From gene expression patterns to antibody diagnostics

Applied Genomics Inc., through its collaboration with investigators at Stanford University, has targeted the production of over 650 polyclonal, affinity-purified, anti-peptide antibody reagents to candidate genes thought to distinguish biologically distinct subclasses of carcinoma. We have screened and validated these reagents by performing immunohistochemistry on proprietary tissue arrays constructed in-house using over 300 independent tumor samples from each of breast, lung, and colon carcinoma. We have used this database to identify proprietary antibody panels useful for distinguishing the diversity of cancer cases within tissue types and similarities between subclasses derived from different tissues. Individual reagents within these antibody panels are beginning to reveal staining patterns that distinguish novel subtypes of cells in normal tissues, and subclasses of tumors that transcend tissue origins. We are using our subclassification panels in collaboration with clinical trials groups and pharmaceutical companies to identify subclasses of patients that respond to existing therapeutics and novel therapeutics that are in development. The goal of this work is to identify biomarkers for patient selection both in late-phase clinical trials and for marketed therapeutics.