Monoclonal antibodies to different neo-epitopes on fibrinogen and fibrin degradation products.

The measurement of fibrin or fibrinogen degradation products is widely used in clinical practice for the diagnosis and follow up of coagulolytic disturbances. Recently D-dimer assays have become very popular owing to their direct application to plasma. However, in some clinical situations there is a need to differentiate fibrin from fibrinogen degradation products. These are still routinely measured by conventional assays on serum. We tried to develop various monoclonal antibodies specific for the neo-epitopes unmasked during the degradation of fibrin or fibrinogen. Fifteen mice hybridomas producing the expected antibodies were obtained and ten were extensively characterized. They could be classified in three reactivity classes: D and D-dimer, D-dimer and early fibrinogen or fibrin degradation products. These monoclonal antibodies were used to develop latex slide assays and ELISA techniques. Two types of assays were obtained; those which were specific for fibrin-related products and those evaluating the totality of fibrin or fibrinogen degradation products. Assays discriminating the fibrinogen split products from those derived from fibrin, and performed directly on citrated plasma can be proposed. They provide complementary information in clinical states such as DIC, pulmonary embolism, leukaemias, thrombolysis, etc.