Multiplex analysis of proteins for cancer diagnosis: A case study using ActivSignal technology

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest types of cancer, killing over 50,000 each year in the US, and with a five-year survival rate below 8%. However, currently there are no reliable diagnostic tests for pancreatic cancer, and the great majority of cases are detected at a late stage, with bleak mortality rates as a result. The ActivSignal IPAD platform monitors activity of 26 cancer signaling pathways in multiplex, by examining phosphorylation status or expression of 70 protein targets. The technology utilizes pairs of antibodies per each protein target to ensure high specificity. These antibody pairs are carefully tested and selected. Detection will only take place if both antibodies in a pair bind to their specific target molecule during the analysis phase - avoiding false hits. The ActivSignal IPAD platform can be used to profile cell culture samples, tissues and different blood fractions. The IPAD assay requires a very small amount of sample. All these characteristics make it potentially adaptable for diagnostics, simultaneously profiling multiple proteins targets. We have tested the assay in a preliminary analysis of human pancreatic cancer patients. Several control and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) blood samples were used for analysis. The assay can be performed on a very small volume of material, and 100 microliters of each sample was obtained from a collaborating academic medical center. The profiling was performed on 40 previously identified, relevant proteins. The comparison of Normal controls and PDAC patient samples gave a clear pattern that discriminated these two population groups with a great degree of certainty. Thus, giving a proof of concept that the assay can be used for diagnostic development for pancreatic cancer detection, an urgent unmet need. Citation Format: Ilya Alexandrov, Malcolm Mackenzie, Irina Brandina. Multiplex analysis of proteins for cancer diagnosis: A case study using ActivSignal technology [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1621.