protease domain.

Recently, a genetically determined deficiency of MASP-2 was described (Stengaard-Pedersen, K., et al., New Eng. J. Med. 349:554—560, 2003). The mutation of a single nucleotide leads to an y exchange in the CUBl domain and s MASP-2 incapable of binding to MBL.

MBL can also ated with an alternatively spliced form of MASP—2, known as MEL—associated protein of 19 kDa (MAp19) r, C,M., J. Immzmol. 162:3481-90, 1999) or small MEL—associated n (sMAP) (Takahashi, M., et al., Int.

Immunol. 11:859—863, 1999), which lacks the catalytic activity of MASP-2. MAp19 comprises the first two domains of MASP-2, followed by an extra sequence of four unique amino acids. The MASP 1 and MASP 2 genes are located on human chromosomes 3 and 1, respectively (Schwaeble, W., et al., bz’ology 2052455—466, 2002).

Several lines of evidence suggest that there are different MBL-MASPS complexes and a large fraction of the MASPs in serum is not complexed with MBL (Thiel, S., et al., J. Inzmzmol. 165:878-887, 2000). Both H— and L—ficolin bind to all MASPs and activate the lectin complement y, as does MBL (Dahl, M.R., et a1., Immunity 151127—35, 2001; Matsushita, M., et al., J. Immunol. 168:3502-3506, 2002). Both the lectin and classical ys form a common C3 convertase (C4b2a) and the two pathways converge at this step.

The lectin pathway is widely thought to have a major role in host defense against infection in the naive host. Strong evidence for the involvement of MBL in host defense comes from analysis of patients with decreased serum levels of functional MBL trick, D.C., Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1572:401—413, 2002). Such patients display susceptibility to recurrent bacterial and fungal infections. These symptoms are usually evident early in life, during an apparent window of vulnerability as maternally derived antibody titer wanes, but before a full repertoire of antibody ses develops. This syndrome often results from mutations at several sites in the collagenous n of MBL, which interfere with proper formation of MBL oligomers. However, since MBL can function as an opsonin independent of complement, it is not known to what extent the increased susceptibility to infection is due to impaired complement tion.

In contrast to the classical and lectin pathways, no initiators of the alternative pathway have been found to fulfill the recognition functions that Clq and lectins perform in the other two pathways. Currently it is widely accepted that the alternative pathway spontaneously undergoes a low level of turnover tion, which can be readily amplified on foreign or other al surfaces (bacteria, yeast, virally infected cells, or damaged tissue) that lack the proper molecular elements that keep spontaneous complement activation in check. There are four plasma proteins ly involved in the activation of the alternative pathway: C3, factors B and D, and properdin. Although there is extensive ce implicating both the classical and alternative complement pathways in the pathogenesis of non-infectious human diseases, the role of the lectin pathway is just beginning to be evaluated. Recent studies provide evidence that activation of the lectin pathway can be responsible for complement activation and related inflammation in ischemia/reperfusion injury. Collard et a1. (2000) reported that cultured endothelial cells subjected to ive stress bind MBL and show deposition of C3 upon exposure to human serum (Collard, C.D., et al., Am. J. Pathol. 49—1556, 2000). In addition, treatment of human sera with blocking anti—MBL monoclonal antibodies ted MBL binding and complement activation. These findings were ed to a rat model of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion in which rats treated with a blocking antibody directed against rat MBL showed significantly less myocardial damage upon ion of a coronary artery than rats treated with a control antibody (Jordan, J.E., et al., Circulation 104:1413—1418, 2001). The molecular mechanism of MBL g to the vascular endothelium afier oxidative stress is unclear; a recent study ts that activation of the lectin pathway after oxidative stress may be mediated by MBL binding to vascular endothelial cytokeratins, and not to glycoconjugates (Collard, C.D., et al., Am. J. Pathol. 159:1045-1054, 2001). Other studies have implicated the classical and ative ys in the pathogenesis of ischemia/reperfusion injury and the role of the lectin pathway in this disease remains controversial (Riedermann, N.C., et al., Am. J. Pathol. [62:363—367. 2003).

A recent study has shown that MASP—l (and possibly also MASP—3) is required to convert the alternative y activation enzyme Factor D from its zymogen form into its enzymatically active form(See Takahashi M. et al., J Exp Med 207(1):29-37 (2010)).

The physiological importance of this process is underlined by the absence of alternative pathway functional activity in plasma of MASP-1/3 deficient mice. Proteolytic generation of C3b from native C3 is required for the ative pathway to function.

Since the alternative pathway C3 convertase (C3bBb) contains C3b as an essential subunit, the on regarding the origin of the first C3b Via the alternative pathway has presented a puzzling problem and has stimulated considerable research.

C3 belongs to a family of ns (along with C4 and (1-2 macroglobulin) that contain a rare posttranslational modification known as a thioester bond. The thioester group is composed of a glutamine whose terminal carbonyl group forms a covalent thioester linkage with the sulfliydryl group of a cysteine three amino acids away. This bond is unstable and the electrophilic glutamyl-thioester can react with nucleophilic moieties such as hydroxyl or amino groups and thus form a covalent bond with other molecules. The thioester bond is reasonably stable when sequestered within a hydrophobic pocket of intact C3. However, proteolytic cleavage of C3 to C3a and C3b results in re of the highly reactive thioester bond on C3b and, following nucleophilic attack by adjacent moieties comprising hydroxyl or amino groups, C3b s covalently linked to a target. In addition to its ocumented role in covalent attachment of C3b to complement targets, the C3 ter is also thought to have a pivotal role in triggering the alternative pathway. According to the widely accepted "tick-over theory", the alternative pathway is initiated by the generation of a fluid-phase convertase, iC3Bb, which is formed from C3 with hydrolyzed thioester (iC3; C3(HZO)) and factor B (Lachmann, P.J., et al., Springer Semin. Immunopathol. 7:143—162, 1984).

The ke C3(H20) is generated from native C3 by a slow spontaneous hydrolysis of the internal thioester in the protein um, M.K., ct al., J. Exp. Med. 154:856—867, 1981), Through the activity of the C3(H20)Bb convertase, C3b molecules are deposited on the target surface, thereby initiating the alternative pathway.

Very little is known about the tors of activation of the alternative pathway.

Activators are thought to include yeast cell walls (zymosan), many pure polysaccharides, rabbit erythrocytes, n irnmunoglobulins, viruses, fungi, bacteria, animal tumor cells, parasites, and damaged cells. The only feature common to these activators is the presence of carbohydrate, but the complexity and variety of carbohydrate ures has made it difficult to establish the shared molecular inants which are recognized. It is widely accepted that alternative pathway activation is controlled through the fine balance between inhibitory regulatory components of this y, such as Factor H, Factor I, DAF, CR1 and properdin, which is the only positive regulator of the alternative pathway. See Schwaeble W.J. and Reid K.B., Immunol Today 20(1):l7-21 (1999)).

In addition to the apparently unregulated activation mechanism bed above, the alternative pathway can also e a powerful amplification loop for the /classical pathway C3 tase (C4b2a) since any C3b generated can participate with factor B in forming additional ative pathway C3 convertase (C3bBb). The ative pathway C3 convertase is stabilized by the binding of properdin. Properdin extends the alternative pathway C3 tase half-life six to ten fold. Addition of C3b to the ative pathway C3 tase leads to the formation of the alternative pathway C5 convertase.

All three pathways (i.e., the classical, lectin and alternative) have been thought to converge at C5, which is cleaved to form products with multiple proinflammatory effects.

The converged pathway has been referred to as the terminal complement y. C521 is the most potent anaphylatoxin, inducing alterations in smooth muscle and vascular tone, as well as vascular permeability. It is also a powerful chemotaxin and activator of both neutrophils and monocytes. CSa-mediated ar activation can significantly amplify atory responses by inducing the release of multiple additional inflammatory mediators, ing cytokines, hydrolytic enzymes, arachidonic acid metabolites and reactive oxygen species. C5 cleavage leads to the formation of C5b-9, also known as the membrane attack complex (MAC). There is now strong evidence that sublytic MAC deposition may play an important role in inflammation in addition to its role as a lytic pore-forming complex.

In addition to its essential role in immune defense, the complement system contributes to tissue damage in many clinical ions. Thus, there is a pressing need to develop therapeutically effective complement inhibitors to prevent these adverse effects.

SUMMARY This summary is provided to introduce a selection of ts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In one aspect, the invention provides an isolated human onal antibody, or antigen binding fragment thereof, that binds to human MASP-2, comprising:(i) a heavy chain variable region comprising , CDR-H2 and CDR-H3 sequences; and (ii) a light chain le region sing CDR-Ll, CDR-L2 and CDR-L3, wherein the heavy chain variable region CDR—H3 sequence comprises an amino acid sequence set W0 20121151481 PCT/U82012/036509 forth as SEQ ID N038 or SEQ ID N0290, and conservative sequence modifications thereof, wherein the light chain variable region CDR-L3 sequence comprises an amino acid sequence set forth as SEQ ID N0251 or SEQ ID N094, and conservative sequence modifications f, and wherein the ed antibody inhibits MASP-2 dependent complement activation.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a human antibody that binds human MASP-2, wherein the antibody comprises: I) a) a heavy chain variable region comprising: i) a heavy chain CDR-H1 comprising the amino acid sequence from 31—35 of SEQ ID N021; and ii) a heavy chain CDR-H2 comprising the amino acid sequence from 50-65 of SEQ ID N021 ; and iii) a heavy chain CDR—H3 comprising the amino acid sequence from 95—102 of SEQ ID N021; and b) a light chain variable region comprising: i) a light chain CDR-L1 sing the amino acid sequence from 24-34 of either SEQ ID N025 or SEQ ID N027; and ii) a light chain CDR-L2 sing the amino acid sequence from 50-56 of either SEQ ID N025 or SEQ ID N027; and iii) a light chain CDR-L3 comprising the amino acid sequence from 89-97 of either SEQ ID N025 or SEQ ID N027; or II) a variant thereof that is otherwise identical to said variable s, except for up to a combined total of 10 amino acid tutions Within said CDR regions of said heavy chain variable region and up to a combined total of 10 amino acid substitutions within said CDR regions of said light chain variable region, wherein the dy or variant thereof inhibits MASP-2 dependent complement activation.

In another aspect, the present invention provides an isolated human onal antibody, or n binding fragment f, that binds human MASP—Z, wherein the antibody comprises: I) a) a heavy chain variable region comprising: i) a heavy chain CDR-H1 comprising the amino acid sequence from 31-35 of SEQ ID N020; and ii) a heavy chain CDR-H2 comprising the amino acid sequence from 50-65 of SEQ ID N020; and iii) a heavy chain CDR-H3 comprising the amino acid sequence from 95-102 of either SEQ ID N0:18 or SEQ ID N020; and b) a light chain variable region comprising: i) a light chain CDR-Ll comprising the amino acid sequence from 24-34 of either SEQ ID N022 or SEQ ID N024; and ii) a light chain CDR-L2 comprising the amino acid sequence from 50—56 of either SEQ ID N022 or SEQ ID N024; and iii) a light chain CDR-L3 comprising the amino acid sequence from 89—97 of either SEQ ID NO:22 or SEQ ID N0224; or II) a variant thereof, that is otherwise identical to said variable domains, except for up to a combined total of 10 amino acid substitutions within said CDR regions of said heavy chain and up to a combined total of 10 amino acid substitutions Within said CDR regions of said light chain variable region, wherein the antibody or variant f inhibits MASP~2 dependent complement activation.

In another aspect, the t ion provides an isolated monoclonal antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, that binds to human MASP-Z, comprising a heavy chain variable region comprising any one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID NO:18, SEQ ID N0120 or SEQ ID N0221.

In another aspect, the present ion provides an isolated onal antibody, or antigen-binding fragment f, that binds to human MASP-Z, comprising a light chain variable region comprising an one of the amino acid sequences set forth in SEQ ID N0122, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:25 or SEQ ID N0227.

In another aspect, the present invention provides nucleic acid molecules ng the amino acid sequences of the anti-MASP-2 antibodies, or fragments thereof, of the present invention, such as those set forth in TABLE 2.

In another , the present invention es a cell sing at least one of the nucleic acid molecules encoding the amino acid sequences of the anti-MASP-Z antibodies, or fragments thereof, of the present invention, such as those set forth in TABLE 2.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method of generating an ed MASP-2 antibody comprising culturing cells comprising at least one of the c acid molecules encoding the amino acid sequences of the anti—MASP—Z antibodies of the present invention under conditions allowing for expression of the nucleic acid les encoding the anti-MASP-Z antibody and isolating said anti-MASP-2 antibody.

In another aspect, the invention provides an isolated fully human monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof that dissociates from human MASP-Z with a KD of lOnM or less as determined by surface plasmon resonance and inhibits C4 tion on a mannan-coated substrate with an IC50 of lOnM or less in 1% serum. In some embodiments, said antibody or n binding fragment thereof specifically izes at least part of an epitope recognized by a reference antibody, wherein said reference antibody comprises a heavy chain variable region as set forth in SEQ ID NO:20 and a light chain variable region as set forth in SEQ ID N0124.

In another aspect, the present invention provides compositions comprising the fully human monoclonal anti-MASP—2 antibodies of the invention and a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient.

In r aspect, the present invention provides methods of inhibiting MASP-Z dependent complement activation in a human subject comprising administering a human monoclonal antibody of the invention in an amount sufficient to inhibit MASP-2 dependent complement activation in said human subject.

In another aspect, the present invention es an article of manufacture comprising a unit dose of human onal MASP-2 antibody of the invention suitable for therapeutic administration to a human subject, wherein the unit dose is the range of from 1mg to lOOOmg.

DESCRIPTION OF THE GS The ing s and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily iated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: