Method and Kit for Determining Risk of Preterm Birth and/or Birth of Low-Birth-Weight Baby
AssigneeHiroshima University
InventorsTakashi Takata, Mutsumi Miyauchi, Yoshiki Kudo
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present application relates to a method for determining a risk of preterm birth and/or low birth weight of a pregnant female comprising measuring a galectin-3 (Gal-3) level in a blood, plasma, or serum sample obtained from the pregnant female, or a kit or marker which may be used in the method. The present application also relates to a medicament effective to reduce a risk of preterm birth and/or low birth weight, a pharmaceutical composition comprising the medicament, or a method for reducing a risk of preterm birth and/or low birth weight of a pregnant female comprising administering the medicament or the pharmaceutical composition to the pregnant female.
Claims22
A method of determining a risk of preterm birth and/or low birth weight of a pregnant woman comprising detecting a Gal-3 in a blood, plasma, or serum sample obtained from the pregnant woman.
The method according to claim 23, wherein the Gal-3 level is compared with a reference value and the pregnant woman is determined to have a risk of preterm birth and/or low birth weight when the Gal-3 level is higher than the reference value.
A kit for determining a risk of preterm birth and/or low birth weight of a pregnant woman comprising an anti-Gal-3 antibody for measuring a Gal-3 level in a blood, plasma, or serum sample obtained from the pregnant woman.
13-14. (canceled)
A method of reducing a risk of preterm birth and/or low birth weight of a pregnant woman comprising administering an effective amount of a Gal-3 inhibitor to the pregnant woman.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.