Methods and compositions for the detection of soluble .beta.-amyloid peptide

US5837672A · kind A · utility

Assignees

• Athena Neurosciences, Inc. · US
• ELI LILLY AND COMPANY · US
• The Brigham and Women's Hospital, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Dale B. Schenk · Burlingame, US
• Michael Schlossmacher · Littlehampton, AU
• Dennis J. Selkoe · Brookline, US
• Peter A. Seubert · South San Francisco, US
• Carmen Vigo-Pelfrey · Mountain View, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 1, 1995
• Grant date: Nov 17, 1998
• Expiry date: Jun 1, 2015

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S436/811
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Soluble .beta.-amyloid peptide (.beta.AP) is measured in biological fluids at very low concentrations, typically in the range from 0.1 ng/ml to 10 ng/ml. The measurement of .beta.AP concentrations in animals or conditioned medium from cultured cells can be used for drug screening, where test compounds are administered to the animals or exposed to the cultured cells and the accumulation of .beta.AP in the animal or culture medium observed. It has been found that elevated levels of .beta.AP in body fluids, such as blood and cerebrospinal fluid, is associated with the presence of a .beta.AP-related condition in a patient, such as Alzheimer's Disease. Methods for diagnosing and monitoring .beta.AP-related conditions comprise measuring the levels of .beta.AP in such body fluids from a patient.