Method for the enrichment of cell free nucleosomes
AssigneeBelgian Volition SPRL
InventorsMark Edward Eccleston, Jacob Vincent Micallef
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Abstract
The present invention relates to the use of a histone H1 binding agent for detecting, isolating and/or purifying cell free nucleosomes of tumor origin from a biological sample. The invention also describes methods of negative or positive selection using histone H1 binding agents, in order to enrich a sample for cell free nucleosomes of tumor origin.
Claims20
A method for analysing cell free nucleosomes of tumor origin from a biological sample by affinity purification wherein said method comprises the steps of:
- (i) contacting the sample with a histone H1 binding agent;
- (ii) isolating nucleosomes from the sample which are not bound to the histone H1 binding agent;
- and
- (iii) analysing the isolated nucleosomes by immunoassay or mass spectroscopy.
A method for isolating purified tumor DNA from a biological sample, wherein said method comprises the steps of:
- (i) contacting the sample with a histone H1 binding agent;
- (ii) isolating nucleosomes which are not bound to the histone H1 binding agent;
- (iii) extracting DNA from the nucleosome sample isolated in step (ii);
- and
- (iv) analysing the extracted DNA.
An immunoassay method for detecting an epigenetic epitope of tumor derived nucleosomes in a biological sample, wherein said method comprises the steps of:
- (i) contacting the sample with a first binding agent comprising a histone H1 binding agent;
- (ii) isolating nucleosomes which are not bound to the first binding agent;
- (iii) contacting the nucleosomes with a second binding agent which binds to said epitope;
- (iv) detecting and/or quantifying the binding of said second binding agent to said epitope;
- and
- (v) using the presence or degree of such binding as a measure of the presence of the particular epitope of tumor derived nucleosomes in the sample.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.