Patent ID: 7335516

Claim:
A method for producing an antibody to the glycated protein HbA1c, comprising immunizing an animal with a conjugate comprising a hapten conjugated to a carrier, the conjugate hapten comprising a glycated peptide mimic of the glycated peptide sequence which is the target epitope, wherein the peptide mimic comprises amino acid residues sequentially numbered beginning with one, where residue one is a valine modified by addition of a glucose molecule, where residue two is an analog of Histidine which does not bear a charge in the immunizing structure, and allows orientation of the peptide so that the immune response can be directed to the side of the peptide chain oriented oppositely to the ring, and is of a size that the conformation of the peptide mimics the conformation of the peptide in the native molecule, where residue three is leucine or an analog thereof which allows binding to an antibody preferentially recognizing Hb A1c, and where residue four is threonine or an analog thereof which allows binding to antibody preferentially recognizing Hb A1c, wherein the peptide mimic is constructed to conformationally mimic the conformation of the peptide in the native protein, and wherein the peptide mimic contains no charged groups or other immunodominant group.