Methods and compositions for detecting and treating a subset of human patients having an autoimmune disease
US5445940A · kind A · utility
Assignees
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 26, 1992 |
| Grant date | Aug 29, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 26, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2800/52
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Provided are monoclonal antibodies, fragments, and derivatives thereof reactive with an epitope of the T cell receptor alpha chain variable region, V.alpha.12.1, on human T lymphocytes. The monoclonal antibodies are reactive with approximately 2% of CD4.sup.+ T lymphocytes and with approximately 5% of CD8.sup.+ T lymphocytes in peripheral blood cells in normal individuals and define a subset of individuals afflicted with an autoimmune disease, especially rheumatoid arthritis, that exhibit increased expression of the V.alpha.12.1 gene on CD8.sup.+ peripheral blood T lymphocytes when compared to normal individuals. Also provided are methods for diagnosing, treating, and monitoring the progression of rheumatoid arthritis in a subject using V.alpha.12.1-specific reagents, including antibodies and nucleic acid probes. Higher levels of assurance in the diagnosis of RA can be made by establishing that the expansion of V.alpha.12.1 gene usage is clonal or oligoclonal and that the V.alpha.12.1 expansion correlates with the occurrence of the MHC allele, HLA-DQw2.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.