title: The role of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibodies in early detection of rheumatoid arthritis: an overview of the INOVA Diagnostics, Inc. QUANTA Lite CCP assays.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation and the presence of self-reactive autoantibodies. Since the discovery of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies, several assays have been developed to measure these autoantibodies in RA patients. The first-generation kit offered high specificity, but sensitivity was low. The second-generation IgG anti-CCP antibody assay (CCP2) offered the same high specificity, with greatly improved sensitivity for RA. INOVA Diagnostics, Inc. offers, in addition to CCP2, a third-generation assay with higher sensitivity compared with CCP2 and also a combined IgG/IgA anti-CCP antibody assay.
  
  
  METHODS
  The review covers the use of INOVA Diagnostics, Inc. multiple anti-CCP antibody assays in early detection of RA, while also comparing these assays with other commercially available methods of measuring anti-CCP antibodies. While most of the review focuses on the significance of these autoantibodies in adult RA patients, their role in juvenile idiopathic arthritis is also discussed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Detection of anti-CCP antibodies has emerged as one of the most important disease markers in RA patients. Several methods are available to measure anti-CCP antibodies, and isotyping and identification of citrullination targets are now the next step in further characterizing these autoantibodies.
authors.affiliation: Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Division of Adult and Pediatric Rheumatology , 1402 South Grand Blvd, Saint Louis, MI 63104 , USA.
authors.forename: Brooke E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Gilliam
authors.forename: Terry L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Moore