dPAPP-A - new cardiac biomarker 29-01-09

Pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) was first identified in human pregnancy serum. Recently it was shown that another form of PAPP-A - dPAPP-A - is present in unstable coronary atherosclerotic plaques. It has also been demonstrated that blood level of dPAPP-A is significantly elevated in patients with unstable angina or acute myocardial infarction in comparison with patients with stable angina and control subjects. In addition, dPAPP-A has been shown to be a strong independent marker of risk stratification for patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

Structural difference of dPAPP-A from pregnancy related htPAPP-A makes it possible to differentiate between these two PAPP-A forms. Antibodies, specific to dPAPP-A, could be used for the development of immunoassays for precise and selective dPAPP-A measurements in human blood.

HyTest offers both htPAPP-A antigen purified from retroplacental blood as well as recombinant dPAPP-A. Immunoreactivity of recombinant dPAPP-A is similar to immunoreactivity of endogenous protein found in atherosclerotic plaques, thus it can be used as a calibrator or standard in dPAPP-A immunoassays. We also offer PAPP-A specific monoclonal antibodies suitable for the development of highly sensitive and rapid sandwich-type PAPP-A immunoassays for quantitative detection of htPAPP-A in maternal blood as well as detection of dPAPP-A in the blood of ACS patients

Please read more from our PAPP-A TechNotes.