Teams of the Alliance
Abbott Tumor Glycomics Laboratory
Principal Investigator: Karen Abbott, PhD
Institution: University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Our project, "Glycomics Laboratory for the Early Detection of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer (EOC)", is a joint collaboration between our labs at the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, including Lance Wells, Mike Tiemeyer, Michael Pierce, and Kevin Dobbin, and members at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, including Daniel Powell and Nathalie Scholler.
We have previously identified certain N-linked glycan structures that are present on the glycoproteins periostin and thrombospondin-1 in ovarian cancer tissues and serum. Our goals are to develop assays capable of screening large numbers of serum in phase II and phase III evaluations of these tumor glycoforms. These studies will provide information on the specificity and sensitivity of these markers for the early detection of EOC.
In addition, we have developed a method to capture and detect a specialized type of glycosylation known as a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor present on the carboxyl terminus of certain glycoproteins. The enzymes within the GPI biosynthetic pathway are amplified in many types of human cancers due to chromosomal amplification. Therefore, the presence of the GPI anchor on glycoproteins is increased in cancer making these potential biomarkers for early cancer detection. We will be applying our method to capture and identify GPI-anchored proteins from ovarian cancer tissues and serum using mass spectrometry.
Another interesting aspect of our project involves the production of scFV antibodies capable of targeting tumor-specific glycan structures and proteins. Nathalie Scholler at UPENN has developed a method for the selection and production of scFv antibodies targeting specific proteins or glycans. Nathalie will work with us to produce scFv antibodies that can bind to the GPI anchor or GPI-anchored proteins identified from ovarian cancer. These antibodies will be used for functional studies and the development of clinical assays to screen for the early detection of ovarian cancer.
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