Oncolab Inc. has made the AMAS Test commercially available which can now help in the early detection of a wide range of human cancers.
The AMAS Test is a blood test that can detect ‘circulating, cancer-specific antibody, the Anti-malignin antibody, in human serum’. The test basically helps detect the Anti-malignin antibody in the early stages of cancer. Although Anti-malignin is always present in a normal healthy body, its concentration increases with age which is a dangerous sign. This increase in its concentration becomes significant in the early stage of cancer which can be detected through AMAS test.
Thus after an early diagnosis a patient can go for an appropriate treatment like surgery, etc., as soon as possible.
The test was first used as an aid to detect glioma, which is a tumour appearing in the neuroglia (central nervous system) of the brain, leading to brain cancer. After the diagnosis of brain cancer, it was determined that even other cancers could be detected in a similar way. This is because if the test can help detect glioma it can also detect other malignant tumours as the structural characteristic of glioma peptide is similar to that of the malignant cells.
AMAS Test developer Oncolab, Inc. has been granted additional patent claims for developing and advancing its antibody and antigen detection techniques, as well as potential vaccine applications of the technology.