Evaluation of adenocarcinoma of the prostate and breast using anti-dystroglycan antibodies
US6379893B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 15, 2000 |
| Grant date | Apr 30, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 15, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2800/2878
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Disclosed is a method for diagnosing the tumorigenic grade of a malignant tissue. The method entails determining the amount of dystroglycan protein of the malignant tissue relative to a standard. Suitable methods for determining the amount of dystroglycan protein of the tissue are provided, and include measuring the amount of mRNA transcripts which encode dystroglycan, and also performing western blot analysis or immunofluorescence analysis on the tissue components to detect &agr;-dystroglycan or &bgr;-dystroglycan. An antibody probe which binds specifically to the C-terminus of &bgr;-dystroglycan, is provided. This method is applicable to human malignant tissue, especially adenocarcinoma, and preferably prostate or mammary adenocarcinoma. This method can also be applied to the detection of a cancerous disease state in a tissue of a patient, with a decreased level of dystroglycan protein being indicative of the presence of cancer. Also disclosed is a method for determining the prognosis of a patient afflicted with a malignancy by determining the expression level of the dystroglycan gene in a tissue sample of the malignancy, and comparing the expression level to a standard, with a d…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.