Inventors:
Gary S. Lynch - Irvine CA
Peter A. Seubert - San Mateo CA
David D. Eveleth - Irvine CA
Assignee:
The Regents of the University of California - Oakland CA
International Classification:
C12Q 100
G01N 3353
G01N 33566
G01N 2400
Abstract:
The invention provides a method for the detection of cellular pathology by means of an immunoassay to determine the presence of stable breakdown products, termed BDP's or BDP1 and BDP2, of the cytoskeleton component spectrin. In one aspect of the invention, the components from a sample of spectrin-containing cells are physically separated, as by exposure to an electric field, in such a way that BDP and spectrin are separated. Antibodies reactive with BDP are then contacted with the separated sample, and their binding to that portion of the sample containing any BDP determined. In another aspect of the invention, an assay, such as an ELISA assay, is performed to detect total spectrin immunoreactivity as an indication of cellular death or degradation.