The relationship between Herpes viruses and neoplasia has been quite well documented although the role played by host factors in this relationship is still unknown. The prime objective of this project to determine whether multi-analyte cytokine profiles measured in cervical specimens, from women infected with oncological types of Herpes Papilloma Virus (HPV), can predict risk of subsequent progression to high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Using a technique called recycling immunoaffinity chromatography, examination of cytokine profiles in cervical fluid will be performed to determine which cytokines and other factors appear to elevated or activated during the neoplastic process. 30 analyte panels will be employed to compare cytokine profiles in samples from women with high-grade CIN to samples from women with oncogenic HPV infection and normal controls. From such studies it is hoped to determine which cytokines or other factors are candidates for predicting neoplastic progression. Once this has been established these markers will be used in a prospective study of HPV and CIN natural history.
| Castle, Philip E; Phillips, Terry M; Hildesheim, Allan et al. (2003) Immune profiling of plasma and cervical secretions using recycling immunoaffinity chromatography. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 12:1449-56 |
