100 Years of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin

100 years of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin: Reviews and New Perspectives is a collection of articles written by some of the world’s leading experts on the pregnancy hormone and cancer marker hCG. In 2019 it is difficult to ignore the effect that our understanding of hCG has had on the lives of millions of people worldwide. The hCG immunoassay, in one form or another, is now one of the most common medical tests conducted and is often the first indication that a mother-to-be is pregnant. Not only a marker of pregnancy, hCG is utilized in the diagnosis and monitoring in oncology and presents a potential target for novel cancer therapeutics.

100 years ago, in 1919, Hirose was demonstrating gonadotropic functions which resulted from a chorionic factor. Over the last century this factor has become defined as hCG and more recently explored as not one molecule but a group of molecules with variable structure and variable functions in both pregnancy and cancer. hCG is a multi-faceted molecule that has clinical and therapeutic implications but can be a challenging topic for researchers and physicians alike. This text covers the different structures and functions of hCG exploring the genes and evolution of the molecule, the different protein and glycosylation structures which can exist and their effect on structure, detection and quantification.

100 Years of hCG is not an attempt to recount the history of every publication on hCG, but rather a collection of reviews and new perspectives by "hCG-ologists", the term used by Hussa to describe biochemists working on HCG in the first book written on the topic over 30 years ago. Some of the authors have been around a while, some not so long, but others are just beginning their journey with a most beguiling molecule.

• Provides updated information on a complex and changing subject in five sections
• Reviews historical perspectives and developments over the last 100 years
• Includes novel insights into the structure, function and detection of hCG in pregnancy and cancer
• Includes chapters on the use of mass spectrometry to detect and quantify hCG as well as traditional immunoassays and over the counter pregnancy tests
• Describes the role of hCG in pregnancy, endometrial receptivity and embryo implantation and the use in fertility treatment
• Addresses the specific hyperglycosylated hCG test that can distinguish a normal term from a failing pregnancy and also screen for preeclampsia and gestational hypertension in pregnancy as well as its use as a marker and treatment target in cancer.
• Includes chapters on the development and use of hCG vaccines
• Includes a section on hCG and in subunits in cancer

Researchers in reproductive medicine and endocrinology; Oncology

Forward- 100 Years of hCG
Introduction - 100 Years of hCG - Meet the Editors and the Authors
Section 1 - Genes and Structure
Chapter 1.1 - Isolating C5 and B152 - Anecdote
Chapter 1.2 - Evolutionary, structural and physiological differences between hCG and LH
Chapter 1.3 - hCG and Human Evolution - The Master Molecule
Chapter 1.4 - Human Chorionic Gonadotropin: Different Origins, Glycoforms and Functions during Pregnancy
Chapter 1.5 - Molecular Modelling of hCG: influence of glycosylation and nicking on molecular folding and epitope recognition
Chapter 1.6 - Why is hCG Glycosylated
Section 2 - Detection and Quantitation
Chapter 2.1 - Detecting hCG that’s not there - Annecdote
Chapter 2.2 - Quantification of hCG by MALDI ToF Mass Spectrometry
Chapter 2.3 - Pregnancy failures and false positive hCG tests
Chapter 2.4 - Home Pregnancy Tests
Chapter 2.5 - Human Chorionic Gonadotropin determination using mass spectrometry
Chapter 2.6 - Beta core fragment as a standard quality control in MALDI
Section 3 - Pregnancy and Fertility
Chapter 3.1 - hCG as an LH analogue - Anecdote
Chapter 3.2 - The role of hCG in endometrial receptivity and embryo implantation
Chapter 3.3 - Qualitative Analysis of hCG Variants and Glycoforms in Urine
Chapter 3.4 - Phenotypic characterization of a transgenic mouse model overproducing hCG
Chapter 3.5 - The Role of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin in Reproductive Medicine
Chapter 3.6 - Pregnancy and hCG
Chapter 3.7 - My Journey with Human Chorionic Gonadotropin: development of a Unique Vaccine for control of fertility
Chapter 3.8 - Evaluation of Delivery Vectors for Active Immunisation with Synthetic Peptides of hCG as a Fertility Control Method
Section 4 - Cancer and Therapy
Chapter 4.1 - How hCG and a failed experiment changed my life - Anecdote
Chapter 4.2 - Human chorionic gonadotropin in cancer – where are we?
Chapter 4.3 - LH/hCG-receptor independent activities of hCG and hCGβ
Chapter 4.4 - The Role of the Free Beta Subunit of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin in Human Malignancy
Chapter 4.5 - hCG and Gestational Trophoblastic Diseases - Hydatidiform Mole and Choriocarcinoma
Chapter 4.6 - Immunotherapy of Advanced Stage, Invariably Drug Resistant Cancer Expressing ectopically hCG
Chapter 4.7 – A Potential Cure for Cancer
Section 5 - Conclusion
Chapter 5.1 - Where has hCG research been? What is hCG research doing? Which direction will it go in the future?