Biomolecular engineering of antidehydroepiandrosterone antibodies: a new perspective in cancer diagnosis and treatment using single-chain antibody variable fragment.

AIM: To develop a monoclonal antibody against dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and miniaturize it, generating a single-chain antibody variable fragment (scFv) against DHEA as an adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) marker.

MATERIAL & METHODS: DHEA conjugated to keyhole limpet hemocyanin was used as an immunogen to obtain anti-DHEA hybridomas. Variable fragments were cloned from hybridoma 5B7 total RNA, and used to detect DHEA in normal adrenal tissue and ACC cells.

RESULTS: IgM monoclonal antibody was highly specific, and the recombinant scFv preserved parental antibody characteristics, allowing tissue localization of DHEA.

CONCLUSION: Undefined small lesions are challenges for clinicians and impact clinical adrenocortical tumor management. Generating an anti-DHEA scFv facilitates development of imaging tests for early diagnosis of pediatric ACC.