Patent ID: 8512959

Claim:
A method of biomarker discovery, said method comprising the steps of: providing a complex analyte mixture sample, said sample comprising proteins and peptides, as a candidate biomarker source, said complex analyte mixture sample being depleted of proteins that are less than 10% of the total number, and simultaneously represent at least 50% of the total mass, of proteins and peptides in said sample, said depleted proteins and peptides being denominated abundant proteins; providing a control sample for said complex analyte mixture sample; injecting a model animal with an aliquot of said abundant protein-depleted complex analyte mixture sample as an immunogen so as to generate, from individual hybridoma cell lines, a population of monoclonal antibodies directed against antigens in said complex analyte mixture sample; screening said population of monoclonal antibodies directed against antigens in said complex analyte mixture sample against another aliquot of said complex analyte mixture sample; screening said population of monoclonal antibodies directed against antigens in said complex analyte mixture sample against an aliquot of said control sample; and selecting at least one monoclonal antibody that exhibits a statistically significant difference in binding to an antigen in said complex analyte mixture sample compared to an antigen in said control sample, whereby the antigen(s) selectively bound by said at least one selected monoclonal antibody are said biomarker(s).