Patent ID: 7026130
Filing Date: 2006-04-11
Classification: A61P,C07K,G01N

Abstract:
1. A method for screening chemical compounds for ability to compete with hepatitis C virus for binding to a hepatitis C virus (HCV) receptor, comprising: (a) measuring the binding of a chemical compound to an unglycosylated, transmembrane protein from a human or chimpanzee cell and having a molecular weight of about 24kd as determined by SDS PAGE and which binds to the E2 protein of hepatitis C virus wherein said protein is stable to acetone precipitation; and (b) comparing the binding of said HCV receptor to the E2 protein in the presence of said chemical compound to the binding of said HCV receptor to the E2 protein in the absence of said chemical compound, wherein reduced binding of said HCV receptor to the E2 protein in the presence of said chemical compound is indicative of a chemical compound that competes with hepatitis C virus for binding to the HCV receptor.