Patent ID: 6458550
Filing Date: 2002-10-01
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
A method for determining ovarian autoimmune responses in a female patient having, suspected of having or suspected of having a predisposition for premature ovarian failure or unexplained infertility in an absence of polyglandular disease, comprising:(a) contacting a sample from the patient with an isolated steroid 17-alpha-hydroxylase (CYP17) protein; and (b) detecting formation of an immune complex between any anti-CYP17 autoantibody present in the sample and the isolated CYP17 protein, wherein detection of the immune complex indicates that the patient has an autoimmune response indicative of the presence of or predisposition for premature ovarian failure or infertility in the patient and wherein the premature ovarian failure or unexplained infertility occurs in the absence of polyglandular disease.