Novel cancer detection technology
The formation of etheno-DNA adducts, resembling lesions on the surface of DNA molecules, has been partly attributed to oxidative stress. Research efforts are ongoing in trying to elucidate their role in carcinogenesis. Special emphasis is placed on the ability of cells to repair etheno-DNA adducts and whether the failure of these repair mechanisms can potentially lead to mutations and cancer. The Patterson Institute for Cancer Research in Manchester, UK, is involved in expanding the currently available knowledge on etheno-DNA adducts and its applications, particularly in the field of cancer diagnostics. Researchers aim to successfully generate single chain antibody fragments (scFVs) that recognize and bind to a number of etheno-adducts in DNA. So far they have isolated scFVs binding to etheno-adducts in adenosine, cytosine and guanine moieties on DNA oligonucleotides, often with multiple specificities. Once the effectiveness of such scFVs in detecting etheno-adducts in genomic DNA has been firmly established, the technology could potentially lead to the development of diagnostic kits able to link the formation of DNA adducts to early-stage signs of cancer pathology.
