Patent ID: 6653135
Filing Date: 2003-11-25
Classification: A61K,G01N

Abstract:
A method of determining the expression and suppression of proteins specific to a stressor so as to develop a single dynamic index of stress, the method comprising:(a) determining base control level protein expression of an organism or population of organisms; (b) exposing said organism or population of organisms a first time to said stressor; said organism or population of organisms expressing a first set of one or more proteins and suppressing a second set of one or more proteins in response to stress induced by said stressor, wherein an amount of said stressor correlates to (1) the amounts of expressed proteins in said first set of one or more proteins and (2) the amounts of suppressed proteins in said second set of one or more proteins; (c) determining said first set of one or more proteins and said second set of one or more proteins expressed and suppressed by said organism, respectively, upon being exposed to said stressor; (d) identifying specific subsets of proteins expressed and suppressed for the stressor, said subsets of proteins being unique to said stressor and distinct from all other stressors likely to be present; (e) weighting said subsets of proteins individually to maximize the power of discrimination in providing a weighted protein expression signature; (f) exposing said organism or population of organisms a second time, or a second organism or population of organisms a first time, to said stressor, said stressor being at an amount greater than an amount used previously; and (g) repeating step (c) to statistically obtain stressor induced weighted protein expression signatures to maximally distinguish concentrations or intensities of response to said stressor over a range of concentrations or intensities, wherein a single dynamic index of stress is developed using the weights of the amounts of proteins determined over a range of protein expression for an organism.