# US 8,541,182 B2 · Biological marker for inflammation > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,541,182 B2 - Document ID: US8541182B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 12/819,945 - Filed: 2010-06-21 - Published: 2010-10-07 - Granted: 2013-09-24 - Earliest claimed: 2004-12-02 - Assignees: Can-Fite Biopharma Ltd. - Applicants: Pnina Fishman; Sara Bar-Yehuda; Lea Madi - Inventors: Pnina Fishman; Sara Bar-Yehuda; Lea Madi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8541182B2 ## CPC - A61P 19/02: for joint disorders, e.g. arthritis, arthrosis - G01N 33/6872: {Intracellular protein regulatory factors and their receptors, e.g. including ion channels} - A61K 31/7076: containing purines, e.g. adenosine, adenylic acid - A61P 29/00: Non-central analgesic, antipyretic or antiinflammatory agents, e.g. antirheumatic agents; Non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs [NSAID] - A61P 37/06: Immunosuppressants, e.g. drugs for graft rejection - A61P 43/00: Drugs for specific purposes, not provided for in groups A61P1/00-A61P41/00 - G01N 33/564: for pre-existing immune complex or autoimmune disease {, i.e. systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid factors or complement components C1-C9} - G01N 2800/52: Predicting or monitoring the response to treatment, e.g. for selection of therapy based on assay results in personalised medicine; Prognosis - A61P: SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - A61K: PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES (devices or methods specially adapted for bringing pharmaceutical products into particular physical or administering forms A61J3/00; chemical aspects of, or use of materials for deodorisation of air, for disinfection or sterilisation, or for bandages, dressings, absorbent pads or surgical articles A61L; soap compositions C11D) ## Abstract Inflammatory state in a subject is assayed by determining the level of expression of A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR) in white blood cells (WBC), e.g. circulating WBCs, from the subject. A high level of expression of A3AR is indicative of an inflammatory state in the subject. This assay can be used for determining the severity of inflammation in a subject and monitoring the efficacy of anti-inflammatory treatment. Also, the level of expression may be used for selecting patients to receive an anti-inflammatory treatment that comprises an A3AR agonist. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A therapeutic method, comprising: a. determining the level of A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR) in a sample of white blood cells (WBCs) of a subject; and b. treating the subject only if said level is above a predefined threshold which is about twice the level of A3AR in WBC of healthy subjects; wherein (i) the subject is one that is known to have an inflammatory state, (ii) the treating comprises administering an anti-inflammatory agent to the subject, and (iii) the anti-inflammatory agent is N6-(3-iodobenzyl)-adenosine-5′-N-methyluronamide (IB-MECA); wherein the treating step comprises treating the subject with an amount of IB-MECA that is effective to reduce the inflammatory state in said subject. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the sample of WBC is taken from a subject before receiving the anti-inflammatory treatment. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the autoimmune disease is rheumatoid arthritis (RA). ### Claim 4 A method for anti-inflammatory therapeutic treatment of a subject known to have an inflammatory state that is the result of an autoimmune disease, the method comprising: a. determining the level of A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR) in a sample of white blood cells (WBCs) of the subject; and b. treating the subject with an anti-inflammatory agent only if the level is above a predefined threshold which is about twice the level of A3AR in WBC of healthy subjects; wherein the anti-inflammatory agent is N6-(3-iodobenzyl)-adenosine-5′-N-methyluronamide (IB-MECA) and the amount of the A3AR agonist is effective to reduce the inflammatory state in said subject. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the sample of WBC is taken from the subject before receiving the anti-inflammatory treatment. ### Claim 6 In a method for anti-inflammatory therapeutic treatment of a subject known to have an inflammatory state that is the result of an autoimmune disease, the method comprising treating the subject with an effective amount of N6-(3-iodobenzyl)-adenosine-5′-N-methyluronamide (IB-MECA), wherein the improvement comprises selecting the subject to receive the anti-inflammatory therapeutic treatment if determined to have a level of A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR), in a sample of white blood cells (WBCs) of the subject, above a predefined threshold that is about twice the level of A3AR in WBC of healthy subjects, and withholding said treatment if determined to have a level of A3AR, in a sample of WBCs of the subject, below the predefined threshold. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the sample of WBCs is taken from a subject before receiving the anti-inflammatory treatment. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the autoimmune disease is rheumatoid arthritis (RA). ### Claim 9 A therapeutic method, comprising: a. determining the level of A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR) in a sample of white blood cells (WBCs) of a subject; and b. treating the subject only if said level is above a predefined threshold which is about twice the level of A3AR in WBC of healthy subjects; wherein (i) the subject is one that is known to have rheumatoid arthritis, (ii) the treating comprises administering an anti-inflammatory agent to the subject, and (iii) the anti-inflammatory agent is an A3AR agonist; wherein the A3AR agonist is N6-(3-iodobenzyl)-adenosine-5′-N-methyluronamide (IB-MECA), and the amount of the A3AR agonist administered is effective to reduce the inflammatory state in said subject. ### Claim 10 A method for anti-inflammatory therapeutic treatment of a subject known to have rheumatoid arthritis, the method comprising: a. determining the level of A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR) in a sample of white blood cells (WBCs) of the subject; and b. treating the subject with an anti-inflammatory agent only if the level is above a predefined threshold which is about twice the level of A3AR in WBC of healthy subjects; wherein the anti-inflammatory agent is an A3AR agonist N6-(3-iodobenzyl)-adenosine-5′-N-methyluronamide (IB-MECA), and the amount of said A3AR agonist is effective to reduce the inflammatory state in said subject. ### Claim 11 In a method for anti-inflammatory therapeutic treatment of a subject known to have rheumatoid arthritis, the method comprising treating the subject with an A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR) agonist, wherein the improvement comprises selecting the subject to receive the anti-inflammatory therapeutic treatment if determined to have a level of A3AR, in a sample of white blood cells (WBCs) of the subject, above a predefined threshold that is about twice the level of A3AR in WBC of healthy subjects, and withholding said treatment if determined to have a level of A3AR, in a sample of WBCs of the subject, below said predefined threshold; wherein the A3AR agonist is N6-(3-iodobenzyl)-adenosine-5′-N-methyluronamide (IB-MECA) and the amount of the A3AR agonist is effective to reduce the inflammatory state in said subject.