METHODS AND COMPOSITIONS FOR THE DETECTION OF SOLUBLE .BETA.-AMYLOID PEPTIDE

摘要

Soluble .beta.-amyloid peptide (.beta.AP) is measured in biological fluids at very low concentrations, typically in the range from 0.1 ng/ml to 10 ng/ml. The measurement of .beta.AP concentrations in animals or conditioned medium from cultured cells can be used for drug screening, where test compounds are administered to the animals or exposed to the cultured cells and the accumulation of .beta.AP in the animal or culture medium observed. It has been found that elevated levels of .beta.AP in body fluids, such as blood and cerebrospinal fluid, is associated with the presence of a .beta.AP-related condition in a patient, such as Alzheimer's Disease. Methods for diagnosing and monitoring .beta.AP-related conditions comprise measuring the levels of .beta.AP in such body fluids from a patient.