Plasma biomarker tool for the diagnosis of liver cancer comprising liver carboxylesterase 1 and liver cancer screening method
AssigneeIndustry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, Yonsei University
InventorsYoung-Ki Paik, Keun Na
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a plasma biomarker for diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), in particular to the discovery of a protein in plasma using 2-D fluorescence differential gel electrophoresis (2-D DIGE), immunoprecipitation and Nano-liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (Nano-LC-MS/MS) system that was unknown on the basis of conventional techniques. By demonstrating the presence of liver carboxylesterase 1 (hCE1) in human plasma and confirming that its secretion level is higher in patients with HCC than in healthy volunteers, this invention may be used as a screening method to diagnose HCC at an early stage.
Claims11
A screening method for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), comprising:
- collecting human blood, and
- detecting the presence of human liver carboxylesterase 1(hCE1) protein in plasma of the human blood as a plasma biomarker for HCC diagnosis;
- wherein the level of hCE1 protein is increased more in the plasma of patients with HCC than in the plasma of healthy patients.
A method for diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a subject, the method comprising the steps of:
- a) collecting a sample of human blood from the subject;
- b) contacting a portion of the blood sample with an antibody having specific binding affinity for human liver carboxylesterase 1 (hCE1), thereby forming a complex between the antibody and hCE1, the antibody having a detectable label;
- c) separating the complex formed in said contacting step (b) from labeled antibody not comprising the complex;
- d) quantifying a signal from the detectable label of the antibody comprising the complex formed in said contacting step (b), the signal being proportional to an amount of hCE1 in the blood sample, whereby the amount of hCE1 in the sample is calculated;
- e) comparing the amount of hCE1 calculated in said quantifying step (d) to a hCE1 reference amount;
- and
- f) providing a diagnosis of HCC in the subject if the amount of hCE1 in the sample calculated in said quantifying step (d) is greater than the hCE1 reference amount;
- wherein the hCE1 reference amount is an amount of hCE1 in a blood sample from a subject not having HCC.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.