Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a biomarker for prostate cancer diagnosis and screening. Moreover, PSA is also the first cancer biomarker approved. In recent years, CD BioGlyco has made many advances in detecting glycobiomarkers in minimally invasive samples that can help researchers more accurately predict disease progression.

PSA

Cancer is the primary cause of death in both developing and developed countries. Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men, with the incidence expected to increase to 2.1 million by 2035 and the associated deaths to 633,328. The survival rate is proportionate to the stage reached at diagnosis, making early diagnosis by effective and disruptive diagnostic method critical to reducing mortality.

PSA is a serine protease generated by prostate epithelial cells, and the main function of PSA is to liquefy seminal coagulum. The amount and serum subtype of male PSA can distinguish between prostate cancer and benign inflammatory disease. In women, the expression of this glycoprotein is highly correlated with breast and colon cancers. Thus, PSA can function as a tumor biomarker and can be a powerful tool for a wide range of prostate cancer screening and early detection, diagnosis and prognostic screening of breast and colon cancers in women.

Fig.1 Schematic representation of the biosynthesis of PSA in normal and cancerous epithelial tissues of the prostate. (Prosper, 2016)

Techniques

CD BioGlyco has developed a variety of promising analytical tools to detect glyco-biomarker PSA for an early diagnosis of prostate cancer. The techniques we provide include but are not limited to:

• We employ multiple immunostrip (immunochromatographic membrane or lateral flow) tests to provide point-of-care testing (POCT) for PSA. The results could be obtained in minutes, meaning the possibility of requiring fewer clinical visits and providing better clinical results.
• We employ small footprint microarray technologies, which can capture a wide range of proteins. This system uses a combination of enzyme markers and magnetic particles to provide highly sensitive detection of a wide range of substances including PSA, platelet factor 4 (PF-4), prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) and interleukin 6 (IL-6).
• Instrument-based and lectin-based methods are also employed for PSA glycoprofiling, which can be used as diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers of prostate cancer.

Applications

• Screening for prostate cancer
• Determining the long-term risk of specific prostate cancer
• Monitoring response of the disease to treatment
• Monitoring disease progression

Advantages of Us

• Simple, reliable and robust techniques
• Time-saving and cost-effective
• Advanced experimental instruments
• Detailed after-sales service

CD BioGlyco provides tailored solutions for PSA detection, our vision is to be a trusted partner to our customers. If you have a demand for glyco-biomarker detection services, please free to contact us.

Reference

1. Prosper, K.; et al. Immunochemical assays and nucleic-acid detection techniques for clinical diagnosis of prostate cancer. Journal of Cancer. 2016, 7(5):523-531.