The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 21, 1999
Filed:
Oct. 06, 1992
John H Johnson, Dallas, TX (US);
Roger H Unger, Dallas, TX (US);
Board of Regents, The University of Texas System, Austin, TX (US);
Abstract
Disclosed are compositions and methods for diagnosing autoimmune insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. In general, diagnostic methods of the invention include testing for the presence of an autoimmune immunoglobulin in a suspected patient's serum wherein the immunoglobulin is identified by its ability to interfere with the glucose transporting activity of a pancreatic islet cell glucose transporter. The inventors have discovered that the presence of such an autoimmune antibody in patient's serum is diagnostic of autoimmune insulin dependant diabetes mellitus. In particular aspects the diagnostic assay of the invention involves the incubation of isolated and dispersed islet cells, such as rat islet cells, in the presence of immunoglobulin obtained from the patient. Following such an incubation, the islet cells are tested for their ability to uptake glucose. A diagnosis is made through a determination that immunoglobulins in the serum of the patient specifically inhibit the uptake of glucose by the islet cells.