TheraPEG™ IFN β-1b

PolyTherics has successfully PEGylated IFN β-1b using its TheraPEG™ technology to specifically attach a PEG at a disulfide bond. PEGylated IFN β-1b was active in an in vitro assay and showed a lower propensity to aggregate, so improving the stability of the protein.

Nuron Biotech Inc has an option and licence agreement to use TheraPEG™ to PEGylate their proprietary recombinant human IFN β-1b (NU100).

“A novel approach to the PEGylation of protein disulfide bonds,TheraPEG™, is a PEGylation technology of PolyTherics using special PEG monosulfone reagents. The site-specific bisalkylation of both sulfur atoms in the natural disulfide bond that is sufficiently exposed on the protein surface results into the insertion of the PEG linker into the disulfide bond and formation of a three-carbon PEGylated bridge [50, 51].The strategy is appropriate for specific PEGylation of Fab’ fragments and will presumably be used for the production of a novel type of PEGylated IFN-α (http://www.chime.plc.uk/press-releases/de-facto-appointed-by-polytherics).”

Source: Jevṧevar et al. PEGylation of therapeutic proteins. Biotechnol. J. 2010, 5, 113–128