Tests Indicate Presence of Glypican-3 in Blood and Tissue

Two in vitro diagnostic tests indicate whether glypican-3 (GPC3) is present in blood or tissue. GPC3, an oncofetal antigen, is a member of the glypican family of glycosyl phosphatidylinositol-anchored cell-surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans. GPC3 is expressed at the protein level in most cases of primary liver cancer including small tumors, but is undetectable in normal liver and benign hepatic lesions.

Primary liver cancer, or hepatocellular carcinoma (HPC), is one of the most common and aggressive malignant tumors worldwide, causing an estimated one million deaths annually. Over 430,000 new cases of HPC are diagnosed each year. The main causative agents are hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), as well as alcoholic cirrhosis and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which is associated with obesity, diabetes, and insulin resistance factors. The incidence of HPC has been steadily increasing over the past 10 years and is expected to continue to rise over the next decade.

BioMosaics, Inc. (Burlington, VT, USA), a cancer biomarker development company, has received CE-marking for its GPC3 enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) kit for detecting GPC3 in human serum or plasma, and the GPC3 monoclonal antibody (clone 1G12) to detect GPC3 in tissue by immunohistochemistry (IHC). This will enable the tests to be marketed in the European Union.

"BioMosaics recognizes the importance of developing new diagnostic tests that could more effectively target a specific type of cancer in the early stages. We are pleased that we have established these two high quality diagnostic products for the EU,” said Dr. Ronald D. Guttmann, executive vice-president of clinical development.


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