Patent ID: 7384631

Claim:
A method of determining the stage of differentiation of myeloid cells, the method comprising contacting myeloid cells in a sample with a ligand directed against p75/AIRM1 receptor (SEQ ID NO:1), and determining binding of the ligand, wherein an amount of binding is indicative of a stage of myeloid cellular differentiation which stage is later in development than the stage of myeloid cellular differentiation at which CD34 is expressed, and wherein the ligand is selected from the group consisting of: the QA79 monoclonal antibody produced from the hybridoma deposited as ICLC No. PD99003 or the antigen-binding fragment thereof which binds p75/AIRM1 (SEQ ID NO: 1); a humanised antibody comprising said antigen-binding fragment; and an isolated human antibody competing for the binding of the same epitope that the QA79 antibody binds to and the epitope is located on p75/AIRM1 (SEQ ID NO: 1).