| Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world. Tumor-associated antigens are present on the surface of cancer cells in higher amount than on normal cells and are involved in cancer aggressiveness. The Thomsen-Friedenrich antigen (TF-Ag) is a surface carbohydrate antigen expressed on a variety of carcinomas including breast, colon, lung, kidney, ovary and rectum. A monoclonal antibody, JAA-F11 showed high specificity and binding with TF-Ag when tested against related carbohydrates. JAA-F11 has also been shown to block metastasis or spread of cancer in an in vivo mouse model.;Earlier studies showed immunolocalization of JAA-F11 in 100% of the mice bearing mouse breast cancer cell. It also showed higher uptake in tumors and no preferential uptake by any other organ. The goal of this project is to determine whether JAA-F11 antibody targets human tumor tissue utilizing a SCID mouse model. This may lead to the development of preclinical model for human tumor detection and therapy.;For tumor immunolocalization, JAA-F11 was purified and covalently linked to Iodine-124. 124I-JAAF11 was injected into SCID mice bearing human tumors and micro-PET imaging was performed. PET-scan detects radiation produced by 124I-JAAF11, which is bound to TF-Ag on the tumor cell surface and creates computerized images of the tumor location in the body. Human tumor localization was seen in 100% of the SCID mice which is very promising for the clinical potential of JAA-F11 to locate human tumors at a very early stage. |
