HK1232160B - Fatty acids and their use in conjugation to biomolecules - Google Patents

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to novel conjugates of GDF15 which have improved half-life and duration of action, method of making them and using them. The invention further relates to novel fatty acids and their use in extending the half-life of biomolecules via conjugation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Peptides and proteins are widely used in medical practice, and since they can be produced by recombinant DNA technology it can be expected that their importance will increase also in the years to come. The number of known endogenous peptides and proteins with interesting biological activities is growing rapidly, also as a result of the ongoing exploration of the human genome. Due to their biological activities, many of these polypeptides and proteins could in principle be used as therapeutic agents. Endogenous peptides or proteins are, however, not always suitable as drug candidates because they often have half-lives of few minutes due to rapid degradation by peptidases and/or due to renal filtration and excretion in the urine. The half-life of polypeptides or proteins in human plasma varies strongly (from a few minutes to more than one week).

A high clearance of a therapeutic agent is inconvenient in cases where it is desired to maintain a high blood level thereof over a prolonged period of time. One way which has been currently used to overcome this disadvantage is to administer large dosage of therapeutic peptide or proteins of interest to the patient so that even if some therapeutic peptide or protein is degraded, enough remains to be therapeutically effective. However, this method is uncomfortable to patients. Since most therapeutic peptides or proteins cannot be administered orally, the therapeutic peptide or proteins would have to be either constantly infused, frequently infused by intravenous injection or administered frequently by the inconvenient route of subcutaneous injections. The need for frequent administration also results in much potential peptide or protein therapeutics having an unacceptable high projected cost of treatment. The presence of large amounts of degraded peptide or protein may also generate undesired side effects.

Discomfort in administration and high costs are two reasons why most therapeutic peptides or proteins with attractive bioactivity profiles may not be developed as drug candidates.

Therefore, one approach to prolong half-life of peptides or proteins is to modify the therapeutic peptides or proteins in such a way that their degradation is slowed down while still maintaining biological activity. Serum albumin has a half-life of more than one week, and one approach to increasing the plasma half-life of peptides or proteins has been to derivatize them with a chemical entity that binds to serum albumin or other plasma proteins.

However, there is still a need to identify new half-life extending moieties to modify therapeutic biomolecules such as peptides and proteins in order to provide longer duration of action in vivo while maintaining low toxicity and therapeutic advantages.

Michael J. Hackett et al, "A dicarboxylic fatty acid derivative of paclitaxel for albumin-assisted drug delivery", Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, vol. 101, no. 9, 6 June 2012, pages 3292 - 3304, describes conjugation of a dicarboxylic fatty acid to paclitaxel for binding to serum albumin.

D. Lefort et al, "Free-radical addition of alcohols and acids to 10-undecenoic ester, 10-undecen-1-ol, and 10-undecenyl acetate", Bulletin of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Division of Chemical Sciences, vol. 16, no. 3, 1 March 1967, pages 623 - 627, describes the synthesis of a dicarboxylic acid.

Su Young Chae et al, "The Fatty aicd conjugated exendin-4 analogs for type 2 antidiabetic therapeutics", Journal of Controlled Release, vol. 144, no. 1, 21 May 2010, pages 10 - 16, describes modifying exendin-4 using the two fatty acids lauric acid and palmitic acid.

Sung In Lim et al, "Site-specific fatty acid-conjugation to prolong protein half-life in vivo", Journal of Controlled Release, vol. 170, no. 2, 2 June 2013, pages 219 - 225, describes site-specific fatty acid-conjugation to a permissive site of a protein, using copper-catalyzed alkyne-azide cycloaddition.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a conjugate comprising a biomolecule linked to a fatty acid via a linker, wherein the biomolecule is human Growth Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF15), homologs, variants, mutants or fragments thereof or a dimer thereof, and wherein the fatty acid has the following Formula A1: R¹ is CO₂H;

• R2 and R3 are independently of each other H, OH, CO2H, -CH=CH2 or ―C=CH;
• n and m are independently of each other an integer between 6 and 30, or an amide, an ester or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

The fatty acid of Formula A1 when conjugated to a biomolecule of interest via a linker has been found to increase the half-life of said biomolecule to a much greater extent than more commonly used fatty acid residues.

In another embodiment, the invention pertains to a conjugate wherein at least one of R² and R³ is CO₂H.

In yet another embodiment, the invention pertains to pharmaceutical compositions, comprising a conjugate of the invention and one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers.

In still another embodiment, the invention pertains to combinations including a conjugate of the invention, and pharmaceutical combinations of one or more therapeutically active agents.

The present invention contemplates the use of the conjugates described herein, and composition thereof, to treat and/or prevent various diseases, disorders and conditions, and/or the symptoms thereof.

Conjugates of the invention may be used in a method of treating metabolic disorders or diseases, diabetes, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, alcoholic and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease/steatohepatitis and other progressive liver diseases, pancreatitis, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, glucose intolerance, hyperglycemia, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, peripheral arterial disease, stroke, heart failure, coronary heart disease, diabetic complications (including chronic kidney disease), neuropathy, gastroparesis and other metabolic disorders, in a subject in need thereof, comprising: administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a conjugate of the invention wherein the biomolecule is human Growth Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF15), homologs, variants, mutants or fragments thereof.

These and other aspects of the invention will be elucidated in the following detailed description of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Definitions:

For purposes of interpreting this specification, the following definitions will apply unless specified otherwise and whenever appropriate, terms used in the singular will also include the plural and vice versa.

It must be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "the conjugate" includes reference to one or more conjugates; reference to "the polypeptide" includes reference to one or more polypeptides; and so forth.

The term alkyl refers to a fully saturated branched or unbranched (or straight chain or linear) hydrocarbon moiety, comprising 1 to 30 carbon atoms. Preferably the alkyl comprises 5 to 20 carbon atoms, and more preferably 10 to 15 carbon atoms. C_10-15alkyl refers to an alkyl chain comprising 10 to 15 carbons. The term "alkylene" refers to a divalent alkyl as defined supra.

The term "alkenyl" refers to a branched or unbranched hydrocarbon having at least one carbon-carbon double bond. The term "C_2-30-alkynyl" refers to a hydrocarbon having two to seven carbon atoms and comprising at least one carbon-carbon triple

The term "alkynyl" refers to a branched or unbranched hydrocarbon having at least one carbon-carbon triple bond. The term "C_2-30-alkynyl" refers to a hydrocarbon having two to seven carbon atoms and comprising at least one carbon-carbon triple bond.

The term aryl refers to monocyclic or bicyclic aromatic hydrocarbon groups having 6-10 carbon atoms in the ring portion. Representative examples of aryl are phenyl or naphthyl.

The term heteroaryl includes monocyclic or bicyclic heteroaryl, containing from 5-10 ring members selected from carbon atoms and 1 to 5 heteroatoms, and each heteroatom is independently selected from O, N or S wherein S and N may be oxidized to various oxidation states. For bicyclic heteroaryl system, the system is fully aromatic (i.e. all rings are aromatic).

The term cycloalkyl refers to saturated or unsaturated but non-aromatic monocyclic, bicyclic or tricyclic hydrocarbon groups of 3-12 carbon atoms, preferably 3-8, or 3-7 carbon atoms. For bicyclic, and tricyclic cycloalkyl system, all rings are non-aromatic. For example, cycloalkyl encompasses cycloalkenyl and cycloalkynyl. The term "cycloalkenyl" refers to a bicyclic or tricyclic hydrocarbon group of 3-12 carbon atoms, having at least one carbon-carbon double bond. The term "cycloalkynyl" refers to a bicyclic or tricyclic hydrocarbon group of 3-12 carbon atoms, having at least one carbon-carbon triple bond.

The term heterocyclyl refers to a saturated or unsaturated non-aromatic (partially unsaturated but non-aromatic) monocyclic, bicyclic or tricyclic ring system which contains at least one heteroatom selected from O, S and N, where the N and S can also optionally be oxidized to various oxidation states. In one embodiment, heterocyclyl moiety represents a saturated monocyclic ring containing from 5-7 ring atoms and optionally containing a further heteroatom, selected from O, S or N. The heterocyclic ring may be substituted with alkyl, halo, oxo, alkoxy, haloalkyl, haloalkoxy. In other embodiment, heterocyclyl is di- or tricyclic. For polycyclic system, some ring may be aromatic and fused to saturated or partially saturated ring or rings. The overall fused system is not fully aromatic. For example, a heterocyclic ring system can be an aromatic heteroaryl ring fused with saturated or partially saturated cycloalkyl ring system.

The term "conjugate" is intended to refer to the entity formed as a result of a covalent attachment of biomolecule and a fatty acid moiety, via a linker. The term "conjugation" refers to the chemical reaction resulting in the covalent attachment of the biomolecule and the fatty acid moiety.

Biomolecule:

As used herein the term biomolecule includes GDF15 polypeptide, homolog, variant, mutant and fragment thereof.

As used herein, the term "polypeptide" refers to a polymer of amino acid residues linked by peptide bonds, whether produced naturally or synthetically. Polypeptides of less than about 10 amino acid residues are commonly referred to as "peptides." The term "peptide" is intended to indicate a sequence of two or more amino acids linked by peptide bonds, wherein said amino acids may be natural or unnatural. The term encompasses the terms polypeptides and proteins, which may consist of two or more peptides held together by covalent interactions, such as for instance cysteine bridges, or non-covalent interactions. The art-recognized three letter or one letter abbreviations are used to represent amino acid residues that constitute the peptides and polypeptides of the invention. Except when preceded with "D", the amino acid is an L-amino acid. When the one letter abbreviation is a capital letter, it refers to the D-amino acid. When the one letter abbreviation is a lower case letter, it refers to the L-amino acid. Groups or strings or amino acid abbreviations are used to represent peptides. Peptides are indicated with the N-terminus on the left and the sequence is written from the N-terminus to the C-terminus.

Peptides of the invention containing non-natural amino acids (i.e., compounds that do not occur in nature) and other amino acid analogs as are known in the art may alternatively be employed.

Certain non-natural amino acids can be introduced by the technology described in Deiters et al., J Am Chem Soc 125:11782-11783, 2003; Wang and Schultz, Science 301:964-967, 2003; Wang et al., Science 292:498-500, 2001; Zhang et al., Science 303:371-373, 2004 or in US Patent No. 7,083,970 . Briefly, some of these expression systems involve site-directed mutagenesis to introduce a nonsense codon, such as an amber TAG, into the open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of the invention. Such expression vectors are then introduced into a host that can utilize a tRNA specific for the introduced nonsense codon and charged with the non-natural amino acid of choice. Particular non-natural amino acids that are beneficial for purpose of conjugating moieties to the polypeptides of the invention include those with acetylene and azido side chains.

A "protein" is a macromolecule comprising one or more polypeptide chains.. A protein may also comprise non-peptidic components, such as carbohydrate groups. Carbohydrates and other nonpeptidic substituents may be added to a protein by the cell in which the protein is produced, and will vary with the type of cell. Proteins are defined herein in terms of their amino acid backbone structures; substituents such as carbohydrate groups are generally not specified, but may be present nonetheless. A protein or polypeptide encoded by a non-host DNA molecule is a "heterologous" protein or polypeptide.

An "isolated polypeptide or isolated protein" is a polypeptide or protein (for example GDF15) that is essentially free from cellular components, such as carbohydrate, lipid, or other proteinaceous impurities associated with the polypeptide in nature. Typically, a preparation of isolated polypeptide or protein contains the polypeptide or protein in a highly purified form, i.e., at least about 80% pure, at least about 90% pure, at least about 95% pure, greater than 95% pure, such as 96%, 97%, or 98% or more pure, or greater than 99% pure. One way to show that a particular protein preparation contains an isolated polypeptide or protein is by the appearance of a single band following sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the protein preparation and Coomassie Brilliant Blue staining of the gel. However, the term "isolated" does not exclude the presence of the same polypeptide or protein in alternative physical forms, such as dimers or alternatively glycosylated or derivatized forms. Preferably, the isolated polypeptide is substantially free from any other contaminating polypeptides or other contaminants that are found in its natural environment that would interfere with its therapeutic, diagnostic, prophylactic or research use.

One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that various amino acid substitutions, e.g, conservative amino acid substitutions, may be made in the sequence of any of the polypeptide or protein described herein, without necessarily decreasing its activity. As used herein, "amino acid commonly used as a substitute thereof" includes conservative substitutions (i.e., substitutions with amino acids of comparable chemical characteristics). For the purposes of conservative substitution, the non-polar (hydrophobic) amino acids include alanine, leucine, isoleucine, valine, glycine, proline, phenylalanine, tryptophan and methionine. The polar (hydrophilic), neutral amino acids include serine, threonine, cysteine, tyrosine, asparagine, and glutamine. The positively charged (basic) amino acids include arginine, lysine and histidine. The negatively charged (acidic) amino acids include aspartic acid and glutamic acid. Examples of amino acid substitutions include substituting an L-amino acid for its corresponding D-amino acid, substituting cysteine for homocysteine or other non-natural amino acids having a thiol-containing side chain, substituting a lysine for homolysine, diaminobutyric acid, diaminopropionic acid, ornithine or other non-natural amino acids having an amino containing side chain, or substituting an alanine for norvaline or the like.

The term "amino acid," as used herein, refers to naturally occurring amino acids, unnatural amino acids, amino acid analogues and amino acid mimetics that function in a manner similar to the naturally occurring amino acids, all in their D and L stereoisomers if their structure allows such stereoisomeric forms. Amino acids are referred to herein by either their name, their commonly known three letter symbols or by the one-letter symbols recommended by the IUPAC-IUB Biochemical Nomenclature Commission.

The term "naturally occurring" refers to materials which are found in nature and are not manipulated by man. Similarly, "non-naturally occurring," "un-natural," and the like, as used herein, refers to a material that is not found in nature or that has been structurally modified or synthesized by man. When used in connection with amino acids, the term "naturally occurring" refers to the 20 conventional amino acids (i.e., alanine (A or Ala), cysteine (C or Cys), aspartic acid (D or Asp), glutamic acid (E or Glu), phenylalanine (F or Phe), glycine (G or Gly), histidine (H or His), isoleucine (I or Ile), lysine (K or Lys), leucine (L or Leu), methionine (M or Met), asparagine (N or Asn), proline (P or Pro), glutamine (Q or Gin), arginine (R or Arg), serine (S or Ser), threonine (T or Thr), valine (V or Val), tryptophan (W or Trp), and tyrosine (Y or Tyr)).

The terms "non-natural amino acid" and "unnatural amino acid," as used herein, are interchangeably intended to represent amino acid structures that cannot be generated biosynthetically in any organism using unmodified or modified genes from any organism, whether the same or different. The terms refer to an amino acid residue that is not present in the naturally occurring (wild-type) protein sequence or the sequences of the present invention. These include modified amino acids and/or amino acid analogues that are not one of the 20 naturally occurring amino acids, selenocysteine, pyrrolysine (Pyl), or pyrroline-carboxy-lysine (Pcl, e.g., as described in PCT patent publication WO2010/48582 ). Such non-natural amino acid residues can be introduced by substitution of naturally occurring amino acids, and/or by insertion of non-natural amino acids into the naturally occurring (wild-type) protein sequence or the sequences of the invention. The non-natural amino acid residue also can be incorporated such that a desired functionality is imparted to the molecule, for example, the ability to link a functional moiety (e.g., PEG). When used in connection with amino acids, the symbol "U" shall mean "non-natural amino acid" and "unnatural amino acid," as used herein.

The term "analogue" as used herein referring to a polypeptide or protein means a modified peptide or protein wherein one or more amino acid residues of the peptide/protein have been substituted by other amino acid residues and/or wherein one or more amino acid residues have been deleted from the peptide/protein and/or wherein one or more amino acid residues have been added the peptide/protein. Such addition or deletion of amino acid residues can take place at the N-terminal of the peptide and/or at the C-terminal of the peptide.

As used herein, the term "ester of the conjugate" refers to a conjugate which comprises a peptide or polypeptide wherein an ester derivative of a carboxylic acid group is present (e.g - CO₂H at the C-terminus has been converted to -COOR) form wherein R of the ester refers to C_1-6 alkyl groups such as methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, etc., C_3-8 cycloalkyl groups such as cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, etc., C_6-10 aryl groups such as phenyl, α-naphthyl, etc., C_6-10 aryl-C_1-6 alkyl groups, for example phenyl-C_1-2 alkyl groups such as benzyl, phenethyl, benzhydryl, etc., and α -naphthyl-C_1-2 alkyl groups such as α -naphthylmethyl and the like. When the peptide or polypeptide moiety of the conjugate possess additional carboxyl or carboxylate groups in positions other than the C terminus, those polypeptides in which such groups are amidated or esterified also fall under the category of the polypeptide of the invention. In such cases, the esters may for example be the same kinds of esters as the C-terminal esters mentioned above.

As used herein the term "amide of the conjugate" refers to a conjugate which comprises a peptide or polypeptide wherein an amide derivative of a carboxylic acid group is present (e.g. - CO₂H has been converted to -CO(NR'R') wherein R' is H or R and R is defined above . the term "amide of the conjugate" also refers to a conjugate which comprises a peptide or polypeptide wherein an amide derivative of an amino group is present (i.e. other than the amino group conjugated to a fatty acid) (e.g. ―NH₂ has been converted to ―NH-C(O)R) wherein R is defined supra. In a preferred embodiment, an "amide of the conjugate" is a conjugate which comprises a peptide or polypeptide wherein the carboxylic group at the C-terminus has been amidated (e.g. ―CO₂H has been converted to -C(O)NH₂, -C(O)NH-C_1-6 alkyl,- C(O)NH-C1-2alkylphenyl , or-C(O)N(C_1-6 alkyl)₂).

The terms "GDF15 peptide", "GDF15 polypeptide" and "GDF15 protein" are used interchangeably and mean a naturally-occurring wild-type polypeptide expressed in a mammal, such as a human or a mouse. For purposes of this disclosure, the term "GDF15 protein" can be used interchangeably to refer to any full-length GDF15 polypeptide, which consists of 308 amino acid residues; (NCI Ref. Seq. NP_004855.2) containing a 29 amino acid signal peptide (amino acids 1-29), a 167 amino acid pro-domain (amino acids 30-196), and a mature domain of 112 amino acids (amino acids 197-308) which is excised from the prodomain by furin-like proteases. A 308-amino acid GDF15 polypeptide is referred to as "full-length" GDF15 polypeptide; a 112 amino acids GDF15 polypeptide (e.g. amino acids 197-308) is a "mature" GDF15 polypeptide. The mature GDF15 peptide contains the seven conserved cysteine residues required for the formation of the cysteine knot motif (having three intrachain disulfide bonds) and the single interchain disulfide bond that are typical for TGF~ superfamily members. The mature GDF15 peptide contains two additional cysteine residues that form a fourth intrachain disulfide bond. Therefore, biologically active GDF15 is a homodimer of the mature peptide covalently linked by one interchain disulfide bond. A GDF15 protein or polypeptide therefore also includes multimer, more particularly dimer of the protein. Each monomeric unit which constitute the homodimer GDF15 may be linked to a fatty acid of Formula A1.

By "GDF15" or "GDF15 protein" as used herein is also meant human GDF15 or a homolog, variant, mutant, fragment or modified form thereof, which retains at least one activity of human GDF15.

The term "GDF15 mutant polypeptide" or "GDF15 variant polypeptide" encompasses a GDF15 polypeptide in which a naturally occurring GDF15 polypeptide sequence has been modified. Such modifications include one or more amino acid substitutions, including substitutions with non-naturally occurring amino acids non-naturally-occurring amino acid analogs and amino acid mimetics.

In one aspect, the term "GDF15 mutant protein" or "GDF15 variant polypeptide" refers to a GDF15 protein sequence in which at least one residue normally found at a given position of a native GDF15 polypeptide is deleted or is replaced by a residue not normally found at that position in the native GDF15 sequence. In some cases it will be desirable to replace a single residue normally found at a given position of a native GDF15 polypeptide with more than one residue that is not normally found at the position; in still other cases it may be desirable to maintain the native GDF15 polypeptide sequence and insert one or more residues at a given position in the protein; in still other cases it may be desirable to delete a given residue entirely; all of these constructs are encompassed by the term "GDF 15 mutant protein" or "GDF15 variant protein". In one aspect of the invention, the GDF15 mutant protein or "GDF15 variant protein" has a sequence selected from any one of SEQ ID NO 1 to SEQ ID No 7.

By a "homolog," "variant", "fragment" or "modified form" of GDF15 or the like is meant a polypeptide similar but non-identical to a human GDF15 , but which retains at least one activity of human GDF15.

By "modified form" of GDF15 is meant a GDF15 which comprises a sequence similar or identical to that of GDF15, but which has one or more modification, and which retains at least one activity of human GDF15. Such a modification can include, as non-limiting examples, a post-translational modification (phosphorylation, methylation, or addition of a carbohydrate).

By a "homolog" of GDF15 is meant a polypeptide corresponding to human GDF15, but from a different source, such as a mammal, such as cynomolgous monkeys, mice and rats etc., yet retains at least one function of human GDF15. In some instances, a GDF15 homolog can be used to treat or ameliorate a metabolic disorder in a subject in a mature form of a GDF15 mutant polypeptide that is derived from the same species as the subject.

In various embodiments, a GDF15 polypeptide, homolog, variant, mutant, fragment or modified form thereof comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least about 85 percent identical to a naturally-occurring GDF15 protein. In other embodiments, a GDF15 polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence that is at least about 90 percent, or about 95, 96, 97, 98, or 99 percent identical to a naturally-occurring GDF15 polypeptide amino acid sequence. Such GDF15 polypeptide, homolog, variant, mutant, fragment or modified form thereof possess at least one activity of a wild-type GDF15 mutant polypeptide, such as the ability to lower blood glucose, insulin, triglyceride, or cholesterol levels; the ability to reduce body weight; or the ability to improve glucose tolerance, energy expenditure, or insulin sensitivity.

In various respective embodiments, a GDF15 polypeptide or homolog, variant, mutant, fragment or modified form thereof has a biological activity that is equivalent to, greater to or less than that of the naturally occurring form of the mature GDF15 protein. Examples of biological activities include the ability to lower blood glucose, insulin, triglyceride, or cholesterol levels; the ability to reduce body weight; or the ability to improve glucose tolerance, lipid tolerance, or insulin sensitivity; the ability to lower urine glucose and protein excretion.

As used herein in the context of the structure of a polypeptide or protein, the term"N-terminus" (or "amino terminus") and "C-terminus" (or "carboxyl terminus") refer to the extreme amino and carboxyl ends of the polypeptide, respectively.

The term "therapeutic polypeptide" or "therapeutic protein" as used herein means a polypeptide or protein which is being developed for therapeutic use, or which has been developed for therapeutic use.

The linker separates the biomolecule and the fatty acid moiety. Its chemical structure is not critical, since it serves primarily as a spacer.

The linker is a chemical moiety that contains two reactive groups/functional groups, one of which can react with the biomolecule and the other with the fatty acid moiety. The two reactive/functional groups of the linker are linked via a linking moiety or spacer, structure of which is not critical as long as it does not interfere with the coupling of the linker to the biomolecule and the fatty acid moiety of Formula A1.

The linker can be made up of amino acids linked together by peptide bonds. In some embodiments of the present invention, the linker is made up of from 1 to 20 amino acids linked by peptide bonds, wherein the amino acids are selected from the 20 naturally occurring amino acids. In various embodiments, the 1 to 20 amino acids are selected from the amino acids glycine, serine, alanine, methionine, asparagine, glutamine, cysteine and lysine. In some embodiments, a linker is made up of a majority of amino acids that are sterically unhindered, such as glycine and alanine. In some embodiments, linkers are polyglycines, polyalanines, combinations of glycine and alanine (such as poly(Gly-Ala)), or combinations of glycine and serine (such as poly(Gly-Ser)). In some embodiments, a linker is made up of a majority of amino acids selected from histidine, alanine, methionine, glutamine, asparagine and glycine. In some embodiments, linkers contain poly-histidine moiety.

In some embodiments, the linker comprises 1 to 20 amino acids which are selected from unnatural amino acids. While a linker of 1-10 amino acid residues is preferred for conjugation with the fatty acid moiety, the present invention contemplates linkers of any length or composition. An example of non-natural amino acid linker is 8-Amino-3,6-dioxaoctanoic acid having the following formula: or its repeating units.

The linkers described herein are exemplary, and linkers that are much longer and which include other residues are contemplated by the present invention. Non-peptide linkers are also contemplated by the present invention.

In other embodiments, the linker comprises one or more alkyl groups, alkenyl groups, cycloalkyl groups, aryl groups, heteroaryl groups, heterocyclic groups, polyethylene glycol and/or one or more natural or unatural amino acids, or combination thereof, wherein each of the alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, heterocyclyl, polyethylene glycol and/or the natural or unatural amino acids are optionally combined and linked together, or linked to the biomolecule and/or to the fatty acid moiety, via a chemical group selected from -C(O)O-, - OC(O)-, -NHC(O)-, -C(O)NH-, -O-, -NH-, -S-, -C(O)-, -OC(O)NH-, -NHC(O)-O-, =NH-O-, =NH-NH- or =NH-N(alkyl)-.

Linkers containing alkyl spacer are for example ―NH-(CH₂)_z-C(O)- or ―S-(CH₂)_z-C(O)- or ―O-(CH₂)_z-C(O)-, -NH-(CH₂)_z-NH-, -O-C(O)-(CH₂)_z-C(O)-O-, -C(O)-(CH₂)_z-O-, -NHC(O)-(CH₂)_z-C(O)-NH- and the like wherein z is 2-20 can be used. These alkyl linkers can further be substituted by any non-sterically hindering group, including a lower alkyl (e.g., C₁-C₆), lower acyl, halogen (e.g., Cl Br), CN, NH₂, or phenyl.

The linker can also be of polymeric nature. The linker may include polymer chains or units that are biostable or biodegradable. Polymers with repeat linkage may have varying degrees of stability under physiological conditions depending on bond lability. Polymers may contain bonds such as polycarbonates (-O-C(O)-O-), polyesters (-C(O)-O-), polyurethanes (-NH-C(O)-O-), polyamide (-C(O)-NH-). These bonds are provided by way of examples, and are not intended to limit the type of bonds employable in the polymer chains or linkers of the invention. Suitable polymers include, for example, polyethylene glycol (PEG), polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol, polyamino acids, divinylether maleic anhydride, N-(2-hydroxypropyl)-methacrylicamide, dextran, dextran derivatives, polypropylene glycol, polyoxyethylated polyol, heparin, heparin fragments, polysaccharides, cellulose and cellulose derivatives, starch and starch derivatives, polyalkylene glycol and derivatives thereof, copolymers of polyalkylene glycols and derivatives thereof, polyvinyl ethyl ether, and the like and mixtures thereof. A polymer linker is for example polyethylene glycol (PEG). The PEG linker can be linear or branched. A molecular weight of the PEG linker in the present invention is not restricted to any particular size, but certain embodiments have a molecular weight between 100 to 5000 Dalton for example 500 to 1500 Dalton.

The linker contains appropriate functional-reactive groups at both terminals that form a bridge between the amino group of the peptide or polypeptide/protein and a functional/reactive group on the fatty acid moiety (e.g the carboxylic acid functionality of the fatty acid moiety of formula A1).

The linker may comprise several linking moieties (or spacer) of different nature (for example a combination of amino acids, heterocyclyl moiety, PEG and/or alkyl moieties). In this instance, each linking moiety contains appropriate functional-reactive groups at both terminals that form a bridge between the amino group of the peptide or polypeptide/protein and the next linking moiety of different nature and/or contains appropriate functional-reactive groups that form a bridge between the prior linking moiety of different nature and the fatty acid moiety.

The modified peptides or polypeptides and/or peptide-polypeptide partial construct (i.e. peptide/polypeptide attached to a partial linker) include reactive groups which can react with available reactive functionalities on the fatty acid moiety (or modified fatty acid moiety: i.e. already attached a partial linker) to form a covalent bond. Reactive groups are chemical groups capable of forming a covalent bond. Reactive groups are located at one site of conjugation and can generally be carboxy, phosphoryl, acyl group, ester or mixed anhydride, maleimide, N-hydroxysuccinimide, tetrazine, alkyne, imidate, pyridine-2-yl-disulfanyl, thereby capable of forming a covalent bond with functionalities like amino group, hydroxyl group, alkene group, hydrazine group, hydroxylamine group, an azide group or a thiol group at the other site of conjugation.

Reactive groups of particular interest for conjugating a biomolecule or modified biomolecule to a linker and/or a linker to the fatty acid moiety and/or to conjugate various linking moieties of different nature together are N-hydroxysuccinimide, alkyne (more particularly cyclooctyne).

Functionalities include: 1. thiol groups for reacting with maleimides, tosyl sulfone or pyridine-2-yldisulfanyl; 2. amino groups (for example amino functionality of an amino acid) for bonding to carboxylic acid or activated carboxylic acid (e.g. amide bond formation via N-hydroxysuccinamide chemistry), phosphoryl groups, acyl group or mixed anhydride; 3. Azide to undergo a Huisgen cycloaddition with a terminal alkyne and more particularly cyclooctyne (more commonly known as click chemistry); 4. carbonyl group to react with hydroxylamine or hydrazine to form oxime or hydrazine respectively; 5. Alkene and more particularly strained alkene to react with tetrazine in an aza [4+2] addition. While several examples of linkers and functionalities/reactive group are described herein, the invention contemplates linkers or any length and composition.

Embodiments

Various embodiments of the invention are described herein. It will be recognized that features specified in each embodiment may be combined with other specified features to provide further embodiments.

In embodiment 1, the invention pertains to a conjugate comprising a biomolecule linked to a fatty acid moiety via a linker, wherein the biomolecule is human Growth Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF15), homologs, variants, mutants or fragments thereof or a dimer thereof, wherein the fatty acid moiety has the following Formula A1: R¹ is CO₂H;

• R2 and R3 are independently of each other H, OH, CO2H, -CH=CH2 or ―C=CH;
• n and m are independently of each other an integer between 6 and 30; or an amide, an ester or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

In a further aspect of embodiment 1, the conjugate according to embodiment 1 may further comprise a fatty acid of Formula A1 as described supra. In view of the difficulties of achieving selective conjugation and/or achieving mono conjugation of a fatty acid to a biomolecule, the conjugates of the invention, may comprise a biomolecule which is linked to one or more fatty acid moieties of Formula A1. Additionally, in view of the multimeric nature of some proteins, each monomeric unit which constitutes a multimeric protein, may be linked to a fatty acid moiety, but not all monomeric units have to necessarly be linked to a fatty acid moiety as long as at least one of the monomeric units is linked to a fatty acid moiety. In a further apect, the invention relates to mixtures of the conjugates of the invention. For example, the mixture may comprise a biomolecule, for example a multimeric biomolecule, for example a dimeric biomolecule, which is linked to one fatty acid moiety of Formula A1, and a biomolecule, for example a multimeric biomolecule, for example a dimeric biomolecule, which is linked to more than one fatty acid moiety of Formula A1. Examples of the invention below further highlight this aspect of selective or non-selective multiconjugation of fatty acids to a protein or polypeptide.

In a particular aspect of the invention, the conjugate comprises a fatty acid moiety of Formula A1 wherein n and m are independently 8 to 20, preferably 10 to 16. In another aspect, the invention pertains to a conjugate according to embodiment 1 wherein the fatty acid moiety is of Formula A1 and wherein at least one of R² and R³ is CO₂H.

In embodiment 2, the invention pertains to a conjugate according to embodiment 1, wherein the fatty acid moiety is selected from the following Formulae: wherein Ak³, Ak⁴, Ak⁵, Ak⁶ and Ak⁷ are independently a linear (C_8-20)alkylene, R⁵ and R⁶ are independently linear (C_8-20)alkyl.

In embodiment 3, the invention pertains to a conjugate according to embodiment 1 or 2 wherein the fatty acid moiety is selected from the following Formulae:

In embodiment 3A, the invention pertains to a conjugate according to embodiment 1 or 2 wherein the fatty acid moiety is selected from the following Formulae: In embodiment 4, the invention pertains to a conjugate according to any of the preceeding embodiments wherein the linker comprises one or more alkyl groups, alkenyl groups, cycloalkyl groups, aryl groups, heteroaryl groups, heterocyclic groups, polyethylene glycol, one or more natural or unatural amino acids, or combination thereof, wherein each of the alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, heterocyclyl, polyethylene glycol and/or the natural or unatural amino acids are optionally combined and linked together or linked to the biomolecule and/or to the fatty acid moiety via a chemical group selected from ―C(O)O-, -OC(O)-, -NHC(O)-, -C(O)NH-, -O-, -NH-, -S-, -C(O)-, -OC(O)NH-, -NHC(O)-O-, =NH-O-, =NH-NH- or =NH-N(alkyl)-.

In embodiment 5, the invention pertains to a conjugate according to any of the preceeding embodiments, wherein the linker comprises an unbranched oligo ethylene glycol moiety of Formula: or, wherein y is 0 to 34.

In embodiment 6, the invention pertains to conjugate according to any of the preceeding embodiments wherein the linker comprises (or further comprises) a heterocyclic moiety selected from the following Formulae: and

Such heterocyclyl containing linkers are obtained for example by azide-alkyne Huisgen cycloaddition, which more commonly known as click chemistry. More particulary, some of the heterocyclyl depicted supra result from the reaction of a cycloalkyne with an azide-containing moiety.

Cycloalkynes are readily available from commercial sources and can therefore be functionalized via cycloaddition with a moiety containing an azide functionality (e.g. a linker containing a terminal azide functionality). Examples of the use of cyclic alkyne click chemistry in protein labeling has been described in US 2009/0068738 .

Non-limiting examples of cycloalkyne agents which can be used in Huisgen cycloaddition are:

In embodiment 6A, the invention pertains to a conjugate according to any one of embodiments 1 to 5, wherein the linker comprises (or further comprises) a heterocyclyl selected from the following Formula: wherein r is an integer of 0 to 2 and s is an integer of 0 to 3.

Such heterocyclic linkers can be obtained via an aza [4+2] cycloadditon of an alkene, or preferably a strained alkene such as cycloalkane, with the following moiety: wherein Rf is for example -CH₂NH₂, -OH, -CH₂-CO₂H, -S-CH₂-CO₂H, -(O-CH₂)_4-6-C(O)-OH -or

Such tetrazine moieties are readily available from commercial sources and can react with an alkene-containing moiety, for example a linker containing terminal alkene functionality.

In embodiment 6B, the invention pertains to a conjugate according to any one of embodiments 1 to 5 wherein the linker comprises (or further comprises) a heterocyclyl of Formula:

Such heterocyclic moiety can be obtained by reacting a maleimide with a thiol containing moiety, such as for example a linker containing a terminal thiol functionality.

These reagents which are readily available and/or commercially available are attached directly or via a linker as described supra to the peptide or polypeptide of interest. The alkyne, maleimide or tetrazine reactive groups are reacted with a functional group (azide, thiol and alkene respectively) which is present on the fatty acid moiety or on a linker-fatty acid construct (such as for example a PEG-fatty acid construct).

In embodiment 7, the invention pertains to a conjugate according to any of the preceeding embodiments wherein the linker comprises or further comprises one or more amino acids independently selected from histidine, methionine, alanine, glutamine, asparagine and glycine. In one particular aspect of this embodiment, the linker comprises 1 to 6 amino acids selected from histidine, alanine and methionine.

In embodiment 8, the biomolecule is human Growth Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF15) mutant or variant. In a preferred embodiment 8A, the biomolecule is a dimer of GDF15 or a variant or mutant thereof. In view of the homodimer nature of the GDF15 polypeptide or mutant or variant thereof, each of the two polypeptide chains (i.e. each monomeric unit) which constitute the homodimer, may be linked to a fatty acid molecule of Formula A1 via a linker.

Therefore the GDF15 homodimer may be linked to one or two fatty acids via a linker. The structure of the GDF15 linked to a fatty acid moiety via a linker may be represented as follows: wherein FA represents the fatty acid moiety and L the linker, and GDF15 monomer unit 1 and monomer unit 2 are both linked to a fatty acid moiety via a linker; or wherein FA is the fatty acid moiety and L the linker and only one of the monomer units is linked to a fatty acid moiety via the linker and wherein the line between the 2 monomeric units represents a disulfide bond. Furthermore, the invention also relates to a mixture comprising a conjugate of structure A and a conjugate of structure B.

In embodiment 8B, the invention contemplates a conjugate according to embodiment 8 or 8A wherein the human GDF15 mutant is obtained by replacement of one or more amino acid residues of the mature polypeptide with another residue. In one particular aspect of this embodiment, the last two amino acid residues at the N-terminal of human GDF15 (i.e Arginine 198 and Alanine 197) have been replaced with an amino acid sequence XH- wherein H is histidine and X is an amino acid selected from methionine, alanine, glutamine, asparagine and glycine. In a preferred aspect of this embodiment, the hGDF15 mutant is MH(199-308)hGDF15 or AH(199-308)hGDF15.

In embodiment 8C, the last three amino acid residues at the N-terminal of human GDF15 (i.e. Asparagine 199, Arginine 198 and Alanine 197) have been replaced with an amino acid sequence XHX'- wherein H is histidine and X' and X are amino acids independently selected from selected from methionine, alanine, glutamine, asparagine and glycine. In another aspect of this embodiment, the last three amino acid residues at the N-terminal of human GDF15 (i.e. Asparagine 199, Arginine 198 and Alanine 197) have been replaced with an amino acid sequence AHX'- wherein H is histidine and X' is an amino acids independently selected from selected from methionine, alanine, glutamine, asparagine and glycine. In a preferred aspect of this embodiment, the modified GDF15 protein is MHA(200-308)hGDF15 or AHA(200-308)hGDF15.

Compared to the native GDF15 protein, the GDF15 mutant enables the selective labeling of the protein at the N-terminus (i.e. conjugation of the fatty acid at the preferred N-terminus of the GDF15). The selective labeling of peptide and protein is described in further details in co-filed US application numbers 62/015,858 (Attorney docket PAT056275-US-PSP) and 62/082,337 (Attorney docket number PAT056275-US-PSP02).

In embodiment 8D, the invention pertains to a conjugate according to any one of the proceeding embodiments, further comprising a second fatty acid moiety linked to the biomolecule via a linker. Preferably the two fatty acid-linker moieties are of the same structure.

In embodiment 9, the invention pertains to a conjugate according to embodiment 1, 2, 8, 8A, 8B or 8C having the following structure: or wherein hGDF15* is hGDF15 wherein the 2 or 3 amino acid at the N-terminus have been replaced with an amino acid sequence XH- or XHX'- respectively,

• wherein H is histidine and X and X' are independently selected from M and A; or a dimer thereof; and
• wherein his-hGDF15 is hGDF15 wherein a tag, comprising 1 to 6 histidine amino acids and optionally 1 or 2 methionine amino acids, has been added to the N-terminus of hGDF15; or a dimer thereof; and
• s is an integer between 20-30

In one aspect of this embodiment the tag comprises histidine amino acids and 1 or 2 non-adjacent methionine amino acids. In another aspect of this embodiment, the arrangement of histidine and methionine amino acids is so that the amino acid at the position adjacent to the N-terminus amino acid is a histidine. In a further aspect of this embodiment the tag is selected from MHHHHHHM- (SEQ ID NO: 16) and MHHHHHH- (SEQ ID NO: 17).

In a particular aspect of embodiment 9, in view of the homodimer nature of hGDF15* and his-hGDF15, one or two polypeptide chains (monomeric unit) which constitute the homodimer may be linked to the fatty acid molecule via a linker. As a result, the homodimer may be linked to one or may be linked to two fatty acid molecules via a linker at the N-terminus. Such embodiment may be represented by the GDF15 biomolecule linked to the fatty acid via a linker having the Formulae below: wherein both monomeric units of his-hGDF15 or of hGDF15* (as defined above) are linked to the fatty acid moiety via the linker at both N-terminus; or or wherein only one of the monomer unit of his-hGDF15 or of hGDF15* (as defined above) is linked to the fatty acid moiety via the linker at the N-terminus. Furthermore, the invention also contemplates mixtures of conjugates of the invention; for example a mixture comprising a conjugate of Formula C and a conjugate of Formula E, or a mixture comprising a conjugate of formula D and a conjugate of Formula F.

In embodiment 10, the invention pertains to a composition comprising a mixture of a conjugate of Formula C and a conjugate of Formula E. In embodiment 10A, the invention pertains to a composition comprising a mixture of a conjugate of Formula D and a conjugate of Formula F.

Therefore, in embodiment 10B, the invention relates to a conjugate according to claim 1, 2, 9 or 10, comprising:

1. 1. a variant of homodimer hGDF15 wherein the 2 or 3 amino acid at the N-terminus have been replaced with an amino acid sequence XH- or XHX'- respectively, wherein H is histidine and X and X' are independently selected from M and A; or a homodimer hGDF15 wherein a tag, comprising 1 to 6 histidine amino acids and optionally 1 or 2 methionine amino acids, has been added at the N-terminus of hGDF15; and
2. 2. one or two fatty acid of Formula: wherein the fatty acid is linked to the N-terminus of the polypeptide chain via the linker; or a mixture of conjugates.

In embodiment 10C, the invention pertains to a conjugate of embodiment 9, 10, 10A or 10B, wherein hGDF15* is hGDF15 wherein the 2 or 3 amino acids at the N-terminus have been replaced with an amino acid sequence XH- or XHX'- respectively,

• wherein H is histidine and X and X' are independently selected from M and A; or a dimer thereof; and
• wherein his-hGDF15 is hGDF15 wherein a tag, comprising 4 to 6 histidine amino acids and 1 or 2 methionine amino acids, has been added to the N-terminus of hGDF15; or a dimer thereof; and s is an integer between 22 and 28. In one aspect of this embodiment the tag comprises histidine amino acids and 1 or 2 non-adjacent methionine amino acids. In another aspect of this embodiment, the arrangement of histidine and methionine amino acids is so that the amino acid at the position adjacent to the N-terminus amino acid is a histidine. In a further aspect of this embodiment the tag is selected from MHHHHHHM- (SEQ ID NO: 16) and MHHHHHH- (SEQ ID NO: 17).

In embodiment 11, the invention pertains to a conjugate according to any one of the preceeding embodiments wherein the biomolecule is selected from M-(His)6-hGDF15 (SEQ ID No 1), M-(his)6-M-hGDF15 (SEQ ID NO: 2), MH(199-308)hGDF15 (SEQ ID NO: 4), MHA(200-308)hGDF15(SEQ ID NO: 6), AHA(200-308)hGDF15 (SEQ ID NO: 7) and AH(199-308)hGDF15 (SEQ ID NO: 5); or a dimer thereof.

In embodiment 11A, the invention pertains to a conjugate according to embodiment 11 wherein the biomolecule is selected from MH(199-308)hGDF15 (SEQ ID NO: 4), MHA(200-308)hGDF15 (SEQ ID NO: 6), AHA(200-308)hGDF15 (SEQ ID NO: 7) and AH(199-308)hGDF15 (SEQ ID NO: 5); or a dimer thereof.

In embodiment 11B, the invention pertains to a conjugate according to embodiment 11 wherein the biomolecule is AHA(200-308)hGDF15 (SEQ ID NO: 7); or a dimer thereof.

In embodiment 12, the invention pertains to a conjugate according to embodiment 11B wherein the biomolecule linked to the fatty acid via a linker is of Formula G or of Formula H: wherein AHA-hGDF15 is SEQ ID NO: 7 and the fatty acid is linked via the linker at the N-terminus of one or of the 2 monomeric units. Furthermore, the invention contemplates a mixture comprising the conjugate of Formula G and the conjugate of Formula H.

In embodiment 13, the invention pertains to a composition comprising a mixture of a conjugate according to embodiment 12 having Formula G and a conjugate according to embodiment 12 having Formula H. In a particular aspect of this embodiment, the mixture is a 1:1 molar ratio of a conjugate of Formula G and a conjugate of Formula H.

The AHA-(200-308)-hGDF15 (SEQ ID NO: 7) was designed to remove the clipping site observed within the native protein as well as to remove the potential methioinine (M1) formylation site and the N-199 deamidation site. The superior quality and homogeneity of the AHA was confirmed by a material quality check showing no clipping, deamidation, or methionine oxidation which was observed with the hGDF15 native sequence.

MHHHHHH-ARN-(200-308)-hGDF15	AHA-(200-308)-hG DF 15
clipping	R9/N10 (< 1%)	None detected
N10/G11 (< 1%)
Methionine oxidation	N/A
N-199 deamidation	N/A

In embodiment 14, the invention pertains to a conjugate according to any one of the preceeding embodiments wherein the fatty acid residue is attached at the N-terminus of the peptide or protein via a linker. In embodiment 15, the invention pertains to a conjugate according to any one of the preceeding embodiments wherein the conjugate has a plasma stability half-life of more than 5h. In one aspect of this embodiment, the conjugate has a plasma stability half-life of more than 10h. In another aspect of this embodiment, the conjugate has a plasma stability half-life of more than 20h or more than 30h. In yet another aspect of this embodiment, the conjugate has a plasma stability half-life of more than 40h or more than 50h.

In embodiment 16, the invention pertains to a conjugate according to any one of the preceeding embodiments where the improvement of plasma stability half-life compared to the non-conjugated biomolecule is 2 fold, 5 fold, 10 fold, 20 fold, 30 fold, 40 fold, 50 fold or 75 fold.

In another embodiment, the biomolecule, the linker and the fatty acid moiety are those defined in the Examples section below.

In one embodiment, the invention pertains to a compound of Formula: R¹ is CO₂H;

• R2 and R3 are independently of each other H, OH, CO2H, -CH=CH2 or ―C=CH; with the proviso that R2 and R3 are not identical;
• n and m are independently of each other an integer between 6 and 30; or an amide, ester or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. In another aspect of this embodiment, the invention pertains to a compound of Formula A1 wherein at least one of R2 and R3 is CO2H. In yet a further aspect of this embodiment, the invention pertains to a compound selected from the group consisting of: and

Synthesis of Peptide/polypeptide and/or modified form thereof

The peptides or polypeptides of the invention may be produced by either synthetic chemical processes or by recombinant methods or combination of both methods. The peptides or polypeptides/protein constructs may be prepared as full-length or may be synthesized as non-full length fragments and joined. The peptides and polypeptides of the present invention can be produced by the per se known procedures for peptide synthesis. The methods for peptide synthesis may be any of a solid-phase synthesis and a liquid-phase synthesis. Thus, the peptide and polypeptide of interest can be produced by condensing a partial peptide or amino acid capable of constituting the protein with the residual part thereof and, when the product has a protective group, the protective group is detached whereupon a desired peptide can be manufactured. The known methods for condensation and deprotection include the procedures described in the following literature ( 1 ) - ( 5).

1. (1) M. Bodanszky and M. A. Ondetti, Peptide Synthesis, Interscience Publishers, New York, 1966,
2. (2) Schroeder and Luebke, The Peptide, Academic Press, New York, 1965,
3. (3) Nobuo Izumiya et al.. Fundamentals and Experiments in Peptide Synthesis, Maruzen, 1975,
4. (4) Haruaki Yajima and Shumpei Sakakibara, Biochemical Experiment Series 1, Protein Chemistry IV, 205, 1977, and
5. (5) Haruaki Yajima (ed. ) , Development of Drugs-Continued, 14, Peptide Synthesis, Hirokawa Shoten.

After the reaction, the peptide or polypeptide can be purified and isolated by a combination of conventional purification techniques such as solvent extraction, column chromatography, liquid chromatography, size exclusion chromatography and ion exchange chromatography and recrystallization. Where the peptide isolated as above is a free compound, it can be converted to a suitable salt by the known method. Conversely where the isolated product is a salt, it can be converted to the free peptide by the known method.

The amide of polypeptide can be obtained by using a resin for peptide synthesis which is suited for amidation. The resin includes chloromethyl resin, hydroxymethyl resin, benzhydrylamine resin, aminomethyl resin, 4-benzyloxybenzyl alcohol resin, 4-methylbenz-hydrylamine resin, PAM resin, 4-hydroxymethylmethylphenylacetamidomethyl resin, polyacrylamide resin, 4-(2',4'-dimethoxyphenyl-hydroxymethyl)phenoxy resin, 4-(2',4'-dimethoxyphenyl-Fmoc-aminomethyl)phenoxy resin, 2-chlorotrityl chloride resin, and so on. Using such a resin, amino acids whose α-amino groups and functional groups of side-chain have been suitably protected are condensed on the resin according to the sequence of the objective peptide by various condensation techniques which are known per se. At the end of the series of reactions, the peptide or the protected peptide is removed from the resin and the protective groups are removed and if necessary, disulfide bonds are formed to obtain the objective polypeptide.

For the condensation of the above-mentioned protected amino acids, a variety of activating reagents for peptide synthesis can be used such as HATU, HCTU or e.g. a carbodiimide . The carbodiimide includes DCC, N,N' -diisopropylcarbodiimide, and N-ethyl-N'-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide. For activation with such a reagent, a racemization inhibitor additive, e.g. HOBt or Oxyma Pure can be used. The protected amino acid can be directly added to the resin along with the activation reagents and racemization inhibitor or be pre-activated as symmetric acid anhydride, HOBt ester, or HOOBt ester then added to the resin. The solvent for the activation of protected amino acids or condensation with the resin can be properly selected from among those solvents which are known to be useful for peptide condensation reactions. For example, N,N-dimethylformamide, N-methylpyrrolidone, chloroform, trifluoroethanol, dimethyl sulfoxide, DMF, pyridine, dioxane, methylene chloride, tetrahydrofuran, acetonitrile, ethyl acetate, or suitable mixtures of them can be mentioned. The reaction temperature can be selected from the range hitherto-known to be useful for peptide bond formation and is usually selected from the range of about -20°C - 50°C. The activated amino acid derivative is generally used in a proportion of 1.5-4 fold excess. If the condensation is found to be insufficient by a test utilizing the ninhydrin reaction, the condensation reaction can be repeated to achieve a sufficient condensation without removing the protective group. If repeated condensation still fails to provide a sufficient degree of condensation, the unreacted amino group can be acetylated with acetic anhydride or acetylimidazole.

The protecting group of amino group for the starting material amino acid includes Z, Boc, tertiary-amyloxycarbonyl, isobornyloxycarbonyl, 4-methoxybenzyloxycarbonyl, Cl-Z, Br-Z , adamantyloxycarbonyl, trifluoroacetyl, phthalyl, formyl, 2-nitrophenylsulfenyl, diphenylphosphinothioyl, or Fmoc. The carboxy-protecting group that can be used includes the above-mentioned C_1-6 alkyl, C_3-8 cycloalkyl and C_6-10aryl-C_1-2alkyl as well as 2-adamantyl, 4-nitrobenzyl, 4-methoxybenzyl, 4-chlorobenzyl, phenacyl, benzyloxycarbonylhydrazido, tertiary-butoxycarbonylhydrazido, and tritylhydrazido.

The hydroxy group of serine and threonine can be protected by esterification or etherification. The group suited for said esterification includes carbon-derived groups such as lower alkanoyl groups, e.g. acetyl etc. , aroyl groups, e.g. benzoyl etc. , benzyloxycarbonyl, and ethoxycarbonyl. The group suited for said etherification includes benzyl, tetrahydropyranyl, and tertiary-butyl. The protective group for the phenolic hydroxyl group of tyrosine includes Bzl, Cl₂-Bzl, 2-nitrobenzyl, Br-Z, and tertiary-butyl.

The protecting group of imidazole for histidine includes Tos, 4-methoxy-2,3,6-tri ethylbenzenesulfonyl, DNP, benzyloxymethyl, Bum, Boc, Trt, and Fmoc.

The activated carboxyl group of the starting amino acid includes the corresponding acid anhydride, azide and active esters, e.g. esters with alcohols such as pentachlorophenol, 2,4,5-trichlorophenol, 2,4-dinitrophenol, cyanomethyl alcohol, p-nitrophenol, HONB, N-hydroxysuccinimide, N-hydroxyphthalimide, HOBt, etc. The activated amino group of the starting amino acid includes the corresponding phosphoramide.

The method for elimination of protective groups includes catalytic reduction using hydrogen gas in the presence of a catalyst such as palladium black or palladium-on-carbon, acid treatment with anhydrous hydrogen fluoride, methanesulfonic acid, trifluoromethanesulfonic acid, trifluoroacetic acid, or a mixture of such acids, base treatment with diisopropylethylamine, triethylamine, piperidine, piperazine, reduction with sodium metal in liquid ammonia. The elimination reaction by the above-mentioned acid treatment is generally carried out at a temperature of -20°C - 40°C and can be conducted advantageously with addition of a cation acceptor such as anisole, phenol, thioanisole, m-cresol, p-cresol, dimethyl sulfide, 1,4-butanedithiol, 1,2-ethanedithiol. The 2,4-dinitrophenyl group used for protecting the imidazole group of histidine can be eliminated by treatment with thiophenol, while the formyl group used for protecting the indole group of tryptophan can be eliminated by alkali treatment with dilute sodium hydroxide solution or dilute aqueous ammonia as well as the above-mentioned acid treatment in the presence of 1,2-ethanedithiol, 1,4-butanedithiol.

The method for protecting functional groups which should not take part in the reaction of the starting material, the protective groups that can be used, the method of removing the protective groups, and the method of activating the functional groups that are to take part in the reaction can all be selected judicially from among the known groups and methods.

An another method for obtaining the amide form of the polypeptide comprises amidating the -carboxyl group of the C-terminal amino acid at first, then extending the peptide chain to the N-side until the desired chain length, and then selectively deprotecting the α-amino group of the C-terminal peptide and the α-carboxy group of the amino acid or peptide that is to form the remainder of the objective polypeptide and condensing the two fragments whose α-amino group and side-chain functional groups have been protected with suitable protective groups mentioned above in a mixed solvent such as that mentioned hereinbefore. The parameters of this condensation reaction can be the same as described hereinbefore. From the protected peptide obtained by condensation, all the protective groups are removed by the above-described method to thereby provide the desired crude peptide. This crude peptide can be purified by known purification procedures and the main fraction be lyophilized to provide the objective amidated polypeptide. To obtain an ester of the polypeptide, the a-carboxyl group of the C-terminal amino acid is condensed with a desired alcohol to give an amino acid ester and then, the procedure described above for production of the amide is followed.

Alternatively, recombinant expression methods are particularly useful. Recombinant protein expression using a host cell (a cell artificially engineered to comprise nucleic acids encoding the sequence of the peptide and which will transcribe and translate, and optionally, secrete the peptide into the cell growth medium) is used routinely in the art. For recombinant production process, a nucleic acid coding for amino acid sequence of the peptide would typically be synthesized by conventionally methods and integrated into an expression vector. Such methods is particularly preferred for manufacture of the polypeptide compositions comprising the peptides fused to additional peptide sequences or other proteins or protein fragments or domains. The host cell can optionally be at least one selected from from E.Coli, COS-1, COS-7, HEK293, BHT21, CHO, BSC-1, Hep G2, 653, SP2/0, 293, heLa, myeloma, lymphoma, yeast, insect or plant cells, or any derivative, immortalized or transformed cell thereof.

Also disclosed herein are polynucleotides encoding the above-described variants that may be in the form of RNA or in the form of DNA, which DNA includes cDNA, genomic DNA, and synthetic DNA. The DNA may be double-stranded or single-stranded. The coding sequences that encode the compositions of the present invention may vary as a result of the redundancy or degeneracy of the genetic code.

The polynucleotides that encode for the compositions of the present invention may include the following: only the coding sequence for the variant, the coding sequence for the variant and additional coding sequence such as a functional polypeptide, or a leader or secretory sequence or a pro-protein sequence; the coding sequence for the variant and non-coding sequence, such as introns or non-coding sequence 5' and/or 3' of the coding sequence for the variant. Thus the term "polynucleotide encoding a variant" encompasses a polynucleotide that may include not only coding sequence for the variant but also a polynucleotide, which includes additional coding and/or non-coding sequence.

Also disclosed herein are variants of the described polynucleotides that encode for fragments, analogs and derivatives of the polypeptide that contain the indicated substitutions. The variant of the polynucleotide may be a naturally occurring allelic variant of the human GDF15 sequence, a non-naturally occurring variant, or a truncated variant as described above. Thus, the present invention also includes polynucleotides encoding the variants described above, as well as variants of such polynucleotides, which variants encode for a fragment, derivative or analog of the disclosed variant. Such nucleotide variants include deletion variants, substitution variants, truncated variants, and addition or insertion variants as long as at least one of the indicated amino acid substitutions of the first or second embodiments is present.

The polynucleotides can be expressed in hosts after the sequences have been operably linked to (i.e., positioned to ensure the functioning of) an expression control sequence. These expression vectors are typically replicable in the host organisms either as episomes or as an integral part of the host chromosomal DNA. Commonly, expression vectors will contain selection markers, e.g., tetracycline, neomycin, and dihydrofolate reductase, to permit detection of those cells transformed with the desired DNA sequences. The GDF15 variant can be expressed in mammalian cells, insect, yeast, bacterial or other cells under the control of appropriate promoters. Cell free translation systems can also be employed to produce such proteins using RNAs derived from DNA constructs of the present invention.

Escherichia Coli (E. coli) is a prokaryotic host useful particularly for cloning the polynucleotides of the present invention. Other microbial hosts suitable for use include Bacillus subtilus, Salmonella typhimurium, and various species of Serratia, Pseudomonas, Streptococcus, and Staphylococcus, although others may also be employed as a matter of choice. In these prokaryotic hosts, one can also make expression vectors, which will typically contain expression control sequences compatible with the host cell (e.g., an origin of replication). In addition, any of a number of well-known promoters may be present, such as the lactose promoter system, a tryptophan (Trp) promoter system, a beta-lactamase promoter system, or a promoter system from phages lambda or T7. The promoters will typically control expression, optionally with an operator sequence, and have ribosome binding site sequences and the like, for initiating and completing transcription and translation.

One skilled in the art of expression of proteins will recognize that methionine or methionine-arginine sequence can be introduced at the N-terminus of the mature sequence for expression in E. coli and are contemplated within the context of this invention. Thus, unless otherwise noted, compositions of the present invention expressed in E. coli have a methionine sequence introduced at the N-terminus.

Other microbes, such as yeast or fungi, may also be used for expression. Pichia pastoris, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, and Pichia angusta are examples of preferred yeast hosts, with suitable vectors having expression control sequences, such as promoters, including 3-phosphoglycerate kinase or other glycolytic enzymes, and an origin of replication, termination sequences and the like as desired. Aspergillus niger, Trichoderma reesei; and Schizophyllum commune, are examples of fungi hosts, although others may also be employed as a matter of choice.

Mammalian tissue cell culture may also be used to express and produce the polypeptides of the present invention. A number of suitable host cell lines capable of secreting intact variants have been developed in the art, and include the CHO cell lines, various COS cell lines, NSO cells, Syrian Hamster Ovary cell lines, HeLa cells, or human embryonic kidney cell lines (i.e. HEK293, HEK293EBNA).

Expression vectors for mammalian cells can include expression control sequences, such as an origin of replication, a promoter, an enhancer, and necessary processing information sites, such as ribosome binding sites, RNA splice sites, polyadenylation sites, and transcriptional terminator sequences. Preferred expression control sequences are promoters derived from SV40, adenovirus, bovine papilloma virus, cytomegalovirus, Raus sarcoma virus, and the like. Preferred polyadenylation sites include sequences derived from SV40 and bovine growth hormone.

The vectors containing the polynucleotide sequences of interest (e.g., that encode the compositions of the present invention and expression control sequences) can be transferred into the host cell by well-known methods, which vary depending on the type of cellular host. For example, calcium chloride transfection is commonly utilized for prokaryotic cells, whereas calcium phosphate treatment or electroporation may be used for other cellular hosts.

Various methods of protein purification may be employed and such methods are known in the art and described, for example, in Deutscher, Methods in Enzymology 182: 83-9 (1990) and Scopes, Protein Purification: Principles and Practice, Springer-Verlag, NY (1982). The purification step(s) selected will depend, for example, on the nature of the production process used for the compositions of the present invention.

The polypeptides may be prepared in substantially pure or isolated form (e.g. , free from other polypeptides). The polypeptides can be present in a composition that is enriched for the polypeptide relative to other components that may be present (e.g. , other polypeptides or other host cell components). For example, purified polypeptide may be provided such that the polypeptide is present in a composition that is substantially free of other expressed proteins, e.g. , less than 90%, less than 60%, less than 50%, less than 40%, less than 30%, less than 20%, less than 10%, less than 5%, or less than 1 %, of the composition is made up of other expressed proteins

Synthesis of fatty acid moiety

Scheme 1 describes the synthesis of a reference fatty acid moiety of Formula A2. wherein P¹ and P² are carboxylic acid protective group such as for example methyl, ethyl, tert-butyl, methoxybenzyl, benzyl, benzyloxy, methoxymethyl, methylthiomethyl, tetrahydropyranyl, phenacyl, N-Phthalimide, cinnamyl, triphenylmethyl, 9-anthrylmethyl, piperonyl, trimethylsilyl, t-butyldimethylsilyl or 2-alkyl 1,3 oxazolines; wherein LG is a leaving group such as for example halo (e.g. Br, Cl, I) or trifluoromethanesulfonyloxy and wherein R⁴ and p are as described in embodiment 1.

Alkylation of protected malonic acid (1A) with an alkylating agent (1B) in the presence of a base (e.g. sodium hydride, potassium or cesium carbonates, sodium hydroxide, lithium diisopropyl amide, sodium bis(trimethylsilyl)amide, potassium bis(trimethylsilyl)amide, lithium tertamethylpiperidide, 1,8-Diaazacycloundec-7-ene, N,N-diisopropyl ethyl amine or 2,6-dit-butylputridine), in a solvent such as DMF, THF or dimethyl acetamide, generates the protected fatty acid moiety (1C). When R⁴ is OH or CO₂H, protection of these functional groups may be required prior to the alkylation step. Protective groups for hydroxyl are known in the art and are for example 1. ethers such as Methyl ether, methoxymethyl ether (MOM), Tetrahydropyranyl ether (THP), t-Butyl ether, allyl ether, benzyl ether, t-butyldimathylsilyl ether, t-butyldiphenyl silyl ether, tribenzyl silyl ether, isopropyldimethylsilyl ether, triphenylmethyl ether, nitrobenzyl ether, 2. Esters and carbonates such as acetic acid ester, formate ester, trichloroacetate ester, phenoxyacetate ester, pivaloate ester, benzoate ester, methyl carbonate, benzyl carbonate, allyl carbonate, nitrate ester, adamanoate ester, notrophenyl carbonate.

The fatty acid moiety of Formula A2 is obtained by deprotection using appropriate deprotection method. Standard methods can be applied for the hydrolysis of the intermediate (1C) using a base selected from NaOH, KOH, or LiOH, or an acid selected from TFA, HCl, or BCl₃. When P¹ or P² is benzyl or methoxybenzyl, a preferable method of the deprotection is hydrogenation in the presence of a catalyst such as palladium-on-carbon.

Scheme 2 illustrates the synthesis of an fatty acid moiety of Formula A¹ wherein R¹ is C(O)₂H. wherein P¹ and P², LG are as defined supra and R², R³, n and m are as defined in embodiment 1.

Protected malonic acid (1A) undergoes 2 subsequent alkylations with alkylating agent (2A) and (2C), order of which can be reversed, prior to deprotection using appropriate method as described supra in Scheme 1. When R² and R³ are OH or CO₂H, protection of these functional groups may be required prior to the alkylation steps.

The reference fatty acid moiety of Formula A¹ wherein R¹ is H can be prepared by decarboxylation of the corresponding fatty acid moiety of Formula A¹ wherein R1 is CO2H. Decarboxylation conditions are well known in the art such as for example decarboxylation under basic condition (e.g. Ammonium hydroxide).

Synthesis of biomolecule-linker construct

wherein B is biomolecule or a modified form thereof, Z¹ is is a C₁-C₂₀ alkylene linker wherein the alkylene chain is optionally substituted with oxo (=O), and wherein one or more carbon is replaced with O or NH; and wherein C1 is a mono, di or tricyclic carbocyclic or heterocyclic ring system optionally substituted with fluorine.

The cycloalkyne (3B) is attached to an amino residue of the biomolecule (3A) (for example to the amino functionality of the N-terminus or the side chain of a lysine) via its carboxylic acid reactive group using standard amide coupling methods. Known coupling methods may be applied including conversion of the intermediate (3B) to an activated form thereof, [e.g. to a corresponding pyrrolidine-2,5-dione (using standard N-hydrosuccinimide chemistry), or converting acid (3B) using reagents such as triphosgene, carbonyldiimidazole, 4-nitrophenyl chloroformate, or disuccinimidyl carbonate, conversion of the acid (3B) to a corresponding acid halide, using reagents such as thionyl chloride or oxalyl chloride, or conversion of the acid (3B) to a corresponding mixed anhydride using reagents such as ClC(O)O-isobutyl , 2,4,6-trichlorobenzoyl chloride or propyl phosphonic acid anhydride cyclic trimer (T3P), followed by reaction of the oxazolidine-2,5-dione, the acid halide, or the mixed anhydride] with the biomolecule (3A) in a presence or absence of a base such as tertiary amine (e.g. triethylamine or N,N-diisoproplyl ethylamine) or K₂CO₃. Alternatively, the biomolecule 3A can be coupled with the acid 3B using peptide condensation reagents including dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC), diisopropylcarbodiimide (DIC), 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyllaminopropyl)carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC HCI), benzotriazole-1-yl-oxy-tris-pyrrolidino-phosphonium hexafluorophosphate (PyBOP), or benzotriazole-1-yl-oxy-tris-(dimethylamino)-phosphonium hexafluorophosphate (BOP) in presence of or absence of a reagent such as 1-hydroxybenzotriazole, 1-hydroxy-7-azabenzotriazole, or dimethylaminopyridine. Preferably, the cycloalkyne/acid intermediate (3B) is converted to its activated form thereof using NHS chemistry prior to reacting with the amino functionality on the biomolecule.

A selective acylation of the amino functionality at the N-terminus of the biomolecule has been developed and reported in a co-filed US application numbers 62/015,858 (Attorney docket PAT056275-US-PSP) and 62/082,337 (Attorney docket number PAT056275-US-PSP02).

The selective acylation involves the reaction of NHS activated cyclooctyne analog (NHS derivatives of (3B) with a biomolecule where the N-terminus has been modified to include a histidine amino acid adjacent to the N-terminus amino acid. The reaction is highly selective for the amino functionality at the N-terminus when carried out at pH 4, due to the presence of a neighboring effect of the histidine amino acid.

Synthesis of fatty acid residue linker construct Fatty acid-linker construct for click chemistry

Scheme 4 describes the synthesis of a fatty acid-PEG linker construct with a terminal azido functional group. wherein y is 0 to 34 and FA is a fatty acid moiety as described in Formula A1, A2 or A3 R¹ is CO₂H or H;

• R2, R3 and R4 are independently of each other H, OH, CO2H, -CH=CH2 or ―C=CH;
• Ak is a branched C6-C30alkylene;
• n, m and p are independently of each other an integer between 6 and 30,
• which is attached via one of its carboxylic acid functionality to the PEG linker, and wherein FA has the following Formulae:

The fatty acid moiety (4B) is attached to a PEG containing linker (4A) via an amide coupling reaction. Known coupling methods have been described in detail supra in Scheme 3. Preferably the acid functionality on the fatty acid moiety is activated using NHS chemistry.

Where R¹ is CO₂H, R₂, R₃ and R₄ are CO₂H or OH, protecting groups may need to be introduced prior to the coupling reaction in order to control the reactive site. Protecting groups for carboxylic acid and hydroxy groups have been described supra in scheme 1. Alternatively, selective activation of carboxylic acid can be achieved using NHS chemistry.

Fatty acid-linker for direct attachment to the biomolecule of interest

Scheme 5 describes the synthesis of an fatty acid-PEG linker construct with a terminal CO2H functional group. wherein FA is as defined supra in Scheme 4 and y is 0 to 34.

The fatty acid (4B) may be attached to a PEG containing linker (5A) using amide coupling described supra.

Fatty acid-linker construct for attachment to a biomolecule of interest using Transglutaminase enzyme

Scheme 5A describes the preparation of a Fatty acid-linker construct containing a glutamic acid amino acid allowing for site selective modification of a lysine when using transglutaminase enzyme. wherein y and FA are as previously defined. Such constructs allow for selective site modification of an amino group on the side chain of a lysine. This transglutaminase selective site modification of protein has been described in US application number 61/845,273 filed on July 11 2013 (attorney docket number PAT055641-US-PSP).

Synthesis of Conjugates comprising a biomolecule linked to a fatty acid via a linker Conjugation using Click Chemistry

wherein B is a biomolecule of interest or a modified form thereof (for example mutant or a biomolecule containing a histidine tag) and y, C1, Z₁, FA and y are defined supra.

Cycloalkyne construct (3C) undergoes a Huisgen cycloaddition with a terminal azide of the Fatty acid-linker construct (4C) as commonly known as click chemistry. Example of click chemistries have been described in US 2009/0068738 .

Conjugation via direct attachment using coupling conditions

wherein B is a biomolecule of interest or a modified form thereof (such as for example mutant and/or a biomolecule containing a histidine tag) and the fatty acid-linker construct is attached to the N-terminus of the biomolecule.

The fatty acid-linker construct (5B) is attached to an amino residue of the biomolecule (3A) (for example to the amino functionality of the N-terminus or the side chain of a lysine) via its carboxylic acid reactive group using standard amide coupling methods. Known coupling methods have been described in detail supra in Scheme 3. Preferably the acid functionality on the fatty acid-linker construct is activated using NHS chemistrty.

A selective acylation of the amino functionality at the N-terminus of the biomolecule has been developed and reported in a co-filed US application numbers 62/015,858 (Attorney docket PAT056275-US-PSP) and 62/082,337 (Attorney docket number PAT056275-US-PSP02). The selective acylation involves the reaction of a NHS activated compound (NHS derivatives of (5B)) with a biomolecule where the N-terminus has been modified to include a histidine amino acid adjacent to the N-terminus amino acid. The reaction is highly selective for the amino functionality at the N-terminus when carried out at pH 4, due to the presence of a neighboring effect of the histidine amino acid.

Conjugation using Transglutaminase enzyme

Selective modification of the biomolecule at its lysine side chain can be achieved using transglutaminase enzyme. Such modification has been reported in US application number 61/845,273 filed July 11 2013 (attorney docket number PAT055641-US-PSP) or WO 2015/006728 (in example 25 of this application).

Pharmaceutical composition

The conjugate of the instant invention may be administered in any of a variety of ways, including subcutaneously, intramuscularly, intravenously, intraperitoneally, inhalationally, intranasally, orally etc. Particularly preferred embodiments of the invention employ continuous intravenous administration of the conjugates of the instant invention, or an amide, ester, or salt thereof. The conjugates on the instant invention may be administered as a bolus or as a continuous infusion over a period of time. An implantable pump may be used. In certain embodiments of the invention, intermittent or continuous conjugates administration is continued for one to several days (e.g., 2-3 or more days), or for longer periods of time, e.g., weeks, months, or years. In some embodiments, intermittent or continuous conjugates administration is provided for at least about 3 days, preferably at least about 6 days. In other embodiments, intermittent or continuous conjugate administration is provided for at least about one week. In other embodiments, intermittent or continuous conjugate administration is provided for at least about two weeks. It may be desirable to maintain an average plasma conjugate concentration above a particular threshold value either during administration or between administration of multiple doses. A desirable concentration may be determined, for example, based on the subject's physiological condition, disease severity, etc. Such desirable value(s) can be identified by performing standard clinical trials. Alternatively, the peptides and conjugates thereof could be delivered orally via FcRn mechanism. (Nat Rev Immunol. 7(9), 715-25, 2007; Nat Commun. 3;3:610, 2012, Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 304: G262-G270, 2013).

In another aspect, the present invention provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising a conjugate of the present invention or an amide, an ester or a salt thereof and one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers. The pharmaceutical composition can be formulated for particular routes of administration such as oral administration, subcutaneous administration, parenteral administration, and rectal administration, etc. In addition, the pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention can be made up in a solid form (including without limitation capsules, tablets, pills, granules, lyophilizates, powders or suppositories), or in a liquid form (including without limitation solutions, suspensions or emulsions). The pharmaceutical compositions can be subjected to conventional pharmaceutical operations such as aseptic manufacturing, sterilization and/or can contain conventional inert diluents, cake forming agents, tonicity agents, lubricating agents, or buffering agents, as well as adjuvants, such as preservatives, stabilizers, wetting agents, emulsifers and buffers, etc.

Pharmaceutical compositions suitable for injectable use typically include sterile aqueous solutions (where water soluble) or dispersions and sterile powders for the extemporaneous preparation of sterile injectable solutions or dispersion.

For intravenous administration, suitable carriers include physiological saline, bacteriostatic water, Cremophor ELTM (BASF, Parsippany, N.J.) or phosphate buffered saline (PBS). In all cases, the composition should be sterile and should be fluid to the extent that easy syringability exists. Preferred pharmaceutical formulations are stable under the conditions of manufacture and storage and must be preserved against the contaminating action of microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi. In general, the relevant carrier can be a solvent or dispersion medium containing, for example, water, ethanol, polyol (for example, glycerol, propylene glycol, and liquid polyethylene glycol, and the like), and suitable mixtures thereof. The proper fluidity can be maintained, for example, by the use of a coating such as lecithin, by the maintenance of the required particle size in the case of dispersion and by the use of surfactants. Prevention of the action of microorganisms can be achieved by various antibacterial and antifungal agents, for example, parabens, chlorobutanol, phenol, ascorbic acid, thimerosal, and the like. In many cases, it will be preferable to include isotonic agents, for example, sugars, polyalcohols such as mannitol, amino acids, sorbitol, sodium chloride in the composition. Prolonged absorption of the injectable compositions can be brought about by including in the composition an agent which delays absorption, for example, aluminum monostearate and gelatin. In some embodiments, a multifunctional excipient such as recombinant albumin may be incorporated into the formulation process to facilitate the stabilization of the conjugate product from degradation or aggregation, to improve solubility and assist in the administration and release of the active component. (BioPharm International, 2012, Vol 23, Issue 3, pp 40-44).

Certain injectable compositions are aqueous isotonic solutions or suspensions, and suppositories are advantageously prepared from fatty emulsions or suspensions. Said compositions may be sterilized and/or contain adjuvants, such as preserving, stabilizing, wetting or emulsifying agents, solution promoters, salts for regulating the osmotic pressure and/or buffers. In addition, they may also contain other therapeutically valuable substances. Said compositions are prepared according to conventional mixing, granulating or coating methods, respectively, and contain about 0.1-75%, or contain about 1-50%, of the active ingredient.

Sterile injectable solutions can be prepared by incorporating the active compound in the required amount in an appropriate solvent with one or a combination of ingredients enumerated above, as required, followed by filration sterilization. Generally, dispersions are prepared by incorporating the active compound into a sterile vehicle which contains a basic dispersion medium and the required other ingredients from those enumerated above. In the case of sterile powders for the preparation of sterile injectable solutions, the preferred methods of preparation are vacuum drying and freeze- drying which yields a powder of the active ingredient plus any additional desired ingredient from a previously sterile-filtered solution thereof.

Oral compositions generally include an inert diluent or an edible carrier. For the purpose of oral therapeutic administration, the active compound can be incorporated with excipients and used in the form of tablets, troches, or capsules, e.g., gelatin capsules. Oral compositions can also be prepared using a fluid carrier for use as a mouthwash. Pharmaceutically compatible binding agents, and/or adjuvant materials can be included as part of the composition. The tablets, pills, capsules, troches and the like can contain any of the following ingredients, or compounds of a similar nature: a binder such as microcrystalline cellulose, gum tragacanth or gelatin; an excipient such as starch or lactose, a disintegrating agent such as alginic acid, Primogel, or corn starch; a lubricant such as magnesium stearate or Sterotes; a glidant such as colloidal silicon dioxide; a sweetening agent such as sucrose or saccharin; or a flavoring agent such as peppermint, methyl salicylate, or orange flavoring. Formulations for oral delivery may advantageously incorporate agents to improve stability within the gastrointestinal tract and/or to enhance absorption.

For administration by inhalation, the inventive therapeutic agents are preferably delivered in the form of an aerosol spray from pressured container or dispenser which contains a suitable propellant, e.g., a gas such as carbon dioxide, or a nebulizer. It is noted that the lungs provide a large surface area for systemic delivery of therapeutic agents.

The agents may be encapsulated, e.g., in polymeric microparticles such as those described in U.S. publication 20040096403 , or in association with any of a wide variety of other drug delivery vehicles that are known in the art. In other embodiments of the invention the agents are delivered in association with a charged lipid as described, for example, in U.S. publication 20040062718 . It is noted that the latter system has been used for administration of a therapeutic polypeptide, insulin, demonstrating the utility of this system for administration of peptide agents.

Systemic administration can also be by transmucosal or transdermal means.

Suitable compositions for transdermal application include an effective amount of a conjugate of the invention with a suitable carrier. Carriers suitable for transdermal delivery include absorbable pharmacologically acceptable solvents to assist passage through the skin of the host. For example, transdermal devices are in the form of a bandage comprising a backing member, a reservoir containing the compound optionally with carriers, optionally a rate controlling barrier to deliver the compound of the skin of the host at a controlled and predetermined rate over a prolonged period of time, and means to secure the device to the skin.

Suitable compositions for topical application, e.g., to the skin and eyes, include aqueous solutions, suspensions, ointments, creams, gels or sprayable formulations, e.g., for delivery by aerosol or the like. Such topical delivery systems will in particular be appropriate for dermal application. They are thus particularly suited for use in topical, including cosmetic, formulations well-known in the art. Such may contain solubilizers, stabilizers, tonicity enhancing agents, buffers and preservatives.

In certain embodiments, the pharmaceutical composition is for subcutaneous administration. Suitable formulation components and methods for subcutaneous administration of polypeptide therapeutics (e.g., antibodies, fusion proteins and the like) are known in the art. See, e.g., Published United States Patent Application No 2011/0044977 and US Patent No. 8,465,739 and US Patent No. 8,476,239 . Typically, the pharmaceutical compositions for subcutaneous administration contain suitable stabilizers (e.g, amino acids, such as methionine, and or saccharides such as sucrose), buffering agents and tonicifying agents.

As used herein a topical application may also pertain to an inhalation or to an intranasal application. They may be conveniently delivered in the form of a dry powder (either alone, as a mixture, for example a dry blend with lactose, or a mixed component particle, for example with phospholipids) from a dry powder inhaler or an aerosol spray presentation from a pressurised container, pump, spray, atomizer or nebuliser, with or without the use of a suitable propellant.

The invention further provides pharmaceutical compositions and dosage forms that comprise one or more agents that reduce the rate by which the compound of the present invention as an active ingredient will decompose. Such agents, which are referred to herein as "stabilizers," include antioxidants such as ascorbic acid, pH buffers, or salt buffers, recombinant Albumin.

As used herein, the term "pharmaceutically acceptable salts" refers to salts that retain the biological effectiveness and properties of the conjugates of this invention and, which typically are not biologically or otherwise undesirable. In many cases, the conjugates of the present invention are capable of forming acid and/or base salts by virtue of the presence of amino and/or carboxyl groups or groups similar thereto.

Pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts can be formed with inorganic acids and organic acids, e.g., acetate, aspartate, benzoate, besylate, bromide/hydrobromide, bicarbonate/carbonate, bisulfate/sulfate, camphorsulfornate, chloride/hydrochloride, chlortheophyllonate, citrate, ethandisulfonate, fumarate, gluceptate, gluconate, glucuronate, hippurate, , hydroiodide/iodide, isethionate, lactate, lactobionate, laurylsulfate, malate, maleate, malonate, mandelate, mesylate, methylsulphate, naphthoate, napsylate, nicotinate, nitrate, octadecanoate, oleate, oxalate, palmitate, pamoate, phosphate/hydrogen phosphate/dihydrogen phosphate, polygalacturonate, propionate, stearate, succinate, sulfosalicylate, tartrate, tosylate and trifluoroacetate salts.

Inorganic acids from which salts can be derived include, for example, hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, phosphoric acid, and the like.

Organic acids from which salts can be derived include, for example, acetic acid, propionic acid, glycolic acid, oxalic acid, maleic acid, malonic acid, succinic acid, fumaric acid, tartaric acid, citric acid, benzoic acid, mandelic acid, methanesulfonic acid, ethanesulfonic acid, toluenesulfonic acid, sulfosalicylic acid, and the like. Pharmaceutically acceptable base addition salts can be formed with inorganic and organic bases.

Inorganic bases from which salts can be derived include, for example, ammonium salts and metals from columns I to XII of the periodic table. In certain embodiments, the salts are derived from sodium, potassium, ammonium, calcium, magnesium, iron, silver, zinc, and copper; particularly suitable salts include ammonium, potassium, sodium, calcium and magnesium salts.

Organic bases from which salts can be derived include, for example, primary, secondary, and tertiary amines, substituted amines including naturally occurring substituted amines, cyclic amines, basic ion exchange resins, and the like. Certain organic amines include isopropylamine, benzathine, cholinate, diethanolamine, diethylamine, lysine, meglumine, piperazine and tromethamine.

The pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the present invention can be synthesized from a parent compound, a basic or acidic moiety, by conventional chemical methods. Generally, such salts can be prepared by reacting free acid forms of these compounds with a stoichiometric amount of the appropriate base (such as Na, Ca, Mg, or K hydroxide, carbonate, bicarbonate or the like), or by reacting free base forms of these compounds with a stoichiometric amount of the appropriate acid. Such reactions are typically carried out in water or in an organic solvent, or in a mixture of the two. Generally, use of non-aqueous media like ether, ethyl acetate, ethanol, isopropanol, or acetonitrile is desirable, where practicable. Lists of additional suitable salts can be found, e.g., in "Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences", 20th ed., Mack Publishing Company, Easton, Pa., (1985); and in "Handbook of Pharmaceutical Salts: Properties, Selection, and Use" by Stahl and Wermuth (Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, Germany, 2002).

As used herein, the term "pharmaceutically acceptable carrier" includes any and all solvents, dispersion media, coatings, surfactants, antioxidants, preservatives (e.g., antibacterial agents, antifungal agents), isotonic agents, absorption delaying agents, salts, preservatives, drugs, drug stabilizers, binders, excipients, disintegration agents, lubricants, sweetening agents, flavoring agents, dyes, multifunctional excipient such as recombinant albumin and the like and combinations thereof, as would be known to those skilled in the art (see, for example, Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences, 18th Ed. Mack Printing Company, 1990, pp. 1289-1329). Except insofar as any conventional carrier is incompatible with the active ingredient, its use in the therapeutic or pharmaceutical compositions is contemplated.

Method of the invention

GDF15 circulating levels have been reported to be elevated in multiple pathological and physiological conditions, most notably pregnancy (Moore AG 2000. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 85: 4781-4788), β-thalassemia (Tanno T 2007, Nat Med 13:1096-101) (Zimmermann MB, 2008 Am J Clin Nutr 88:1026-31), and congenital dyserythropoietic anemia (Tamary H 2008, Blood. 112:5241-4). GDF15 has also been linked to multiple biological activities in literature reports. Studies of GDF15 knockout and transgenic mice suggested that GDF15 may be protective against ischemic/reperfusion- or overload-induced heart injury (Kempf T, 2006, Circ Res.98:351-60) (Xu J, 2006, Circ Res. 98:342-50), protective against aging-associated motor neuron and sensory neuron loss (Strelau J, 2009, J Neurosci. 29 : 13640-8), mildly protective against metabolic acidosis in kidney, and may cause cachexia in cancer patients (Johnen H 2007 Nat Med. 11: 1333-40). Many groups also studied the role of GDF15 in cell apoptosis and proliferation and reported controversial results using different cell culture and xenograft models. Studies on transgenic mice showed that GDF15 is protective against carcinogen or Ape mutation induced neoplasia in intestine and lung (Baek SJ 2006, Gastroenterology. 131: 1553-60; Cekanova M 2009, Cancer Prev Res 2:450-8).

GDF15 has also been reported to play a role in inflammation, cancer and metabolism (Samule Breit et al. Growth Factors, October 2011; 29(5): 187-195). GDF15 has further been implicated in the regulation of physiological appetite and body weight (Vicky Wang-Wei Tsai et al. Public Library of Science: PLOS ONE 2013, Vol. 8, Issue 2, e55174)

Conjugates of the present invention may be used for treating or preventing metabolic disorders or diseases, diabetes, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, pancreatitis, dyslipidemia, alcoholic and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease/steatohepatitis and other progressive liver diseases, insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, glucose intolerance, hyperglycemia, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, peripheral arterial disease, stroke, heart failure, coronary heart disease, diabetic complications (including chronic kidney disease), neuropathy, gastroparesis and other metabolic disorders, in a subject in need thereof, comprising: administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a conjugate of the invention, or an amide, ester or salt thereof or a mixture of conjugates, wherein the biomolecule is human Growth Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF15), homologs, variants, mutants or fragments thereof.

Such methods may have an advantageous effect such as for example decreasing the frequency of administration.

Thus, the present invention provides for a conjugate as described herein, or an amide, ester or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof or a mixture of the conjugates described therein, wherein the biomolecule is human Growth Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF15), homologs, variants, mutants or fragments thereof, for use in the treatment of metabolic disorders or diseases, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, pancreatitis, dyslipidemia, alcoholic and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease/steatohepatitis and other progressive liver diseases, insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, glucose intolerance, hyperglycemia, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, peripheral arterial disease, stroke, heart failure, coronary heart disease, diabetic complications (including chronic kidney disease), neuropathy, gastroparesis and other metabolic disorders.

Thus, the present invention provides for a conjugate or an amide, an ester or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, or a mixture of conjugates, for use in therapy

The effective amount of a pharmaceutical composition or combination of the invention to be employed therapeutically will depend, for example, upon the therapeutic context and objectives. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the appropriate dosage levels for treatment will thus vary depending, in part, upon the molecule delivered, the indication for which the conjugate is being used, the route of administration, and the size (body weight, body surface, or organ size) and condition (the age and general health) of the patient. Accordingly, the clinician can titer the dosage and modify the route of administration to obtain the optimal therapeutic effect. A typical dosage can range from about 0.1 µg/kg to up to about 100 mg/kg or more, depending on the factors mentioned above. In other embodiments, the dosage can range from 0.1 µg/kg up to about 100 mg/kg; or 1 µg/kg up to about 100 mg/kg. In a further aspect of this embodiment, the dosage can range from 5 µg/kg to 25µg/kg. In yet a further aspect of this embodiment, the dosage can range from 10 µg/kg to 20 µg/kg.

The frequency of dosing will depend upon the pharmacokinetic parameters of the dual function protein in the formulation being used. Typically, a clinician will administer the composition until a dosage is reached that achieves the desired effect. The composition can therefore be administered as a single dose, as two or more doses (which may or may not contain the same amount of the desired molecule) over time, or as a continuous infusion via an implantation device or catheter. Further refinement of the appropriate dosage is routinely made by those of ordinary skill in the art and is within the ambit of tasks routinely performed by them. Appropriate dosages can be ascertained through use of appropriate dose-response data.

The terms "therapeutically effective dose" and "therapeutically effective amount," as used herein, means an amount of conjugate that elicits a biological or medicinal response in a tissue system, animal, or human being sought by a researcher, physician, or other clinician, which includes alleviation or amelioration of the symptoms of the disease or disorder being treated, i.e., an amount of GDF15 (or GDF15 mutant) polypeptide conjugate that supports an observable level of one or more desired biological or medicinal response, for example lowering blood glucose, insulin, triglyceride, or cholesterol levels; reducing body weight; reducing food intake or improving glucose tolerance, energy expenditure, or insulin sensitivity).

The terms "patient" or "subject" are used interchangeably to refer to a human or a non-human animal (e.g. , a mammal).

As used herein, the term "treat", "treating" or "treatment" of any disease or disorder refers in one embodiment, to ameliorating the disease or disorder (i.e., slowing or arresting or reducing the development of the disease or at least one of the clinical symptoms thereof). In another embodiment "treat", "treating" or "treatment" refers to alleviating or ameliorating at least one physical parameter including those which may not be discernible by the patient. In yet another embodiment, "treat", "treating" or "treatment" refers to modulating the disease or disorder, either physically, (e.g., stabilization of a discernible symptom), physiologically, (e.g., stabilization of a physical parameter), or both. Thus, treatment includes inhibiting (i.e., arresting the development or further development of the disease, disorder or condition or clinical symptoms association therewith) an active disease (e.g. for example in the case of GDF15 conjugate, so as to decrease body weight, to decrease food intake, to decrease the level of insulin and/or glucose in the bloodstream, to increase glucose tolerance so as to minimize fluctuation of glucose levels, and/or so as to protect against diseases caused by disruption of glucose homeostasis).

In yet another embodiment, "treat", "treating" or "treatment" refers to preventing or delaying the onset or development or progression of the disease or disorder.

The term "in need of treatment" as used herein refers to a judgment made by a physician or other caregiver that a subject requires or will benefit from treatment. This judgment is made based on a variety of factors that are in the realm of the physician's or caregiver's expertise.

The terms "prevent", "preventing", "prevention" and the like refer to a course of action (such as administering a conjugate of the invention or a pharmaceutical composition comprising a conjugate) initiated in a manner (e.g., prior to the onset of a disease, disorder, condition or symptom thereof) so as to prevent, suppress, inhibit or reduce, either temporarily or permanently, a subject's risk of developing a disease, disorder, condition or the like (as determined by, for example, the absence of clinical symptoms) or delaying the onset thereof, generally in the context of a subject predisposed to having a particular disease, disorder or condition. In certain instances, the terms also refer to slowing the progression of the disease, disorder or condition or inhibiting progression thereof to a harmful or otherwise undesired state.

The term "metabolic disease or disorder" refers to an associated cluster of traits that includes hyperinsulinemia, abnormal glucose tolerance, obesity, redistribution of fat to the abdominal or upper body compartment, hypertension, dyslipidemia characterized by high triglycerides, low high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, and high small dense low density lipoprotein (LDL) particles. Subjects having metabolic disease or disorder are at risk for development of Type 2 diabetes and, for example, atherosclerosis.

The phrase "glucose metabolism disorder" encompasses any disorder characterized by a clinical symptom or a combination of clinical symptoms that is associated with an elevated level of glucose and/or an elevated level of insulin in a subject relative to a healthy individual. Elevated levels of glucose and/or insulin may be manifested in the following diseases, disorders and conditions: hyperglycemia, type II diabetes, gestational diabetes, type I diabetes, insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance, hyperinsulinemia, impaired glucose metabolism, pre-diabetes, metabolic disorders (such as metabolic disease or disorder, which is also referred to as syndrome X), and obesity, among others. The GDF15 conjugates of the present disclosure, and compositions thereof, can be used, for example, to achieve and/or maintain glucose homeostasis, e.g. , to reduce glucose level in the bloodstream and/or to reduce insulin level to a range found in a healthy subject.

The term "insulin resistance" as used herein refers to a condition where a normal amount of insulin is unable to produce a normal physiological or molecular response. In some cases, a hyper-physiological amount of insulin, either endogenously produced or exogenously administered, is able to overcome the insulin resistance, in whole or in part, and produce a biologic response.

The phrase "glucose tolerance", as used herein, refers to the ability of a subject to control the level of plasma glucose and/or plasma insulin when glucose intake fluctuates. For example, glucose tolerance encompasses the subject's ability to reduce, within about 120 minutes, the level of plasma glucose back to a level determined before the intake of glucose.

The term "Glucose intolerance, or 'Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT) is a pre-diabetic state of dysglycemia that is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular pathology. The pre-diabetic condition prevents a subject from moving glucose into cells efficiently and utilizing it as an efficient fuel source, leading to elevated glucose levels in blood and some degree of insulin resistance.

The term "Type 2 diabetes Mellitus" is a condition characterized by excess glucose production and circulating glucose levels remain excessively high as a result of inadequate glucose clearance and the inability of the pancreas to produce enough insulin.

The term "hyperglycemia", as used herein, refers to a condition in which an elevated amount of glucose circulates in the blood plasma of a subject relative to a healthy individual. Hyperglycemia can be diagnosed using methods known in the art, including measurement of fasting blood glucose levels as described herein.

The term "Hypoglycemia", also called low blood sugar, occurs when blood glucose level drops too low to provide enough energy for the body's activities.

The term "hyperinsulinemia", as used herein, refers to a condition in which there are elevated levels of circulating insulin when, concomitantly, blood glucose levels are either elevated or normal. Hyperinsulinemia can be caused by insulin resistance which is associated with dyslipidemia such as high triglycerides, high cholesterol, high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL); high uric acids levels; polycystic ovary syndrome; type II diabetes and obesity. Hyperinsulinemia can be diagnosed as having a plasma insulin level higher than about 2 pU/mL.

The term "Pancreatitis" is inflammation of the pancreas.

The term "Dyslipidemia" is a disorder of lipoprotein metabolism, including lipoprotein overproduction or deficiency. Dyslipidemias may be manifested by elevation of the total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, and a decrease in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol concentration in the blood.

The term "Fatty liver disease (FLD)", also known as fatty liver, is a condition wherein large vacuoles of triglyceride fat accumulate in liver cells via the process of steatosis (i.e., abnormal retention of lipids within a cell). Despite having multiple causes, fatty liver can be considered a single disease that occurs worldwide in those with excessive alcohol intake and the obese (with or without effects of insulin resistance insulin). When this process of fat metabolism is disrupted, the fat can accumulate in the liver in excessive amounts, thus resulting in a fatty liver. Accumulation of fat may also be accompanied by a progressive inflammation of the liver (hepatitis), called steatohepatitis. By considering the contribution by alcohol, fatty liver may be termed alcoholic steatosis or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and the more severe forms as alcoholic steatohepatitis and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

The term "steatohepatitis" is a type of liver disease, characterized by fatty change of hepatocytes, accompanied by intralobular inflammation and fibrosis. When not associated with excessive alcohol intake, it is refered to as Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

The term "progressive liver disease" is a liver disease caused by a wide range of liver pathologies that progress from a relatively benign state like hepatic steatosis to more severe states including hepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. PNPLA3 has been specifically associated with the progressive liver diseases such as NAFLD/NASH, AFLD/ASH, viral hepatitis, Wilson's disease, hereditary hemochromatosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis (Paola Dongiovanni et al. World Journal of Gastroenterology, 2013, 19(41), 6969-6978).

The term "Obesity," in terms of the human subject, can be defined as an adult with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or greater (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

"Metabolic syndrome" can be defined as a cluster of risk factors that raises the risk for heart disease and other diseases like diabetes and stroke. These risk factors include: high blood sugar--at least 110 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) after fasting; high triglycerides--at least 150 mg/dL in the bloodstream; low HDL--less than 40 mg/dl; and, blood pressure of 130/85 mmHg or higher (World Health Organization).

The term "Cardiovascular diseases" are diseases related to the heart or blood vessels.

The term "Atherosclerosis" is a vascular disease characterized by irregularly distributed lipid deposits in the intima of large and medium-sized arteries, sometimes causing narrowing of arterial lumens and proceeding eventually to fibrosis and calcification. Lesions are usually focal and progress slowly and intermittently. Limitation of blood flow accounts for most clinical manifestations, which vary with the distribution and severity of lesions.

The term "Coronary heart disease", also called coronary artery disease, is a narrowing of the small blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart. "Diabetic complications" are problems caused by high blood glucose levels, with other body functions such as kidneys, nerves (neuropathies), feet (foot ulcers and poor circulation) and eyes (e.g. retinopathies). Diabetes also increases the risk for heart disease and bone and joint disorders. Other long-term complications of diabetes include skin problems, digestive problems, sexual dysfunction and problems with teeth and gums.

As used herein, the phrase "body weight disorder" refers to conditions associated with excessive body weight and/or enhanced appetite. Various parameters are used to determine whether a subject is overweight compared to a reference healthy individual, including the subject's age, height, sex and health status. For example, a subject may be considered overweight or obese by assessment of the subject's Body Mass Index (BMI), which is calculated by dividing a subject's weight in kilograms by the subject's height in meters squared. An adult having a BMI in the range of -18.5 to -24.9 kg/m is considered to have a normal weight; an adult having a BMI between -25 and -29.9 kg/m may be considered overweight (pre-obese); an adult having a BMI of -30 kg/m or higher may be considered obese. Enhanced appetite frequently contributes to excessive body weight. There are several condititions associated with enhanced appetite, including, for example, night eating syndrome, which is characterized by morning anorexia and evening polyphagia often associated with insomnia, but which may be related to injury to the hypothalamus.

All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g. "such as") provided herein is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention otherwise claimed.

The activity and plasma stability of a conjugate according to the present invention can be assessed by the following methods described below.

Assays and data

The activity and plasma stability of the GDF15 conjugates of Examples 1 and 19B according to the present invention can be assessed by the following in vitro and in vivo methods described below.

Methods for animal studies

All animal studies described in this document were approved by the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research Animal Care and Use Committee in accordance with local and federal regulations and guidelines. Diet-induced obese male mice (C57BL/6NTac) were purchased from Taconic and fed a 60% fat diet (Research Diets D12492i) from 6-weeks of age onward. Upon arrival, mice were housed one animal per cage under a 12h:12h reverse light-dark cycle. Animals all received a minimum of 1 week acclimation prior to any use. Mice were typically studied between 3-4 months of age. One day prior to being studied, mice were randomized based on body weight such that each group had a similar average body weight. On the day of study, mice were placed in fresh cages, and the old food removed. Approximately 1h later and just prior to the dark cycle, mice received a single subcutaneous dose of either vehicle (30 mM sodium acetate, pH 4) or a lipid conjugated GDF15 analog (0.5 mg/kg). After all injections are completed, the mice were reweighed and a defined amount of food returned (∼ 50g per mouse). Food intake and body weight were measured over the course of ~2 weeks at the times indicated. In surrogate animals treated as described above, plasma was collected at the indicated times, and GDF15 levels were measured by ELISA as per the manufacturer's instructions (R&D Systems Quantikine Human GDF15 Immunoassay; DGD150).

DIO mice single 0.5 mg/kg sc dose

The activity and half-life of the conjugates of the invention were tested in the assay described supra. Table 1

Conjugate (example)	PK (1/2 life) (hrs)	Duration of action
		Food Intake (FI) reduction (days)	Body weight (BW) reduction (days)
1	36	6	8
2		8	8
4	15.1	3	3
5	33.1	8	8
6		3	3
7	21.8	6	6
12		6-8	6-8
13	45.8	8-10	10
15*		2	6
16		6	6
18	55	8-10	10
19A		8	10
19B crude	86.4	8	14
19B1	56.9 (exp 1)	14 (exp 1)	14 (exp 1)
	50.9 (exp 2)	14 (exp 2)	14 (exp 2)
19B2	97.68 (exp 1)	8 (exp 1)	10 (exp 1)
	74.2 (exp 2)	14 (exp 2)	14 (exp 2)
19B3	98.9	8	10
19Bm	65.04	14	17
Ref ex. 2		3	3
Ref ex. 1		1	1
hGDF15	1	1	1

Table 1

*Lean mice Exp 1: in vivo experiment 1; Exp 2: in vivo experiment 2.

The data in table 1 demonstrate that the conjugates of the invention possess a significant longer duration of action as compared to non-conjugated hGDF15 and/or as compared to pegylated hGDF15.

GDF15-conjugate efficacy in chow fed dogs : GDF15-fatty acid conjugate

Study Goal: To assess the effects of subcutaneous administration of 0.05 mg/kg of a GDF15-fatty acid moiety conjugate according to the invention or vehicle control on food intake in an acute setting (6 hour) and over a 96 hour period in the Beagle dog. Plasma samples were collected at various time points throughout the 14 day post-dose period in order to evaluate the PK profile of this compound. Body weight was determined throughout the study.

Animals: Baseline body weights and treatments Table 2

50	12.65	Vehicle
62	8.85	Vehicle
77	10.15	Vehicle
67	8.85	GDF15
73	9.95	GDF15
75	12.25	GDF15

Dosing Procedure: Dosing of Vehicle or GDF15 was performed after baseline body weight and blood sample collection. The GDF15-fattya cid moiety conjugate was supplied as a 0.97 mg/ml solution and was dosed by subcutaneous injection without dilution at 0.05 mg/kg. An equivalent volume of 30 mmol/l Sodium Acetate pH 4 Vehicle (52 µl/kg) was given to the vehicle animals by subcutaneous injection.

Blood Collection: Blood samples were collected from the cephalic or jugular vein (3 ml, in tubes containing EDTA and the protease inhibitors Diprotin A and Aprotinin) and were placed on ice until centrifugation at 3,000 rpm for 20 min at 4°C. Plasma was distributed in aliquots and stored at -70°C until analysis. The following time points were collected: 0, 6.75, 24.75, 48.75, 72.75 and 96.75 hours. Additional samples were collected on days 7, 10 and 14.

Food Intake Measurements: Measurement of ad libitum food intake was begun 45 minutes after dosing. This food intake measurement consists of two phases: an acute measurement (0-6 hours) and a sub-chronic measurement (0-96 hours).

From 0-2 hours, the dogs were given 500 g regular chow (Hill's J/D diet). At 2 hours, the remaining food was removed, weighed and another 500 g chow was offered for the 2-4 hour period. At 4 hours, the remaining food was removed, weighed and another 300 g chow was offered for the 4-6 hour period. At 6 hours, the remaining food was removed and weighed. A blood sample was collected at this time (6.75 hours). The dogs were then offered 500 g chow overnight. On the mornings of Day 1-4, remaining food was removed, weighed and a blood sample was collected from each animal. On days 1-3 the dogs were then offered 500 g chow for a 24 hour period. On day 4, the dogs were returned to their normal allotment of chow (260 g). Additional Food Intake Measurements: On days 7, 14 and 28 the study animals were given 6 hours to consume their daily chow (260 g). At the end of this time period, any remaining food was collected and weighed.

Body Weight Measurements: Body weights were measured at baseline and days 2, 4, 7, 10, 14, 18 and 28. Baseline body weights were collected in the fasting state. Body weights collected on days 2 and 4 were not fasted. For the vehicle treated animals, all other body weights were collected in the fasted state. For the GDF15 treated animals, the body weights determined on days 7-28 were not fasted since the animals were given food continuously in order to stimulate appetite and regain weight.

Efficacy of GDF15-fattv acid assay conjugate of the invention in chow fed dogs

Study Goal: To assess the effects of subcutaneous administration of vehicle control and 0.015 mg/kg or 0.005 mg/kg GDF15-fatty acid moiety conjugate of the invention on food intake in an acute setting (6 hour) and over a 96 hour period in the Beagle dog (In this study the vehicle arm will be performed prior to the treatment arm in all dogs). Plasma samples will be collected at various time points throughout the 14 day post-dose period in order to evaluate the PK profile of this compound. Body weight was determined throughout the study.

Animals: Baseline body weights and treatments Table 3

29	12.75	Vehicle	12.85	5 µg/kg hGDF15
57	13.35	Vehicle	13.80	5 µg/kg hGDF15
61	9.30	Vehicle	9.45	5 µg/kg hGDF15
77	10.70	Vehicle	11.15	5 µg/kg hGDF15
45	11.90	Vehicle	12.20	15 µg/kg hGDF15
50	13.00	Vehicle	13.05	15 µg/kg hGDF15
59	14.20	Vehicle	14.65	15 µg/kg hGDF15
72	8.80	Vehicle	9.05	15 µg/kg hGDF15

Dosing Procedure: Dosing of Vehicle was performed after baseline body weight and blood sample collection. 52 µl/kg of 30 mmol/l Sodium Acetate pH 4 Vehicle (52 µl/kg) was given to the vehicle animals by subcutaneous injection. Dosing of GDF15 was performed after baseline body weight and blood sample collection. The GDF15-fatty acid moiety conjugate was supplied as a 1.20 mg/ml solution and was dosed by subcutaneous injection after dilution at 0.015 mg/kg and 0.005 mg/kg. The GDF15 stock was diluted in order to maintain the 52 µl/kg delivered in a prior study.

Blood Collection: Blood samples were collected for the vehicle and treatment arms of the study. Samples were collected from the cephalic or jugular vein (3 ml, in tubes containing EDTA and the protease inhibitors Diprotin A and Aprotinin) and were placed on ice until centrifugation at 3,000 rpm for 20 min at 4°C. Plasma was distributed in aliquots and stored at -70°C until analysis. The following time points were collected: 0, 6.75, 24.75, 48.75, 72.75 and 96.75 hours. Additional samples were collected on days 7, 10 and 14.

Food Intake Measurements: Food Intake was measured during both the vehicle and treatment arms of the study. Measurement of ad libitum food intake was begun 45 minutes after dosing. This food intake measurement consists of two phases: an acute measurement (0-6 hours) and a sub-chronic measurement (0-96 hours).

From 0-2 hours, the dogs were given 500 g regular chow (Hill's J/D diet). At 2 hours, the remaining food was removed, weighed and another 500 g chow was offered for the 2-4 hour period. At 4 hours, the remaining food was removed, weighed and another 300 g chow was offered for the 4-6 hour period. At 6 hours, the remaining food was removed and weighed. A blood sample was collected at this time (6.75 hours). The dogs were then offered 500 g chow overnight. On the mornings of Day 1-4, remaining food was removed, weighed and a blood sample was collected from each animal. On days 1-3 the dogs were then offered 500 g chow for a 24 hour period. On day 4, the dogs were returned to their normal allotment of chow (260 g). Additional Food Intake Measurements: On various days between days 7 and 14 in the vehicle arm and between days 7 and 28 in the treatment arm, the study animals were given 6 hours to consume their daily chow (225 g). At the end of this time period, any remaining food was collected and weighed. Once a week, a timed measurement of food consumption was taken. Consumption of 225 g chow was measured at 1, 2, 4 and 6 hours after feeding to determine whether each dog's feeding pattern had returned to normal.

Body Weight Measurements: Body Weight was measured during both the vehicle and treatment arms of the study. During the vehicle arm, body weights were measured at baseline and days 2, 4, 7, 10 and 14. During the treatment arm, body weights were measured at baseline and days 2, 4, 7, 10, 14, 17, 21, 24 and 28. Body weights collected on days 2 and 4 were not fasted. All other body weights were determined in the fasting state.

Conjugate of Example 2 was tested in above assay

Dog single sc dose Table 4

Dose (ug/kg)	Body weight change (%) (at 14 days)	Food intake change (% of vehicle) (0-6 hrs)		Duration of action
			(0-96 hrs)	Food Intake (FI) reduction (days)	Body weight (BW) reduction (days)
5	-5	55	45	7	14
15	-5	60	38	9	14
50	-13	50	26	7	18
dGDF15 (50ug/kg)	----	31

GDF15-conjugate improves measures of metabolic disease including diabetes and fatty liver disease in obese mice

Diet-induced obese mice were dosed once weekly with vehicle or Example 19Bm (0.5 mg/kg/ s.c.) for 4 weeks. Non-fasted glucose and insulin were measured 2 weeks after the first dose, and overnight fasted blood glucose and insulin were measured 4 weeks after the first dose. Example 19Bm reduced non-fasted glucose by 23% (207.1 mg/dl vehicle treated vs. 160.4 mg/dl Example 19Bm; p<0.05). Example 19Bm reduced non-fasted insulin levels by 75% compared to vehicle treated mice (2.1 vs 8.7 ng/ml; p<0.05). Four weeks after the initial dose, Example 19Bm reduced fasting blood glucose by 28% (142.7 vs. 199.5 mg/dl; p<0.05) and fasting insulin by 78% (0.77 vs. 3.5 ng/ml; p<0.05). Markers of fatty liver disease were also improved by four, once-weekly doses of Example 19Bm. Example 19Bm reduced hepatic steatosis by 57.5% (11.36 vs. 26.73% liver fat; p<0.05) and serum levels of a marker of hepatocyte damage, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), by 58% (46.2 vs. 110.5 U/L; p<0.05). In addition, Example 19Bm decreases the hepatic expression of PNPLA3, a causative gene in progressive liver diseases, by 77% (p<0.05).

The conjugates of the present invention have plasma stability of at least 5h, at least 10h, at least 20h, at least 30h, at least 40h or at least 50h. In one embodiment, the plasma stability improvement compared to the non-conjugated biomolecule is at least 2 fold, 5 fold, 10 fold, 20 fold, 30 fold, 40 fold or 50 fold or 75 fold.

Combination Therapy

The conjugate of the present invention may be administered either simultaneously with, or before or after, one or more other therapeutic agent. The conjugate of the present invention may be administered separately, by the same or different route of administration, or together in the same pharmaceutical composition as the other agents.

In one embodiment, the invention provides a product comprising a conjugate of the invention or a mixture of conjugates as described in embodiments 10 and 13, and at least one other therapeutic agent as a combined preparation for simultaneous, separate or sequential use in therapy. The therapy may be the treatment of a metabolic disorder or disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, dyslipidemia, elevated glucose levels, elevated insulin levels and diabetic nephropathy in a subject in need thereof, comprising: administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a conjugate of the invention, or an amide, ester or salt thereof, wherein the biomolecule is human Growth Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF15), homologs, variants, mutants, fragments and other modified forms thereof.

Products provided as a combined preparation include a composition comprising a conjugate of any one of the preceeding embodiments, and the other therapeutic agent(s) together in the same pharmaceutical composition, or a conjugate of the invention, and the other therapeutic agent(s) in separate form, e.g. in the form of a kit.

In one embodiment, the invention provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising a conjugate of the invention or a mixture of conjugates according to embodiment 10 or 13, and another therapeutic agent(s). Optionally, the pharmaceutical composition may comprise a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient, as described above.

A kit may be provided comprising two or more separate pharmaceutical compositions, at least one of which contains a conjugate according to the invention. In one embodiment, the kit comprises means for separately retaining said compositions, such as a container, divided bottle, or divided foil packet. An example of such a kit is a blister pack, as typically used for the packaging of tablets, capsules and the like.

The kit may be used for administering different dosage forms, for example, oral, subcutaneous and parenteral, for administering the separate compositions at different dosage intervals, or for titrating the separate compositions against one another. To assist compliance, the kit of the invention typically comprises directions for administration. In the combination therapies of the invention, the conjugate of the invention and the other therapeutic agent may be manufactured and/or formulated by the same or different manufacturers. Moreover, the conjugate of the invention and the other therapeutic may be brought together into a combination therapy: (i) prior to release of the combination product to physicians (e.g. in the case of a kit comprising the conjugate of the invention and the other therapeutic agent); (ii) by the physician themselves (or under the guidance of the physician) shortly before administration; (iii) in the patient themselves, e.g. during sequential administration of a conjugate of the invention and the other therapeutic agent.

A conjugate of the invention may be used for treating a disease or condition set forth herein, wherein the patient has previously (e.g. within 24 hours) been treated with another therapeutic agent. Another therapeutic agent may be used for treating a disease or condition set forth herein, wherein the patient has previously (e.g. within 24 hours) been treated with a conjugate according to the invention.

The term "in combination with" a second agent or treatment includes co-administration of the conjugate of the invention (e.g., a conjugate described herein) with the second agent or treatment, administration of the compound of the invention first, followed by the second agent or treatment and administration of the second agent or treatment first, followed by the conjugate of the invention.

The terms "second agent" and "co-agent" are used interchangeably and include any agent which is known in the art to treat, prevent, or reduce the symptoms of a disease or disorder described herein, e.g .a disorder or disease selected from a metabolic disorder or disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, pancreatitis, dyslipidemia, alcoholic and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease/steatohepatitis and other progressive liver diseases, insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, glucose intolerance, hyperglycemia, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, peripheral arterial disease, stroke, heart failure, coronary heart disease, diabetic complications (including chronic kidney disease), neuropathy, gastroparesis and other metabolic disorders.

The therapy may be the treatment of metabolic disorders or diseases, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, pancreatitis, dyslipidemia, alcoholic and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease/steatohepatitis and other progressive liver diseases, insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, glucose intolerance, hyperglycemia, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, peripheral arterial disease, stroke, heart failure, coronary heart disease, diabetic complications (including chronic kidney disease), neuropathy, gastroparesis and other metabolic disorders, in a subject in need thereof, comprising: administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a conjugate of the invention, or an amide, ester or salt thereof, wherein the biomolecule is human Growth Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF15), homologs, variants, mutants, fragments and other modified forms thereof.

Examples of second agents to combine with a conjugate of the instant invention, wherein the biomolecule is human Growth Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF15), homologs, variants, mutants, fragments and other modified forms thereof; include:

1. 1. Antidiabetic agents, such as insulin, insulin derivatives and mimetics; insulin secretagogues such as the sulfonylureas (e.g. , chlorpropamide, tolazamide, acetohexamide, tolbutamide, glyburide, glimepiride, glipizide); glyburide and Amaryl; insulinotropic sulfonylurea receptor ligands such as meglitinides, e.g. nateglinide and repaglinide; thiazolidinediones (e.g., rosiglitazone (AVANDIA), troglitazone (REZULIN), pioglitazone (ACTOS), balaglitazone, rivoglitazone, netoglitazone, troglitazone, englitazone, ciglitazone, adaglitazone, darglitazone that enhance insulin action (e.g., by insulin sensitization), thus promoting glucose utilization in peripheral tissues; protein tyrosine phosphatase-1B (PTP-1B) inhibitors such as PTP-112; Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitors such as torcetrapib, GSK3 (glycogen synthase kinase-3) inhibitors such as SB-517955, SB-4195052, SB-216763, NN-57-05441 and NN-57-05445; RXR ligands such as GW-0791 and AGN-194204; sodium-dependent glucose cotransporter inhibitors such as T-1095; glycogen phosphorylase A inhibitors such as BAY R3401; biguanides such as metformin and other agents that act by promoting glucoseutilization, reducing hepatic glucose production and/or diminishing intestinal glucose output; alpha-glucosidase inhibitors such as acarbose and migiitoi) and other agents that slow down carbohydrate digestion and consequently absorption from the gut and reduce postprandial hyperglycemia; GLP-1 (glucagon like peptide-1), GLP-1 analogs such as Exendin-4 and GLP-1 mimetics; and DPPIV (dipeptidyl peptidase IV) inhibitors such as vildagliptin;
2. 2. Hypolipidemic agents such as 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors, e.g. lovastatin, pitavastatin, simvastatin, pravastatin, cerivastatin, mevastatin, velostatin, fluvastatin, dalvastatin, atorvastatin, rosuvastatin and rivastatin; squalene synthase inhibitors; FXR (farnesoid X receptor) and LXR (liver X receptor) ligands; bile acid sequenstrants, such as cholestyramine and colesevelam; fibrates; nicotinic acid and aspirin;
3. 3. Anti-obesity agents such as orlistat or rimonabant, phentermine, topiramate, qunexa, and locaserin;
4. 4. Anti-hypertensive agents, e.g. loop diuretics such as ethacrynic acid, furosemide and torsemide; angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors such as benazepril, captopril, enalapril, fosinopril, lisinopril, moexipril, perinodopril, quinapril, ramipril and trandolapril; inhibitors of the Na-K-ATPase membrane pump such as digoxin; neutralendopeptidase (NEP) inhibitors; ACE/NEP inhibitors such as omapatrilat, sampatrilat and fasidotril; angiotensin II antagonists such as candesartan, eprosartan, irbesartan, losartan, telmisartan and valsartan, in particular valsartan; renin inhibitors such as ditekiren, zankiren, terlakiren, aliskiren, RO 66-1132 and RO-66-1168; β-adrenergic receptor blockers such as acebutolol, atenolol, betaxolol, bisoprolol, metoprolol, nadolol, propranolol, sotalol and timolol; inotropic agents such as digoxin, dobutamine and milrinone; calcium channel blockers such as amlodipine, bepridil, diltiazem, felodipine, nicardipine, nimodipine, nifedipine, nisoldipine and verapamil; aldosterone receptor antagonists; and aldosterone synthase inhibitors;
5. 5. Agonists of peroxisome proliferator-activator receptors, such as fenofibrate, pioglitazone, rosiglitazone, tesaglitazar, BMS-298585, L-796449, the compounds specifically described in the patent application WO 2004/103995 i.e. compounds of examples 1 to 35 or compounds specifically listed in claim 21, or the compounds specifically described in the patent application WO 03/043985 i.e. compounds of examples 1 to 7 or compounds specifically listedin claim 19 and especially (R)-1-{4-[5-methyl-2-(4-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-oxazol-4-ylmethoxy]-benzenesulfonyl}-2,3-dihydro-1H-indole-2-carboxylic or a salt thereof; and
6. 6. The specific anti-diabetic compounds described in Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2003, 12(4): 623-633, figures 1 to 7.

Furthermore, the present disclosure contemplates combination therapy with agents and methods for promoting weight loss, such as agents that stimulate metabolism or decrease appetite, and modified diets and/or exercise regimens to promote weight loss.

Examples of the invention Abbreviations

ACN

Acetonitrile

BEH

Ethylene Bridged Hybrid

BOC

tert-Butyloxycarbonyl

BSA

Bovine serum albumin

DCM

dicloromethane

DCC

N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide

DIC

N,N'-Diisopropylcarbodiimide

DIPEA

N,N'-Diisopropylethylamine

DMAP

Dimethylaminopyridine

DMF

N,N'-Dimethylformamide

DTT

Dithiothreitol

DOT

3,6-Dioxa-1,8-octanedithiol

EDC

1-Ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide

EDTA

ethylenediaminetretraacetic acid

ESI

electrospray ionization

FFA

fluorescent focus assay

Fmoc

fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl chloride

HCTU:

O-(6-Chlorobenzotriazol-1-yl)-N,N,N',N'-tetramethyluronium hexafluorophosphate

HEP

Heptane

HFIP

Hexafluoroisopropanol

HPLC

High performance liquid chromatography

HRMS

High resolution mass spectrometry

HOBT

Hydroxybenzotriazole

HS

Human serum

LC/MS

liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry

MS

Mass spectrometry

MW

molecular weight

MRT

mean residence time

NHS

N-hydroxysuccinimide

NMM

N-methylmorpholine

NMR

Nuclear magnetic resonance

PEG

polyethylene glycol

pE

Pyroglutamate

pbf

2,2,4,6,7-Pentamethyldihydrobenzofuran-5-sulfonyl

PG:

protective group

PK

pharmacokinetic

Pol

Polymer support

QTOF:

Quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer

Rt:

retention time

Rt or RT:

room temperature

Rpm:

round per minute

Sc

subcutaneous

SFC

super critical fluid

SPPS

Solid phase peptide synthesis

TBME

methyl tert-butyl ether

Trt

trityl

THF

Tetrahydrofuran

TEA

trimethylamine

TIS

triethylsilane t, s, quin, br, m, d (triplet, singlet, quintet, broad, multiplet)

UPLC

Ultra performance liquid chromatography

Syntheses:

LCMS Methods described

	Column	Acquity BEH 1.7µm 2.1×50mm
	Column Temperature	50 C
	Eluents	A: Water (0.1% formic acid); B: ACN (0.1% formic acid)
	Flow Rate	1 mL/min
	Gradient	0 min 2% B; 2% to 98% B in 1.7 min; 2.06min 98% B; 2.16min 2% B
	Mass Spectrometer	Single Quadrupole ESI scan range 120-1600
	UPLC	Waters Acquity
	Column	Acquity BEH 1.7µm 2.1×50mm
	Column Temperature	50 C
	Eluents	A: Water (0.1% formic acid); B: ACN (0.1% formic acid)
	Flow Rate	1 mL/min
	Gradient	0 min 40% B; 40% to 98% B in 1.40 min; 2.05 min 98% B; 2.1 min 40%B
	Mass Spectrometer	Single Quadrupole ESI scan range 120-1600
	UPLC	Waters Acquity
	Column	XBridge C18 Column, 3.5 µm, 3.0 × 30 mm
	Column Temperature	40 C
	Eluents	A: Water (0.1% formic acid); B: ACN
	Flow Rate	2 mL/min
	Gradient	0 min 40% B; 40% to 95% B in 1.70 min; 2.0 min 95% B; 2.1 min 40%B
	Mass Spectrometer	Single Quadrupole ESI scan range 150-1600
HPLC	Agilent 1100 series
	Column	Hilic 2.1 × 100mm
	Column Temperature	55 C
	Eluents
	Flow Rate	2mL/min
	Gradient	0.15 min 2% B; 2% to 50% B in 1.5 min; 2.1 min 50% B; 2.25 min 2% B; 2.5 min 2% B
	Mass Spectrometer	Single Quadrupole ESI
	SCF	Waters Acquity
	Column	Proswift Monolith 4.6x50mm
	Column Temperature	50 C
	Eluents	A: Water (0.1% formic acid); B: ACN (0.1% formic acid)
	Flow Rate	1 mL/min
	Gradient	0.7 min 2% B; 2% to 60% B in 12.8 min; 14 min 60% B; 14.2 min 2% B
	Mass Spectrometer	Qtof ESI scan range 600-3500; deconvoluted by Max Ent 1 in Mass Lynx software package
	UPLC	Waters Acquity

Method H: LC-MS method

• HPLC: Mobile phase A: 2%HFIP+0.1% TEA; Mobile phase B: Methanol;
• Gradient: 0min 95% A, 4min:75%A, 8min 10%A, 8.1min 95%A, 10min 95%A;
• Flow rate: 250µl/min;
• Column: Acquity UPLC BEH C18, 1.7um, 2.1×50mm(waters);
• Column temp: 75oC
• MS: QTOF(waters) negative mode;
• ESI: 2.9kv; Capillary temp 350 °C; Spray gas: 600ml/min; Source temp: 150 °C

UPLC HRMS Method J:

• Column: Acquity BEH300 C4 1.7 µm, 2.1×50mm
• Eluent A: Water (0.1% TFA)
• Eluent B: ACN (0.1% TFA)
• Flow: 0.5 mL/min
• Temperature: 40°C
• Gradient: 20% hold 0.5 min, ramp to 80% ACN in 10 min

Method K:

• Column: Waters Protein BEH C4 Column, 300 Angstrom, 3.5um, 4.6×100mm
• Mobile phase: A: Water (0.05% TFA) B: ACN (0.05% TFA)
• Flow: 2 mL/min
• Temperature: 40°C
• Gradient: Hold 25% B for 1 min, ramp from 25-60%ACN at 10 min, ramp to 95%B at 10.50 min and hold for 2 mins, then equilibrate at 25% for 2 min. Total runtime is 15 mins.
• Mass Spectrometer: Waters ZQ mass spec
• UPLC: Column: BEH C4, 300 Angstrom, 1.7um, 2.1×50mm

Method L:

• Column: Proswift Monolith 4.6 x 50mm
• Mobile phase: A: Water (0.1% formic acid) B: ACN (0.1% formic acid)
• Flow: 1 mL/min
• Temperature: 50°C
• Gradient: 0 min 3% B; 3% to 80% B in 2 min; 2.1 min 10% B; 2.8 min 95% B; 2.9 min 3% B
• Mass Spectrometer: Qtof ESI scan range 100-1900; deconvoluted by Max Ent 1 in Mass Lynx software package
• UPLC: Waters Acquity

Analytical Method T:

Column	Acquity BEH 1.7µm 2.1×50mm
Column Temperature	50 C
Eluents	A: Water (0.1% formic acid) B: ACN (0.1% formic acid)
Flow Rate	1mL/min
Gradient	0 min 5% B; 5% to 60% B in 4 min; 7.2 min 98% B; 4.5 min 95% B; 4.6 min 5% B
Mass Spectrometer	Acquity G2 Xevo QTof - Rs(FWHM) > 20000 Accuracy < 5 ppm
UPLC	Waters Acquity

Intermediate 1: Benzyl 11-bromoundecanoate

11-bromoundecanoic acid (4g,15.08mmol), benzyl alcohol (1.875mL, 18.10mmol), and DMAP (92mg, 0.754mmol) were dissolved in DCM under N₂ at room temperature. EDC-HCl (4.34g, 22.63mmol) was added and the reaction stirred for 17hr. The reaction was concentrated, followed by dilution with Et₂O (150mL). The mixture was extracted with water (30mL), and the aqueous phase extracted with Et₂O (150mL). The combined organics were washed with brine (20mL) and dried over Na2SO4. The solvent was removed and the residue purified by flash column (silica 120g, 0-10% Et₂O / petroleum ether) to yield intermediate 1 as a colorless liquid (6.75g, quantitative): LCMS method Method A Rt = 1.79min, M+H 355.2; ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 1.18 - 1.36 (m, 10 H) 1.37 - 1.47 (m, 2 H) 1.64 (quin, J=7.33 Hz, 2 H) 1.85 (dt, J=14.56, 7.06 Hz, 2 H) 2.35 (t, J=7.58 Hz, 2 H) 3.40 (t, J=6.88 Hz, 2 H) 5.11 (s, 2 H) 7.28 - 7.45 (m, 5 H).

Intermediate 2: Tribenzyl undecane-1,1,11-tricarboxylate.

NaH (113mg, 2.83mmol) was suspended in DMF (6mL) under N2 at 0°C. Dibenzyl malonate (0.704mL, 2.82mmol) was slowly added to the stirring suspension over 30min. intermediate 1 (903mg, 2.54mmol) dissolved in DMF (3mL) was added and the reaction allowed to stir at 0°C for 2.75hr before being allowed to warm to room temperature and stir overnight. The reaction was diluted with Et₂O (75mL) and extracted with water (20mL). The aqueous phase was extracted with Et₂O (75mL) and the combined organics washed with brine (30mL). The organics were dried over Na2SO4 and concentrated. The concentrate was purified by flash column (silica 80g, 0-10% EtOAc / HEP) to yield a colorless oil (770mg, 1.38mmol, 34%) of 70% purity: LCMS Method B Rt = 1.41min, M+H 559.6 .

Intermediate 3: Tribenzyl docosane-1,11,11-tricarboxylate

To a suspension of NaH (66.1mg, 1.65mmol) in DMF (2mL) at 0°C under N2, was added Intermediate 2 (770mg, 1.38mmol) in DMF (4mL). After 35min a solution of 1-bromoundecane (0.338mL, 1.52mmol) in DMF (2mL) was added to the reaction, which was allowed to warm to room temperature after stirring for 25min. The reaction was stirred for 2 days. The reaction was diluted with Et₂O (75mL) and extracted with 10% LiCl (25mL). The aqueous phase was extracted with Et₂O (75mL). The combined organics were washed with brine, dried over Na2SO4, and the solvent evaporated. Purification of the residue by flash column (silica 80g, 0-10% EtOAc/HEP) yielded intermediate 3 as a colorless oil (590mg, 0.827mmol, 33%): LCMS method Method B Rt= 1.89min, M+Na 735.5; ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 0.87 - 0.95 (m, 3 H) 1.07 (br. s., 4 H) 1.14 - 1.36 (m, 28 H) 1.66 (quin, J=7.43 Hz, 2 H) 1.85 - 1.95 (m, 4 H) 2.37 (t, J=7.58 Hz, 2 H) 5.12 (s, 4 H) 5.14 (s, 2 H) 7.27 (d, J=2.32 Hz, 1 H) 7.28 - 7.43 (m, 14 H).

Intermediate 4: Docosane-1,11,11-tricarboxylic acid

Intermediate 3 (590mg, 0.827mmol) dissolved in THF (12mL) was combined with a suspension of 10% Pd on carbon in THF (8mL). The suspension was stirred and placed under a hydrogen atmosphere via balloon. After 1hr the reaction was passed through a membrane filter and the solids rinsed with EtOAc. The filtrate was evaporated, yielding the title compound as a colorless oil (353mg, 0.798mmol, 96%): LCMS method Method B Rt = 1.16min, M+H 443.5; ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 0.77 - 0.84 (m, 3 H) 1.06 - 1.33 (m, 32 H) 1.59 (quin, J=7.18 Hz, 2 H) 1.83 - 1.92 (m, 4 H) 2.32 (t, J=7.03 Hz, 2 H).

Intermediate 5: 2-(((2,5-Dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl)oxy)carbonyl)-2-undecyltridecanedioic acid

A solution of DCC (126mg, 0.610mmol) in DCM (1.57mL) was added to a solution of intermediate 4 and N-hydroxysuccinimide in DCM (5mL) and THF (5mL) under N₂. After 3.5hrs the solvent was evaporated and the residue purified by supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC; Princeton 2-ethyl-pyridine, 20x150mm, 20-30% MeOH / CO₂), yielding the title compound as a colorless oil (138mg, 0.256mmol, 50%): LCMS method B Rt = 1.21min, M+H 540.5; ¹H NMR (600 MHz, ACETONITRILE-d3) δ ppm 0.91 (t, J=7.20 Hz, 3 H) 1.22 - 1.42 (m, 34 H) 1.57 (quin, J=7.34 Hz, 2 H) 1.93 - 1.96 (m, 2 H) 2.28 (t, J=7.47 Hz, 2 H) 2.79 (br. d, J=6.30 Hz, 4 H).

Intermediate 6 and 6A: 2-(Azido-PEG23-carbamoyl)-2-undecyltridecanedioic acid construct (6) and 12-(Azido-PEG23-cabamoyl)tricosanoic acid construct (6A)

Intermediate 5 (36mg, 0.066mmol) and azido-dPEG23-NH₂ (Quanta Biodesign: 73mg, 0.066mmol) were combined in THF (1.5mL) and mixed on a shaker plate for 15min before addition of DIPEA (17µL,0.10mmol). The reaction was left on the shaker plate overnight. The solvent was evaporated and the residue purified by HPLC (Sunfire C18 30x50mm, 55-80% ACN/water + 0.1% TFA) to yield Intermediate 6 (39mg, 0.025mmol, 38%) and intermediate 6a (20mg, 0.013mmol, 20%): LCMS Method B Rt = 1.11min, [M+2H]⁺² 763.4; ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 0.86 - 0.93 (m, 3 H) 1.10 - 1.19 (m, 2 H) 1.20 - 1.29 (m, 23 H) 1.32 (br. s., 7 H) 1.58 - 1.69 (m, 2 H) 1.69 - 1.79 (m, 2 H) 1.96 - 2.10 (m, 2 H) 2.35 (t, J=7.15 Hz, 2 H) 3.41 (t, J=5.07 Hz, 2 H) 3.51 - 3.57 (m, 2 H) 3.58 - 3.62 (m, 2 H) 3.62 - 3.73 (m, 90 H) 7.46 (br. s., 1 H); LCMS Method B Rt = 1.23min, [M+2]⁺² 740.9; ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 0.83 - 0.96 (m, 3 H) 1.27 (br. s., 25 H) 1.29 - 1.37 (m, 7 H) 1.37 - 1.46 (m, 2 H) 1.53 - 1.73 (m, 4 H) 2.34 (t, J=7.21 Hz, 2 H) 3.41 (t, J=5.07 Hz, 2 H) 3.44 - 3.52 (m, 2 H) 3.55 - 3.60 (m, 2 H) 3.60 - 3.74 (m, 90 H) 6.19 - 6.30 (m, 1 H).

Alternatively construct 6 A is obtained according to the following procedure: A solution of intermediate 5 (48mg, 0.042mmol) in THF (1mL) was added to a vial charged with azido-PEG23-amine(Quanta Biodesign cat # 10525) (46mg, 0.042mmol). The reaction was agitated for 20min before the addition of DIPEA (11µL, 0.063mmol) and then maintained overnight. Azido-PEG23-amine (23mg, 0.021mmol) and DIPEA (5 µL, 0.029mmol) were added and the reaction agitated another day. The solvent was evaporated and the residue purified by HPLC (Xbridge C18 30x50mm, 10-30% ACN / 5mM NH4OH). Lyophilization of the fractions resulted in a mixture of products. The material was purified by HPLC (Sunfire C18 30x50mm, 45-70% ACN / water +0.1% TFA) to yield the title intermediate 6A (30mg, 0.020mmol, 48%): LCMS method B Rt = 0.81min, [M+H+H₃O]⁺² 764.5; ¹H NMR (400 MHz, ACETONITRILE-d3) δ ppm 1.30 (br. s., 28 H) 1.40 - 1.50 (m, 2 H) 1.50 - 1.62 (m, 6 H) 2.14 (t, J=7.52 Hz, 2 H) 2.23 - 2.35 (m, 3 H) 3.32 (q, J=5.58 Hz, 2 H) 3.37 - 3.43 (m, 2 H) 3.47 - 3.52 (m, 2 H) 3.53 - 3.68 (m, 90 H) 6.54 (br. s., 1 H) .

Intermediate 7: (((11-Bromoundecyl)oxy)methanetriyl)tribenzene

Trityl chloride (2.49g, 8.92mmol), 11-bromoundecan-1-ol (2.00g, 7.96mmol), and DMAP (10mg, 0.080mmol) were dissolved in DCM (16mL) under N₂. With stirring DIPEA (1.39mL, 7.96mmol) was added and the reaction was maintained for 7days. The reaction was partitioned between DCM (20mL) and water (10mL). The organic phase was extracted with water (20mL), dried over MgSO₄, and concentrated. The concentrate was purified by flash column (silica 120g, 0-6% EtOAc / HEP) to yield Intermediate 7 (2.50g, 5.07mmol, 64%) as a colorless oil: 1H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 1.19 - 1.49 (m, 14 H) 1.58 - 1.69 (m, 2 H) 1.79 (dt, J=14.50, 7.00 Hz, 1 H) 1.87 (dt, J=14.55, 7.03 Hz, 1 H) 3.07 (t, J=6.66 Hz, 2 H) 3.43 (t, J=6.85 Hz, 1 H) 3.55 (t, J=6.79 Hz, 1 H) 7.18 - 7.36 (m, 10 H) 7.42 - 7.52 (m, 5 H).

Intermediate 8: Dibenzyl 2-(11-(trityloxy)undecyl)malonate

NaH (113mg, 2.83mmol) was suspended in DMF (6mL) at 0°C under N2. Dibenzyl malonate was slowly added to the stirred suspension. After 30min a solution of Intermediate 7 (1.26g, 2.54mmol) in DMF (3mL) was added. After 15min of stirring, the resulting mixture was allowed to warm to room temperature. After 3 days the reaction was diluted with Et₂O (75mL) and extracted with water (40mL). The aqueous phase was extracted with Et₂O (75mL). The combined organics were dried over Na₂SO₄ and concentrated. The concentrate was purified by flash column (silica 80g, 0-10% EtOAc / HEP) to yield the title compound as a colorless oil (815mg, 1.17mmol, 41%): HPLC Method B Rt = 1.68min; ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 1.16 - 1.40 (m, 16 H) 1.58 - 1.69 (m, 2 H) 1.94 (q, J=7.38 Hz, 2 H) 3.06 (t, J=6.66 Hz, 2 H) 3.45 (t, J=7.52 Hz, 1 H) 5.16 (s, 4 H) 7.21 - 7.28 (m, 3 H) 7.28 - 7.39 (m, 16 H) 7.42 - 7.51 (m, 6 H).

Intermediate 9: Tribenzyl 22-(trityloxy)docosane-1,11,11-tricarboxylate

A solution of intermediate 8 (815mg, 1.17mmol) in DMF (2mL) was added to a suspension of NaH (56mg, 1.40mmol) in DMF (2mL) under N₂ at 0°C. The mixture was stirred for 1hr. Benzyl 11-bromoundecanoate (457mg, 1.29mmol) in DMF (2mL) was added to the reaction. The reaction was allowed to warm to room temperature 20min after the addition and stirred overnight. The reaction was diluted with Et₂O (75mL) and extracted with water (25mL). The aqueous phase was extracted with Et₂O (75mL) and the organics combined. The combined organics were dried over Na₂SO₄ and evaporated. The residue was purified by flash column (silica 40g, 0-10% EtOAc/HEP) to yield the title compound as a colorless oil (780mg, 0.803mmol, 69%): ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 0.99 - 1.14 (m, 4 H) 1.15 - 1.41 (m, 26 H) 1.58 - 1.71 (m, 4 H) 1.82 - 1.96 (m, 4 H) 2.37 (t, J=7.52 Hz, 2 H) 3.06 (t, J=6.66 Hz, 2 H) 5.12 (s, 4 H) 5.14 (s, 2 H) 7.28 (s, 24 H) 7.42 - 7.52 (m, 6 H).

Intermediate 10: 22-(Ttrityloxy)docosane-1,11,11-tricarboxylic acid

A suspension of 10% Pd on carbon (11mg, 0.010mmol) in THF (2.5mL) was added to a solution of intermediate 9 (200mg, 0.206mmol) in THF (2.5mL). The stirred suspension was placed under hydrogen via balloon. After 2.25hrs the reaction was passed through a membrane filter and the solids rinsed with EtOAc. The filtrate was evaporated to yield intermediate 10 (150mg, quantitative): ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 1.04 - 1.33 (m, 30 H) 1.45 - 1.62 (m, 4 H) 1.76 - 1.91 (m, 4 H) 2.21 - 2.36 (m, 2 H) 2.97 (t, J=6.60 Hz, 2 H) 7.06 - 7.18 (m, 4 H) 7.19 - 7.24 (m, 5 H) 7.33 - 7.50 (m, 6 H) .

Intermediate 11: 2-(((2,5-Dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl)oxy)carbonyl)-2-(11-(trityloxy)undecyl)tridecanedioic acid (11).

Intermediate 10 (150mg, 0.214mmol) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (25mg, 0.214mmol) were combined in DCM (4mL). DCC (49mg, 0.235mmol) dissolved in DCM (0.61mL) was added, and the reaction stirred at room temperature for 7hrs. The solvent was evaporated and the residue purified by HPLC (Sunfire C18 30x50mm; 65-95% ACN / water + 0.1% TFA) followed by SFC (Princeton 2-ethylpyridine column 20x100mm, 25-35% MeOH / CO2) to yield Intermediate 11 (34mg, 0.043mmol, 20%) as a colorless oil: LCMS Method B Rt = 1.47min, M-CO₂H 752.7; ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 1.13 - 1.42 (m, 30 H) 1.56 - 1.73 (m, 4 H) 1.94 - 2.14 (m, 4 H) 2.37 (t, J=7.21 Hz, 2 H) 2.83 (br. s., 4 H) 3.06 (t, J=6.66 Hz, 2 H) 7.15 - 7.28 (m, 3 H) 7.29 - 7.36 (m, 6 H) 7.41 - 7.50 (m, 6 H).

Intermediate 12: 2-((Azido-PEG23)carbamoyl)-2-(11-hydroxyundecyl)tridecanedioic acid construct

Azido-dPEG23-amine (Quanta Biodesign) 42mg, 0.038mmol) in THF (1.5mL) was combined with intermediate 11 (34mg, 0.043mmol) under N₂. The reaction was placed on a shaker plate and agitated for 20min. DIPEA (7.44µL, 0.043mmol) was added and the reaction agitated for 2hrs. DIPEA (4µL, 0.023mmol) was added and the reaction maintained overnight. The solvent was evaporated and the residue taken up in DCM (3mL) and TFA (0.5mL). The solution was agitated for 1hr at which point the solvent was stripped. The residue was purified by HPLC (sunfire C18 30x50mm, 45-70% ACN/water +0.1% TFA) to yield intermediate 12 (4mg, 1.8µmol, 4.2%): LCMS Method B Rt = 0.75min, [M+2H]⁺² 771.4; ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 1.05 - 1.39 (m, 30 H) 1.52 - 1.82 (m, 6 H) 1.97 - 2.09 (m, 2 H) 2.35 (t, J=7.21 Hz, 2 H) 3.41 (t, J=5.07 Hz, 2 H) 3.51 - 3.63 (m, 6 H) 3.63 - 3.75 (m, 90 H) 4.36 (t, J=6.72 Hz, 1 H) 7.49 - 7.65 (m, 1 H).

Intermediate 13: 13-(Benzyloxy)-12-((benzyloxy)carbonyl)-13-oxotridecanoic acid

Dibenzyl malonate (0.88mL, 3.52mmol) in DMF (3mL) was slowly added to a suspension of NaH (274mg, 6.86mmol) under N₂ at 0°C. The mixture was stirred for 1.5hrs before being allowed to warm to room temperate. 11-bromoundecanoic acid (933mg, 3.52mmol) in DMF (3mL) was added and the reaction allowed to go overnight. The reaction was heated to 80°C for 3hrs before being allowed to cool. The reaction was diluted with EtOAc (50mL) and Et₂O (50mL) and extracted with 1M HCl (25mL). The aqueous phase was extracted with EtOAc / Et₂O (100mL). The combined organics were dried over Na₂SO₄ and the solvent evaporated. The residue was purified by flash column (C18 50g 30-100% ACN / water + 0.1 TFA) to yield intermediate 13 (315mg, 0.672mmol, 19%) as white powder: LCMS Method B Rt = 1.05min, M+H 469.5.

Intermediate 14: 23-(Benzyloxy)-12,12-bis((benzyloxy)carbonyl)-23-oxotricosanoic acid

NaH (54mg, 1.34mmol) was suspended in DMF (1mL) at 0°C under N₂. To the mixture was added intermediate 13 (315mg, 0.672mmol) in DMF (3mL) in a drop wise fashion. The reaction was stirred for 1hr before intermediate 1 (239mg, 0.672mmol) in DMF (1mL) was added. The reaction was maintained at 0°C for an additional 45min before being allowed to warm to room temperature. The reaction was stirred a overnight. The reaction was diluted with 1:1 Et₂O and EtOAc (75mL) and extracted with 1M HCl (20mL). The aqueous phase was extracted with 1:1 Et₂O and EtOAc (75mL). The combined organics were dried over Na₂SO₄ and evaporated. Purification of the resulting residue by HPLC (Xbridge C18 30x50mm, 45-70% ACN / water + 5mM NH4OH) yielded the title compound (132mg, 0.178mmol, 26%): LCMS method B; Rt= 1.53min, M-H 741.8.

Intermediate 15: 1,11,11-Tribenzyl 21-(2,5-dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl) henicosane-1,11,11,21-tetracarboxylate

DCC (44mg, 0.213mmol) in DCM (1mL) was added to a solution of intermediate 14 (132mg, 0.178mmol) and of N-hydroxysuccinimide (20mg, 0.178mmol) in DCM (2.5mL). The reaction was agitated on a shaker plate for 17hrs. The reaction was filtered and the solids rinsed with DCM. The filtrate was concentrated and purified by flash column (silica 12g, 0-40% EtOAc / HEP) to yield intermediate 15 (107mg, 0.127mmol, 72%): LCMS Method B Rt = 1.53min, M+Na 862.8.

Intermediate 16: 22-((2,5-Dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl)oxy)-22-oxodocosane-1,11,11-tricarboxylic acid

To a solution of intermediate 15 (107mg, 0.127mmol) in THF (2.5mL) was added a suspension of 10% Pd on carbon in THF (2.5mL). The mixture was placed under a hydrogen atmosphere for 1.5hrs. The reaction was passed through a membrane filter and the solids washed with DCM and THF. The filtrate was evaporated to yield a colorless oil (95mg, quantitative) which contained the title compound: LCMS Method B Rt = 0.65min, M+H 570.5.

Intermediate 17: 2-(11-(azido-PEG23-amino)-11-oxoundecyl)tridecanedioic acid construct

A solution of intermediate 16 (48mg, 0.042mmol) in THF (1mL) was added to a vial charged with azido-dPEG23-amine (Quanta Biodesign: 46mg, 0.042mmol). The reaction was agitated for 20min before the addition of DIPEA (11µL, 0.063mmol) and then maintained overnight. Azido-PEG23-amine (23mg, 0.021mmol) and DIPEA (5 µL, 0.029mmol) were added and the reaction agitated another day. The solvent was evaporated and the residue purified by HPLC (Xbridge C18 30x50mm, 10-30% ACN / 5mM NH4OH). Lyophilization of the fractions resulted in a mixture of products. The material was purified by HPLC (Sunfire C18 30x50mm, 45-70% ACN / water +0.1% TFA) to yield the title intermediate 17 (30mg, 0.020mmol, 48%): LCMS SQ4 Rt = 0.81min, [M+H+H₃O]⁺² 764.5; ¹H NMR (400 MHz, ACETONITRILE-d3) δ ppm 1.30 (br. s., 28 H) 1.40 - 1.50 (m, 2 H) 1.50 - 1.62 (m, 6 H) 2.14 (t, J=7.52 Hz, 2 H) 2.23 - 2.35 (m, 3 H) 3.32 (q, J=5.58 Hz, 2 H) 3.37 - 3.43 (m, 2 H) 3.47 - 3.52 (m, 2 H) 3.53 - 3.68 (m, 90 H) 6.54 (br. s., 1 H).

Intermediate 18: Tetrabenzyl henicosane-1,11,11,21-tetracarboxylate

To a suspension of NaH (48mg, 1.21mmol) in DMF (2mL) at 0°C under N₂, was slowly added intermediate 2 (337mg, 0.603mmol) in DMF (2mL). The mixture was stirred for 15min before the addition of intermediate 1 (429mg, 1.21mmol) in DMF (2mL). The reaction was stirred at 0°C for 20min before being allowed to warm to room temperature. The reaction was maintained at room temperature with stirring for 3days. The reaction was diluted with Et₂O (75mL) and extracted with water (20mL). The aqueous phase was extracted with Et₂O (75mL). The combined organics were dried over Na₂SO₄ and evaporated. The residue was purified by flash column (silica 24g, 0-15% EtOAc / HEP) to yield the title compound (315mg, 0.378mmol, 63%): LCMS Method B Rt = 1.70min, M+Na 855.8; ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 0.95 - 1.13 (m, 4 H) 1.13 - 1.40 (m, 24 H) 1.59 - 1.72 (m, 4 H) 1.82 - 1.95 (m, 4 H) 2.37 (t, J=7.52 Hz, 4 H) 5.12 (s, 4 H) 5.14 (s, 4 H) 7.14 - 7.44 (m, 20 H).

Intermediate 19: Henicosane-1,11,11,21-tetracarboxylic acid

A suspension of 10% Pd on carbon (20mg, 0.019mmol) in THF (4mL) was added to a solution of intermediate 18 (315mg, 0.378mmol) in THF (6mL), and the reaction was placed under a hydrogen atmosphere for 2hr. A membrane filter was used to remove the solids which were washed with EtOAc. Evaporation of the filtrate yielded intermediate 19 (179mg, quantitative) as a white solid: LCMS Method A Rt = 1.24min, M+H 473.4; ¹H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO-d6) δ ppm 0.99 - 1.15 (m, 4 H) 1.24 (br. s., 24 H) 1.48 (quin, J=6.94 Hz, 4 H) 1.62 - 1.76 (m, 4 H) 2.18 (t, J=7.34 Hz, 4 H) 12.23 (br. s, 4 H).

Intermediate 20: 11-(((2,5-Dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl)oxy)carbonyl)henicosane-1,11,21- tricarboxylic acid

N-hydroxysuccinimide (20mg, 0.170mmol) and intermediate 19 (90mg, 0.190mmol) were dissolved in DCM (3mL) and THF (0.3mL). A solution of DCC (39mg, 0.190mmol) in DCM (0.5mL) was added and the reaction agitated overnight. The solvent was evaporated and the residue purified by HPLC (Sunfire C18 30x50mm; 35-60% ACN/water +0.1% TFA) to yield the title compound as a white powder (21mg, 0.037mmol, 19%): LCMS (Method C Rt = 1.01min, M+H 570.3.

Intermediate 21 and 21a: 11-((Azido-PEG23)carbamoyl) henicosane-1,11,21-tricarboxylic acid (21) and 12-((Azido-PEG23)carbamoyl) tricosanedioic acid (21a)

Azido-PEG23-amine (41mg, 0.037mmol) and intermediate 20 (21mg, 0.037mmol) were combined in THF (1mL) and agitated for 10min. DIPEA (9.66µL, 0.055mmol) was added, and the reaction was agitated overnight. The solvent was evaporated, and the residue purified by HPLC (Sunfire C18 30x50mm, 35-60% ACN / water + 0.1% TFA) to yield intermediate 21 (22mg, 0.014mmol, 38%) and 21a (4mg, 2.6µmol, 7%): LCMS Method B Rt = 0.69min, M+H 1555.3; ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 1.27 (br. s., 19 H) 1.29 - 1.41 (m, 9 H) 1.65 (quin, J=7.12 Hz, 4 H) 1.78 (td, J=12.13, 4.22 Hz, 2 H) 1.95 - 2.08 (m, 2 H) 2.35 (t, J=7.21 Hz, 4 H) 3.41 (t, J=5.07 Hz, 2 H) 3.54 (q, J=5.05 Hz, 2 H) 3.58 - 3.77 (m, 92 H) 7.60 (t, J=4.95 Hz, 1 H); LCMS Method B Rt = 0.78min, M-H 1509.3; ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 1.18 (br. s., 19 H) 1.21 - 1.38 (m, 11 H) 1.43 - 1.63 (m, 6 H) 1.91 - 2.04 (m, 1 H) 2.26 (t, J=7.15 Hz, 4 H) 3.31 (t, J=5.07 Hz, 2 H) 3.40 (q, J=5.14 Hz, 2 H) 3.46 - 3.50 (m, 2 H) 3.51 - 3.69 (m, 90 H) 6.23 (t, J=5.01 Hz, 1 H).

Intermediate 22: Dibenzyl 2-undecylmalonate

Dibenzyl malonate (0.88mL, 3.52mmol) in DMF (1.5mL) was added drop wise to a suspension of NaH (155mg, 3.87mmol) in DMF (6mL) under N2 at 0°C. The mixture was stirred for 30min before the addition of 1-bromoundecane (0.785mL, 3.52mmol) in DMF (1.5mL) to the reaction. The reaction was allowed to warm to room temperature and stirred for 5days. The reaction was diluted with Et₂O (75mL) and extracted with water (20mL). The aqueous phase was extracted with Et₂O (75mL). The combined organics were dried over Na₂SO₄ and evaporated. The residue was purified by flash column (silica 80g, 0-10% EtOAc / HEP) to yield the title compound (974mg, 2.22mmol, 63%) as a colorless oil: LCMS Method B Rt = 1.55min, M+H 439.5.

Intermediate 23: 2-(((2,5-Dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl)oxy)carbonyl)-2-undecyltridecanoic acid

Dibenzyl 2-undecylmalonate (Intermediate 22: 400mg, 0.912mmol) in DMF (1mL) was added drop wise to a suspension of NaH (44mg, 1.09mmol) in DMF (2mL) under N2 at 0°C. The mixture was stirred for 45min before the addition of 1-bromoundecane (0.285mL, 1.28mmol) in DMF (1mL) to the reaction. The reaction was allowed to warm to room temperature and stirred for 1day. The reaction was diluted with Et₂O (75mL) and extracted with water (20mL). The aqueous phase was extracted with Et₂O (75mL). The combined organics were dried over Na₂SO₄ and evaporated. The residue was purified by flash column (silica 40g, 0-5% EtOAc / HEP) to yield a colorless oil (412mg). The oil was dissolved in THF/MeOH and passed through a Thales Nano H-Cube (1mL/min, 2 bar H2, 22C) with a 10% Pd/C cartridge. The effluent was collected and evaporated to yield a waxy solid (272mg). The waxy solid was dissolved in 3:1 DCM / THF and concentrated to an oil. The oil was redissolved in DCM (6mL) under N₂, and N-hydroxysuccinimide (68mg), followed by DCC (136mg) in DCM (3mL), was added. The reaction was stirred for day. The reaction was filtered and the filtrate concentrated. The concentrate was purified by flash column (C18 12g, 25-100% ACN / water +0.1% formic acid). The resulting material was purified further by supercritical fluid chromatography (Princeton 2-ethylpyridine 20x150mm; 5-15% MeOH / CO2) to yield intermediate 23 (37mg, 0.073mmol, 8%): LCMS Method B Rt = 1.67min, M+NH₄ 527.6; ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 0.80 - 0.94 (m, 6 H) 1.18 - 1.42 (m, 36 H) 1.97 - 2.14 (m, 4 H) 2.87 (br. s., 4 H).

Intermediate 24: 2-((azido-PEG23)carbamoyl)-2-undecyltridecanoic acid

A solution of intermediate 23 (37mg, 0.073mmol) in THF (1mL) was added to a vial charged with azido-dPEG23-amine (Quanta Biodesign: 80mg, 0.073mmol). The solution was agitated on a shaker plate and DIPEA (11µL, 0.065mmol) added. The reaction was agitated overnight before an additional portion of DIPEA (12µL, 0.071mmol) was added, and the reaction allowed to go overnight. The solvent was evaporated and the residue purified by supercritical fluid chromatography (Princeton Amino 21x150mm; 20-30% MeOH / CO2) to yield the title compound (45mg, 0.030mmol, 41%): LCMS Method B Rt = 1.50min, [M+2H]⁺² 748.1; ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) σ ppm 0.90 (t, J=6.85 Hz, 6 H) 1.09 - 1.38 (m, 30 H) 1.58 (br. s., 12 H) 1.64 - 1.76 (m, 2 H) 1.98 - 2.16 (m, 2 H) 3.41 (t, J=5.14 Hz, 2 H) 3.46 - 3.64 (m, 5 H) 3.64 - 3.91 (m, 83 H).

Intermediate 25: Di-tert-butyl 2-undecylmalonate

Di-tert-butyl malonate (1.0g, 4.62mmol) in DMF (2mL) was added to a suspension of NaH (213mg, 5.32mmol) in DMF (5mL) under N₂ at 0°C. The reaction was stirred for 30min before the addition of 1-bromoundecane in DMF (2mL). Upon addition the reaction was allowed to warm to room temperature and stirred for 2days. The reaction was diluted with Et₂O (75mL) and extracted with water (25mL). The aqueous phase was extracted with Et₂O (75mL). The combined organics were dried over Na₂SO₄ and the solvent evaporated. The concentrate was purified by flash column (silica 120g, 0-40% Et₂O/ petroleum ether) to yield intermediate 25 (0.998g, 2.69mmol, 58%): LCMS Method B Rt = 1.64min, M+Na 393.5; ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 0.85 - 0.94 (m, 3 H) 1.24 - 1.36 (m, 18 H) 1.41 - 1.52 (m, 18 H) 1.74 - 1.86 (m, 2 H) 3.13 (t, J=7.58 Hz, 1 H).

Intermediate 26: 1-Benzyl 11,11-di-tert-butyl docosane-1,11,11-tricarboxylate

The title compound was synthesized in a similar fashion as intermediate 9 using intermediate 25 as a starting material to yield a colorless oil (980mg, 1.52mmol, 66%): ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 0.89 (t, J=6.91 Hz, 3 H) 1.06 - 1.20 (m, 4 H) 1.20 - 1.35 (m, 28 H) 1.45 (s, 18 H) 1.58 - 1.70 (m, 2 H) 1.72 - 1.83 (m, 4 H) 2.36 (t, J=7.52 Hz, 2 H) 5.12 (s, 2 H) 7.30 - 7.45 (m, 5 H).

Intermediate 27: 12,12-Bis(tert-butoxycarbonyl)tricosanoic acid

Using intermediate 26, the title compound (472mg, 0.851 mmol, 100%) was synthesized in a similar fashion as intermediate 19: LCMS Method B Rt= 1.76min, M-H 553.6; ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 0.84 - 0.95 (m, 3 H) 1.07 - 1.21 (m, 4 H) 1.21 - 1.40 (m, 28 H) 1.46 (s, 18 H) 1.58 - 1.70 (m, 2 H) 1.72 - 1.84 (m, 4 H) 2.37 (t, J=7.46 Hz, 2 H).

Intermediate 28: 11,11-Di-tert-butyl 1-(2,5-dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl) docosane-1,11,11-tricarboxylate

Intermediate 27 (200mg, 0.360mmol) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (42mg, 0.360mmol) were dissolved in DCM (3mL). A solution of DCC (89mg, 0.433mmol) in DCM (1.6mL) was added and the reaction stirred for 4.5hrs. The reaction was filtered and the filtrate concentrated. The concentrate was purified by flash column (silica 24g, 0-40% EtOAc/HEP) to yield the title compound as a colorless oil (70mg, 0.107mmol, 30%): LCMS Method B Rt = 1.74min, M+Na 674.7.

Intermediates 29 and 29A: 2-(11-((azido-PEG23)-amino)-11-oxoundecyl)-2-undecylmalonic acid (29) and 13-((azido-PEG23)-amino)-13-oxo-2-undecyltridecanoic acid (29A)

A solution of Intermediate 28 (35mg, 0.054mmol) in THF (1mL) was added to a vial charged with azido-PEG23-amine (59mg, 0.054mmol). DIPEA (14µL, 0.081mmol) was added and the reaction was agitated overnight. The solvent was evaporated and the residue redissolved in DCM (1mL) and TFA (0.2mL). The reaction was agitated for 1.25hr before the solvent was evaporated. The residue was purified by HPLC (Sunfire 30x50mm C18, 55-80% ACN / water +0.1% TFA) and the resulting material was redissolved in DCM (4mL) and TFA (2mL) and agitated for a 1.5hrs. The solvent was evaporated and the residue purified by HPLC (Sunfire 30x50mm C18, 55-80% ACN /water +0.1% TFA) to yield intermediate 29 (28mg, 0.016mmol, 29%) and intermediate 29A (1mg, 0.6µmol, 1%): LCMS Method B Rt = 1.08min, [M+H+H₃O]⁺² 771.5; ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) σ ppm 0.90 (t, J=6.72 Hz, 3 H) 1.26 (br. s., 24 H) 1.32 - 1.41 (m, 8 H) 1.62 (quin, J=7.64 Hz, 2 H) 1.88 - 2.01 (m, 4 H) 2.31 (t, J=7.70 Hz, 2 H) 3.41 (t, J=5.07 Hz, 2 H) 3.46 - 3.56 (m, 3 H) 3.57 - 3.90 (m, 91 H); LCMS Method B Rt = 1.29min, [M+2H]⁺² 741.1.

Intermediate 30: 22-((azido-PEG23)amino)-22-oxodocosane-1,11,11 -tricarboxylic acid

A solution of intermediate 16 (58mg, 0.063mmol) in THF (1mL) was added to a vial charged with azido-PEG23-amine (70mg, 0.063mmol). DIPEA (17µL, 0.095mmol) was added and the reaction agitated on a shaker plate overnight. The reaction was concentrated and purified by HPLC (Sunfire C18 30x50mm, 35-60% ACN / water +0.1% TFA) to yield intermediate 30 (57mg, 0.036mmol, 57%) as waxy white solid: LCMS Method B Rt = 0.62min, M+H 1555.4; ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 1.28 (br. s., 18 H) 1.30 - 1.40 (m, 10 H) 1.63 (m, J=7.10, 7.10, 7.10, 7.10, 7.10 Hz, 4 H) 1.88 - 2.02 (m, 4 H) 2.28 (t, J=8.10 Hz, 2 H) 2.35 (t, J=7.40 Hz, 2 H) 3.41 (t, J=5.07 Hz, 2 H) 3.50 (dt, J=9.20, 4.39 Hz, 2 H) 3.57 - 3.63 (m, 2 H) 3.63 - 3.73 (m, 90 H)

Intermediate 31: 1-Benzyl 3-tert-butyl 2-undecylmalonate

To a suspension of NaH (160mg, 4.0mmol) in DMF (8mL) at 0°C under N₂, was added benzyl tert-butyl malonate (1.0g, 4.0mmol) in DMF (2mL). The mixture was stirred for 50min after which 1-bromoundecane in DMF (2mL) was added. After an additional hour of stirring the reaction was allowed to warm to room temperature. The reaction was maintained overnight. Et₂O (100mL) and water (20mL) were added to partition the reaction. The aqueous phase was extracted with Et₂O (100mL), and the combined organics dried over Na₂SO₄. The solvent was evaporated and the residue purified by flash column (C18 12g, 40-100% ACN / water +0.1% TFA) to yield the title compound as a colorless oil (1.14g, 2.82mmol, 71%): LCMS Method A Rt = 1.58min, M+Na 427.4; ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 0.84 - 0.96 (m, 3 H) 1.28 (br. s, 12 H) 1.31 (m, J=3.90 Hz, 6 H) 1.41 (s, 9 H) 1.88 (q, J=7.38 Hz, 2 H) 3.29 (t, J=7.58 Hz, 1 H) 5.19 (q, J=12.27 Hz, 2 H) 7.30 - 7.42 (m, 5 H).

Alternatively, alkylation of tert-butyl malonate can be carried out using 1-iodoundecane (1.2 eq) in the presence of potassium carbonate (2 eq) in DMF.

Intermediate 32 : 1,11-Dibenzyl 11-tert-butyl docosane-1,11,11-tricarboxylate

The title compound was synthesized in a similar fashion as intermediate 9 using intermediate 31 (650mg, 1.61mmol) as a starting material to yield a colorless oil (823mg, 1.21mmol, 75%): ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 0.84 - 0.94 (m, 3 H) 1.12 (m, J=6.60 Hz, 4 H) 1.19 - 1.33 (m, 28 H) 1.35 (s, 9 H) 1.66 (quin, J=7.40 Hz, 2 H) 1.85 (t, J=8.44 Hz, 4 H) 2.37 (t, J=7.52 Hz, 2 H) 5.14 (s, 2 H) 5.16 (s, 2 H) 7.30 - 7.42 (m, 10 H).

Intermediate 33: 13-(Benzyloxy)-2-((benzyloxy)carbonyl)-13-oxo-2-undecyltridecanoic acid

To a solution of intermediate 32 (200mg, 0.295mmol) in DCM (3mL) was added TFA (0.6mL), and the reaction stirred at room temperature for 3hrs. The solvent was evaporated and the residue purified by flash column (silica 12g, 0-15% EtOAc / HEP) to yield the title compound (177mg, 0.284mmol, 96%): ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 0.87 - 0.94 (m, 3 H) 0.94 - 1.05 (m, 2 H) 1.19 (br. s., 14 H) 1.23 - 1.37 (m, 16 H) 1.65 (quin, J=7.40 Hz, 2 H) 1.78 - 1.91 (m, 2 H) 1.93 - 2.05 (m, 2 H) 2.37 (t, J=7.52 Hz, 2 H) 5.14 (s, 2 H) 5.27 (s, 2 H) 7.31 - 7.44 (m, 10 H).

Intermediate 34: 1,11-Dibenzyl 11-(2,5-dioxocyclopentyl) docosane-1,11,11-tricarboxylate

The title compound was synthesized in a fashion similar to intermediate 15 using intermediate 33 (177mg, 0.284mmol) as a starting material to yield a colorless oil (153mg, 0.213mmol, 75%): ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 0.86 - 0.93 (m, 3 H) 1.12 - 1.21 (m, 2 H) 1.21 - 1.37 (m, 30 H) 1.66 (quin, J=7.40 Hz, 2 H) 1.89 - 2.07 (m, 4 H) 2.37 (t, J=7.58 Hz, 2 H) 2.84 (br. s., 4 H) 5.13 (s, 2 H) 5.25 (s, 2 H) 7.30 - 7.47 (m, 10 H).

Intermediate 35:

A solution of intermediate 34 (145mg, 0.201mmol) in THF (1.5mL) and DCM (1.5mL) was added to a vial charged with amino-PEG24-acid. DIPEA (88□L, 0.504mmol) was added and the reaction agitated on a shaker plate for 15hrs. The solvent was evaporated and the residue purified by supercritical fluid chromatography (Waters HILIC 20x150mm; 15-25% MeOH / CO2) to yield intermediate 35 (151mg, 0.086mmol, 43%): LCMS Method D Rt = 1.30min, [M+2H]+2 876.4; ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 0.86 - 0.93 (m, 3 H) 0.93 - 1.04 (m, 2 H) 1.19 (br. s., 15 H) 1.23 - 1.37 (m, 15 H) 1.61 - 1.68 (m, 2 H) 1.78 (td, J=12.44, 4.34 Hz, 2 H) 1.92 - 2.05 (m, 2 H) 2.37 (t, J=7.58 Hz, 2 H) 2.62 (t, J=6.05 Hz, 2 H) 3.49 (dd, J=6.72, 2.32 Hz, 2 H) 3.52 - 3.59 (m, 2 H) 3.59 - 3.73 (m, 92 H) 3.80 (t, J=6.05 Hz, 2 H) 5.13 (s, 2 H) 5.18 (s, 2 H) 7.31 - 7.42 (m, 10 H) 8.09 (t, J=5.26 Hz, 1 H).

Intermediate 36:

DCC (22mg, 0.103mmol) in DCM (0.265mL) was added to a solution of intermediate 35 (150mg, 0.086mmol) and N-hydroxysuccinimide in DCM (1.5mL). The reaction was stirred for 1.5hrs. Additional N-hydroxysuccinimide (10mg) in THF (0.5mL) and DCC (22mg) in DCM (0.265mL) was added and the reaction stirred overnight. The solvent was evaporated and the residue purified by flash column (silica 12, 0-5% MeOH / DCM) to yield intermediate 36 (159mg, quantitative) as a white solid: LCMS Method B Rt = 1.55min, [M+H₃O+H]⁺² 933.9 .

Intermediate 37:

To a solution of intermediate 36 (159mg, 0.086mmol) in THF (5mL) was added a suspension of 10% Pd on carbon (4.6mg, 4.3µmol) in THF (1mL). The reaction was placed under hydrogen and stirred for 40min. More Pd on carbon (7mg, 6.5µmol) was added and the stirred another 1hr under hydrogen. The reaction was passed through a membrane filter and the filtrate evaporated. The residue was purified by HPLC (Sunfire C18 30x50mm, 45-70% ACN / water + 0.1% TFA) to yield the title compound (83mg, 0.047mmol, 54%): LCMS Method B Rt = 1.03min, [M+2H]+2 835.2; ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 0.84 - 0.94 (m, 3 H) 1.17 (br. s., 2 H) 1.21 - 1.39 (m, 30 H) 1.57 - 1.68 (m, 2 H) 1.69 - 1.80 (m, 2 H) 1.97 - 2.10 (m, 2 H) 2.34 (t, J=7.21 Hz, 2 H) 2.86 (s, 4 H) 2.92 (t, J=6.48 Hz, 2 H) 3.51 - 3.73 (m, 96 H) 3.87 (t, J=6.48 Hz, 2 H) 7.45 (t, J=4.46 Hz, 1 H)

Intermediate 38: 11-Bromoundec-1-yne

To a solution of 10-undecyn-1-ol (2.29mL, 11.9mmol) and carbon tetrabromide (4.34g, 13.1mmol) in DCM (10mL) under N2 at 0°C was added triphenylphosphine (3.43g, 13.1mmol) portion-wise over 30min. Upon completion of the addition the reaction was allowed to warm to room temperature. After 1.5hr the reaction was poured into stirring cyclohexane (75mL) and the precipitate collected. The solid was washed with cyclohexane and the combined filtrates evaporated. The residue was purified by flash column (silica 80g, 0-10% EtOAc/HEP) to yield the title compound (1.75g, 7.57mmol, 64%): 1H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 1.21 - 1.35 (m, 6 H) 1.35 - 1.48 (m, 4 H) 1.48 - 1.59 (m, 2 H) 1.80 - 1.91 (m, 2 H) 1.94 (t, J=2.63 Hz, 1 H) 2.19 (td, J=7.09, 2.69 Hz, 2 H) 3.41 (t, J=6.85 Hz, 2 H).

Intermediate 39: Di-tert-butyl 2-(undec-10-yn-1-yl)malonate

Di-tert-butyl malonate (800 mg, 3.70 mmol) was dissolved in DMF (9 mL) at 0°C under N₂ and NaH (148 mg, 3.70 mmol) was added. The reaction was stirred 30 minutes at 0°C and intermediate 38 (770 mg, 3.33 mmol) was added slowly dropwise, resulting in a yellow solution. The reaction was stirred at 0°C for 2 hours then warmed to r.t. and stirred for 16 hours. The mixture was taken up in EtOAc (75 mL) and washed with H₂O (25 mL). The aqueous layer was extracted with EtOAc (75 mL) and the combined organic layers were dried over Na₂SO₄, filtered and concentrated. The mixture was purified twice via flash column (12 g silica cartridge, 0-20% EtOAc/heptanes) and fractions were concentrated to yield 162.1 mg of the desired product as a colorless oil (12%). LCMS (Waters Acquity UPLC BEH C18, 130 Å, 1.7 µm, 2.1 mm × 50 mm, 50°C, Solvent Name A: Water+0.1% Formic Acid, Solvent Name B: Acetonitrile+0.1% Formic Acid, 98% B over 2.20 min): R_t = 1.37 min, MS [M+H] observed: 366.0, calculated: 366.535 . ¹H NMR (400 MHz, Chloroform-d) δ ppm 1.29 (s, 10 H) 1.47 (s, 18 H) 1.52 (dd, J=14.78, 7.20 Hz, 3 H) 1.48 (d, J=1.26 Hz, 1 H) 1.75 - 1.83 (m, 2 H) 1.94 (t, J=2.65 Hz, 1 H) 2.18 (td, J=7.14, 2.65 Hz, 2 H) 3.11 (t, J=7.58 Hz, 1 H).

Intermediate 40: 11,11-di-tert-butyl 1-ethyl docos-21-yne-1,11,11-tricarboxylate

Intermediate 39 (162.1 mg, 0.442 mmol) was dissolved in DMF (2 mL) at 0°C and NaH (21.23 mg, 0.531 mmol) was added. The reaction stirred at 0°C for 15 minutes and ethyl 11-bromoundecanoate (143 mg, 0.486 mmol) was added slowly dropwise. The reaction was warmed to r.t. and stirred for 16 hours. The mixture was diluted with EtOAc (40 mL) and washed once with H₂O (20 mL). The aqueous layer was extracted once with EtOAc (40 mL) and the organic layers were combined, dried over Na₂SO₄, filtered and concentated to give a clear, yellow oil. The sample was dissolved in 1 mL DCM and purified via flash column (12 g silica column, 0-20% EtOAc/heptane, 15 min). The fractions were combined and concentrated to give 90.1 mg of the desired product (35%). ¹H NMR (400 MHz, Chloroform-d) δ ppm 1.28 (br. s., 24 H) 1.45 (s, 18 H) 1.48 (s, 3 H) 1.53 (d, J=7.58 Hz, 3 H) 1.51 (s, 1 H) 1.64 (br. s., 1 H) 1.61 (d, J=7.33 Hz, 1 H) 1.77 (d, J=16.93 Hz, 2 H) 1.74 - 1.80 (m, 2 H) 1.94 (t, J=2.65 Hz, 1 H) 2.18 (td, J=7.07, 2.53 Hz, 2 H) 2.29 (t, J=7.58 Hz, 2 H) 4.13 (q, J=7.24 Hz, 2 H).

Intermediate 41: 12,12-bis(tert-butoxycarbonyl)tricos-22-ynoic acid

To a solution of intermediate 40 (21.7 mg, 0.037 mmol) in ^tBuOH (1 mL) was added a solution of KOtBu (114 mg, 1.012 mmol) in ^tBuOH (2 mL) at 30°C under N₂. The mixture was stirred at r.t. and monitored by TLC (1:1 EtOAc/hexanes, KMnO_4, reflux). The starting material was consumed after 3 hours and the reaction mixture was quenched with 1 M HCl (20 mL) and extracted twice with EtOAc (25 mL). The organic layers were combined, dried over Na₂SO₄, filtered and concentrated to a clear, colorless oil (18 mg, 87%). The material was carried on to the next step without further purification. ¹H NMR (400 MHz, Chloroform-d) δ ppm 1.27 (br. s., 22 H) 1.44 (br. s., 18 H) 1.48 (s, 3 H) 1.52 (s, 3 H) 1.62 (br. s., 2 H) 1.77 (br. s., 4 H) 1.94 (br. s., 1 H) 2.18 (s, 2 H) 2.35 (s, 2 H).

Intermediate 42: Docos-21-yne-1,11,11-tricarboxylic acid

TFA (2 mL) was added to intermediate 41 (12 mg, 0.022 mmol) and the reaction stirred at r.t. for 1 hour. The mixture was diluted with DCM (10 mL) and concentrated twice to give a brown oil. The material was taken up in EtOAc (10 mL) and washed with H₂O (20 mL). The organic layer was dried over Na₂SO₄, filtered and concentrated to a brown oil. The crude material was dissolved in 1 mL MeOH and purified via MS-triggered HPLC (Sunfire 30x50mm 5um column ACN/H2O w/ 0.1%TFA 75ml/min, 1.5ml injection, 45-70% ACN over 3.5 min): R_t = 3.42 min; MS [M+H+Na] observed: 461.00, calculated: 461.597. Fractions were pooled and lyophilized to give 5.3 mg of title compound in 56% yield.

Intermediate 43: 2-(((2,5-dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl)oxy)carbonyl)-2-(undec-10-yn-1-yl)tridecanedioic acid

To a solution of intermediate 42 (5.3 mg, 0.012 mmol) in THF (0.5 mL) was added N-hydroxy succinimide (1.53 mg, 0.013 mmol). A solution of DCC (2.493 mg, 0.012 mmol) in THF (0.5 mL) was added and the mixture was stirred at r.t. under N₂ for 4 hours. Complete conversion of starting material was observed by LCMS. The mixture was concentrated and taken on to the next step without further purification. LCMS (Sunfire C18 3.5µm 3.0×30mm, 40°C, Acidic Eluent A: Water + 0.05% Trifluoroacetic Acid, Basic Eluent A: Water + 5mM Ammonium Hydroxide, Eluent B: ACN, 5-95% over 2 min): R_t = 1.72 min; MS [M+H+Na] oberved: 558.0, calculated: 558.67.

Intermediate 44:

To a solution of intermediate 43 (3.2 mg, 5.97 µmol) in DCM (0.5 mL) was added a solution of azido-dPEG23-amine (Quanta Biodesign, 7.88 mg, 7.17 µmol) in DCM (0.5 mL) and DIPEA (2.09 µL, 0.012 mmol) and the mixture was stirred at r.t. for 16 hours at which point conversion of starting material was observed by LCMS. The reaction mixture was concentrated and dissolved in 1 mL MeOH and purified by MS-triggered HPLC (Sunfire 30x50mm 5um column ACN/H2O w/ 0.1%TFA 75ml/min, 1.5ml injection, 55-80% ACN 5 min gradient, Rt = 1.92 min) and the fractions were pooled and lyophilized to give 1.7 mg of the title compound in 19% yield. LCMS (Acquity BEH 1.7µm 2.1×50mm - 50°C, Solvent Name A: Water+0.1% Formic Acid, Solvent Name B: Acetonitrile+0.1% Formic Acid, 98% B over 2.20 min): R_t = 1.89 min; MS [M+H/2] observed: 760.0, calculated: 759.5.

Intermediate 45: docos-21-ene-1,11,11-tricarboxylic acid

Intermediate 45 is prepared following the procedure for intermediate 39-42 substituting 11-bromo-dec-1-ene for 11-bromo-dec-1-yne.

Intermediate 46: 2-(((2,5-Dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl)oxy)carbonyl)-2-(undec-10-en-1-yl)tridecanedioic acid

DCC (187mg, 0.908mmol) in DCM (2mL) was added to a solution of N-hydroxysuccinimide (99mg, 0.862mmol) and docos-21-ene-1,11,11-tricarboxylicacid (Intermediate 45: 400mg, 0.908mmol) in DCM (7mL) and THF (0.7mL). The reaction was stirred overnight before the solvent was evaporated. The residue was purified by HPLC (Sunfire C18 30x50mm; 55-80% ACN / water +0.1% TFA) to yield the title compound (155mg, 0.288mmol, 32%): by LCMS Method C Rt= 1.51min, M+H 538.3; ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 1.16 - 1.46 (m, 28 H) 1.60 - 1.87 (m, 3 H) 1.91 - 2.17 (m, 5 H) 2.38 (t, J=7.03 Hz, 2 H) 2.86 (br. s., 4 H) 3.68 (dd, J=11.25, 7.34 Hz, 1 H) 3.78 (dd, J=11.31, 5.20 Hz, 1 H) 3.99 - 4.10 (m, 1 H).

Intermediates 47 and 47A:

Azido-dPEG23-amine (Quanta Biodesign: 164mg, 0.149mmol) and intermediate 46 (80mg, 0.149mmol) were dissolved in THF (2.5mL). DIPEA (39µL, 0.233mmol) was added and the reaction agitated overnight. The solvent was evaporated and the residue purified by HPLC (Sunfire C18 30x50mm; 45-70% ACN/water +0.1% TFA) to yield compounds 47 (97mg, 0.061mmol, 41%) and 47A (32mg, 0.021mmol, 14%): LCMS Method C Rt = 1.35min, [M+2H]⁺² 761.9; ¹H NMR (400 MHz, ACETONITRILE-d3) δ ppm 1.05 - 1.18 (m, 3 H) 1.19 - 1.32 (m, 20 H) 1.36 (t, J=7.15 Hz, 1 H) 1.48 - 1.59 (m, 2 H) 1.65 - 1.75 (m, 2 H) 2.01 - 2.06 (m, 2 H) 2.25 (t, J=7.46 Hz, 2 H) 3.33 - 3.39 (m, 2 H) 3.39 - 3.44 (m, 2 H) 3.50 - 3.67 (m, 98 H) 4.84 - 4.95 (m, 1 H) 4.95 - 5.06 (m, 1 H) 5.83 (ddt, J=17.07, 10.29, 6.68, 6.68 Hz, 1 H) 7.31 (t, J=5.44 Hz, 1 H); LCMS method C Rt = 1.50min, [M+2H]⁺² 739.9; ¹H NMR (400 MHz, ACETONITRILE-d3) δ ppm 1.16 - 1.42 (m, 30 H) 1.42 - 1.63 (m, 5 H) 2.00 - 2.07 (m, 2 H) 2.22 - 2.28 (m, 2 H) 2.40 - 2.52 (m, 2 H) 3.25 - 3.33 (m, 2 H) 3.33 - 3.42 (m, 2 H) 3.42 - 3.50 (m, 2 H) 3.50 - 3.68 (m, 88 H) 4.86 - 5.06 (m, 2 H) 5.83 (ddt, J=17.04, 10.26, 6.71, 6.71 Hz, 1 H) 6.40 - 6.74 (m, 1 H).

Intermediate 48: 2-Undecylmalonic acid

Using intermediate 22 (290mg,0.661 mmol), the title compound (185mg, quantitative) was synthesized in a similar fashion as intermediate 19: LCMS Method B LCMS Rt = 0.82min, M-H 257.3

Intermediate 49: 2-(((2,5-Dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl)oxy)carbonyl)tridecanoic acid

DCC (122mg, 0.592mmol) was added to a solution of intermediate 48 (170mg, 0.658mmol) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (68mg, 0.592mmol) in DCM (6mL) and THF (0.5mL). The reaction was stirred for 16hrs before more DCC (30mg, 0.145mmol) in DCM (0.5mL) was added. The reaction was stirred for a further 2days. The solvent was evaporated and the residue purified by HPLC (Sunfire C18 30x50mm, 45-70% ACN/water +0.1% TFA) to yield the title compound as a white powder (46mg, 0.129mg, 20%): LCMS Method B Rt = 0.94min, M+H 356.3; ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 0.89 (t, J=7.00 Hz, 3 H) 1.20 - 1.40 (m, 16 H) 1.43 - 1.55 (m, 2 H) 1.99 - 2.14 (m, 2 H) 2.86 (s, 4 H) 3.71 (t, J=7.46 Hz, 1 H).

Intermediate 50 and 50A:

The title compounds were synthesized in a fashion similar to 50 and 50A from intermediate 49 (30mg, 0.084mmol) yielding intermediate 50 (18mg, 0.013mmol, 16%) and intermediate 50A (5mg, 4µmol, 5%): LCMS Method B Rt = 0.85min, M+H 1340.3; ¹H NMR (400 MHz, CHLOROFORM-d) δ ppm 0.82 - 0.98 (m, 3 H) 1.20 - 1.36 (m, 16 H) 1.36 - 1.51 (m, 2 H) 1.83 - 2.02 (m, 1 H) 2.11 - 2.27 (m, 1 H) 2.33 (dd, J=11.80, 4.22 Hz, 1 H) 3.41 (t, J=5.14 Hz, 3 H) 3.49 (d, J=5.01 Hz, 1 H) 3.56 - 3.79 (m, 92 H); LCMS Method B Rt = 0.96min, M+H 1296.3.

Intermediates 51-57: mutant of GDF15 protein. Expression of human GDF-15 proteins in E.coli cells

E.coli strains BL21 (DE3) Gold (Stratagene) and Rosetta (DE3) pLysS cells (Novagen) were transformed with constructs 51 to 56 and construct MAHA-(200-308)-hGDF15 respectively, cloned into pET26b vectors. Transformed cells were grown under antibiotic selection first in 3 ml and then in 50 ml Luria Broth (Bacto-Tryptone 10g/L, yeast extract 5g/L, NaCl 5/L, glucose 6g/L) until an OD600 of 1.5 was reached. The pre-cultures were used to inoculate two 1-L fermenters filled with Terrific Broth medium (NH4SO4 1.2 g/L, H2PO4 0.041 g/L, K2HPO4 0.052 g/L, Bacto-Tryptone 12 g/L, Yeast Extract 24 g/L). The cultures were induced by automatic addition of 1 mM isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) when pH increased above 7.1. Other fermentation parameters were: temp = 37°C; pH 7.0 +/- 0.2 adjusted by addition of 2N NaOH/H2SO4; pO2>30% with cascades of stirrer speed, air flow and oxygen addition. Five hours post induction the cultures were cooled to 10°C and cells were harvested by centrifugation.

Purification and refolding of GDF15 variants

1. a) Inclusion bodies Recombinant coli pellets expressing the protein of interest were resuspended (5% w/v) in 50 mM NaH₂PO₄ / 150 mM NaCl / 5 mM benzamidine.HCl / 5 mM DTT, pH 8.0 at 4°C, homogenized and lysed by 2 passages through a French press (800 and 80 bar). Inclusion bodies (IBs) were isolated by centrifugation at 12'000 rpm for 60 min at 4°C.
2. b) Purification of crude unfolded protein IBs were solubilized (5% w/v) in 6 M guanidine / 100 mM NaH₂PO₄ / 10 mM Tris / 20 mM beta-mercaptoethanol, pH 8.0 and stirred for 2 hours at room temperature. Debris was removed by centrifugation at 12'000 rpm. The solubilized IBs were further purified on Ni-NTA-Superflow (the construct without His tag binds as well to this resin due to the high histidine content). After base-line washing with 6 M guanidine / 100 mM NaH₂PO₄ / 10mM Tris / 5 mM beta-mercaptoethanol, pH 8.0, bound material was eluted with the same bufferadjusted to pH 4.5. The eluate was adjusted to pH 8.0, 100 mM DTT was added and the solution stirred over night at 4°C. The pH was then adjusted to 2 by addition of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA, 10% stock in water) and the solution further diluted 1:1 with 0.1% TFA in water. The crude protein solution was further purified by RP-HPLC (Poros) using a gradient of 0-50% acetonitrile in 50 min. The GDF-15 containing fractions were pooled and lyophilized.
3. c) Protein folding

Method 1: Lyophilized material was dissolved at 2 mg/ml in 100 mM acetic acid, diluted 15-20 folds in folding buffer (100 mM CHES / 1 M NaCl / 30 mM CHAPS / 5 mM GSH / 0.5 mM GSSG / 20% DMSO, pH 9.5, 4°C) and the solution gently stirred during 3 days at 4°C. After 3 days 3 volumes of 100 mM acetic acid was added and the solution concentrated by ultrafiltration (5 kDa cut-off) to about 100-200 ml, diluted 10 fold with 100 mM acetic acid and re-concentrated. The refolded material was further purified by preparative RP-HPLC on a Vydac C4 column run at 50°C (buffer A: 0.1% TFA in water; buffer B: 0.05% TFA in acetonitrile). After loading the column was washed with 15% buffer B and eluted with a gradient of 15% B to 65% B in 50 min. Collected fractions containing the protein of interest were diluted with an equal volume of buffer A and lyophilized. Refolding yields were about 25% for both proteins.

Method 2: Protocol followed as in method 1 with folding buffer: 100 mM CHES, pH 9.4, 0.9 M arginine, 0.5 M NaCl, 1 mM EDTA, 2.5 mM GSH, 1 mM GSSG (final concentration).

The following GDF15 mutants were prepared according to above procedure:

Intermediate 51: M-(His)₆-hGDF15

LCMS: Calculated mass: 26462 Observed Mass: 26464

Intermediate 52: M-(His)₆-M-hGDF15

LCMS: Calculated mass: 26724 Observed Mass: 26725

Intermediate 53: His-dGDF15:

LCMS: Calculated mass (dimer): 26368 Observed Mass: 26363

Intermediate 54: MH-(199-308)-hGDF15

LCMS: Calculated mass: 24636 Observed Mass: 24638

Intermediate 55: AH-(199-308)-hGDF15

Step 1: preparation of construct M-HiS₆-TEV(ENLYFQ/A)-H-hsGDF15 aa199-308

The construct M-His6-TEV(ENLYFQ/A)-H-hsGDF15 aa199-308 was prepared according to the above procedure (steps a, b and c).

Step 2: TEV cleavage of the protein from step 1

The lyophilized protein was solubilized in water to a final concentration of 1.75 mg/ml. The protein was unfolded again by diluting 1:1 in 6M Guan/50mM Tris, pH 8,0 + 50mM DTT, and stirred at RT for 1h. The material was re-purified by preparative RP-HPLC on a Vydac C4 column and lyophilized. 26mg of lyophilisate were solubilized in 26ml 50mM Tris/3M UREA, pH 7,5 + 3000 Units AcTEV Protease (Invitrogen, 12575-023) and incubated for 4 days. The pH was then adjusted to pH 2.0 by addition of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA, 10% stock in water) and the solution further diluted to 150 ml with 0.1% TFA in water. After filtration through a 0.22um membrane the material was again purified by preparative RP-HPLC on a Vydac C4 column to isolate successfully cleaved protein. Fractions were collected manually; target protein-containing fractions were isolated and lyophilized. The cleaved GDF15 protein was then refolded and refolded protein purified as described above.

LCMS: Calculated mass (dimer): 24516 Observed Mass:24518

The following GDF15 mutant can be prepared according to the above procedure:

Intermediate 56: MHA-(200-308)-hGDF15

LCMS: Calculated mass (dimer): 24752

The following GDF15 mutant was prepared according to the above procedure:

Intermediate 57: AHA-(200-308)-hGDF15

LCMS: Calculated mass(dimer): 24430: Observed mass (dimer): 24432

Intermediate 58: His-hGDF15 BCN Conjugate

A stock solution of His-hGDF15 (Intermediate 52: 0.6mL, 4.8mg/mL) was diluted to 0.5mg/mL with 30mM NaOAc pH 4.5 buffer (5.2mL). A 10mg/mL stock solution of (1R,8S,9s)-bicyclo[6.1.0]non-4-yn-9-ylmethyl (2,5-dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl) carbonate (NHS-BCN) in DMSO (251µL) was slowly added and the reaction placed on a shaker plate at 24°C for 21hrs. The reaction was diluted to 30mL with 30mM NaOAc pH 4.5 buffer and concentrated to 2mL using a 10kDa MWCO ultrafiltration cartridge (repeat 4x) to yield 2.5mL of concentrate. Based on A₂₈₀ (ε = 29090M^-1 cm^-1, 26730g/mol) the concentrate was 0.93mg/mL (2.33mg, 80%): LCMS QT2_15-60kDa_15min_polar (method E) . The resulting solution was analyzed by MALDI to indicate major conjugation to be +1 and +2 (N-terminus labeling of monomer and dimer)

Degree of Labelling	Calculated	Observed	% TIC (MS+) Intensity
GDF15	26726	26726	26
GDF15 +1BCN	26903	26904	43
GDF15 +2BCN	27080	27080	23
GDF15 +3BCN	27257	27256	9

His-hGDF15 +1BCN (bicyclo[6.1.0]non-4-ynyl) corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on the one molecule of the GDF15 homodimer.

His-hGDF15 +2BCN corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on both monomeric units of the GDF15 homodimer.

His-hGDF15 +3BCN corresponds to a non-selective reaction at some other site of the GDF15 homodimer.

Intermediate 59: His-hGDF15 BCN Conjugate

His-hGDF15 Seq:

A stock solution of His-hGDF15 (Intermediate 51: 7.04mL, 1.42mg/mL) was diluted to 0.5mg/mL with 30mM NaOAc pH 4.5 buffer (12.95mL). A 10mg/mL stock solution of (1R,8S,9s)-bicyclo[6.1.0]non-4-yn-9-ylmethyl (2,5-dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl) carbonate (NHS-BCN) in DMSO (0.88mL) was slowly added and the reaction placed on a shaker plate at 24°C for 24hrs. An additional portion of the NHS-BCN stock solution (176µL) was added, and the reaction maintained at 24°C for 24hrs. The reaction was diluted to 60mL with 30mM NaOAc pH 4.5 buffer and concentrated to 4mL using a 10kDa MWCO ultrafiltration cartridge (repeat 4x) to yield 4.1mL of concentrate. Based on A₂₈₀ (ε = 29090M^-1 cm^-1, 26700g/mol) the concentrate was 2.19mg/mL (8.98mg, 89%): LCMS QT2_15-60kDa_15min_polar (Method E)

Degree of Labelling	Calculated	Observed	% TIC (MS+) Intensity
GDF15	26468	26464	33
GDF15 +1BCN	26645	26640	34
GDF15 +2BCN	26822	26817	21
GDF15 +3BCN	26999	26993	3

His-hGDF15 +1BCN (bicyclo[6.1.0]non-4-ynyl) corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on the one molecule of the GDF15 homodimer.

His-hGDF15 +2BCN corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on both monomeric units of the GDF15 homodimer.

His-hGDF15 +3BCN corresponds to a non-selective reaction at some other site of the GDF15 homodimer.

Intermediate 60: His-dog-GDF15-BCN

100 uL His-dGDF15 (0.68 mg/mL), 100 uL pH 4.5 buffer, 4 uL of a 10 mg/mL BCN-NHS solution was combined and incubated at rt for two days. The resulting mixture was washed with Amicon 10k 4 times to give 200 uL solution, which was used in next step. The product was carried on as crude for further conversion to conjugate.

Examples of the invention:

General procedure for His-hGDF15 + fattyacid-PEG-N₃ click. BCN labelled GDF15 was diluted to 0.5mg/mL in 30mM NaOAc pH 4.5 buffer while a 10mg/mL solution of FA-PEG-N₃ (fatty acid-PEG23-azide) in water was prepared. To the GDF15 solution was added 10eq of FA-PEG-N₃, and the reaction was placed on a shaker plate at 24°C overnight. Reaction progress was monitored by LCMS (QTOF method 15-60kDa_15min_polar) and additional FA-PEG-N₃ was added, if necessary up to 50eq, until no unreacted BCN labelled GDF15 was observed. The reaction was then diluted 5-10x with 30mM NaOAc pH 4 buffer and the buffer exchanged with fresh buffer using a 10kDa MWCO ultrafiltration cartridge (4 cycles of concentration followed by dilution). The sample was concentrated to ~1mg/mL as measured by A₂₈₀, recoveries were quantitative to 34%. Final conjugates were analyzed by LCMS (QTOF method 15-60kDa_15min_polar) or Maldi.

Example 1: His-hGDF15 BCN (I-59) conjugated to intermediate 21:

Degree of Labelling	Calculated	Observed	% AUC @ 280nm
His-hGDF15	26468	26466	18
His-hGDF15 +1FA	28198	28192	36
His-hGDF15 +2FA	29928	29926	35
His-hGDF15 +3FA	31658	31654	11

His-hGDF15 +1FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on the one molecule (one monomeric unit) of the GDF15 homodimer.

His-hGDF15 +2FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on both monomeric units of the GDF15 homodimer.

His-hGDF15 +3FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a non-selective reaction at some other site of the GDF15 homodimer.

Example 2: His-hGDF15 BCN (I-59) conjugated to intermediate 44:

Degree of Labelling	Calculated	Observed	% AUC @ 280nm
His-hGDF15	26464	26464	38
His-hGDF15 +1FA	28162	28162	33
His-hGDF15 +2FA	29860	29860	21
His-hGDF15 +3FA	31558	31558	9

His-hGDF15 +1FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on the one molecule (one monomeric unit) of the GDF15 homodimer.

His-hGDF15 +2FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on both monomeric units of the GDF15 homodimer.

His-hGDF15 +3FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a non-selective reaction at some other site of the GDF15 homodimer.

Example 3 (reference example): His-hGDF15 BCN (I-59) conjugated to intermediate 29A:

Degree of Labelling	Calculated	Observed	%AUC @ 280nm
His-hGDF15	26464	26466	50
His-hGDF15 +1FA	28124	28120	28
His-hGDF15 +2FA	29780	29776	16
His-hGDF15 +3FA	31436	31432	7

His-hGDF15 +1FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on the one molecule (one monomeric unit) of the GDF15 homodimer.

His-hGDF15 +2FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on both monomeric units of the GDF15 homodimer.

His-hGDF15 +3FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a non-selective reaction at some other site of the GDF15 homodimer.

Example 4: His-hGDF15 BCN (intermediate 58) conjugated intermediate 24:

Degree of Labelling	Calculated	Observed	%AUC @ 280nm
His-hGDF15	26726	26728	27
His-hGDF15 +1FA	28396	28398	42
His-hGDF15 +2FA	30066	30068	24
His-hGDF15 +3FA	31736	31738	7

His-hGDF15 +1FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on the one molecule (one monomeric unit) of the GDF15 homodimer.

His-hGDF15 +2FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on both monomeric units of the GDF15 homodimer.

His-hGDF15 +3FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a non-selective reaction at some other site of the GDF15 homodimer.

Example 5: His-hGDF15 BCN (I-58) conjugated to intermediate 29:

Degree of Labelling	Calculated	Observed	% AUC @ 280nm
His-hGDF15	26726	26728	30
His-hGDF15 +1FA	28425	28426	36
His-hGDF15 +2FA	30125	30126	23
His-hGDF15 +3FA	31825	31740	12

His-hGDF15 +1FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on the one molecule of the GDF15 homodimer.

His-hGDF15 +2FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on both monomeric units of the GDF15 homodimer.

His-hGDF15 +3FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a non-selective reaction at some other site of the GDF15 homodimer.

Example 6 (reference example): His-hGDF15 BCN (I-58) conjugated to intermediate 55:

Degree of Labelling	Calculated	Observed	% AUC @ 280nm
His-hGDF15	26726	26728	28
His-hGDF15 +1FA	28242	28243	36
His-hGDF15 +2FA	29758	29759	28
His-hGDF15 +3FA	31274	31275	11

His-hGDF15 +1FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on the one molecule of the GDF15 homodimer.

His-hGDF15 +2FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on both monomeric units of the GDF15 homodimer.

His-hGDF15 +3FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a non-selective reaction at some other site of the GDF15 homodimer.

Example 7 (reference example): His-hGDF15 BCN (I-58) conjugated to intermediate 6A:

Degree of Labelling	Calculated	Observed	%AUC @ 280nm
His-hGDF15	26726	26728	28
His-hGDF15 +1FA	28382	28382	42
His-hGDF15 +2FA	30038	30040	29
His-hGDF15 +3FA	31916	n/a	n/a

His-hGDF15 +1FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on the one molecule (one monomeric unit) of the GDF15 homodimer.

His-hGDF15 +2FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on both monomeric units of the GDF15 homodimer.

His-hGDF15 +3FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a non-selective reaction at some other site of the GDF15 homodimer.

Example 9: His-hGDF15 BCN (I-58) conjugated to intermediate 30:

Degree of Labelling	Calculated	Observed	% AUC @ 280nm
His-hGDF15	26726	26728	21
His-hGDF15 +1FA	28456	28456	47
His-hGDF15 +2FA	30186	30188	32
His-hGDF15 +3FA	31916	n/a	n/a

His-hGDF15 +1FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on the one molecule (monomeric unit) of the GDF15 homodimer.

His-hGDF15 +2FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on both molecules (monomeric units) of the GDF15 homodimer.

His-hGDF15 +3FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a non-selective reaction at some other site of the GDF15 homodimer.

Example 10: His-hGDF15 BCN (I-58) conjugated to intermediate 12:

Degree of Labelling	Calculated	Observed	% AUC @ 280nm
His-hGDF15	26726	26729	17
His-hGDF15 +1FA	28442	28445	37
His-hGDF15 +2FA	30158	30158	32
His-hGDF15 +3FA	31874	31877	13

His-hGDF15 +1FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on the one molecule (one monomeric unit) of the GDF15 homodimer.

His-hGDF15 +2FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on both molecules (monomeric units) of the GDF15 homodimer.

His-hGDF15 +3FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a non-selective reaction at some other site of the GDF15 homodimer.

Example 13: His-hGDF15 BCN (I-59) conjugated to intermediate 6:

Degree of Labelling	Calculated	Observed	% AUC @ 280nm
His-hGDF15	26468	26464	28
His-hGDF15 +1FA	28168	28164	42
His-hGDF15 +2FA	29868	29864	21
His-hGDF15 +3FA	31568	31564	10

His-hGDF15 +1FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on the one molecule (one monomeric unit) of the GDF15 homodimer.

His-hGDF15 +2FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on both molecules (both monomeric units) of the GDF15 homodimer.

His-hGDF15 +3FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a non-selective reaction at some other site of the GDF15 homodimer.

Example 14 (reference example): His-hGDF15 BCN (I-58) conjugated to intermediate 17:

Degree of Loading	Calculated	Observed	% AUC @ 280nm
His-hGDF15	26726	26728	18
His-hGDF15 +1FA	28413	28414	34
His-hGDF15 +2FA	30100	30054	35
His-hGDF15 +3FA	31787	31726	13

His-hGDF15 +1FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on the one molecule (one monomeric unit) of the GDF15 homodimer.

His-hGDF15 +2FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on both molecules (both monomeric units) of the GDF15 homodimer.

His-hGDF15 +3FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a non-selective reaction at some other site of the GDF15 homodimer.

Example 15 (reference example): Step 1:

To a solution of 2,2,13,13-tetramethyltetradecanedioic acid (Aldrich CPR, order number PH002322) (100 mg, 0.318 mmol) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (40.3 mg, 0.35 mmol) in THF (5 mL) was added a solution of DCC (65.6 mg, 0.318 mmol) in THF (5 mL), and the mixture was stirred at r.t. overnight. Partial conversion to the desired product was observed by LC-MS analysis. The mixture was filtered, and the filtrate was concentrated. The residue was re-dissolved in DCM (40 mL), and washed with water, dried over Na₂SO₄, and purified by silica chromatography eluting with a heptane/EtOAc/DCC (10:1:1) to give a mixture. The mixture was further purified by MS triggered acid HPLC [(55-80% ACN 3.5 min gradient): rt= 2.48 min, mass calculated: 314.46 mass observed: 314.00] to give to give clean product (50 mg, 38.2% yield) and to recover starting material.

Step 2:

To a solution of NHS-2,2,13,13-tetramethyltetradecanedioic acid (10 mg, 0.024mmol) in DCM (3 mL) was added azido-dPEG3-amine (10 mg, 0.049mmol) and DIPEA (9 uL, 0.049mmol), and the mixture was stirred at r.t. for 1h. The mixture was concentrated, re-dissolved in MeOH (3 mL) and purified by MS-triggered HPLC (55-80% ACN 3.5 min gradient rt=2.35, mass expected: 514.70 mass observed: 514.40)to give 7 mg clean product in 58% yield.

Step 3:

To a solution of 100 µL BCN-dGDF15 (I-60: 0.68 mg/mL in pH 4.5 buffer) was added pH 4.5 buffer (100 uL) and azide (6 µL in DMSO, 10 mg/mL), and the mixture was incubated at r.t. overnight. The mixture was washed by Amicon 10k 4 times. The resulting solution was analyzed by MALDI to indicate major conjugation to +1 and +2. Maldi: Calculated mass: 26546 Observed mass: 26483; Calculated mass: 27060 Observed mass: 27128; Calculated mass: 27574 Observed mass: 27789.

Example 16: His-hGDF15 BCN (I-58) conjugated to intermediate 44:

Degree of Labelling	Calculated	Observed	% AUC @ 280nm
His-hGDF15	26726	26728	45
His-hGDF15-BCN	26902	26904	21
His-hGDF15 +1FA	28422	28360	25
His-hGDF15 +2FA	29868	30012	9

His-hGDF15 +1FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on the one molecule (one monomeric unit) of the GDF15 homodimer.

His-hGDF15 +2FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on both molecules (both monomeric units) of the GDF15 homodimer.

Example 17: His-hGDF15-BCN conjugated to intermediate 52

To a solution of 3 mL cyclooctyne GDF15 (I-58: 0.46mg/mL, 0.051 umol) in 7 mL of pH 4 sodium acetate buffer was added fatty acid peg azide (15 uL in 35 mg/mL DMSO, 0.36umol), and the mixture was incubated at r.t. overnight. Complete conversion was observed by MALDI analysis. Product purifed by amicon filtration 10kD washing three times to give 4.3 ml of 0.29 mg/ml desired product in 90% yield. Maldi: cyclooctyne sm ~5% expected mass: 26902 mass observed: 26997 ; +1 fatty acid ~40% expected mass: 28421 observed mass: 28525 ;+2 fatty acids ~50% expected mass: 29940 observed mass: 30191 +3 fatty acids 5% expected mass: 31459 observed mass:31874.

Example 18: MH-(199-308)GDF15 (I-54) conjugated to intermediate 37

MH-(199-308)-GDF15 (Intermediate 54: 0.393 mL, 0.028 µmol, 1.78 mg/mL) was added to 1.5 ml of 30mM sodium acetate buffer NHS fatty acid (474 ug, 0.284umol, 10mg/ml) was added to solution. After 5 hours, reaction was complete according to MALDI. Products were purified by washing 5 times using amicon ultrafiltration 10kD to give 575 ug of conjugate in 73% yield. MALDI: sm (18%), expected mass: 24638 observed mass: 24735; +1 fatty acid (38%) expected mass: 26192 observed mass: 26268 ; +2 fatty acid (40%) expected mass: 27746 observed mass: 27798 ; +3 fatty acid (4%) expected mass: 29300 observed mass: 29333.

Example 19A: His-hGDF15 (I-59) conjugated to intermediate 37

His-GDF15 (0.493 ml, 0.026 µmol, 1.42mg/ml) was added to 1.5 ml of 30mM sodium acetate pH=4 buffer nhs fatty acid (0.221 mg, 0.132 umol, 10mg/mL) was added to the solution. Overnight the reaction was not complete so 2.5 more equivalents of fatty acid NHS (0.110 mg, 0.066 umol, 10mg/mL) were added and after 5 hrs Maldi showed +2 conjugate as major product. Product was purified by washing 5 times using amicon ultrafiltration 10kD to give 565 ug of conjugate in 76% yield. MALDI: sm (18%), expected mass: 26468 observed mass: 26553; +1 fatty acid (38%) expected mass: 28022 observed mass: 28099 ; +2 fatty acid (40%) expected mass: 29576 observed mass: 29649 ; +3 fatty acid (4%) expected mass: 31130 observed mass: 31201.

Example 19B: AHA-hGDF15 conjugated with intermediate 37

A 10 mg/mL solution of Intermediate 37 in molecular biology grade water was prepared. To AHA-hGDF15 (intermediate 57, 6.67 mg/mL in 30 mM NaOAc pH 4.0, 5.247 mL, 1.433 µmol) was added 30 mM NaOAc pH 4.6 (acceptable range 4.5-5.0) to give a final protein concentration of 0.88 mg/mL. Intermediate 37 (10eq., 2.39 mL, 0.014 mmol) was added and the reaction was mixed at r.t. for 18 hours. Precipitate had formed in the reaction vial. The reaction mixture was split amongst 4x15 mL 10kDa Amicon centrifugal filters and each was diluted to 15 mL with 30 mM NaOAc pH 4.0. The material was buffer exchanged 4x into 30 mM NaOAc pH 4.0 and samples were combined to a volume of 25.6 mL, agitating the precipitate in the filter with a pipette tip in between washes. Precipitate remained in solution so the mixture was let sit at 4 °C overnight. Concentration was measured by A280 (30040 cm^-1M^-1, 27538 g/mol) to be 1.62 mg/mL (100%). UPLC analysis showed 60% recovery of +1FA (Retention time: 4.88 min) and +2FA products (Retention time: 5.80 min) (Method J). LCMS method T shows desired masses.

Example 19B crude mixture (ratio represented in table below) was tested in vivo and reported in table 1:

AHA-GDF15	24430	24432	29	3.24
AHA-GDF15 +1 FA	25984	25985	27	4.88
AHA-GDF15 +2 FA	27538	27540	33	5.80
AHA-GDF15 +3 FA	29092	29091	11	6.66

AHA-hGDF15 +1FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on one of the polypeptide chains (on the monomeric unit) of the GDF15 homodimer (as represented in embodiment 11B, Formula H).

AHA-hGDF15 +2FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a reaction at the N-terminus amino functionality on both polypeptide chains of the GDF15 homodimer (as represented in embodiment 11B, Formula G).

AHA-hGDF15 +3FA (Fatty acid) corresponds to a non-selective reaction at some other site of the GDF15 homodimer.

Purification:

• The crude product was purified by reverse phase chromatography (Buffer A 0.1% TFA in water;
• Buffer B 0.1M TFA in ACN gradient; 99%-80% Buffer A) on a Waters BEH300 130Å, 3.5 µm,
• 4.6mmX100mm flow rate 2.5ml/min.

• F raction 1: Unreacted AHA-hGDF15: Rt=17.33 min
• F raction 2: (19B1): AHA-GDF15 +1FA: Rt=20.2 min (approximately 15% yield) (Formula H)
• F raction 3: (19B2): AHA-GDF15 + 2FA: Rt=21.6 min (approximately 15% yiled) (Formula G)
• F raction 4: (19B3): AHA-GDF15 + 3 FA: Rt=23.0 min (approximately 5% yield)

A 1:1 ratio mixture of 19B1 and 19B2 was prepared and tested (19Bm).

Alternatively the reaction may be carried out in 10 mM Na₂HPO₄-7H₂O and 30 mM NaOAc at a pH of 4.73: A 10 mg/mL solution of Intermediate 37 in molecular biology grade water was prepared. To AHA-hGDF15 (Intermediate 57, 12.04 mg/mL in 30 mM NaOAc pH 4.0, 4.15 µL, 0.002 µmol) was added 30 mM NaOAc 10 mM Na₂HPO₄ - 7H₂O pH 4.73 to give a final protein concentration of 0.88 mg/mL. Intermediate 37 (20eq., 6.83 µL, 0.041 µmol) was added and the reaction was mixed at r.t. for 18 hours. The reaction mixture had turned cloudy with precipitate. UPLC analysis showed 58% +1 and +2 products (Method J).

AHA-GDF15	24430	0
AHA-GDF15 +1 FA	25984	11
AHA-GDF15 +2 FA	27538	47
AHA-GDF15 +3 FA	29092	34
AHA-GDF15 +4 FA	30646	7

The reaction may also be carried out in 30 mM NaOAc and 10 mM K₂HPO₄ at a pH of 4.6: A 10 mg/mL solution of intermediate 37 in molecular biology grade water was prepared. To AHA-hGDF15 (intermediate 57, 6.21 mg/mL in 30 mM NaOAc pH 4.0, 5.261 mL, 1.337 µmol) was added 30 mM NaOAc 10 mM K₂HPO₄ pH 4.6 (acceptable range 4.5-5.0) to give a final protein concentration of 0.88 mg/mL. Intermediate 37 (10eq., 68.3 µL, 0.409 µmol) was added and the reaction was mixed at r.t. for 7 hours. The reaction mixture had turned cloudy with precipitate. The reaction mixture was split into four 9 mL portions in 15 mL 10kDa Amicon centrifugal filter and diluted to 15 mL with 30 mM NaOAc pH 4.0. The material was buffer exchanged 4x into 30 mM NaOAc pH 4.0, agitating the precipitate between each wash with a pipette tip. The reaction mixture was concentrated to a volume of 75 mL. Precipitate remained so the material was stored at 4 °C for two days. Concentration was measured by A280 (30040 cm^-1M^-1, 27538 g/mol) to be 0.4 mg/mL (97%). UPLC analysis showed 61% recovery of +1 and +2 products (Method J).

AHA-GDF15	24430	24434	34
AHA-GDF15 +1 FA	25984	25987	34
AHA-GDF15 +2 FA	27538	27540	27
AHA-GDF15 +3 FA	29092	n/a	5

Reference Example 1: His-hGDF15 BCN (I-58) conjugated to intermediate PEG-myristic acid construct: Step 1:

To a mixture of Azido-PEG23-Amine (30 mg, 0.027 mmol) and myristic NHS ester (Toronto Research Chemicals, cat # S69080) (12 mg, 0.037 mmol) was added DCM (1 mL) and DIPEA (13 uL), and the mixture was stirred at r.t. overnight. The mixture was purified by silica chromatography eluting with EtOAc/heptane (0-100%) then MeOH/DCM (0-10%) to give clean prduct at around 5% MeOH/DCM. LCMS: (Gradient: from 40 to 98% B in 1.4 min - flow 1 mL/min Eluent A: water + 0.05% formic acid + 3.75 mM ammonium acetate, Eluent B: acetonitrile + 0.04% formic acid) LCMS: rt=2.20 (Method C) Mass +H calculated: 1354.71 Mass observed: 1354.4.

Step 2:

To a solution of BCN-hGDF15 (I-52: 800 uL, 0.25 mg/mL) was added a (2 mg/mL in DMSO, 6.3 uL, 10 eq), and the mixture was stirred at r.t. overnight. 1.1 mL 0.20 mg/mL in quantitative yield. (Maldi: +1 mass calculated: 28223 mass observed: 28640 ; +2 mass calculated: 29543; mass observed:29962, +3 mass calculated: 30863 mass observed:31426, +4 mass calculated: 32183 mass observed:32911).

Reference Example 2: his-hGDF15-PEG23

Degree of Labelling	Calculated	Observed	%
His-hGDF15	26468	26360.3	5
His-hGDF15-BCN	26644	n/a	0
His-hGDF15 +1 PEG23	27567	28178.6	15
His-hGDF15 +2 PEG23	28666	29385.1	46
His-hGDF15 +3 PEG23	29765	30547.2	28
His-hGDF15 +4 PEG23	30864	31731.8	5

To a solution of His-hGDF15 BCN (I59: 427 µL, 1.17 mg/mL, 0.019 µmol) in 30 mM NaOAc pH 4.0 (427 µL) was added azido-dPEG₂₃-amine (Quanta Biodesign, 104 µg, 0.094 µmol). The reaction was mixed at r.t. for 16 hours at which point the mixture was exchanged into 30 mM NaOAc pH 4.0 using 10 kDa MWCO Amicon centrifugal filter by diluting and concentrating the sample 5 times to a volume of 140 µL. MALDI analysis showed full conversion to +1 through +4 products. The concentration was measured by A₂₈₀ (29090 M-1cm-1, 27600 g/mol) to be 2.099 mg/mL (57%).

It can be seen that the conjugates of the invention have similar or improved efficacy as compared to the non-conjugated biomolecule but additionally the conjugates of the invention have improved plasma stability compared to the non-conjugated biomolecule. The conjugates in the examples above have been found to have a plasma stability higher than 5h , higher than 10h, higher than 20h, higher than 30h, higher than 40h, and in some cases higher than 50h.

The present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments as illustrated therein.

SEQUENCE LISTING

• <110> NOVARTIS AG
• <120> NOVEL FATTY ACIDS AND THEIR USE IN CONJUGATION TO BIOMOLECULES
• <130> PAT056274
• <140> <141>
• <150> PCT/US2015/036328 <151> 2015-06-18
• <150> 62/107,016 <151> 2015-01-23
• <150> 62/082,327 <151> 2014-11-20
• <150> 62/015,862 <151> 2014-06-23
• <160> 36
• <170> PatentIn version 3.5
• <210> 1 <211> 119 <212> PRT <213> Artificial Sequence
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Artificial Sequence: Synthetic polypeptide"
• <400> 1
• <210> 2 <211> 120 <212> PRT <213> Artificial Sequence
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Artificial Sequence: Synthetic polypeptide"
• <400> 2
• <210> 3 <211> 120 <212> PRT <213> Artificial Sequence
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Artificial Sequence: Synthetic polypeptide"
• <400> 3
• <210> 4 <211> 112 <212> PRT <213> Artificial Sequence
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Artificial Sequence: Synthetic polypeptide"
• <400> 4
• <210> 5 <211> 112 <212> PRT <213> Artificial Sequence
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Artificial Sequence: Synthetic polypeptide"
• <400> 5
• <210> 6 <211> 112 <212> PRT <213> Artificial Sequence
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Artificial Sequence: Synthetic polypeptide"
• <400> 6
• <210> 7 <211> 112 <212> PRT <213> Artificial Sequence
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Artificial Sequence: Synthetic polypeptide"
• <400> 7
• <210> 8 <211> 227 <212> PRT<213> Homo sapiens
• <400> 8
• <210> 9 <211> 251 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens
• <400> 9
• <210> 10 <211> 228 <212> PRT <213> Artificial Sequence
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Artificial Sequence: Synthetic polypeptide"
• <400> 10
• <210> 11 <211> 146 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens
• <400> 11
• <210> 12 <211> 118 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens
• <400> 12
• <210> 13 <211> 125 <212> PRT <213> Artificial Sequence
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Artificial Sequence: Synthetic polypeptide"
• <400> 13
• <210> 14 <211> 9 <212> PRT <213> Homo sapiens
• <400> 14
• <210> 15 <211> 126 <212> PRT <213> Artificial Sequence
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Artificial Sequence: Synthetic polypeptide"
• <400> 15
• <210> 16 <211> 8 <212> PRT <213> Artificial Sequence
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Artificial Sequence: Synthetic polyhistidine tag"
• <400> 16
• <210> 17 <211> 7 <212> PRT <213> Artificial Sequence
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Artificial Sequence: Synthetic polyhistidine tag"
• <400> 17
• <210> 18 <211> 13 <212> PRT <213> Artificial Sequence
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Artificial Sequence: Synthetic peptide"
• <220> <221> MOD_RES <222> (1)..(1) <223> Pyroglutamate
• <220> <221> MISC_FEATURE <222> (6)..(12) <223> /note="Disulfide bond between residues"
• <220> <221> MOD_RES <222> (11)..(11) <223> Norleucine
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="C-term OH"
• <400> 18
• <210> 19 <211> 13 <212> PRT <213> Artificial Sequence
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Artificial Sequence: Synthetic peptide"
• <220> <221> MOD_RES <222> (1)..(1) <223> Pyroglutamate
• <220> <221> MISC_FEATURE <222> (6)..(12) <223> /note="Disulfide bond between residues"
• <220> <221> MOD_RES <222> (8)..(8) <223> Lys-N6-[[(1-alpha,8-alpha,9-alpha)-bicyclo[6.1.0]non-4-yn-9-ylmethoxy]carbonyl]
• <220> <221> MOD_RES <222> (11)..(11) <223> Norleucine
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="C-term OH"
• <400> 19
• <210> 20 <211> 19 <212> RNA <213> Artificial Sequence
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Artificial Sequence: Synthetic oligonucleotide"
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="5'-phosphate"
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (1)..(2) <223> 2'-fluoro modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (3)..(3) <223> 2'-o-methyl modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (4)..(4) <223> 2'-fluoro modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (5)..(5) <223> 2'-o-methyl modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (6) .. (6) <223> 2'-fluoro modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (7)..(7) <223> 2'-o-methyl modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (8)..(8) <223> 2'-fluoro modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (9) .. (9) <223> 2'-o-methyl modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (10)..(10) <223> 2'-fluoro modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (11)..(11) <223> 2'-o-methyl modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (12)..(12) <223> 2'-fluoro modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (13)..(13) <223> 2'-o-methyl modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (14)..(14) <223> 2'-fluoro modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (15)..(15) <223> 2'-o-methyl modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (16)..(16) <223> 2'-fluoro modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (17)..(18) <223> 2'-MOE modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> misc_feature <222> (17)..(18) <223> /note="Phosphorothioate linkage"
• <220> <221> misc_feature <222> (18)..(19) <223> /note="Phosphorothioate linkage"
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (19)..(19) <223> Abasic ribitol nucleotide
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="3'-X058 end cap"
• <400> 20 uagagcaaga acacuguun 19
• <210> 21 <211> 19 <212> RNA <213> Artificial Sequence
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Artificial Sequence: Synthetic oligonucleotide"
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (1)..(3) <223> 2'-o-methyl modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (4)..(4) <223> 2'-fluoro modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (5)..(5) <223> 2'-o-methyl modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (6) .. (6) <223> 2'-fluoro modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (7)..(7) <223> 2'-o-methyl modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (8)..(8) <223> 2'-fluoro modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (9) .. (9) <223> 2'-o-methyl modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (10)..(10) <223> 2'-fluoro modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (11)..(11) <223> 2'-o-methyl modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (12)..(12) <223> 2'-fluoro modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (13)..(13) <223> 2'-o-methyl modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (14)..(14) <223> 2'-fluoro modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (15)..(15) <223> 2'-o-methyl modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (16)..(16) <223> 2'-fluoro modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (17)..(18) <223> 2'-MOE modified nucleotide
• <220> <221> modified_base <222> (19)..(19) <223> Abasic ribitol nucleotide
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="3'-C60H end cap"
• <400> 21 aacaguguuc uugcucuan 19
• <210> 22 <211> 500 <212> PRT <213> Artificial Sequence
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Artificial Sequence: Synthetic polypeptide"
• <400> 22
• <210> 23 <211> 8 <212> PRT <213> Artificial Sequence
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Artificial Sequence: Synthetic peptide"
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="N-term butyrate"
• <220> <221> MOD_RES <222> (6)..(6) <223> Gly(N-CH2CH2CH2NH2)
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="C-term NH2"
• <400> 23
• <210> 24 <211> 50 <212> PRT <213> Unknown
• <220> <223> /note="Description of Unknown: Agouti-Related Peptide sequence"
• <400> 24
• <210> 25 <211> 20 <212> PRT <213> Unknown
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Unknown: Agouti-Related Peptide sequence"
• <400> 25
• <210> 26 <211> 53 <212> PRT <213> Artificial Sequence
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Artificial Sequence: Synthetic polypeptide"
• <400> 26
• <210> 27 <211> 15 <212> PRT <213> Artificial Sequence
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Artificial Sequence: Synthetic peptide"
• <220> <221> MOD_RES <222> (8)..(8) <223> Lys-fatty acid
• <400> 27
• <210> 28 <211> 53 <212> PRT <213> Artificial Sequence
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Artificial Sequence: Synthetic polypeptide"
• <220> <221> MOD_RES <222> (53)..(53) <223> Pyroglutamate
• <400> 28
• <210> 29 <211> 145 <212> PRT <213> Artificial Sequence
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Artificial Sequence: Synthetic polypeptide"
• <400> 29 Glu
• 145
• <210> 30 <211> 454 <212> DNA <213> Artificial Sequence
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Artificial Sequence: Synthetic polynucleotide"
• <400> 30
• <210> 31 <211> 6 <212> PRT <213> Artificial Sequence
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Artificial Sequence: Synthetic polyhistidine tag"
• <400> 31
• <210> 32 <211> 13 <212> PRT <213> Artificial Sequence
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Artificial Sequence: Synthetic peptide"
• <220> <221> MOD_RES <222> (1)..(1) <223> Met-fatty acid
• <400> 32
• <210> 33 <211> 25 <212> PRT <213> Artificial Sequence
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Artificial Sequence: Synthetic peptide"
• <220> <221> MOD_RES <222> (19)..(19) <223> Lys-fatty acid
• <400> 33
• <210> 34 <211> 30 <212> PRT <213> Unknown
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Unknown: Agouti-Related Peptide sequence"
• <400> 34
• <210> 35 <211> 20 <212> PRT <213> Unknown
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Unknown: Agouti-Related Peptide sequence"
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="See specification as filed for detailed description of substitutions and preferred embodiments"
• <400> 35
• <210> 36 <211> 30 <212> PRT <213> Unknown
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="Description of Unknown: Agouti-Related Peptide sequence"
• <220> <221> source <223> /note="See specification as filed for detailed description of substitutions and preferred embodiments"
• <400> 36

Claims (23)

1. A conjugate comprising a biomolecule linked to a fatty acid via a linker, wherein the biomolecule is human Growth Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF15), homologs, variants, mutants or fragments thereof or a dimer thereof, and wherein the fatty acid has the following Formula A1: R¹ is CO₂H;

   R² and R³ are independently of each other H, OH, CO₂H, -CH=CH₂ or ―C=CH;

   n and m are independently of each other an integer between 6 and 30; or an amide, ester or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
2. A conjugate according to claim 1 wherein the fatty acid is selected from wherein Ak³, Ak⁴, Ak⁵, Ak⁶ and Ak⁷ are independently a linear (C_8-20)alkylene, R⁵ and R⁶ are independently linear (C_8-20)alkyl, or an amide, an ester or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
3. A conjugate according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the fatty acid is selected from: or an amide, ester or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
4. A conjugate according to claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the linker comprises alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, heterocyclyl, polyethylene glycol, one or more natural or unnatural amino acids, or combination thereof, wherein each of the alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, heterocyclyl, polyethylene glycol and/or the natural or unnatural amino acids are optionally combined and linked together or linked to the biomolecule and/or to the fatty acid moiety via a chemical group selected from -C(O)O-, -OC(O)-, -NHC(O)-, -C(O)NH-, -O-, -NH-, - S-, -C(O)-, -OC(O)NH-, -NHC(O)-O-, =NH-O-, =NH-NH- or =NH-N(alkyl)-; or an amide, ester or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
5. A conjugate according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the linker comprises an unbranched oligo ethylene glycol moiety of Formula: or, wherein y is 0 to 34; or an amide, an ester or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
6. A conjugate according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the linker comprises a heterocyclic moiety selected from the following Formulae: wherein r is an integer of 0 to 2 and s is an integer of 0 to 3; or an amide, an ester or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
7. A conjugate according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the linker comprises one or more amino acids independently selected from histidine, methionine, alanine, glutamine, asparagine and glycine; or an amide, an ester or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
8. A conjugate according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or an amide, ester or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein the conjugate has one of the following Formulae: wherein in Formulae C and D; both monomeric units of his-hGDF15 or of hGDF15*are linked to the fatty acid moiety via the linker at both N-terminus; or wherein in Formulae E and F, only one of the monomeric unit of his-hGDF15 or of hGDF15* is linked to the fatty acid moiety via the linker at the N-terminus; and wherein

   hGDF15* is hGDF15 wherein the 2 or 3 amino acids at the N-terminus have been replaced with an amino acid sequence XH- orXHX'- respectively, wherein H is histidine and X and X' are independently selected from M and A; and

   his-hGDF15 is hGDF15 wherein a tag, comprising 1 to 6 histidine amino acids and optionally 1 or 2 methionine amino acids, has been added to the N-terminus of hGDF15;

   s is an integer between 20-30; and the line between the 2 monomeric units of his-hDGF15 or the 2 monomeric units of hGDF15* represents a disulfide bond.
9. A mixture comprising the conjugate according to claim 8 having Formula C, or an amide, an ester or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and the conjugate according to claim 8 having Formula E, or an amide, an ester or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof; or a mixture comprising the conjugate according to claim 8 having Formula D, or an amide, an ester or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and the conjugate according to claim 8 having Formula F, or an amide, an ester or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
10. A conjugate according to any one of claims 1 to 7, or an amide, an ester or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein the biomolecule is MH(199-308)hGDF15, MHA(200-308)hGDF15, AHA(200-308)hGDF15 or AH(199-308)GDF15, MHHHHHHM-hGDF15 and MHHHHHH-hGDF15, or a dimer thereof.
11. A conjugate according to claim 8, or an amide, ester or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein hGDF15* is MH(199-308)hGDF15, MHA(200-308)hGDF15, AHA(200-308)hGDF15 or AH(199-308)GDF15; and his-hGDF15 is MHHHHHHM-hGDF15 or MHHHHHH-hGDF15.
12. A conjugate according to claim 8 or 10, or an amide, ester or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein the conjugate is of Formula G or of Formula H: wherein AHA-hGDF15 is SEQ ID NO: 7 and the fatty acid is linked via the linker at the N-terminus of one or of two monomeric units of AHA-hGDF15, and wherein the line between the two AHA-hGDF15 units represents a disulfide bond.
13. A mixture comprising the conjugate according to claim 12 having Formula G, or an amide, an ester or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and the conjugate according to claim 12 having Formula H, or an amide, an ester or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
14. A mixture according to claim 13, wherein the mixture is a 1:1 molar ratio of a conjugate of Formula G, or an amide, an ester or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and a conjugate of Formula H, or an amide, an ester or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
15. A conjugate according to any one of claims 1 to 8, 10, 11 or 12, or an amide, an ester or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, or a mixture of conjugates according to any one of claims 9, 13 or 14, or an amide, an ester or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, for use as a medicament.
16. A conjugate according to any one of claims 1 to 8, 10, 11 or 12, or an amide, an ester or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, or a mixture of conjugates according to claim 9, 13 or 14, or an amide, an ester of a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, for use in the treatment or prevention of metabolic disorders or diseases, diabetes, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, pancreatitis, dyslipidemia, alcoholic and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease/steatohepatitis and other progressive liver diseases, insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, glucose intolerance, hyperglycemia, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, peripheral arterial disease, stroke, heart failure, coronary heart disease, diabetic complications, chronic kidney disease, neuropathy, gastroparesis and other metabolic disorders.
17. A Combination comprising a therapeutically effective amount of a conjugate according to any one of claims 1 to 8, 10, 11 or 12, or an amide, an ester or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, or a mixture of conjugates according to claim 9, 13 or 14, or an amide, an ester or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof; and one or more therapeutically active co-agent.
18. A combination according to claim 17 wherein the co-agent is selected from antidiabetic agent, hypolipidemic agent, anti-obesity agents, anti-hypertensive agents, and agonists of peroxisome proliferator-activator receptors.
19. A combination according to claim 18 wherein the co-agent is selected from insulin, insulin derivatives and mimetics; insulin secretagogues; glyburide, Amaryl; insulinotropic sulfonylurea receptor ligands; thiazolidinediones, pioglitazone, balaglitazone, rivoglitazone, netoglitazone, troglitazone, englitazone, ciglitazone, adaglitazone, darglitazone, Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitors, GSK3 (glycogen synthase kinase-3) inhibitors; RXR ligands; sodium-dependent glucose cotransporter inhibitors; glycogen phosphorylase A inhibitors; biguanides; alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, GLP-1 (glucagon like peptide-1), GLP-1 analogs, GLP-1 mimetics; DPPIV (dipeptidyl peptidase IV) inhibitors, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors; squalene synthase inhibitors; FXR (farnesoid X receptor), LXR (liver X receptor) ligands; cholestyramine; fibrates; nicotinic acid, aspirin; orlistat or rimonabant; loop diuretics, furosemide, torsemide; angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors; inhibitors of the Na-K-ATPase membrane pump; neutralendopeptidase (NEP) inhibitors; ACE/NEP inhibitors; angiotensin II antagonists; renin inhibitors; β-adrenergic receptor blockers; inotropic agents, dobutamine, milrinone; calcium channel blockers; aldosterone receptor antagonists; aldosterone synthase inhibitors; fenofibrate, pioglitazone, rosiglitazone, tesaglitazar, BMS-298585 and L-796449.
20. A pharmaceutical composition comprising a therapeutically effective amount of a conjugate according to any one of claims 1 to 8, 10, 11 or 12, or an amide, an ester or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof; or a mixture of conjugates according to claim 9, 13 or 14, or an amide, an ester or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers.
21. A compound of Formula: R¹ is CO₂H;

    R² and R³ are independently of each other H, OH, CO₂H, -CH=CH₂ or ―C=CH; with the proviso that R² and R³ are not identical;

    n and m are independently of each other an integer between 6 and 30; or an amide, ester or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
22. A compound according to claim 21 selected from the group consisting of: and or an amide, ester or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
23. A compound selected from: and