A combination of serum markers for the early detection of colorectal cancer.

Purpose: Fecal occult blood testing is recommended as first-line screening to detect colorectal cancer (CRC). We evaluated markers and marker combinations in serum as an alternative to improve the detection of CRC.

Experimental Design: Using penalized logistic regression, 6 markers were selected for evaluation in 1,027 samples (301 CRC patients, 143 patients with adenoma, 266 controls, 141 disease controls, and 176 patients with other cancer).

Improved diagnosis of colorectal cancer using a combination of fecal occult blood and novel fecal protein markers.

Background & Aims: Annual testing for fecal occult blood is recommended as first-line screening for the detection of colorectal cancer (CRC), but is affected by limited sensitivity. We initiated a proteomics-based search for novel biomarkers to improve the sensitivity of detection of CRC in stool samples.

Methods: Six markers, including immunologic fecal occult blood test (iFOBT), were evaluated in a collective of 551 samples (186 CRC, 113 advanced adenoma, and 252 control patients) to establish the diagnostic performance of each marker and marker combinations.

Identification of nicotinamide N-methyltransferase as a novel serum tumor marker for colorectal cancer.

Purpose: The goal of this study was to identify and validate novel serum markers of human colorectal cancer as potential candidates for noninvasive detection of early colorectal neoplasm.

Experimental Design: Employing two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry, we analyzed 16 matched colorectal cancer and adjacent normal tissue samples. Proteins found to be elevated in cancer tissue were further validated by generating antibodies which were used for immunoblotting of tissue samples and for the development of highly sensitive immunoassays for assessment of serum samples.

Functional solubilization of aggregation-prone HIV envelope proteins by covalent fusion with chaperone modules.

The envelope proteins of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and human T-cell lymphotrophic virus (HTLV) mediate cell attachment and membrane fusion. For HIV-1, the precursor protein gp160 is cleaved proteolytically into two fragments, the surface-associated receptor binding subunit gp120 and the membrane spanning subunit gp41, which is involved in membrane fusion during virus entry. Soluble and immunoreactive variants of gp41 are essential for the reliable diagnosis of HIV-1 infections.