Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a potent carcinogen found in foods like peanuts, corn, and grains that have been contaminated by the fungus that produces them. This technology is an antibody for an AFB1-DNA adduct and a cell line that selectively expresses it. AFB1 has long been implicated in liver cancers, but until the development of this technology, the relationship between AFB1 exposure and liver cancer has only been established in animal models. It has now been used to establish the relationship between AFB1 exposure and hepatocellular carcinoma in humans. It may be useful in determining a patient’s exposure levels to AFB1, and as a research tool for investigating its role in other cancers.
The liver carcinogenicity of AFB1 was in part confirmed because of this technology. It was used in a field study in Taiwan to identify the relationship between AFB1 exposure and liver cancer by detecting the levels of AFB1-DNA adducts. This technology also made it possible to track the relationship between AFB1 exposure, hepatitis B and liver cancer, and in doing so, found a link that suggested a viral-chemical interaction between the hepatitis B virus and AFB1. In addition, this technology was used to identify patients who were at increased risk for developing liver cancer due to AFB1 exposure because of genetic predispositions.
Patent Pending
Tech Ventures Reference: IR 957