SeroGRID: an improved method for the rapid selection of antigens with disease related immunogenicity

Abstract

Screening of cDNA expression libraries derived from human tumors with autologous sera (SEREX) permits the definition of immunogenic antigens in individual cancer patients. However, only a minority of SEREX-derived cDNA clones show a clear cancer-relatedness in the sense that circulating autoantibodies to them occur exclusively in the sera of tumor patients but not in healthy individuals. Evaluation of multiple SEREX-defined clones in serological assays using panels of allogeneic sera from cancer patients as well as appropriate control groups is an important step towards focussing on the relevant antigens. This in turn is the basis for defining disease parameters of diagnostic and prognostic significance.Here, we show that seroreactivity of multiple SEREX-derived antigens can be simultaneously evaluated using a rapid and versatile high throughput procedure, which we call SeroGRID.