The invention is in the field of molecular diagnosis of medical diseases and their treatment. More in particular, it provides methods and means for detecting hypertension, more in particular essential primary hypertension, even more in particular NOX5-dependent hypertension. The invention also provides methods for the treatment of hypertension, in particular essential primary hypertension, more in particular NOX5-dependent hypertension. The invention also provides theragnostics, wherein therapy is combined with diagnosis, more in particular wherein the level of NOX5 is determined in a sample from a subject and wherein the subject is treated with NOX5 inhibitors or compounds that decrease the levels of NOX5 if the NOX5 levels are above a certain threshold value. Further, the invention also provides theragnostics, wherein diagnosis is combined with therapy, more in particular wherein the (plasma) level of NOX5 is determined in a sample from a subject and wherein the subject is treated with NOX5 inhibitors or compounds that reverse the result of NOX5 activity in the subject, when the determined NOX5 level is exceeding a predetermined threshold level. Finally, the invention relates to an animal model suitable for developing diagnostic methods and therapeutic treatments for NOX5-dependent hypertension.

Pulmonary hypertension is a progressive disease of various origins that is associated with vascular remodelling and results in right heart dysfunction. Accumulating evidence indicates important roles of immune cells and inflammatory chemokines in the pathogenesis and progression of pulmonary hypertension. We have identified CCL21 as anti-remodelling efficacy biomarker for pulmonary hypertension. CCL21 was found to be highly sensitive and specific in discriminating pulmonary hypertension patients from matched controls. CCL21 was upregulated in pulmonary hypertension and down-regulated with treatment with an anti-remodelling agent.

The present invention provides a synchronous detection method of medicaments influencing ARR in the detecting process of renin activity by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The method achieves the qualitative screening of medicaments influencing ARR values while detecting plasma renin activity by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry; moreover, the method can be used to assist to analyze and judge ARR as negative, positive, false negative or false positive. The detecting method achieves effective extraction of angiotensin I and 43 hypertension therapeutics synchronously through protein precipitation to samples, and enables to perform synchronous detection of a plurality of indices including angiotensin I and 43 hypertension therapeutics on the extracted sample by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry technology of high throughput, high specificity and high sensitivity. Moreover, the detection method utilizes the MRM mass spectrum parameters for preliminary screening of the medicaments, and rechecks the medicaments according to the retention time thereof. The ARR detection value is combined with the medicament screening result for co-analysis, which effectively distinguishes the false positive or false negative result of the detection while avoiding the patient's withdrawal of medicament for treatment, thereby improving the detection accuracy of the actual primary aldosteronism, and facilitating clinical promotion and application.

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to methods for detecting neural precursor cell expressed developmentally down-regulated protein 9 (NEDD9) in a sample from a subject having or at risk for pulmonary hypertension (PH), wherein pulmonary hypertension (PH) is selected from the group consisting of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), and pulmonary hypertension (PH) due to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

An object of the present invention is to provide an anti-BMP10 antibody, and a therapeutic agent for hypertension and a hypertensive disease, containing the antibody as an active ingredient. The present invention relates to an anti-BMP10 monoclonal antibody or an antibody fragment thereof that binds to human BMP10 (bone morphogenetic protein 10). Further, the present invention relates to a therapeutic agent for hypertension and a hypertensive disease containing an antagonist for at least one of BMP10 and a BMP9/BMP10 heterodimer, a diagnostic agent or a pharmaceutical composition for a disease associated with human BMP10, an immunological detection method or a measurement method for human BMP10 using the antagonist, and use of the antagonist for producing a pharmaceutical composition for treating hypertension and a hypertensive disease.

An object of the present invention is to provide an anti-BMP10 antibody, and a therapeutic agent for hypertension and a hypertensive disease, containing the antibody as an active ingredient. The present invention relates to an anti-BMP10 monoclonal antibody or an antibody fragment thereof that binds to human BMP10 (bone morphogenetic protein 10). Further, the present invention relates to a therapeutic agent for hypertension and a hypertensive disease containing an antagonist for at least one of BMP10 and a BMP9/BMP10 heterodimer, a diagnostic agent or a pharmaceutical composition for a disease associated with human BMP10, an immunological detection method or a measurement method for human BMP10 using the antagonist, and use of the antagonist for producing a pharmaceutical composition for treating hypertension and a hypertensive disease.

The present invention features a method comprising a metabolomic biomarker panel representing a metabolomic profile/fingerprint and methods of applying the profile to diagnose, monitor, and guide treatment for PAH. The profile comprises a unique panel of 36 metabolomic biomarkers/metabolites detected in plasma and/or urine obtained from the patient. The present invention allows for identification of patients with PAH in early-stage disease, before the condition has progressed sufficiently to produce clinical symptoms, and uniquely distinguishes PAH from pulmonary hypertension due to type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and/or left heart disease. The present invention allows for pre-screening of patients to identify PAH at the asymptomatic stage or help to minimize the time for PAH diagnosis after initial symptom onset.

The present disclosure provides methods of obtaining, recovering and culturing pulmonary arterial endothelial cells from an individual patient, subjected to a right heart catheterization in regard to diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension. These isolated pulmonary arterial endothelial cells from an individual patient may be utilized to generate cellular phenotyping profile for the cell population, allowing generation of a personalized pharmacotherapy regime to assist the clinician in treatment and prognosis of the disorder for an individual patient.

The invention relates to improved methods, devices, and kits for identifying and implementing an appropriate treatment regimen for subjects suffering from hypertension.

Methods using biomarkers, e.g., serum levels of ST2, to predict risk of developing hypertension, as well as methods for treating subjects to reduce the risk of developing hypertension and methods for selecting and/or stratifying subjects for clinical trials of treatments to reduce the risk of hypertension.