Blood Test Developed for Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis

An immunoassay using monoclonal antibodies has been tested for use in a highly sensitive blood test for ovarian cancer.

The ovarian cancer antibodies are capable of distinguishing between ovarian cancer and benign tumors of the ovary with 100% specificity and no false positives.

A blinded study of several ovarian cancer monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) was conducted in the Department of Gynecological Oncology at the University Hospital Leuven, (Leuven, Belgium). The MAbs were tested against 54 different blood samples comprised of 17 patients with ovarian cancer, 5 patients with benign tumors of the ovaries, 24 healthy young females, and 8 males.

Three of the MAbs, used in the immunoassays, correctly identified 16 of the 17 ovarian cancers, with a diagnostic sensitivity of 94% and 100% correct classification of the benign tumors. The antibodies are produced by MabCure, Inc., (New York, NY, USA). The combination of highly specific antibodies coupled with large output form a library containing more than 30,000 hybridomas, enables the company's to select only a handful of the most highly specific monoclonal antibodies against unique tumor specific antigens (TSA) appearing on targeted cancer cells. The antibodies are directed against TSA, which are uniquely expressed on cancer cells, but not on normal cells.

Charles Tackney, PhD, the chief scientific officer at MabCure, said, "There is a critical need for new diagnostic tools which would allow physicians to quickly and reliably determine a patient's disease status. Our data has certainly generated much interest and promises to deliver on a much needed new medical diagnostic tool for oncologists." MabCure intends to expand on this study with a follow-on analysis of more than 100 blood samples from patients with ovarian cancer or benign tumors of the ovaries. The study was presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Gynecological Oncologists held in March 6-9, 2011, in Orlando (FL, USA).

Related Links:
University Hospital Leuven
MabCure
Society of Gynecological Oncologists