The primary objective of this research has been to perform structural studies on carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and CEA-related antigens (TEX, NCA) in order to develop more specific immunoassays for the early detection of cancer and monitoring the progress of various types of cancer. Emphasis in the coming year will focus on microsequencing of peptide fragments from CEA and TEX formed by specific cleavages at methionine, tryptophan, lysine, and argine peptide bonds. NH2-Terminal sequence information will be used to construct DNA probes which will serve as primers for enriching the specific synthesis of cDNA corresponding to CEA mRNA from various cell lines, and as screening agents for the isolation of recombinant DNA containing CEA cDNA. Work on the improvement of CEA immunoassays will focus on the use of monoclonal reagents in enzyme linked immunoassays (ELISA). A pilot study on the comparative use of CEA and TEX radioimmunoassays for serially monitoring cancer patients was recently completed. Expansion of these studies to a larger trial in breast cancer and head and neck cancer is under consideration.
