Office of Technology Management
A Novel Assay
for Detection of ras Oncogene Related Malignancies from Human Serum
Summary:
This
assay identifies serum proteins that are associated with tumors and enables
detection of several types of cancers. A DNA probe with a sequence
of the ras oncogene promotor is used to detect tumor markers in
serum.
A
panel of double-blind samples from the National Cancer Institute (NCI)
were analyzed and the results were significant; with a p-value of <5%,
for lung, bladder, and prostate cancer against normal controls. These
results showed that specificity for lung and bladder cancer was 75%, which
is higher and more specific than Carcinoma Embryonic Antigen (CEA) as a
tumor marker.
A
mouse tumor model was used to analyze sensitivity. Results show a
presence of the marker before a palpable tumor was observed. The
levels of marker increased with tumor progression.
This
technology can be adapted to ELISA assays for detection of lung, bladder,
colon, prostate and other cancers.
Technology Status:This
patent is exclusively licensed to Nagindra Prashad, Houston, Texas from
UT-Houston Health Science Center.
Patent
No. 5,068,175
Nagindra
Prashad, Ph.D.