Validation of Ovarian Tumor Antigens by ELISA
Ovarian cancer is the 6th most common cancer in women, excluding skin cancer. The American Cancer Society reports an estimated 13,900 U.S. deaths will result from the disease this year alone. Better screening tests for early-stage disease are needed. Within the past decade new discoveries have established that early-stage tumors evoke immune responses to over-expressed or mis-expressed gene products. The immune system recognizes these tumor proteins, or tumor antigens, producing antibodies which may serve in the detection of these malignancies. The identification of a panel of tumor antigens that are immunogenic in early-stage ovarian cancer may serve in potential non-invasive screening tests for early-stage disease. Through the use of an immunoscreening technique known as SEREX, antigens that elicit antibody responses in serous ovarian cancer patients can be efficiently identified and cloned. These antigens are then validated by ELISA. Three antigens found to be immunogenic in more than one patient are p53, NY-ESO-1 and Ubiquilin-1.
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