Compositions and methods using antibodies which are immunoreactive with specific apolipoproteins to determine the concentrations of lipoproteins such as HDL and LDL, and / or apolipoproteins in
human blood, serum or
plasma sample, are described.
Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) are described that specifically bind to epitopes present in apolipoproteins and lipoproteins, enabling rapid and reliable determinations of levels of specific blood
lipoprotein and / or apolipoprotein levels, including Apo B-100, Apo A-I, Apo A-II, Apo C-III, and Apo E, and thereby determination of relative ratios of HDL and LDL and LpaI and LpaII. In a preferred embodiment, the compositions are strips of a
solid phase material coated with one or more of the antibodies and are referred to herein as “dipsticks”. The dipsticks specifically bind
a lipoprotein or apolipoprotein when dipped into a
protein sample. The amount of lipid associated with a bound
lipoprotein or the amount of apolipoprotein bound on the
dipstick is quantitated using an appropriate method, for example, by
staining with a lipid
stain or reaction with a second labelled
antibody. The intensity of the
stain on the
dipstick is proportional to the concentration of the
lipoprotein lipid or apolipoprotein circulating in the blood and can be quantitated by comparison with standards containing known amounts of lipid.