Diagnostic methods relating to Graves' disease and other autoimmune disorders
View Patent ↗The invention provides methods of diagnosing Graves' disease (GD), Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and other autoimmune diseases in an individual by detecting a disproportionately large fraction of peripheral blood T cells express IGF-1R (CD3 + IGF-R + ) compared to normal control samples. In a further embodiment, the invention provides methods of diagnosing, prognosing, staging, and/or monitoring GD, RA and other autoimmune diseases. Or a predisposition thereto in an individual by detecting a disproportionately large fraction of CD3 + IGF-1R + T cells that express CD45RO + compared to normal control samples. In a further embodiment, the invention provides a method of diagnosing, prognosing, staging, and/or monitoring GD, RA and other autoimmune diseases or a predisposition thereto in an individual by detecting an increased CD45RO + /RA + ratio in peripheral blood T cells compared to normal control samples. In addition to peripheral blood T cells, the methods of the invention also can be practiced with test samples comprising T cells harvested from affected orbital tissues. Embodiments directed to the prognosis, staging, and/or monitoring of GD, RA and other autoimmune diseases or a predisposition thereto also are provided, along with diagnostic kits for practicing the various embodiments of the invention.
1. A method of prognosing clinical course in an individual afflicted with Graves' Disease (GD) comprising (a) obtaining a peripheral blood sample from the individual; (b) determining the fraction of T cells in the blood sample that express CD3 and IGF-1R (CD3 + IGF-1R + T cells); and (c) relating the determined fraction of CD3 + IGF-1R + T cells to the prognosis of disease course, wherein an increased expression compared to a series of controls is used to prognose the clinical course of GD.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein expression of CD3 and IGF-1R is determined by cytometric analysis, Western blot, RT-PCR, radioligand binding, histopathology, or a combination thereof.
3. A method comprising (a) obtaining a peripheral blood sample from an individual; (b) determining the fraction of CD3 + IGF-1R + T cells in the blood sample that express CD45RO + ; and (c) relating the determined fraction of CD45RO + T cells to a diagnosis of Graves disease, wherein an increased expression compared to a normal control indicates Graves disease.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein expression of CD45RO is determined by cytometric analysis, Western blot, RT-PCR, radioligand binding, histopathology, or a combination thereof.
5. A method of determining predisposition for Graves' Disease in an individual comprising (a) obtaining a peripheral blood sample from the individual; (b) determining the fraction of T cells in the blood sample that express CD3 and IGF-1R (CD3 + IGF-1R + T cells); and (c) relating the determined fraction of CD3 + IGF-1R + T cells to the predisposition for Graves' disease, wherein an increased expression compared to a series of controls determines the predisposition for GD.