Comparative analysis of FTIR spectra of serum from multiple myeloma patients and healthy donors

Abstract

Multiple myeloma (MM) accounts for about 1% of all types of cancers. MM is characterized by the proliferation of a single clone of plasma cells, which may produce and secrete homogeneous monoclonal immunoglobulin. The monoclonal immunoglobulin is commonly referred to as an “M-protein”. The M-protein acts as a serological “tumor” marker that is useful for diagnosis and disease monitoring. The electrophoretic pattern reveals the M-protein in 80% of MM patients as a single peak or localized band. In our study we applied a combination of high-resolution protein electrophoresis and Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to compare the protein composition and the secondary structures of the serum proteins from MM patients and healthy donors. Refs 15. Figs 3. Tables 1.