Patent ID: 7504226

Claim:
A method of screening for a test compound which may be useful in the treatment of an atherosclerotic disorder comprising: (a) contacting a first portion of a sample obtained from an individual having an atherosclerotic disorder with Chlamydia cells selected from the group consisting of C. pneumoniae and C. psittaci in the presence of the test compound to produce a sample (a), (b) contacting a second portion of the sample obtained from the individual having an atherosclerotic disorder with Chlamydia cells selected from the group consisting of C. pneumoniae and C. psittaci in the absence of the test compound to produce a sample (b), wherein said sample is an atherosclerotic lesion or serum sample comprising IgG molecules which bind to said Chlamydia cells and have lipid oxidation activity, and wherein said test compound is a potential inhibitor of antibody-mediated lipid oxidation; and (c) measuring lipid oxidation in sample (a) and lipid oxidation in sample (b) and comparing the lipid oxidation in sample (a) and the lipid oxidation in sample (b), wherein when the lipid oxidation in sample (a) is less than the lipid oxidation in sample (b), then the test compound may be useful in the treatment of an atherosclerotic disorder.