Patent ID: 6998245

Claim:
A method for detecting pancreatitis, comprising: measuring the concentration, in the blood or urine of an individual, of a protein selected from the group consisting of: (i) a protein comprising the amino acid sequence of residues 1–231 of SEQ ID NO:2, and having serine protease activity; and (ii) a protein comprising the amino acid sequence of residues 1–231 of SEQ ID NO:4, and having serine protease activity, by contacting the blood or the urine with an antibody, raised against an antigen consisting of amino acid residues 1–231 of either SEQ ID NO:2 or SEQ ID NO:4, or an antigenic fragment thereof, to immunologically bind any of said protein or fragment thereof in the blood or the urine; and detecting pancreatitis by determining if the concentration of the protein or fragment thereof represents an increased level of the protein or fragment thereof in the blood or urine of the individual when the concentration of the protein or fragment thereof is compared before and after induction of pancreatitis in the individual.