[Problem]

To provide means for detecting heart failure more simply and highly accurately.

[Solution Means]

A method of detecting heart failure from a sample collected from an organism, the method comprising the step of: performing sandwich immunoassay of NT-proANP or a fragment thereof contained in the sample using a first antibody for capturing for which an epitope lies on any site among positions 31 to 67 of an amino acid sequence of NT-proANP and a second antibody for labeling for which an epitope lies on any site among positions 31 to 67 of the amino acid sequence of NT-proANP, and the like.

The epitopes of the two types of antibodies: one for capturing and the other for labeling, both of which lie among positions 31 to 67 of the amino acid sequence of NT-proANP. This, therefore, enables detention of a fragment having the same amount of substance as NT-proANP and simple and highly accurate detection of heart failure, even if NT-proANP is further cleaved and decomposed into 3 pieces during circulation in blood.

The present invention is in the field of clinical diagnostics. Particularly, the present invention relates to the assessment of severity of a subject being suspected of an infection or having an infection, who may have physiological signs or increased risk factors for infection, in particular from an infectious disease by determination of the levels of Procalcitonin (hereinafter: PCT) (SEQ ID No: 1 and/or proadrenomedullin (hereinafter: proADM)) (SEQ ID No: 3) or a partial peptide or fragment thereof, in particular midregional proadrenomedullin (MR-proADM) (SEQ ID No: 2), in a sample of a patient and the invention is related to a workflow hereto. Moreover, the invention refers to the assessment related to an infection like ruling out/in a patient and stratification, risk assessment, in particular to avoid rehospitalisation and hospital and post-discharge mortality.

A device detects a target molecule in a sample in a sample container to measure the target molecule. A first particle is functionalized with a first binding molecule capable of specifically binding to said target molecule. A surface structure includes a second binding molecule. The surface structure covers a flat sensor or is present on a second particle. The first particle is capable of binding the second binding molecule of the surface structure directly or indirectly. The first and/or second binding molecule is indirectly attached to the particle surface of the first and/or second particle and/or the flat sensor surface via a long and rigid linker molecule. A length and a consistency of the linker molecule is selected such as to result in an average extension length of the linker of more than 60 nm. A number of particle clusters or of bound particles is directly or inversely related to an amount of the target molecules present in the sample.

Methods and systems for diagnosing functional and/or structural abnormalities of the heart preceding heart failure, and for predicting the risk of developing heart failure, in a subject comprising measuring a cardiac troponin in a sample and comparing the measurement to a reference value. Other markers, including GDF15 and IGFBP7 are also measured in some embodiments.

The invention relates to a method for prognosing ACS in a subject, the method comprising determining plasma MIF and Nt-proBNP (or BNP) concentrations in a sample from the subject, diagnosing ACS when the subject plasma concentrations are greater than a reference MIF and Nt-proBNP (or BNP) plasma concentration, and prognosing the magnitude of ACS from the subject plasma MIF and Nt-proBNP (or BNP) concentrations. Also provided is a method of treating ACS in a subject, a device, a kit, and a cardiac biomarker related to the methods of prognosing ACS.

The present invention relates to a method for assessing atrial fibrillation in a subject, said method comprising the steps of determining the amount of SPON-1 in a sample from the subject, and comparing the amount of SPON-1 to a reference amount, whereby atrial fibrillation is to be assessed. Moreover, the present invention relates to methods for the prediction of stroke based on the amount of SPON-1.

The present invention relates to a method for predicting the risk of a subject of rapidly progressing to chronic heart failure and/or of hospitalization due to chronic heart failure and/or death. The method is based on the determination of at least one biomarker selected from the group consisting of a BNP-type peptide, IGFBP7 (IGF binding protein 7), a cardiac Troponin, soluble ST2 (sST2), FGF-23 (Fibroblast Growth Factor 23), and Growth Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF-15), in a sample of a subject. The method may further encompass the assessment of the presence or absence of (i) abnormal midwall fractional shortening or (ii) left ventricular hypertrophy. Further envisaged by the present invention are devices adapted to carry out the present invention.

Systems and methods for using an indium oxide field-effect transistor. A method includes applying phosphonic acid to a nanoribbon of the indium oxide field-effect transistor. The method also includes preparing the nanoribbon with capture antibodies corresponding to a biomarker. The method also includes applying a fluid sample containing at least one biomarker to the nanoribbon. The method also includes preparing the nanoribbon with secondary antibodies corresponding to the biomarker. The method also includes applying a protein solution to the nanoribbon. The method also includes detecting the presence of the at least one biomarker when a reactive solution is applied to the nanoribbon.

The present invention relates to a method for diagnosing a transitory ischemic attack (TIA) in a subject who is suspected to have exhibited a transitory ischemic attack, but who did not exhibit a stroke. The method is based on the determination of the amount of NT-proANP in a sample from said subject. Moreover, the present invention is directed to a method for diagnosing an acute cerebral ischemic event in a subject based on the determination of the amounts of NT-proBNP and NT-proANP in a sample from a subject. The method further comprises the step of calculating a ratio of the amounts of NT-proBNP and NT-proANP. Further envisaged by the present invention are kits and devices adapted to carry out the method of the present invention.

The present disclosure provides variants of C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP), pharmaceutical compositions comprising CNP variants, and methods of making CNP variants. The CNP variants are useful as therapeutic agents for the treatment of diseases responsive to CNP, including but not limited to bone-related disorders, such as skeletal dysplasias (e.g., achondroplasia), and vascular smooth muscle disorders (e.g., restenosis and arteriosclerosis).