A high-specificity immunoassay for the therapeutic drug monitoring of cyclophosphamide

Personalized medicine is pushing forward new diagnostic techniques to aid in controlling drug therapeutic levels and their toxic effects. This study aims to develop a high-throughput screening method for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) and occupational exposure of cyclophosphamide (CP), an alkylating agent used as a chemotherapeutic and immunosuppressive drug. In order to achieve this goal, an immunizing hapten that exposes the cyclophosphamide moiety has been designed for the first time. Antibodies produced against this hapten have been used to develop an indirect competitive ELISA for the quantification of CP with high specificity and low cross-reactivity with some metabolites and other anticancer drugs. The assay obtained showed a LOD of 22 +/- 6 nM in serum samples, with concentrations much below the blood CP levels of patients treated with the drug. A new tool for the detection and quantification of CP is provided which could be relevant for future pharmacokinetic studies and for therapeutic index improvement.