Abstract
α-FOETOPROTEIN (α-FP) has been considered specific for the foetal and neonatal periods1,2 and for certain types of malignant tumours3,4. The occurrence of α-FP in viral hepatitis has recently been reported5,6. The presence of α-FP in malignant disease is usually thought to result from derepression of a foetal gene that is normally suppressed at the adult stage. We now report the detection of α-FP in sera of healthy non-pregnant human adults. The presence of α-FP in adult sera was demonstrated by radioimmunoassay (RIA) and confirmed by RIA of concentrated α-FP preparations from normal human serum using immunoadsorbents.
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RUOSLAHTI, E., SEPPÄLÄ, M. α-Foetoprotein in Normal Human Serum. Nature 235, 161–162 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1038/235161a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/235161a0
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