Patent ID: 7582440

Claim:
A method of detecting endothelial damage or activation in an individual comprising: obtaining a fluid sample from the individual, detecting the level of a fragment of ECSM4 in the sample, comparing the level of the fragment of ECSM4 in the sample to the level of the fragment of ECSM4 in a sample from an individual who does not have endothelial damage or activation, or to the level of the fragment of ECSM4 in an individual who does have endothelial damage or activation, and determining whether the level of the fragment of ECSM4 in the individual indicates endothelial damage or activation, wherein the level of the fragment of ECSM4 is detected using an antibody that selectively binds to a polypeptide having at least 90% identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:37 or SEQ ID NO:24.