Monoclonal Antibodies Identify Ovarian Cancer in Blood

Highly specific monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) are able to detect ovarian cancer antigens in blood samples.

A serum diagnostic test recognizes unique tumor markers or cancer fingerprints present only in ovarian cancer, the deadliest of all gynecological cancers. Monoclonal antibodies successfully identified ovarian cancer in blood with 94% accuracy and with no false positives or cross-reactions with benign ovarian tumors or healthy blood.

The antibodies developed for detecting ovarian cancer were created by proprietary hybridoma technology and carefully selected from more than 30,000 MAbs, all of which recognize ovarian cancer. The MAbs were developed by Mabcure NV., (Hasselt, Belgium) and used in a study against 54 blood samples. The samples were comprised of 17 patients with ovarian cancer, 5 patients with benign tumors of the ovaries, 24 healthy young females and 8 males from the Universitair Ziekenhuis Hospital, (UZ Hospital, Leuven, Belgium).

Results showed that each of MabCure's MAbs correctly diagnosed 16 of the 17 ovarian cancers, with a diagnostic sensitivity of 94% and 100% correct diagnosis of benign tumors. This study confirms findings from an earlier study, which demonstrated the ability of each of the antibodies tested by MabCure to detect low levels of ovarian cancer-specific antigens in the blood of patients. Namely, a number of patients who were judged to be in clinical remission, following chemotherapy, were found still to have residual disease by MabCure's MAbs. All of these patients had baseline levels of the standard ovarian cancer marker, CA-125, in their blood, suggesting that MabCure's MAbs serum marker test may be effective in detecting early-stage disease when the level of circulating cancer antigens in the blood is presumably low.

Amnon Gonenne, Ph.D., CEO of MabCure, said, "The availability of a simple blood test with the ability to diagnose the presence of ovarian cancer early and to differentiate it from benign tumors has the potential to save thousands of lives and reduce the need for unnecessary surgeries.”

Each year, 230,000 women worldwide are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, or cancer that forms in the tissues of the ovary, accounting for 3% of cancers in women. More than 125,000 women die from ovarian cancer annually, making it the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women and the deadliest of all gynecological cancers.

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Mabcure NV
UZ Hospital