http://www.mdtmag.com/news/2013/11/d...e#.UpNXR-L4trM

"The diagnostic performance of the reagents generated with this approach is excellent," said Daugherty. "We can discover biomarkers with as little as a drop of blood, and the peptides discovered can be adapted into preferred low cost testing platforms widely used in clinical practice."

The amino acid sequence of the evolved peptides, when cross-referenced with a database of known proteins, can identify the antigens (that contain the same peptide sequence). This, in turn, can then yield clues into what factors in the patient's environment may have contributed to the disease. The process may be used to gain insight on diseases that are thought to have environmental triggers, including Type-1 diabetes, autism, schizophrenia/bipolar disorder, Crohn's disease, Parkinson's disease, and perhaps even Alzheimers disease. In cases, such as Graves' disease, where an antibody is identified as the cause (as opposed to simply an indicator) knowing the antibody's structure can lead to more effective therapies.

"If you can get rid of the antibody, you can treat the disease," said Daugherty. "By finding these keys, you can block the antibody."