Patent ID: 7166472

Claim:
A method for the identification of a candidate pharmacological agent that results in the prevention of or reduction in cross-linking of a target protein, said method comprising: (a) adding a reducible redox-active metal source to a first sample of the target protein comprising an auto-oxidizing kynurenine pathway metabolite; (b) allowing said first sample to incubate for an amount of time sufficient to allow cross-linking of said target protein; (c) adding said reducible redox-active metal source to a second sample of the target protein comprising an auto-oxidizing kynurenine pathway metabolite, said second sample additionally comprising a candidate pharmacological agent; (d) allowing said second sample to incubate for the same amount of time as said first sample; (e) determining the amount of target protein cross-linking by said first sample and said second sample; and (f) comparing the amount of target protein cross-linking produced by said first sample to the amount of target protein cross-linking produced by said second sample; whereby a decrease in the amount of target protein cross-linking produced by said second sample, as compared to said first sample, indicates that said candidate pharmacological agent is useful in the treatment of cataracts.