Fiscal Year:
2001
Title:
NF-KB: A Marker for Cellular Oxidative Stress
Agency:
HHS
Contract:
N/A
Award Amount:
$99,580.00
Abstract:
DESCRIPTION (Applicant's abstract): Accumulating evidence suggests oxidative
stress is responsible for altered metabolic functions in various
pathophysiological conditions including cancer, cardiovascular disease and
aging. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and subsequent oxidative
damage suffered by the cells are accrued over time during normal aging have
been implicated in the age related increase in many type of malignancies,
including prostate cancer. Our preliminary experiments and current literature
indicate activation of NF-kB, a redox-sensitive transcription factor, in
presence of ROS and hence oxidant stress. Although the mechanism of action is
still uncertain, we hypothesize that NF-kB, a redox-sensitive transcription
factor, can serve as a useful biomarker for cellular oxidative stress, provided
a rapid, sensitive and reliable assay for its measurement is available. To test
this hypothesis, we plan to (a) develop a novel and ultra-sensitive ELISA to
replace the tedious conventional electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA)
for evaluating the DNA binding activity of NF-kB, (b) establish whether the DNA
binding activity of this transcription factor could be used as a marker for
cellular oxidative stress and (c) validate and compare results using the NF-kB
ELISA with established biomarkers for systemic oxidative stress in the serum of
human volunteers. The proposed ELISA is expected to provide a rapid, sensitive
micro-assay for the DNA binding activity of NF-kB that could be used
practically in a clinical setting for evaluating cellular oxidative stress.
PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION:
Oxidative stress is increasingly being recognized as a major factor in the development of
human diseases, particularly diseases associated with aging such as arthritis, cardiovascular
disease and cancer. The development of a facile and effective oxidative stress test would
enable physicians to gauge the beneficial effects of dietary antioxidant supplements. It also
would enable clinicians to monitor the therapeutic impact of antioxidant drugs currently under
development and gain important feedback about the control of diseases associated with free
radical damage. The potential market for these applications is substantial, with estimates
ranging from $500 million to a billion or more.
Principal Investigator:
Smiti V. Gupta
Small Business Information at Submission:
OXFORD BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH, INC.
BOX 522, 1600 HOSNER RD OXFORD, MI 48371
EIN/Tax ID:
382506491
DUNS:
N/A
Number of Employees:
N/A
Woman-Owned:
No
Minority-Owned:
No
HUBZone-Owned:
No