ANTIBODIES TO HUMAN PANCREATIC TRYPSIN AND TRYPSINOGEN

THE DIAGNOSIS OF PANCREATITIS WOULD BE FACILITATED BY AN IMMUNOASSAY WITH INCREASED SPECIFICITY AND SENSITIVITY OVER THE EXISTING ASSAYS AVAILABLE TO THE CLINICIAN. THE INITIALOBJECTIVE OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO DEVELOP SUCH AN ASSAY FOR ONE OF THE HUMAN PANCREATIC ENZYMES, CATIONIC TRYPSIN, WHICH IF PRESENT IN SERUM, IS INDICATIVE OF PANCREATITIS. SPECIFICALLY, WE WILL FOCUS ON THIS PROTEIN, ITS ZYMOGEN AND FRAGMENTS AND USE ALL THREE AS SOURCES OF ANTIGENS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES. THESE ANTIBODIES WILL THEN BE UTILIZED IN PHASE II TO DEVELOP ELISA ASSAYS FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF TRYPSINOGEN IN SERUM AND OTHER FLUIDS. IN THE LONG TERM WE HOPE TO EXTEND THE SUCCESS OF THIS PROJECT TO DEVELOPING IMMUNOASSAYS FOR OTHER PANCREATICENZYMES--CHYMOTRYPSIN I, LIPASE, AND AMYLASE.