Combination of circulating epstein-barr virus (EBV) DNA in the serum or plasma of patients and a method to assess EBV subtypes for the prediction and detection of epstein-barr virus associated cancers
AssigneesYuk Ming Dennis Lo, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
InventorsWah Hin Alex Yeung, Yuk Ming Dennis Lo
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Abstract
The present invention features methods for diagnosing, detecting, monitoring and determining the prognosis of Epstein Barr virus associated cancers in a patient by detecting or measuring EBV DNA present in the serum or plasma of the patient followed by EBV subtyping of polymorphisms. The sensitivity of the circulating EBV DNA serves as a good screening tool while the EBV subtyping of polymorphism confirms the prognosis or diagnosis of EBV associated malignancies. The present invention also features diagnostic kits comprising suitable reagents for the above tests.
Claims14
A method of determining the probability of a patient with increased Epstein Barr virus DNA in blood for the prognosis and diagnosis of Epstein Barr virus associated cancers by:
- (a) first screening such a patient with EBV DNA described herein using serum or plasma samples and then
- (b) confirming such a probability by determining the EBV subtypes according to polymorphisms in the blood plasma or serum.
A method of diagnosis, detecting, monitoring and determining the prognosis of Epstein Barr virus associated cancer in a patient comprising the step of detecting EBV DNA and then EBV subtypes present in the serum of plasma of the patient.
A kit for determining the increased probability of a patient with increase EBV DNA in blood for the prognosis and diagnosis of Epstein Barr virus associated cancers.
- (a) nucleic acid for detecting Epstein Barr virus in the blood of patients suffering from;
- and
- (b) instructions for use of the nucleic acid to determine the presence or absence of Epstein Barr virus and an explanation of the increased probability of the patient suffering from Epstein Barr virus associated cancers if confirmed with EBV subtyping.
- (c) TaqMan probes and PCR primers with two TaqMan probes differ at the polymorphic site with one complementary to the benign and the other to the malignant allele. The number of different malignant and benign subtypes will dictate the number of pairs of TaqMan probes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.