SANIST: a rapid mass spectrometric SACI/ESI data acquisition and elaboration platform for verifying potential candidate biomarkers

RATIONALE Surface-Activated Chemical Ionization/Electrospray Ionization mass spectrometry (SACI/ESI-MS) is a technique with high sensitivity and low noise that allows accurate biomarker discovery studies. We developed a dedicated SACI/ESI software, named SANIST, for both biomarker fingerprint data acquisition and as a diagnostic tool, using prostate cancer (PCa) as the disease of interest. METHODS Liquid chromatography (LC)/SACI/ESI-MS technology was employed to detect a potential biomarker panel for PCa disease prediction. Serum from patients with histologically confirmed or negative prostate biopsies for PCa was employed. The biomarker data (m/z or Thompson value, retention time and extraction mass chromatogram peak area) were stored in an ascii database. SANIST software allowed identification of potential biomarkers. A Bayesian scoring algorithm developed in house allowed sample separation based on comparison with samples in the database. RESULTS Biomarker candidates from the carnitine family were detected at significantly lower levels in patients showing histologically confirmed PCa. Using these biomarkers, the SANIST scoring algorithm allowed separation of patients with PCa from biopsy negative subjects with high accuracy and sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS SANIST was able to rapidly identify and perform a preliminary evaluation of the potential diagnostic efficiency of potential biomarkers for PCa.