TENNESSEE ANTIGEN IN CANCER DIAGNOSIS

A NEW TUMOR-ASSOCIATED ANTIGEN, CALLED TENNESSEE ANTIGEN (TAG), HAS BEEN ISOLATED FORM 95 PERCENT OF 154 PRIMARY HUMAN GASTROINTESTINAL TUMORS. IN 208 PATIENTS WITH COLORECTAL CARCINOMA, 81 PERCENT SHOWED ELEVATED LEVELS OF TAG IN THEIR SERA. PHASE I STUDIES RESULTED IN THE PRODUCTION OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES (MOAB'S) AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN ENZYME-LINKED IMMUNOASSAY (EIA) TO MEASURETAG IN SERUM. IN PHASE II IT IS PLANNED TO CONTINUE TO PRODUCE AND CHARACTERIZE MOAB'S USING WESTERN BLOTTING, IMMUNOFLUORESCENCE, AND IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL STAINING. THE SPECIFICITY, SENSITIVITY AND REPRODUCIBILITY OF EIA WILL BE STUDIED. A PROTOTYPE OF THE TAG-EIA KIT WILL BE DEVELOPED AND THE CLINICALLY UTILITY OF THE TAG-EIA WILL ALSO BE EVALUATED. THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROJECT ARE TWO-FOLD: (1) UTILIZATION OF MOAB'S TO TAG AS REAGENTS IN PATHOLOGICAL EXAMINATION OF CANCERS, AND (2) COMMERCIALIZATION OF THE TAG-EIA FOR DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT OF SOLID CANCERS.