Patent ID: 8019551

Claim:
A method for characterization of a candidate agent according to its effect on allergic/atopic conditions, the method comprising: contacting said candidate agent with an asthma/atopy context system selected from (a) primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) in the presence of IL-4 and histamine with at least three different cellular parameters selected from CD55, VCAM-1, P-selectin, Eotaxin-3, MCP-1, VEGF receptor 2 and uPAR (CD87); (b) HUVEC and T cells in the presence of IL-2 and superantigen with at least three different parameters selected from IFN-γ, TNF-alpha, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-8, IL10, IL-13, LT-alpha, CCR4, CCR5, CXCR3, IL-4Ralpha, CD11c, CD38, CD40, CD69, E-Selectin, Eotaxin-3, CD106, CD134, CD150, CD137, CD69, CD200, B7-H1, B7-H2, MIG and CD87; (c) Human neonatal fibroblasts (HDFn) in the presence of TNF, IL-1, IFN and TGFβ with at least three different parameters selected from ICAM, VCAM, CD40, CD90, IP-10, MCP-1, Collagen I, Mig, m-CSF, TIMP-2, PAI-I, and IL-8 (d) HDFn in the presence of TGFβ with at least three different parameters selected from CD90, Collagen I, Collagen III, HLA-DR, PAI-I, and VCAM (e) human bronchial epithelial cells and HDFn in the presence of IL-4 and TNFα with at least three different parameters selected from ICAM-1, IL-1a, IP-10, TGF-β, MIG, HLA-DR, PAI-1, I-TAC, MMP-1, MMP-9, CD87 and Keratin 8/18 (f) primary human umbilical artery smooth muscle cells in the presence of IL-4 and histamine with at least three different parameters selected from VCAM, CD40, HLA-DR, ICAM, IL-8, MCP-1, M-CSF, MIG, Thrombomodulin, and uPAR; (g) primary human umbilical artery smooth muscle cells in the presence of IL-1, TNF-α and IFNγ with at least three different parameters selected from VCAM, CD40, HLA-DR, ICAM, IL-8, MCP-1, M-CSF, MIG, Thrombomodulin, and uPAR; (h) human bronchial epithelial cells in the presence of IL-1β, TNFα and IFN-γ with at least three different parameters selected from ICAM-1, IL-1a, IP-10, TGF-β, MIG, HLA-DR, PAI-1, I-TAC, MMP-1, MMP-9, CD87 and Keratin 8/18; and (i) human bronchial epithelial cells in the presence of IL-4, IL-13 and TNFα with at least three different parameters selected from Eotaxin-3, ICAM-1, IL-1a, IL-8, TGF-β, PAI-1, MMP-9, uPA and Keratin 8/18; measuring changes in parameters as a result of introduction of said candidate agent in said at least three different parameters; deriving a biological dataset from said changes in parameters, wherein said biological dataset comprises control data from said asthma/atopy context system lacking said candidate agent; comparing said biological dataset to a reference biological dataset that includes predetermined agents that target specific asthma/atopy pathways to determine the presence of variation, wherein the presence or absence of variation from said reference biological datasets provides a characterization of said candidate agent's effect on allergic/atopic conditions.