This disclosure provides a method for polymerizing polyphenols to provide polyphenol polymers using peroxidase and similar catalysis. In various aspects, it provides a method for polymerizing a polyphenol (e.g., polydopamine or a derivative or conjugate thereof) on a surface comprising polymerizing the polyphenol, a method for detecting an analyte comprising polymerizing a polyphenol, and an assay kit comprising a polyphenol (e.g., dopamine or a dopamine derivative). In one embodiment, a method for polymerizing a polyphenol includes contacting the polyphenol and an oxidant with an enzyme having peroxidase-like activity, under conditions sufficient to polymerize the polyphenol. In another embodiment, a method for depositing a polyphenol polymer (e.g., a polydopamine) includes providing, at a target site, an enzyme having peroxidase-like activity immobilized at the surface; and polymerizing, at the target site, a polyphenol in the presence of an oxidant and the enzyme to provide the polyphenol polymer, deposited on the surface.

The present invention relates to a method for determining whether a patient is likely to benefit from treatment with a therapeutic formulation, the method comprising the steps of: (a) determining the concentration of corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) in a sample from a patient prior to administration of the therapeutic formulation; (b) determining the concentration of CRH in a sample from a patient subsequent to administration of the therapeutic formulation; and (c) comparing the concentration of CRH pre-administration with the concentration of CRH subsequent to administration; wherein an increase in patient CRH concentration subsequent to administration indicates that the patient is likely to benefit from treatment with the therapeutic formulation and wherein no increase or a decrease in patient CRH concentration subsequent to administration indicates that the patient is unlikely to benefit from treatment with the therapeutic formulation. The patient may have multiple sclerosis or systemic sclerosis. The therapeutic formulation may be derived from an ungulate such as a goat and may contain CRH, CRH-binding protein, pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) and alpha-2 macroglobulin. Also provided are methods of treating a patient with a disorder such as multiple sclerosis or systemic sclerosis.