Whole cell ELISA for detection of tumor antigen expression in tumor samples.

We have developed a whole cell enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) that detects the melanoma antigens gp100 and S-100 in tumor samples from patients with metastatic melanoma and the antigen CA 125 in tumor samples from patients with ovarian carcinoma. The assay is relatively simple to perform and interpret without specialized expertise in pathology. It is both sensitive and selective and is amenable to being automated. The results correlate very well with those obtained by flow cytometry and are in good accord with published values obtained by immunohistochemistry. We believe that this assay should be very helpful for characterizing autologous cell cancer vaccines and may also represent a useful alternative to immunohistochemistry for cancer diagnosis. It should be adaptable to other types of cancer where tumor antigens have been identified and good antibodies are available.