Detection of circulating endothelial cells
AssigneeWellstat Biologics Corporation
InventorRobert M. Lorence
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Abstract
Endothelial cells are detected in a blood sample by enriching the endothelial cells from the blood sample followed by performing on the enriched endothelial cells an immunoassay capable of detecting antigens expressed by the endothelial cells. The immunoassay is capable of detecting antigen expressed from 300 endothelial cells per milliliter of blood. The method can be used for assaying mature circulating endothelial cells or circulating endothelial progenitor cells.
Claims10
A method of assaying endothelial cells in a blood sample comprising enriching the endothelial cells from the blood sample by contacting the blood sample with immunomagnetic beads capable of binding selectively to the endothelial cells, lysing the enriched endothelial cells, followed by performing on the endothelial cell lysate an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay capable of detecting an antigen expressed by the endothelial cells;
- wherein the immunoassay has a sensitivity defined by being capable of detecting the endothelial cell antigen from three hundred endothelial cells per milliliter of blood or by being capable of detecting the endothelial cell antigen from one hundred sixty picograms of antigenic protein;
- and
- wherein the immunoassay generates an electrochemiluminescence signal proportional to the number of endothelial cells present in the blood sample.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.