Novel diagnostic sensor for rapid and reproducible ro52 protein domain detection

A method for detecting the presence of an antibody recognizing specifically Ro52 p200 peptide in a bodily fluid of a human comprising:

• contacting a bodily fluid of the human with an immobilized sensor molecule comprising a ModPro scaffold bearing a Ro52 p200 peptide and a fluorophore for a time period sufficient to allow any of said antibody that may be present in said fluid to bind to said molecule and thereby alter the fluorescence intensity of said fluorophore;
• and comparing the fluorescence intensity in said fluid after said time period to that of a control sample devoid of said antibody.

A method for assessing a risk that a fetus will develop congenital heart block comprising screening a bodily fluid of a woman in need of screening for the presence of an antibody specifically recognizing one or more Ro52 peptides, the method comprising:

• contacting a bodily fluid of the woman with a plurality of immobilized sensor molecules, each comprising a ModPro scaffold bearing an Ro52 peptide and a fluorophore for a time period sufficient to allow any of said antibody that may be present in said fluid to bind to said molecule and thereby alter the fluorescence intensity of said fluorophore;
• and comparing the fluorescence intensity of each sensor molecule after said time period to that of each of the other sensors.