Patent Document ID: 8450077
Application ID: 13446382
Patent Flag: 1

Claim One:
1. A process for diagnosing a human subject as having or not having depression, comprising: (a) obtaining a measured level for each of alpha 1 antitrypsin (A1AT), cortisol, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in a blood or urine sample from the subject; (b) comparing the measured levels with control levels of A1AT, cortisol, and BDNF in blood or urine samples, respectively, from normal human subjects who do not have depression; and (c) diagnosing the subject as having depression if (i) the measured levels of A1AT and BDNF are lower than the control levels for A1AT and BDNF and (ii) the measured level of cortisol is higher than the control level for cortisol, or diagnosing the subject as not having depression if (i) the measured levels of A1AT and BDNF are not lower than the control levels for A1AT and BDNF and (ii) the measured level of cortisol is not higher than the control level for cortisol.