Patent ID: 8309320

Claim:
A method for assessing efficacy of therapy of a human subject affected by a disease having elevated arginase activity, the method comprising: a) detecting a level of arginine and a level of a modulator of arginine bioavailability in a biological sample from the subject, wherein the biological sample is serum, plasma, blood, saliva, or urine; b) determining a ratio of the level of arginine to the level of the modulator of arginine bioavailability in a biological sample from the subject, wherein the modulator is one or more of ornithine, citrulline, symmetric dimethylarginine, asymmetric dimethylarginine, and N G -monomethyl-L-arginine, wherein the biological sample is serum, plasma, blood, saliva, or urine, wherein the disease is asthma, sickle cell disease, pulmonary hypertension, or cardiovascular disease, wherein a ratio of the level of arginine to the level of the modulator of arginine bioavailability that is lower than a normal control ratio indicates elevated arginase activity, and c) assessing the efficacy of therapy be comparing the ratio before and after therapy, wherein an increase in the ratio compared to the ratio prior to the therapy, is indicative of efficacy of therapy in the subject.