Immunodiagnosis for cervical cancer using antibody-gold nanoparticle conjugate

Abstract

Immunodiagnosis is an attractive choice for quick and reliable cancer screening. p16 INK4A (p16) is a promising biomarkers for cervical cancer. The over-expression of p16 is linked to the oncogenic transformation. Here, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific to p16 were produced by using hybridoma technology for immunodiagnostic purposes. The p16 was expressed in E.coli and purified by affinity chromatography. The protein was used for mouse immunization. Hybridomas producing antibodies to p16 were selected by ELISA. The mAbs were purified by protein A and G columns. The specificity and sensitivity of the antibodies were determined by Western blotting and ELISA. The selected anti-p16 mAb with highest sensitivity was conjugated to gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) by non-covalent adsorption. Immunochromatographic (IC) tests by using conjugated anti-p16 mAb and purified p16 were successfully performed for the first time. This method might be further used for early detection of cervical cancer.