IP-10 is properly known as Chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 10 (CXCL10) and is a small cytokine belonging to the CXC chemokine family.
Chemokines act as lures and attract leukocytes, or white blood cells. The chemokines are involved in a wide variety of processes including acute and chronic types of inflammation, infectious diseases, and cancer.
Chemokines are comprised of small cytokines, secreted proteins which mediate and regulate immunity, inflammation, and hematopoiesis. They must be produced de novo (fresh or new) in response to an immune stimulus.
The CXC refers to the structure of the protein viz cysteine-amino acid-cysteine. Cysteines are classed as non essential amino acids and can be found in high protein foods. It has also been cited as a cure for hangovers.
IP-10 is is a primary response gene that is easily induced by IFN-γ
Researchers from Copenhagen claim that IP-10 release is induced by incubation of whole blood from tuberculosis patients with ESAT-6, CFP10 and TB7.7 (QFT-GIT.) The basis for this claim is the theory that infection can be better detected by measuring cell-mediated immune reactivity (CMI) based on the production of IP-10 not IFN-y. In a single study on 12 QFT+, 8 QFT- TB patients and 11 QFT- controls they found that
"specific stimulation and sensitivity appeared superior to the Quantiferon test. Our findings suggest that CXCL10 may serve as an alternative or additional marker for the immunodiagnosis of tuberculosis"
If QFT was used as the gold standard it is difficult to see how a diagnosis by the measurement of IP-10 could be superior.
Based on the results of this study they claimed ownership of the intellectual property by lodging an application for a patent.
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