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AssigneeThe Regents of the University of California
InventorsDaniel L. Kaufman, Jide Tian
Estimating the term…
Methods for detecting the status of an insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM)-associated autoimmune response in a mammal are provided. Specifically, the ratio of the frequency of T helper 1 cells to T helper 2 cells specific for a pancreatic β-cell associated antigen is indicative of the status of the autoimmune response. The methods may be employed prior to the onset of the clinical symptoms of the disease, thereby allowing identification of those at risk for developing clinical symptoms of IDDM, or subsequent to pancreatic tissue transplantation, for example, to measure the efficacy of treatment directed to enhancing the lifetime of the tissue transplant. Methods for prolonging the survival of tissue transplants are also provided. Specifically, a tissue-associated antigen is administered to the mammal which serves to shift the pathogenic Th1 response associated with pathological immunity toward a protective Th2 response.
A method for prolonging the survival of a pancreatic tissue transplant in a mammal, said method comprising:
A method for reducing the severity of an IDDM-associated autoimmune response in a mammal, said method comprising administering to said mammal a therapeutically effective amount of a pancreatic β-cell-associated antigen, wherein said administering results in an increase in the ratio of the number of T helper 2 cells specific for said antigen to the number of T helper 1 cells specific for said antigen.
A method for increasing the frequency of T helper 2 cells specific for a pancreatic β-cell-associated antigen relative to T helper 1 cells specific for said pancreatic β-cell-associated antigen in a mammal comprising administering to said mammal said pancreatic β-cell-associated antigen in an amount sufficient to increase said T helper 2 response relative to said T helper 1 response.
A method for reducing the severity of an ongoing IDDM-associated autoimmune response in a mammal, said method comprising administering to said mammal after the onset of insulitis a therapeutically effective amount of a pancreatic β-cell-associated antigen, wherein administering results in an increase in the ratio of the number of T helper 2 cells specific for said antigen to the number of T helper 1 cells specific for said antigen.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.