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Toscana Biomarkers è un'azienda strat-up residente all'interno del bio-incubator della Fondazione Toscana Life Sciences 
 
 
Azienda Spin-off dell'Università di Pisa
 
Toscana Biomarkers Srl
Via Fiorentina 1
I-53100 Siena, Italy
Phone: +39 0577 231271/2
Fax: +39 0577 274107
Capitale Sociale euro 100.000,00 i.v.
Registro d'impresa di Siena, C.F.
e P.IVA 02042930970
R.E.A. Siena 128830
info@toscanabiomarkers.com

 

Research

An increasing number of individuals throughout the world is affected by autoimmune diseases, a large and diverse group of disorders that can be classified by tissue injury or pathology (1).
Such diseases often show a long prodrome during which there are no clinical symptoms. In some cases, therapeutic treatments have been developed to improve patients’ quality of life.

Particularly for autoimmune diseases, reliable tests are necessary not only for an early diagnosis and for monitoring disease activity, but also for setting up personalized therapeutic treatments.
These diseases are generally associated with humoral or cell-mediated immune reactions against one or more of the body’s own constituents. Therefore, autoantibodies, if detectable in sera of patients, can be used to guide the clinical management of certain autoimmune diseases.

The identification of synthetic peptides as antigenic probes for autoimmune diseases can be achieved by a “Chemical Reverse Approach” (2). “Reverse” as the selection of the antigenic probe is guided by circulating autoantibodies. “Chemical” as the structure of the antigenic probe is univocally defined.

Antigenic peptides, selectively and specifically recognizing autoantibodies, can be used in immunoenzymatic assays to detect disease biomarkers.
This approach has been already successfully used for the development of diagnostic assays for autoimmune diseases (2).

References
1) Jacobson D.L. et al. Clin. Immunol. Immunopathol. 84, 223-243 (1997).
2) Alcaro M.C. et al. Chemistry Today 25, 14-16 (2007).