There are a variety of infection conditions and tissue damage that can be diagnosed by the b-globulin family of human proteins. C-Reactive Protein is one of these major proteins "(~ 105,000 Mw) in which the levels increase dramatically in concentration during many acute phase conditions. The protein is produced mainly in the liver, and in serum it may be elevated 2000 fold by various inflammatory events.

Carcino-Embryonic Antigen (CEA) is a tumor associated antigen which has been characterized as a glycoprotein of approximately 200,000 molecular weight. Development of the radio-immunoassay (RIA) made it possible to detect very low concentrations of CEA in blood, body fluids, and in normal and diseased tissues.