cKIT (CD117) Test

The test helps in the quantitative determination of human CD117/c-kit/SCF R concentrations in cell culture supernates, serum and plasma. The test results helps to determine, treat and cure a number of malignancies like mast cell diseases, acute myeloid leukemia, small cell lung carcinoma and Ewing’ sarcoma. Imatinib mesylate, a tyrosine inhibitor appears to be effective in treating GISTs and other tumors that express KIT so testing tumor tissue for KIT immunoreactivity can help predict sensitivity to tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy

There is no set of specific preparations for this test but it’s always recommended to inform the healthcare provider about the ongoing medications or any recent medical history to avoid any misdiagnosis.

If the positive control exhibits weaker staining than expected, other positive controls run during the same staining is checked to determine if it’s because of the primary antibody or one of the common secondary reagents. If the positive control is negative then other positive controls used on the same run should be checked to determine if the underlying cause relates to the primary antibody or one of the common secondary. A positive test result indicates tumor expression of CD117/KIT and eligibility for Gleevec therapy.

A monoclonal antibody specific for human CD117/c-kit/SCF R is pre-coated onto a microplate and the samples are pipetted into wells and if any CD117/c-kit/SCF R which are present is been bound by the immobilized antibody. Carefully, after washing away any unbound substance, an enzyme linked monoclonal antibody specific for human c-kit is added to the wells. After the wash, once the unbound antibody enzyme reagent is removed, a substrate solution is added to the wells and the colors develops in proportion to the amount of CD117/c-kit/SCF R bound in the initial step. Once this is done, a color development is stopped and the intensity of the color is measured.