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Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Flow Cytometric Analysis of Apoptotic Biomarkers in Actinomycin D-Treated SiHa Cervical Cancer Cells
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Flow Cytometric Analysis of Apoptotic Biomarkers in Actinomycin D-Treated SiHa Cervical Cancer Cells

Published on: August 26, 2021

Biomarkers of apoptosis

T H Ward1, J Cummings, E Dean

  • 1Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology Group, Paterson Institute for Cancer Research, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.

British Journal of Cancer
|February 25, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Detecting apoptosis biomarkers early is crucial for targeted cancer drug development. This review discusses methods like ELISA for apoptosis cascade components, highlighting multiplex assays for future biomarker panels.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Targeted anticancer agents require early proof of mechanism in clinical development.
  • Selective apoptosis induction is a primary goal in cancer chemotherapy.
  • Identifying reliable biomarkers for apoptosis is essential for assessing drug efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and compare methodologies for detecting apoptosis biomarkers.
  • To discuss the advantages and limitations of various detection techniques.
  • To explore the potential of multiplex assays for analyzing biomarker panels.

Main Methods:

  • Discussion of methodological approaches for detecting apoptosis components.
  • Focus on serological assays, particularly Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA).
  • Evaluation of biomarkers such as circulating tumor cells, cytokeratins, and DNA nucleosomes.

Main Results:

  • ELISA offers advantages for sampling multiple time points in apoptosis detection.
  • Individual biomarkers may lack sufficient power to predict clinical outcomes.
  • Multiplex ELISA technologies provide increased throughput for analyzing biomarker panels.

Conclusions:

  • Accurate detection of apoptosis biomarkers is vital for advancing cancer drug development.
  • A single biomarker is insufficient; panels of biomarkers are needed for robust assessment.
  • Future research should emphasize technologies capable of analyzing multiple biomarkers in small sample volumes.

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