The preparation of purified carcinoembryonic antigen of the human digestive system from large quantities of tumor tissue

A method is described for the preparation of the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) of the human digestive system from large quantities of metastatic tumor tissue. The purification process is far more rapid than that originally described, and results in a higher yield of CEA than that previously obtained. The procedure involves the sequential steps of extraction in perchloric acid, column chromatography on Sepharose 4B and Sephadex G-200, and preparative electrophoresis on Sephadex G-25. The final product shows a high degree of uniformity as determined by both physiochemical and immunochemical criteria.