METHOD AND TEST DEVICE FOR ASSESSING CERVICAL RIPENESS AT TERM WITH HIGHLY PHOSPHORYLATED ISOFORMS OF IGFBP-1

摘要

The present invention is related to improved methods and test devices for assessing cervical ripeness, predicting susceptibility of delivery and/or determining the cause and origin of the minor amounts of IGFBP-1 present in cervical samples with immunoassays capable of differentiating phosphorylated and nonphosphorylated isoforms of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1 (IGFBP-1). The invention is also related to the use of specific binding substances, especially antibodies capable of recognizing phosphorylated isoforms of IGFBP-1 for predicting susceptibility of delivery and for properly timing the induction of labor in preterm, term and postterm pregnancies.