Methods for the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer

• US 7,846,667 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2009
• Issued: 12/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Johns Hopkins University, Esoterix Genetic Laboratories LLC (Laboratory Corporation Of America Holdings)
• Original Assignee: Johns Hopkins University, Genzyme Corporation (Sanofi )
• Inventors: Beaudry, Gary A., Madden, Stephen L., Bertlesen, Arthur H., Sidransky, David, Jen, Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): Rawlings; Stephen L
• Application Number:
  US12/545,028
• Publication Number:
  US 20100062443A1
• Time in Patent Office: 474 Days
• Field of Search: 435/6, 435/7.1, 536/23.5, 536/24.31, 536/24.33, 530/350, 530/387.1, 530/387.7, 436/64
• US Class Current: 435/6.14
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 35/00 Antineoplastic agents
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 1/6886 for cancer immunoassay for cancer G01N33/574
• CPC Class Codes: C12Q 2600/136 Screening for pharmacological compounds

Abstract

The present invention provides methods for aiding in the diagnoses of the neoplastic condition of a lung cell and methods of screening for a potential therapeutic agent for the reversal of the neoplastic condition.

Claims

1. A method for detecting and diagnosing lung cancer in a human patient, said method comprising:

(a) detecting the presence of an overexpressed b-mvb proto-oncogene in a lung cell sample taken from the patient; and

(b) determining that there is an indication of the presence of lung cancer in the patient when the proto-oncogene is overexpressed.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

(a) determining the expression level of the PGP9.5 proto-oncogene in a lung cell sample isolated from the patient; and

(b) determining that there is a further indication of the presence of lung cancer in the patient when the PGP9.5 proto-oncogene is overexpressed.

7. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the lung cancer is non-small cell lung cancer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the presence of an overexpressed b-mvb proto-oncogene in a lung cell sample taken from the patient comprises measuring the quantity of mRNA transcribed from the b-myb proto-oncogene in the sample.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the presence of an overexpressed b-mvb proto-oncogene in a lung cell sample taken from the patient comprises measuring the quantity of mRNA transcribed from the b-myb proto-oncogene in the sample.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the presence of an overexpressed b-mvb proto-oncogene in a lung cell sample taken from the patient comprises measuring the quantity of cDNA produced from the reverse transcription of the b-myb mRNA in the sample.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the presence of an overexpressed b-mvb proto-oncogene in a lung cell sample taken from the patient comprises measuring the quantity of the polypeptide or protein encoded by the b-myb proto-oncogene in the sample.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the presence of an overexpressed b-mvb proto-oncogene in a lung cell sample taken from the patient comprises probing the lung cell sample with a probe or primer comprising the sequence TGCTGCCCTG (SEQ. ID No. 1) or its complement.

2. A method for identifying a human patient having lung cancer, said method comprising:

(a) determining the expression level of the b-myb proto-oncogene in a lung cell sample isolated from the patient; and

(b) identifying the patient as likely to have lung cancer when the expression level of the proto-oncogene in the sample is above the level of expression of the proto-oncogene in normal lung cells.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the expression level of the b-myb proto-oncogene comprises measuring the quantity of mRNA transcribed from the b-myb proto-oncogene in the sample.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the expression level of the b-myb proto-oncogene comprises measuring the quantity of cDNA produced from the reverse transcription of the b-myb mRNA in the sample.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the expression level of the b-myb proto-oncogene comprises measuring the quantity of the polypeptide or protein encoded by the b-myb proto-oncogene in the sample.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the expression level of the b-myb proto-oncogene comprises probing the lung cell sample with a probe or primer comprising the sequence TGCTGCCCTG (SEQ. ID No. 1) or its complement.