Improved detection Of the MUC1 cancer antigen CA 15-3 by ALYGNSA fluorimmunoassay

Sinang Chourb, Brian Christopher Mackness, Leslie Ruth Farris, Melisenda Jean McDonald

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Biochemistry Program, Chemistry Department, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/health.2011.38087                

Abstract

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancerrelated deaths in women worldwide; a prime cancer biomarker to aid in the diagnosis, directed treatment, clinical management, and reoccurrence of this cancer is a MUC1 peptide fragment: cancer antigen 15-3 (CA 15-3). Herein, an immuno-fluorescence assay for CA 15-3 was developed; this ALYGNSA system consists of a protein biolinker (Protein G’) adsorbed onto Poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). The unique interaction of Protein G’ with PMMA, a thermo-plastic polymer has been demonstrated to improve human IgG capture antibody alignment/ orientation and result in greater assay sensitivity. Indeed a previous report (HEALTH 1 325 - 329, 2009) on the shed extracellular domain of HER-2/neu revealed a 10-fold increase in sensitivity of the ALYGSNA assay over a control ELISA assay. Results from this ALYGNSA assay study revealed that a 16-fold increase in detection (≤0.94 U/mL) of CA 15-3 was found in comparison to a commercial control ELISA kit (≤15 U/mL). In conclusion, this enhanced sensitivity of the ALYGNSA assay for CA 15-3, may provide insights into the role/function of this biomarker in normal, as well as, breast cancer and other epithelial cancers.

Keywords

CA 15-3; Cancer Antigen 15-3; Epithelial Tumor Antigen; MUC1; Breast Cancer Marker; ELISA; Fluorescent Immunoassay, ALYGNSA

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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