Novel antibodies, drugs containing these antibodies and methods for screening compounds by using these antibodies

Abstract

The present invention provides antibodies which recognize a novel, membrane-type matrix metalloproteinase polypeptide [MT4-MMP(2)] that has, different from the hitherto reported MT4-MMP, physiological activity; prophylactic agents, diagnostic agents and therapeutic agents comprising the antibodies, for various diseases such as arthrosis deformans, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, autoimmune diseases, or atopic dermatitis; and methods of screening for inhibitors and activators of MT4-MMP(2) using the antibodies. The second object of the present invention is to provide antibodies which recognize novel, human and mouse membrane-type matrix metalloproteinase MT5-MMP polypeptides having physiological activity; prophylactic agents, diagnostic agents and therapeutic agents comprising the antibodies, for various diseases such as arthrosis deformans, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, autoimmune diseases, atopic dermatitis, brain disorders at the time of cerebral apoplexy, or Alzheimer's disease; and methods of screening for inhibitors and activators of MT5-MMP using the antibodies.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.