Patent ID: 7772011

Claim:
A method to diagnose autoimmune chronic urticaria, comprising: a) contacting cells with a test biological sample from an individual being diagnosed for autoimmune chronic urticaria, wherein the cells are capable of expressing CD203c and FcεRIα, and upregulate the expression of CD203c upon stimulation of the FcεRIα, and wherein the cells are provided as present in a whole blood sample from a donor or as present in peripheral blood cells from a donor; and b) detecting expression of CD203c on the cells, wherein statistically significant upregulation of CD203c on the cells in the presence of the test biological sample, as compared to CD203c expression on the cells in the absence of contact with the biological sample, or as compared to CD203c expression on the cells when contacted with a negative control sample from an individual who does not have autoimmune chronic urticaria, indicates that the individual has autoimmune chronic urticaria, wherein the upregulation of CD203c occurs due to stimulation of FcεRIα by functional anti-FcεRIα autoantibodies present in the test biological sample, and wherein the test biological sample is a fluid sample.