84 – Oncotest: a DNA assay system for the screening of carcinogenic substances

IRCS Medical science, 1979, 7, pp. 476.

Available in English only

ABSTRACT: We describe a very rapid, sensitive and economic assay system (Oncotest) using purified DNA(s) from both cancerous and healthy human tissues (lung, breast, ovary and brain) and DNA dependent-DNA polymerase I, partly purified from Escherichia coli for detecting potential carcinogens. The amount of in vitro synthesized radioactive DNA as acid precipitable product is measured under strictly identical experimental conditions in the absence or presence of various concentrations of coumpounds to be screened. All known carcinogens and several drugs we tested strongly stimulate the syntheses of cancer DNA and only slightly that of DNA from healthy tissues. The results can be obtained within 1 to 4 hours.