Patent ID: 8709997
Filing Date: 2014-04-29
Classification: A61K,A61P,C12Q,G01N

Abstract:
1. A method of diagnosing primary osteoarthritis and/or predicting susceptibility to primary osteoarthritis in a subject, comprising: measuring the subject's Nfat1 protein or gene expression level or an Nfat1 transcription factor activity in a tissue sample selected from cartilage or peripheral blood cells; diagnosing primary osteoarthritis and/or predicting susceptibility to primary osteoarthritis in the subject based on the measuring, wherein the diagnosing includes comparing the subject's Nfat1 protein or gene expression level or the Nfat1 transcription factor activity to a wild-type control Nfat1 protein or gene expression level or an Nfat1 transcription factor activity, wherein having Nfat1 protein or gene expression levels or Nfat1 transcription factor activity reduced by at least 50% relative to the wild-type control is predictive of susceptibility to osteoarthritis; administering at least one bioactive substance selected from the group consisting of an Nfat1 protein and a nucleic acid encoding an Nfat1 protein to the subject; and determining whether the bioactive substance increases at least one of Nfat1 protein expression, Nfat1 gene expression, or Nfat1 transcription factor activity in cartilage or peripheral blood cells in the subject.