Sensitive determination of the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) by immuno-polymerase chain reaction with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry detection

Sensitive and selective analytical methods are necessary for the determination of clinical biomarkers of breast cancer. The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is an important breast cancer biomarker since tumors with HER2 protein overexpression (HER2-positive tumors) turn out to be more aggressive and likely to recur. Therefore, accurate determination of serum HER2 values is critical to optimize clinical outcomes in patients with breast cancer. To gain sensitivity and selectivity in the determination of HER2, a sandwich immune assay (highly selective) has been implemented using a detection antibody labelled with a DNA marker. Further amplification of the label using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), followed by phosphorous quantification of the PCR product (amplicon) using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), completes this novel assay. Considering that the concentration of the amplicon is proportional to the amount of antigen (HER2) that is recognized by the labelled detection antibody, the concentration of HER2 can be directly obtained by P-analysis. For this aim, a DNA marker of 123 base pairs has been connected to the detection antibody of a sandwich immune assay conducted in pre-coated plates containing the capture antibody of HER2. After the recognition occurred, the PCR amplification was conducted and the PCR product analysed by ICP-MS. Detection limits of 2.5 pg mL−1 of HER2 could be achieved using 35 PCR cycles (7-fold lower than the commercial ELISA method). The developed methodology has been applied to the determination of HER2 in biological samples (human serum and cell culture supernatant of breast cancer cells, MDA-MB-231) obtaining mean method recoveries of about 87% and 81%, respectively. [Display omitted] •Immuno PCR is explored for the sensitive analysis of HER2 in biological samples.•Elemental detection of phosphorous by ICP-MS after PCR permits the quantification of the amplicon.•The combination of immune PCR-ICP-MS permits sensitivity in the low picograms per milliliter.•The hybrid strategy represents an extraordinary improvement in biomarker analysis.