Biomarkers
AssigneeUniversity of Warwick
InventorJan Brosens
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to methods for assessing the risk of miscarriage or embryo implantation failure, and also for monitoring or evaluating the effect of a treatment to reduce the risk of miscarriage or embryo implantation failure using specific biomarkers. The invention also relates to the use of these biomarkers in methods of diagnosing a reproductive disorder in an individual, and also to methods of treating a reproductive disorder. In addition, the biomarkers can further be used in methods of selecting patients for treatment to reduce risk of embryo implantation failure or miscarriage. The invention also relates to kits for use in any of the methods described herein.
Claims21
1-51. (canceled)
A method for assessing the risk of miscarriage or embryo implantation failure in a female individual, wherein the method comprises detecting and/or quantifying the amount of at least one marker gene for decidual cells and at least one marker gene for decidual senescent cells in a biological sample obtained from the female individual, and thereby assessing the risk, wherein a decreasing level of the marker gene for decidual cells, as compared with a reference sample or level, and/or an increasing level of the marker gene for decidual senescent cells, as compared with a reference sample or level, indicates that the female individual is at risk of miscarriage or embryo implantation failure.
A method of monitoring or evaluating the effect of a treatment to reduce the risk of miscarriage or embryo implantation failure in a female individual, wherein the method comprises detecting and/or quantifying the amount of at least one marker gene for decidual cells and at least one marker gene for decidual senescent cells in a biological sample obtained from the female individual, and thereby monitoring or evaluating the effect of the treatment, wherein a decreasing level of the marker gene for decidual cells, as compared with a reference sample or level, and/or an increasing level of the marker gene for decidual senescent cells, as compared with a reference sample or level, indicates that the female individual is at risk of miscarriage or embryo implantation failure.
A method of treating a reproductive disorder in a female individual, the method comprising administering an agent to, and/or carrying out a treatment regimen on, the female individual who is positively diagnosed or assessed as being at risk of a reproductive disorder, to treat the reproductive disorder;
- wherein the female individual is positively diagnosed or assessed as being at risk of a reproductive disorder, by having an increased level of the marker gene for decidual senescent cells, as compared with a reference sample or level which represents the sample or the level from a female individual or multiple female individuals known to not have any reproductive disorder, and/or by having a decreased level of the marker gene for decidual cells, as compared with a reference sample or level which represents the sample or the level from a female individual or multiple female individuals known to not have any reproductive disorder;
- wherein the agent is a dipeptidyl-peptidase IV (DPP4) inhibitor;
- wherein the treatment regimen comprises endometrial scratching;
- and wherein administration of the agent to or carrying out the treatment regimen on the individual is prior to pregnancy.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.