HEPATITIS C VIRUS NS2/3 ASSAY

摘要

The present invention provides a novel assay for the detection of the NS2/3 cleavage products NS2 or NS3 in the presence of uncleaved NS2/3. Following self-cleavage of NS2/3 to generate NS2 and NS3 cleavage products, the sample is incubated with a ligand specific for the recognition of NS2 or NS3 cleavage product in the presence of uncleaved NS2/3. There is provided a method for detecting a NS2/3 autocleavage product in a sample containing NS2/3 whereby the amount of NS2- or NS3-bound ligand detected correlates with the NS2/3 autocleavage activity. The present method is also useful as an assay to screen candidate NS2/3 inhibitor compounds as potential treatment for HCV infection. The present invention also provides antibodies that selectively recognize one of cleaved NS2 product or cleaved NS3 product with minimal cross-reactivity with the uncleaved NS2/3 and the other cleaved product.