Antibodies to il-6 and use thereof

Abstract

The present invention relates to anti-IL-6 antibodies and antibody fragments having a particular epitopic specificity. These antibodies and antibody fragments have clinical therapeutic and diagnostic applications in treating and detecting disease conditions wherein Il-6 levels are elevated.

1 - 153 . (canceled) 
     
     
         154 . An anti-human Il-6 antibody or antibody fragment that specifically competes with an anti-human IL-6 antibody comprising the variable light and heavy chains in SEQ ID NO:2 and 3 respectively, wherein said competition can be detected in a competitive binding assay using said antibody or antibody fragment, the human Il-6 polypeptide in SEQ ID NO:1, and an anti-human IL-6 antibody comprising the variable light and heavy sequences contained in SEQ ID NO:2 and 3 respectively. 
     
     
         155 . An anti-human Il-6 antibody or antibody fragment that specifically competes with the epitope bound by an anti-human IL-6 antibody comprising the variable light and heavy chains in SEQ ID NO:2 and 3 respectively, wherein said competition can be detected in a competitive binding assay using said antibody or antibody fragment, the human II-6 polypeptide in SEQ ID NO:1, and an anti-human IL-6 antibody comprising the variable light and heavy sequences contained in SEQ ID NO:2 and 3 respectively, and further wherein said anti-human Il-6 antibody or fragment when used in a western immunoblot assay that detects binding of the antibody or fragment to peptides comprised in a library of 57 overlapping polypeptides which each are 15 amino acids i length corresponding to the entirety of the human Il-6 polypeptide in SEQ ID NO:1, wherein said 57 peptides are those in SEQ ID NO:590-645 inclusive, specifically binds to the same peptides in said libray as an anti-human Il-6 antibody or fragment comprising the variable light and heavy sequences in SEQ ID NO:2 and 3 respectively, wherein specific binding of the antibody or fragment is detected using a chemiluminescent label which emits a detectable chemiluminescent signal when specific binding of the antibody or fragment to a peptide in the library occurs. 
     
     
         156 . The antibody or fragment of  claim 154 , which blocks the interaction of human Il-6 with Il-6R1 and an 130. 
     
     
         157 . The antibody or fragment of  claim 155 , which blocks the interaction of human Il-6 with Il-6R1 and gp130. 
     
     
         158 . The antibody or fragment of  claim 154 , which is selected from chimeric antibodies, humanized antibodies, humanized antibodies, human antibodies, rabbit antibodies, and single chain antibodies. 
     
     
         159 . The antibody or fragment of  claim 155 , which is selected from chimeric antibodies, humanized antibodies, humanized antibodies, human antibodies, rabbit antibodies, single chain antibodies. 
     
     
         160 . The antibody or fragment of  claim 154 , which is selected from scFvs, camelbodies, nanobodies, IgNAR, small modular immunopharmaceuticals (SMIPs), Fab, Fab′, and F(ab′) fragments. 
     
     
         161 . The antibody or fragment of  claim 155 , which is selected from scFvs, camelbodies, nanobodies, IgNAR, small modular immunopharmaceuticals (SMIPs), Fab, Fab′, and F(ab′) fragments. 
     
     
         162 . The antibody or fragment of  claim 154 , which contains human constant regions selected from IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgG4, IgG5, IgG6, IgG7, IgG8, IgG9, IgG10, IgG11, IgG12, IgG13, IgG14, IgG15, IgG16, IgG17, IgG18 and IgG19 constant regions. 
     
     
         163 . The antibody or fragment of  claim 155 , which contains human constant regions selected from IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgG4, IgG5, IgG6, IgG7, IgG8, IgG9, IgG10, IgG11, IgG12, IgG13, IgG14, IgG15, IgG16, IgG17, IgG18 and IgG19 constant regions. 
     
     
         164 . The antibody or fragment of  claim 154 , which contains human IgG1 or IgG3 constant regions. 
     
     
         165 . The antibody or fragment of  claim 155 , which contains human IgG1 or IgG3 constant regions. 
     
     
         166 . The antibody or fragment of  claim 154 , which is substantially non-glycosylated. 
     
     
         167 . The antibody or fragment of  claim 155 , which is substantially non-glycosylated.