ADAM-HCV, a new-concept diagnostic assay for antibodies to hepatitis C virus in serum

We screened phage libraries using sera from noninfected individuals and pat ients infected by hepatitis C virus (HCV). By applying different selection and maturation strategies, we identified a wide collection of efficient pha ge-borne ligands for HCV-specific antibodies. The selected ligands retained their antigenic properties when expressed as multimeric synthetic peptides . Peptides that mimic several immunodominant epitopes of the virus were use d to develop a novel type of diagnostic assay which efficiently detects ant ibodies to HCV in serum. This type of analysis provides a conclusive diagno sis for many patients identified as indeterminate according to presently av ailable serological assays.