US 7,320,875 B2
Hepatitis C virus E2 binding protein
Sergio Abrignani, Castelnuovo Berardenga (Italy)
Assigned to Chiron S.r.l., Siena (Italy)
Filed on Mar. 09, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/372,935.
Application 10/804879 is a division of application No. 09/011910, granted, now 6,737,233, previously published as PCT/IB96/00943, filed on Aug. 30, 1996.
Application 11/372935 is a continuation of application No. 10/804879, filed on Mar. 18, 2004, granted, now 7,026,130.
Claims priority of application No. 9517926.3 (GB), filed on Sep. 01, 1995.
Prior Publication US 2006/0166193 A1, Jul. 27, 2006
Int. Cl. G01N 33/53 (2006.01); C12Q 1/00 (2006.01); C12Q 1/70 (2006.01); C07K 14/00 (2006.01); C07K 16/00 (2006.01); C07K 16/06 (2006.01); C07K 16/08 (2006.01); C07K 17/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 435—7.92  [435/4; 435/5; 435/7.1; 435/7.9; 530/350; 530/387.1] 4 Claims
 
1. A method for screening for neutralizing hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies in a blood sample comprising:
providing a blood sample;
providing a known amount of (a) an HCV E2 protein and (b) a protein from a human or chimpanzee cell that has a molecular weight of about 24 kd which binds to the E2 protein of HCV, under conditions that provide for binding between neutralizing HCV antibodies if present in the sample and the HCV E2 protein, wherein said neutralizing HCV antibodies interfere with binding of HCV E2 to the protein of (b);
measuring the amount of the HCV E2 protein bound to the protein of (b); and
comparing the amount of the HCV E2 protein bound to the protein of (b) in the presence of the HCV antibodies to the amount of the HCV E2 protein bound to the protein of (b) in the absence of the HCV antibodies, wherein a reduced amount of the HCV E2 protein bound to the protein of (b) in the presence of the HCV antibodies is indicative of neutralizing HCV antibodies.