Apparatus, Compositions, and Methods for Assessment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Progression Among Rapid and Slow Decline Conditions

Abstract

Methods are disclosed for generating and isolating an informative content repository of respiratory related biomarkers to accurately determine whether an individual has normal or abnormal pulmonary function. Specifically, methods are directed to determination of whether individuals have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and if so, whether the affected individuals experience rapid long decline or slow lung decline as a result of COPD. Also disclosed is an informative content repository of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease biomarkers, which when linked with other informative content provides a powerful tool for diagnosis, study, therapeutic discovery and development, condition management, health maintenance, and linking chronic obstructive pulmonary disease through pattern of life style, environmental exposure, and genetic susceptibility and inheritance. Disclosed herein is a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease biomarker informative content repository comprising at least one COPD biomarker, apparatus and methods to diagnose, assess, address, and ameliorate related conditions.

1 .- 31 . (canceled) 
     
     
         32 . A diagnostic tool comprising:
 tryptic peptides of at least three of the respiratory condition biomarkers in Table 1, wherein the respiratory condition biomarkers are indexed with their abundance; with the proviso that the diagnostic tool does not comprise tryptic peptides of at least one of the proteins in Table 1.   
     
     
         33 . The diagnostic tool of  claim 32 , comprising at least four of the respiratory condition biomarkers in Table 1. 
     
     
         34 . The diagnostic tool of  claim 33 , further comprising a mass spectrometer, liquid chromatograph, size separation column, electrophoretic gel or protein chip. 
     
     
         35 . The diagnostic tool of  claim 32 , comprising at least three of the respiratory condition biomarkers in Table 2. 
     
     
         36 . The diagnostic tool of  claim 32 , comprising at least four of the respiratory condition biomarkers in Table 2. 
     
     
         37 . The diagnostic tool of  claim 36 , further comprising a mass spectrometer, liquid chromatograph, size separation column, electrophoretic gel or protein chip. 
     
     
         38 . The diagnostic tool of  claim 32 , wherein the diagnostic tool comprises a protein chip for determining three or more proteins, or peptides of three or more proteins, set forth in Table 1, wherein said proteins, or the peptides of the proteins, bind to the surface of the chip. 
     
     
         39 . The diagnostic tool of  claim 38 , wherein the diagnostic tool comprises a protein chip for determining four or more proteins, or peptides of four or more proteins, set forth in Table 1, wherein said proteins, or the peptides of the proteins, bind to the surface of the chip. 
     
     
         40 . The diagnostic tool of  claim 38 , wherein the diagnostic tool comprises a protein chip for determining five or more proteins, or peptides of five or more proteins, set forth in Table 1, wherein said proteins, or the peptides of the proteins, bind to the surface of the chip. 
     
     
         41 . A diagnostic tool comprising:
 a gene chip that specifically binds expressed nucleic acids for the respiratory condition biomarkers of three or more proteins in Table 1; wherein the expressed nucleic acids for the respiratory condition biomarkers specifically bind to the surface of the gene chip; and wherein said gene chip does not specifically bind an expressed nucleic acid for each of the respiratory condition biomarkers set forth in Table 1.   
     
     
         42 . A process comprising:
 obtaining a sample from a patient having or suspected of having a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD);   analyzing the sample using the diagnostic tool of  claim 32  to obtain data; and   using the data to determine whether the patient will undergo a rapid or a slow decline in respiratory condition.