Methods for determining and inhibiting rheumatoid arthritis associated with the braf oncogene in a subject
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Development of Veterans Affairs
InventorRichard H. Weisbart
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Abstract
The invention provides methods for determining whether a subject is suffering from a rheumatoid arthritis associated with the BRAF oncogene comprising contacting isolated fibroblasts from the subject with a molecule or pool of molecules directed to the BRAF oncogene; and culturing the sample in the presence of the agent and determining whether BRAF oncogene expression by the cell is decreased and/or whether cells in the sample return to a less transformed phenotype, exhibit decreased cell proliferation and/or exhibit increased contact inhibition, any of which is indicative that the subject is suffering from a rheumatoid arthritis associated with the BRAF oncogene.
Claims25
A method for determining whether a subject is suffering from a rheumatoid arthritis associated with a BRAF oncogene, comprising:
- a. contacting a sample from the synovial tissue from the subject with an agent directed to the BRAF oncogene;
- b. culturing the sample of (a) in the presence of the agent and determining whether BRAF oncogene expression by the cell is decreased and/or whether cells in the sample return to a less transformed phenotype, exhibit decreased cell proliferation and/or exhibit increased contact inhibition, any of which is indicative that the subject is suffering from a rheumatoid arthritis associated with the BRAF oncogene.
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A method for determining whether a subject is suffering from a rheumatoid arthritis associated with the BRAF oncogene comprising:
- a. Contacting a sample from the subject with an agent directed to the BRAF oncogene or its transcript(s);
- b. Detecting association of the agent with the BRAF oncogene or its transcript(s), such association being indicative that the subject is suffering from a rheumatoid arthritis associated with the BRAF oncogene, wherein the BRAF oncogene has a mutation so that the codon encoding valine at amino acid position 600 of SEQ ID NO:2 is changed to codon which encodes arginine or an amino acid other than valine.
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A method for inhibiting a cell having an activated BRAF oncogene associated with rheumatoid arthritis comprising contacting the cell with an agent that binds the BRAF oncogene and thereby inhibiting the cell.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.