Patent ID: 6440679
Filing Date: 2002-08-27
Classification: A61K,A61P,C07K,C12N

Abstract:
A method for diagnosing an autoimmune disease related to the presence of a dermatomyositis-specific autoantibody in a subject, comprising the steps of:(a) contacting in a first reaction a test sample from the subject with a dermatomyositis-specific autoantigen comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2 under conditions that allow the autoantigen and the dermatomyositis-specific autoantibody to form a first immunological complex; (b) contacting in a second reaction a control sample with the autoantigen under conditions that allow the autoantigen and the dermatomyositis-specific autoantibody to form a second immunological complex; (c) detecting the first immunological complex in the first reaction and the second immunological complex in the second reaction; and (d) comparing the amount of the first immunological complex in the first reaction with the amount of the second immunological complex in the second reaction; wherein a greater amount of the first immunological complex in the first reaction than of the second immunological complex in the second reaction indicates that the subject has the autoimmune disease.