About Martens

Imagine a simple test that would identify a change in a person’s immune system such that a predisposition for breast and uterine cancer as well as miscarriage, preterm delivery and infertility can be detected before they happen.

Two inventors at the University of Oklahoma-Tulsa, Mark Martens M.D. and Anil Kaul, M.D., are developing just such a ground-breaking diagnostic tool.

The two have discovered that a receptor protein found in the human body called Decay Accelerating Factor – or DAF – is associated with all of those conditions and, depending on the level present, can predict whether they are likely to occur. 

DAF prevents abnormal cells from being found by the body’s immune system, allowing them to grow.  By the time a person is symptomatic – for example, a postmenopausal woman with abnormal bleeding – she already has a precancerous or cancerous lesion, which reduces the chances for effective treatment.  By measuring DAF, doctors can tell if there is a cancer escaping detection or a pregnancy that is under attack.

Martens and Kaul hold patents for the receptors related to breast cancer and for a test that can be used to predict miscarriage and preterm labor.

Future applications for DAF include early testing for hepatitis C; liver, cervical, prostate and ovarian cancer; and transplant rejection.