Methods for the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer

• US 8,067,240 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2010
• Issued: 11/29/2011
• 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, Esoterix Genetic Laboratories LLC (Laboratory Corporation Of America Holdings)
• Inventors: Beaudry, Gary A., Madden, Stephen L., Bertlesen, Arthur H., Sidransky, David, Jen, Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): RAWLINGS, STEPHEN L
• Application Number:
  US12/951,449
• Publication Number:
  US 20110091892A1
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: 436/64, 435/6, 435/7.1, 435/7.23, 530/350, 536/23.5, 536/24.3
• US Class Current: 436/64
• 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 of aiding in the diagnosis of lung cancer in a human patient, said method comprising:

(a) detecting the presence of an overexpressed proto-oncogene encoding 8-oxo-dGTPase 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.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence of the overexpressed proto-oncogene is determined by detecting the quantity of mRNA transcribed from the proto-oncogene.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting is determined by probing the sample with a probe or primer comprising the sequence TGGCCCGACG (SEQ. ID No.3) or its complement.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the presence of the overexpressed proto-oncogene is determined by detecting the quantity of cDNA produced from the reverse transcription of the mRNA.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence of the overexpressed proto-oncogene is determined by detecting the quantity of the polypeptide or protein encoded by the proto-oncogene.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the lung cancer is non-small cell lung cancer.