Albumin-bound protein/peptide complex as a biomarker for disease

1. A method of diagnosing myocardial ischemia in a subject, comprising the steps of:

(a) preparing an albumin enriched fraction from plasma or serum of the subject;

(b) analyzing the albumin enriched fraction by size exclusion chromatograph (SEC) to produce SEC chromatograms of albumin-bound protein/peptide complexes (ABPPCs); and

(c) comparing the SEC chromatograms of the ABPPCs from the subject to SEC chromatograms of ABPPCs from albumin enriched fraction from plasma or serum of a normal subject population wherein a reduction in height of at least one peak greater than or equal to about 66 kiloDaltons (kDa) in the subject is indicative of myocardial ischemia.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising a step of analyzing the ABPPC(s) using mass spectrometry.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising a step of analyzing the ABPPC(s) using high performance liquid chromatography, affinity chromatography, gel methods and/or immunoassay.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the subject is a mammal.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the subject is a human.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising step (d) detecting the presence of an albumin-bound protein/peptide complex peak below 66 kDa.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

(d) isolating at least one ABPPC from said albumin enriched fraction from said subject wherein in said ABPPC is a protein or peptide selected from the group consisting of afamin, antithrombin III, ceruloplasmin, clusterin, haptoglobin, hemoglobin beta, lumican and transthyretin; and

(e) comparing the ABPPC level from the albumin enriched fraction in step d) to a control level from an albumin enriched fraction from plasma or serum of a normal subject population, wherein an increase or decrease in the level of the ABPPC from the albumin enriched fraction from the subject as compared to the control level is indicative of myocardial ischemia.