Methylation-specific multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MS-MLPA) can be used to screen multiple target sequences simultaneously in a single reaction, allowing for rapid early screening of tumor markers.

Commercially available MS-MLPA kits are not available for many diseases, and custom probe design has been limited by problems of chemically synthesizing longer nucleotides. Dr. Per Guldberg of the Danish Cancer Society (Copenhagen, Denmark) and colleagues from the Herlev University Hospital (Copenhagen, Denmark) have modified this assay by using multiple short synthetic probes to test for tumor markers in bladder cancer. They found that paired tumor and urine samples in most cases showed identical marker patterns, suggesting that this assay may be used for noninvasive diagnosis and disease monitoring.

The study was published in the July 2010 edition of the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics. The authors suggested, "The use of multiple short synthetic probes may provide a simple and cost-effective approach to custom-designed MLPA." In future studies, Dr. Guldberg's group will examine how "the same approach may be used for most other MLPA applications and thus provide the basis for a more widespread usage of the MLPA technology."

Related Links:
Danish Cancer Society
Herlev University Hospital