Peptoid-Based Antibody Mimics for Disease Detection Using ELISA Microarray Analysis

A number of potential protein markers of disease have recently been discovered using techniques such as mass spectroscopy. In order to validate the effectiveness of these protein markers for disease detection, they must be tested by a secondary technique such as ELISA microarray. This technique requires two affinity reagents with high sensitivity and specificity. We are developing peptoid-based antibody mimics that have the potential to be inexpensive, high affinity and specificity, and able to be rapidly selected from combinatorial libraries. The antibody mimics consist of two regions: the constant region to provide stability when immobilized to a solid surface and the variable region for protein binding. The two regions are synthesized individually and attached using click chemistry to produce the peptoid-based antibody mimic. The antibody mimics will be characterized using ELISA microarray analysis, considering both sensitivity and specificity. The long term goal is to develop an accurate method for detecting diseases such as breast cancer from a blood or urine sample.