Biochemical Markers for Pulmonary and Other Diseases

Abstract

A method of bioassay for the quantification of peptide fragments elevated in lung diseases such as COPD, SCC, or IPF, comprising a neo-epitope formed at a cleavage site by cleavage in vivo of elastin by a proteinase by contacting a sample with an antibody having specific binding affinity for a the neo-epitope amino acid sequence and determining the level of binding, where the antibody binds one of the following terminal sequences: ...FGPGVV ...VPGLGV IKAPKL... and antibodies and immunoassay kits for use in such methods.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An immunological binding partner specifically reactive with one of the following C-terminal sequences derived from elastin: 
       
         
           
                 
                 
               
                     
                   (SEQ ID NO: 2) 
                 
                     
                   FGPGVV||'334 
                 
                     
                     
                 
                     
                   (SEQ ID NO: 3) 
                 
                     
                   VPGLGV||'602 
                 
             
                
                
                
                
                
               
            
           
         
       
       or reactive with the following N-terminal sequence derived from elastin: 
       
         
           
                 
                 
               
                     
                   (SEQ ID NO: 4) 
                 
                     
                   208'||IKAPKL 
                 
             
                
                
               
            
           
         
       
       wherein the immunological binding partner not specifically reactive with the sequence ... ... ...FGPGVVG (SEQ ID NO:5) if it is reactive with ... ... ...FGPGVV (SEQ ID NO: 2), and is not specifically reactive with ... ... ...VPGLGVG (SEQ ID NO: 6) if it is reactive with ... ... ...VPGLGV (SEQ ID NO: 3), and is not specifically reactive with PIKAPKL... ... (SEQ ID NO: 7) if it is reactive with IKAPKL... ... (SEQ ID NO: 4). 
     
     
         2 . An immunological binding partner as claimed in  claim 1 , which is a monoclonal antibody or a binding fragment thereof. 
     
     
         3 . A cell line producing a monoclonal antibody as claimed in  claim 1 . 
     
     
         4 . An immunoassay kit comprising an immunological binding partner as claimed in  claim 1 , and a competition agent which binds said immunological binding partner, and optionally one or more of a wash reagent, a buffer, a stopping reagent, an enzyme label, an enzyme label substrate, calibration standards, an anti-mouse antibody and instructions for conducting an assay using said kit.