Molecular profiling of individuals holds immense promise in identifying individuals at risk for progression of specific types of cancer and quantifying the response to therapy. The LiveSensor kit we develop will discriminate between men and early stage prostate cancer and normal controls of similar age. This approach allows us to measure ultra low levels of specific ligands. Our panel of LiveSensor will monitor serum ligand binding globulin, in addition to other small molecule ligands. In phase I LiveSensors will be constructed and initial panel of at least 12 strains bearing nuclear human receptors assembled. Activity in human sera from normal controls and cancer patients will be evaluated using our panel of LiveSensors and the results used to estimate the number of samples required for phase II in which the panel will be converted from assay to kit form and output validated.
The American Cancer Society projection for 1998 suggests that there are almost 184,500 newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients in the USA per year. Almost all of them will require some form of therapy. LifeSensors' molecular profiling kit will be useful diagnostic and therametrics tool. If the panel biomarkers gains acceptance among clinicians and scientists LifeSensors estimates that it will sell approximately 50,000 LifeSensor kits per year.
| Storb, R; Raff, R F; Appelbaum, F R et al. (1988) Failure of antithymocyte serum postgrafting to overcome ""resistance"" to DLA-nonidentical canine marrow grafts. Transplantation 45:236-9 |
