THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO PRODUCE A PANEL OF POLYCLONAL (GOAT) ANTIBODIES AGAINST COLORECTAL CANCER MARKERS SUCH AS COLON SPECIFIC ANTIGEN PROTEIN (CSAP), COLON-OVARY TUMOR ANTIGEN (COTA AND CARCINOEMBRYONIC ANTIGEN (CEA) FOR THE

THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO PRODUCE A PANEL OF POLYCLONAL (GOAT) ANTIBODIES AGAINST COLORECTAL CANCER MARKERS SUCH AS COLON SPECIFIC ANTIGEN PROTEIN (CSAP), COLON-OVARY TUMOR ANTIGEN (COTA AND CARCINOEMBRYONIC ANTIGEN (CEA) FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SERODIAGNOSTIC AND IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL REAGENTS. THESE REAGENTS WILL EVENTUALLY BE MADE INTO KITS FOR COMMERCIAL USE. PHASE I OF THIS GRANT WILL EMPHASIZE ONLY THE IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL APPLICATION OF THESE REAGENTS. THE IMMUNOLOGICAL APPROACH TO EARLY DETECTION AND DIAGNOSIS OF CANCER RELIES ON THE PREMISE THAT TUMOR SPECIFIC MARKERS ACHIEVE CIRCULATION IN THE BLOOD AND ARE EXPRESSED BOTH INTERNALLY AND ON THE SURFACE OF TUMORS IN CANCER PATIENTS. IMMUNODETECTION OF THESE MARKERS IN OUR LABORATORY AND OTHERS SUPPORTS THIS PREMISE. IN PHASE I, POLYCLONAL ANTIBODIES TO CSAP, COTA AND CEA WILL BE PRODUCED; THE SPECIFICITY OF THESE ANTIBODIES TO BE ENSURED BY A SERIES OF AFFINITY ADSORPTION PROCEDURES. PRELIMINARY HISTOLOGICAL TESTING OF THIS ANTIBODY PANEL WILL OCCUR IN NEW MEXICO AND IN CALIFORNIA (U.C. SAN DIEGO). IN PHASE II, PRODUCTION OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES (MURINE/HUMAN) TOWARDS CSAP, COTA AND CEA WILL BEGIN AND THE F(AB')2 FRAGMENTS WILL BE PREPARED UNDER FDA GLP/GMP GUIDELINES. WHILE THESE LATER PRODUCTS MAY ALSO PROVE USEFUL AS SERODIAGNOSTICS AND IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL REAGENTS THEIR POSSIBLE USE IN RADIOIMMUNOIMAGING WILL BE EVALUATED.