Treatment of macrophage mediated disease

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of treating or monitoring/diagnosing a disease state mediated by activated macrophages. The method comprises the step of administering to a patient suffering from a macrophage mediated disease state an effective amount of a composition comprising a conjugate or complex of the general formula Ab-X where the group Ab comprises a ligand capable of binding to activated macrophages, and when the conjugate is being used for treatment of the disease state, the group X comprises an immunogen, a cytotoxin, or a compound capable of altering macrophage function, and when the conjugate is being used for monitoring/diagnosing the disease state, X comprises an imaging agent. The method is useful for treating a patient suffering from a disease selected from the group consisting of rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, inflammation, infections, osteomyelitis, atherosclerosis, organ transplant rejection, pulmonary fibrosis, sarcoidosis, and systemic sclerosis.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.