The Binding Site Group Limited

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research

Stephen Harding

Gregg Wallis

Jamie Ashby

David L Murray

David R Barnidge

Colin Hutchison

Richard Geir Hughes

Hugh Carr-Smith

The invention provides a method of quantifying the amount of kappa or lambda immunoglobulin light chain in a sample from a subject comprising: i. providing a sample from a subject; ii. mixing the sample with a predetermined amount of lambda light chain calibrator or kappa light chain calibrator to form a mixture; iii. performing mass spectrometry on the mixture; and iv. quantifying one or both of a) the amount of lambda light chain in the sample by comparing the relative amount of lambda light chain in the mixture as determined by the mass spectrometry to the relative amount of calibrator kappa light chain in the mixture as determined by mass spectrometry; and/or b) the amount of kappa light chain in the sample by comparing the relative amount of kappa light chain in the mixture as determined by mass spectrometry to the relative amount of calibrator lambda light chain in the mixture as determined by mass spectrometry, most typically MALDI-TOF spectrometry or liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Mass spectrometry calibrator

An anti-immunoglobulin specific antibody (or fragment thereof), characterised that the antibody or fragment thereof comprises one or more non-disulphide cross-links between at least one heavy chain or fragment thereof and at least one light chain or fragment thereof of the antibody or fragment thereof. A method purifying an anti-immunoglobulin specific antibody (or fragment thereof), characterised that the antibody or fragment thereof comprises one or more non-disulphide cross-links between at least one heavy chain or fragment thereof and at least one light chain or fragment thereof of the antibody or fragment thereof. A method of quantifying an amount of a subject analyte, or a fragment of an analyte in a sample from the subject comprising: (i) adding to the sample a predetermined amount of one or more control analytes or fragments thereof, which are distinguishable from the equivalent subject analyte or fragment; (ii) measuring the relative amount of the subject analyte or fragment and the amount of the control analyte or fragment in the sample; and (iii) comparing the relative amount of subject analyte or fragment to the relative amount of control analyte or fragment, to quantify the amount of analyte or fragment in the original subject sample.

Mass spectrometry kit including a cross-linked antibody or fragment thereof

The application describes a method of quantifying a multimeric analyte in a sample comprising: (i) treating the multimeric analyte with a separating agent selected to convert at least a portion of the multimeric analyte into monomeric analyte; (ii) binding the analyte to an analyte-specific binding agent; (iii) comparing the amount of binding of the analyte to the analyte-specific binding agent to a calibration curve, wherein the calibration curve is obtained (i) by binding the analyte-specific binding agent to one or more predetermined amounts of separating agent treated analyte, prior to contacting with analyte-specific binding agent or (ii) by binding the analyte-specific binding agent to a predetermined amount of substantially monomeric analyte; and (iv) determining an amount of the multimeric analyte in the sample.

Assay for free light chains

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Birmingham, United Kingdom

Stephen Harding