Patent ID: 7763425
Filing Date: 2010-07-27
Classification: C12Q,G01N

Abstract:
1. A method of assessing risk, of a candidate human transplant donor, of inducing graft versus host disease (GVHD) in a human transplant recipient, said method comprising: (a) comparing a candidate gene expression profile derived from a CD4+ T cell sample from said candidate human transplant donor to a corresponding reference gene expression profile, wherein said candidate gene expression profile comprises a candidate expression value for a SMAD3 nucleic acid; wherein said reference gene expression profile comprises a reference expression value for a SMAD3 nucleic acid, said reference gene expression profile being derived from a comparison of: (i) a GVHD+ expression profile comprising a GVHD+ expression value for a SMAD3 nucleic acid derived from a CD4+ T cell sample obtained from a human transplant donor known to have induced GVHD in a human transplant recipient with (ii) a GVHD− expression profile comprising a GVHD− expression value for a SMAD3 nucleic acid derived from a CD4+ T cell sample obtained from a human transplant donor known to have not induced GVHD in a human transplant recipient, whereby said reference expression value is determined as being (A) the level of expression midway between said GVHD+ expression value and said GVHD− expression value whereby the midway level separates a GVHD+ class comprising said GVHD+ expression value from a GVHD− class comprising said GVHD− expression value; (B) the level of expression between said GVHD+ expression value and said GVHD− expression value defined as separating expression values into GVHD+ and GVHD− classes on the basis of discriminatory analysis; or (C) both (A) and (B); and (b) assessing risk of said candidate human transplant donor of inducing GVHD in a human transplant recipient in accordance with said comparing step of said candidate gene expression profile with said reference gene expression profile wherein said candidate expression value and said reference expression value are obtained by determining the level of expression of said SMAD3 nucleic acid.