Immunoassay Methods.

About

Background: Chronic inflammation is associated with number of diseases such as systemiclupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, and inflammatorybowel disease. It is also considered to be a possible contributing factor inthe development of certain cancers. Inflammatory conditions lead to theexcessive production of active oxygen species that are capable of causingoxidative modifications in DNA bases as well as strand breaks in DNA. Whenthese reactions exceed the cell’s antioxidant defenses and DNA repair capacity,oxidized bases accumulate in DNA. They serve as antigenic determinants forelicitation of autoantibodies (aAbs).   Description of Project: The blood sera of healthy men and women contain relatively low levels ofanti-HMdU (5-hydroxymethyl-2’-deoxyuridine, an oxidized thymidine) aAbs.Patients with chronic inflammatory diseases, those with cancer or at high riskfor cancer exhibited significantly different levels of anti-HMdU aAbs.Furthermore, women who were diagnosed with breast, colon or rectal cancer 0.5-6years past the date of the donation of the blood samples that were analyzedexhibited significantly elevated anti-HMdU aAb titers. These titers persist forseveral years prior to diagnosis even in the absence of family risk factors. Anenzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been developed to analyze humansera for the presence and levels of anti-HMdU aAb.   Applications: Applications of this technology include: Diagnosis of inflammatory andautoimmune diseases Early diagnosis of a risk for various forms ofneoplasia (including breast, colon and rectal cancer), Monitoring theprogress of such conditions and their response to therapy, Diagnosis of anyother diseases or conditions the pathogenesis of which includes oxidativedamage to DNA, Monitoring the effects of exposure to radiation or UV light, Applications to research with an interest in detecting anti-HMdU aAb, suchas occupational and environmental exposures .