Use of anti-embryonic epsilon hemoglobin antibodies to identify fetal cells
US5962234A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 25, 1998 |
| Grant date | Oct 5, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 25, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2800/368
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An in vitro method of identifying or isolating fetal cells from a blood sample is described. Fetal nucleated erythrocytes or erythroblasts are identified by using an antibody or antibody fragment specific for embryonic hemoglobin or an embryonic hemoglobin chain. Once the fetal cells are identified, they can be treated to render the fetal nucleic acids or proteins available for identification or amplification. Detecting the occurrence or existence of selected fetal nucleic acids or proteins allows a quantitative or qualitative diagnostic or prenatal evaluation, including determining the sex of the fetus, determining chromosomal, single gene or protein abnormalities, and determining the presence or absence of particular genes, nucleic acid sequences or proteins.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.