Compositions and methods for treating hepatitis B

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9518090-B2
Application number	US-201314431622-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2013
Priority date	Sep 26, 2012
Publication date	Dec 13, 2016
Grant date	Dec 13, 2016

Abstract

The present invention provides compositions and methods for treating hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection as well as methods for identifying a compound or a composition that is suitable for treating HBV infection. In addition, the present invention provides a suitable non-mammalian animal model that can be used to screen for a compound or a composition that can inhibit HBV replication or treat HBV infection in a mammal. In particular, the present invention provides compositions and methods for treating hepatitis B infection by inhibiting interaction between HBV x protein and a Bcl-2 family protein or by reducing the expression level of a Bcl-2 family protein.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for treating hepatitis B infection in a subject, said method comprising administering to a subject in need of such a treatment a composition (i) that is capable of inhibiting binding of hepatitis B virus X protein to a Bcl-2 family member protein in said subject; (ii) that is capable of reducing the expression of Bcl-2family member protein in said subject; or (iii) a combination thereof.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said Blc-2 family member protein comprises Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, or a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said composition comprises a binding inhibitor that is capable of inhibiting binding of hepatitis B virus X protein to said Bcl-2 family member protein.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said binding inhibitor is capable of interacting with Bcl-2 homology 3 (BH3)-like motif of hepatitis B virus X protein or a Bcl-2 family member.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said composition comprises an expression inhibitor that is capable of reducing the expression of Bcl-2 family member protein.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein said expression inhibitor is a siRNA or a small RNA that is capable of reducing the expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, or a combination thereof.

7. A method for identifying a composition that is capable of treating hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in a mammal, said method comprising determining the effect of said composition in an interaction between HBV X protein and CED-9 protein of C. elegans, wherein modulation of the interaction between HBV X protein and CED-9 protein in the presence of said composition is an indication that said composition is capable of treating HBV infection in a mammal.

8. A method for treating hepatitis B infection in a subject, said method comprising administering to a subject in need of such a treatment a therapeutically effective amount of a composition comprising peptaibol TK.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein said peptaibol TK comprises peptaibol TK VI (SEQ ID NO: 1), peptaibol TK VII (SEQ ID NO: 2), peptaibol TK VIII (SEQ ID NO: 3) or a mixture thereof.

Assignees

• Univ Colorado Regents

Inventors

• Xue Ding
• Geng Xin

Classifications

• G01N33/5008

  for testing or evaluating the effect of chemical or biological compounds, e.g. drugs, cosmetics · CPC title

• G01N2500/02

  Screening involving studying the effect of compounds C on the interaction between interacting molecules A and B (e.g. A = enzyme and B = substrate for A, or A = receptor and B = ligand for the receptor) · CPC title

• C12N15/1135

  against oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes · CPC title

• G01N2500/10

  involving cells · CPC title

• A61K38/00

  Medicinal preparations containing peptides (peptides containing beta-lactam rings A61K31/00; cyclic dipeptides not having in their molecule any other peptide link than those which form their ring, e.g. piperazine-2,5-diones, A61K31/00; ergot alkaloids of the cyclic peptide type A61K31/48; containing macromolecular compounds having statistically distributed amino acid units A61K31/74; medicinal preparations containing antigens or antibodies A61K39/00; medicinal preparations characterised by the non-active ingredients, e.g. peptides as drug carriers, A61K47/00) · CPC title