The invention provides methods and compositions for early diagnosis and treatment of a disease associated with a specific antibody by employing the detection of a cross-idiotypic epitope on the specific antibody to detect the cells that produce the antibody before the development of clinical symptoms of the disease.

Provided herein are methods of treating ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) in individuals in need thereof comprising administering a complement component 5a receptor (C5aR) antagonist. Also provided herein are methods of treating a ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) with renal involvement in an individual in need thereof comprising administering a complement component 5a receptor (C5aR) antagonist to the individual if the individual exhibits an elevated urinary soluble CD163 (sCD163) to creatinine ratio compared to individuals without AAV. In some embodiments, the complement component 5a receptor (C5aR) antagonist is avacopan.

New human therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, which are directed against neutrophil proteinase 3. The monoclonal antibodies are specifically directed against a conformational epitope of the neutrophil proteinase 3 and are capable of inhibiting by at least 30% the production for reactive oxygen derivatives by neutrophils. Also, a pharmaceutical composition including as an active substance at least the monoclonal antibody, and a method for early treatment and/or prevention of relapse of granulomatosis with polyangiitis, which includes the administration of the pharmaceutical composition.

The present invention provides a novel approach to the diagnosis, treatment and management of vascular anomalies by providing compositions and methods for the identification and specific targeting of the embryonic stem cell populations associated with vascular anomalies, by modulation of the Renin-Angiotensin System expressed by the stem cells.

The present invention is directed to methods for detecting the presence of minimal or early vasculitis or other vasculopathies induced by a cox-2 inhibitor in a subject to whom a cox-2 inhibitor has been administered, selection of cox-2 inhibitory compounds, use of a cox-2 inhibitory compounds in the manufacture of anti-inflammatory medicaments, and vaccination strategies.

The invention provides methods and compositions for early diagnosis and treatment of a disease associated with a specific antibody by employing the detection of a cross-idiotypic epitope on the specific antibody to detect the cells that produce the antibody before the development of clinical symptoms of the disease.

The present invention provides methods in the context of Kawasaki disease including measuring the level of at least one of lipopolysaccharide binding protein, leucine-rich alpha-2-glycoprotein, angiotensinogen and retinol binding protein 4 in a sample derived from a subject.

The present invention provides a method for diagnosing or detecting an autoimmune disease in an individual, the method comprising or consisting of the steps of (a) providing a sample obtained from an individual to be tested; and (b) measuring the presence and/or amount in the test sample of one or more biomarkers selected from the group defined in Table 1(A), Table 1(B), Table 1(C), Table 1(D) and/or Table 1(E) wherein the presence and/or amount in the sample of the one or more biomarker(s) is indicative of an autoimmune disease in the individual. The invention also provides an array and a kit suitable for use in the methods of the invention.

Inflammatory cell recruitment to local sites of tissue injury and/or infection is controlled by many signaling processes influencing cell-to-cell interactions between vascular endothelial cells (EC) in post-capillary venules and circulating leukocytes. Here we report that the ATP-release channel Pannexin1 (Panx1) opens downstream of EC activation by tumor necrosis factor α (TNF α). This process involves activation of Type 1 TNF receptors, recruitment of Src Family Kinases (SFK), and SFK-dependent phosphorylation of Panx1. We report a previously unidentified role for Panx1 channels in promoting leukocyte adhesion and emigration through the venous wall during acute systemic inflammation. The present application further discloses that Panx IL2 peptide consisting of amino acid sequence KYPIVEQYLKYGRKKQRR (SEQ ID NO: 3) or .sup.10Panx1 peptide consisting of amino acid sequence RQAAFVDSY (SEQ ID NO: 8) are inhibitors of leukocyte adhesion.

Some embodiments of the methods and compositions provided herein relate to the detection of biomarkers for Kawasaki disease (KD), the diagnosis of KD in a subject, and/or the amelioration or treatment of KD in a subject. In some embodiments, a biomarker can include a long intergenic non-coding RNA (lincRNA). In some embodiments, the biomarker can be present in an exosome-enriched serum sample from a subject.