Anti-sema3a antibodies and their uses for treating eye or ocular diseases

Abstract

The present invention relates to antibodies and fragments thereof that target semaphorin 3A (Sema3A). More specifically, anti-Sema3A antibodies and methods of use for the treatment of various diseases or disorders are disclosed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An anti-Sema3A antibody or an antigen-binding fragment thereof that binds to at least one amino acid residue within amino acid regions 370-382 of human Sema3A as set forth in SEQ ID NO: 22. 
     
     
         2 . An anti-Sema3A antibody or an antigen-binding fragment thereof that binds to SEQ ID NO: 21. 
     
     
         3 . An anti-Sema3A antibody or an antigen-binding fragment thereof according to  claim 1  comprising:
 a heavy chain variable region comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 (H-CDR1); the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2 (H-CDR2); and the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 3 (H-CDR3); and 
 a light chain variable region comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4 (L-CDR1); the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 5 (L-CDR2); and the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 6 (L-CDR3). 
 
     
     
         4 . A method for treating or preventing an eye or a retinal disease comprising administering a pharmaceutically effective amount of the antibody or the antigen-binding fragment according to  claim 1  to a patient in need thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein said disease is selected from the group consisting of retinopathy, ischemic retinopathy, diabetic retinopathy including proliferative diabetic retinopathy and non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, diabetic macular ischemia, age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, inherited retinal dystrophy, myopic degeneration, retinal artery occlusions, endophthalmitis, uveitis, cystoid macular edema, choroidal neovascular membrane secondary to any retinal diseases, optic neuropathies, glaucoma, retinal detachment, toxic retinopathy, radiation retinopathy, traumatic retinopathy, drug-induced retinal vasculopathy, retinal neovascularisation, polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy, retinal vasculitis, retinal microaneurysm, Fuch's dystrophy, macular telangiectasia, usher syndrome, and Stargardt disease. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein said disease is selected from the group consisting of diabetic retinopathy including proliferative diabetic retinopathy and non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, ischemic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, diabetic macular ischemia, age-related macular edema, retinal neovascularization, glaucoma and choroidal neovascularization. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein said disease is diabetic macular edema and/or diabetic macular ischemia. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein:
 said disease is diabetic macular ischemia, and   said antibody or an antigen-binding fragment promotes vascular regeneration within the ischemic retina (revascularization) and prevents pathological neovascularization of the vitreous region of the eye.   
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein:
 said disease is diabetic macular edema, and   said antibody or an antigen-binding fragment reduces permeability of blood retinal barrier.   
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein said antibody or an antigen-binding fragment inhibits Sema3A-induced permeability of the blood retinal barrier and/or Sema3A-induced vasoregression from ischemic areas. 
     
     
         11 . A pharmaceutical composition comprising an antibody or an antigen-binding fragment according to  claim 1  and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein said antibody or an antigen-binding fragment thereof is administered by a parenteral route, intravenous route, intravitreal route or subcutaneous route of administration. 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 4 , wherein said antibody or an antigen-binding fragment thereof is administered by intravitreal route.