Diabetes mellitus is a condition where glucose levels become too high in the blood and potentially cause damage to the body. This is the result of insufficient production, or immunity to, the hormone insulin. One of the causes of Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder where the body destroys insulin producing beta cells, resulting in very little or no insulin being produced. Obesity is one of the major causes of Type 2 diabetes and the prevalence of this disease is becoming greater due to the increasing epidemic of obesity in the western world.

Type 2 diabetes is often diagnosed by testing glucose levels in urine; however there are a number of other markers which can be used in the study and differentiation between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. These markers include Amylin Peptide, C-peptide, GIP, Insulin, Proinsulin and Resistin; all of which are linked to obesity and diabetes.

It has become apparent that screening for the risk of type 1 diabetes is of high importance as it can aid the prevention of the disease. Biomarkers have recently been identified, which may help predict diabetes type 1 or be used for early diagnosis prior to symptoms. Researchers looked at samples from 10 healthy individuals and 10 patients who had recently been diagnosed with diabetes type 1; the levels of five biomarkers, zinc-alpha-2-glycoprotein (ZAG), clusterin, corticosteroid-binding globulin, lumican and serotransferrin, differed by a significant amount in the patients when directly compared to the controls(1).

Need antibodies to these 5 novel markers?

AbD Serotec uses proven MorphoSys HuCAL recombinant antibody technology to deliver highly-specific, purified monoclonal antibodies in just 8 weeks. The HuCAL library contains more than 15 billion antibody specificities, and can be screened with less than 0.5 mg of immunogen.

In addition, intelligent screening protocols guide the process to eliminate cross-reactivity problems early in the development process and allow direct selection of epitope- and phospho-specific antibodies. This unique technology offers speed, greater project flexibility, and more specific antibodies – a combination of benefits perfect for OEM Clients.

AbD Serotec’s HuCAL experts work with clients to develop the best strategy for their projects based on the type and availability of starting immunogens and the final antibody application. They can develop a protocol to direct the selection of exquisitely specific antibodies, exclude reactivity to closely-related compunds, select antibodies which bind to antigens only under certain conditions, identify epitope- or phospho-specific antibodies or select antibodies that are reactive with homologous proteins. These options are routinely utilized to meet demanding customer product specifications.

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Further reading:

1. Metz, T et al (2008) J. Proteome. Res. 7(2):698-707