Method of using estrogen-related receptor alpha (ERRalpha) status to determine prognosis, treatment strategy and predisposition to breast cancer, and method of using ERRalpha as a therapeutic target for the treatment of breast cancer
AssigneeWisconsin Alumni Research Foundation
InventorsJanet E. Mertz, Stephen D. Johnston, Richard J. Kraus, Eric A. Ariazi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention provides that ERRα is a breast cancer biomarker of clinical course and treatment sensitivity and, itself, a target for breast cancer treatment. A high ERRα level in breast cancer indicates poor prognosis. Analyzing ERRα expression level along with the status of ERα and ErbB2 can help breast cancer patients make treatment choices. Furthermore, breast cancer can be treated by modulating ERRα activity.
Claims30
A method for determining prognosis of a breast cancer patient comprising the step of determining the level of estrogen-related receptor (ERR) α expression in breast cancer cells wherein a high level indicates a poor prognosis and a low level indicates a more favorable prognosis.
A method for categorizing breast cancer patients based on ERRα status comprising the step of determining the expression level of ERRα in the breast cancer cells of a breast cancer patient.
A method for identifying a human subject for further breast cancer examination comprising the step of determining whether a mutation exists in the ERRα gene.
A method for identifying a human subject for further breast cancer examination comprising the step of determining whether an aberrantly spliced mRNA variant of ERRα exists.
A method for treating breast cancer comprising the steps of:
- determining whether ERRα is an activator or repressor of ERE-dependent transcription in breast cancer cells;
- and
- decreasing ERRα activity in breast cancer cells if ERRα is an activator and increasing ERRα activity in breast cancer cells if ERRα is a repressor.
A method for identifying an agent that modulates ERRα expression, the method comprising the steps of:
- treating cells that express ERRα with a test agent;
- comparing the level of ERRα expression in the treated cells to that of control cells that are not treated with the agent.
A method for identifying an agent that modulates ERRα activity in a cell, the method comprising the steps of:
- treating cells that contain ERRα with a test agent;
- and
- comparing ERRα activity in the treated cell to that of control cells that are not treated with the agent.
A method for identifying an agonist or an antagonist of ERRα, the method comprising the steps of:
- exposing ERRα to a test agent;
- determining whether the agent binds to ERRα;
- treating cells that express ERRα with a test agent determined to bind to ERRα;
- and
- comparing ERRα activity in the treated cell to that of control cells that are not treated with the agent.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.