Patent ID: 6562579
Filing Date: 2003-05-13
Classification: A61K,A61P,C07H,C07K,G01N,Y02A

Abstract:
A method of diagnosing an autoimmune disease or disorder which comprises:(a) contacting a biological sample from a test subject with an antibody or portion thereof that specifically binds a Neutrokine-&agr; protein consisting of amino acid residues 134 to 285 of SEQ ID NO:2; (b) assaying the level of Neutrokine-&agr; protein in the biological sample; and (c) comparing the level of Neutrokine-&agr; protein in the biological sample with a standard level of Neutrokine-&agr; protein; whereby an increase or decrease in the level of Neutrokine-&agr; protein compared to the standard level of Neutrokine-&agr; protein is indicative of an autoimmune disease or disorder.