Cancer susceptibility test
AssigneeOncotech, Inc.
InventorLevy Kopelovich
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates to an improved viral transformation/neodifferentiation assay for determining predisposition to cancer. The invention is based on the association between retroviral transformation/neodifferentiation and a predisposition to cancer. The level of lipogenic enzymes is measured in cultured human fibroblast cells after transformation/neodifferentiation with Kirsten murine sarcoma virus in the presence of glucocorticosteroids to monitor the extent of conversion of the human skin fibroblasts to fully mature adipocytes.
Claims13
A method for a viral transformation assay for determining predisposition of humans to cancer comprising:
- (a) obtaining a skin biopsy specimen from a human subject;
- (b) establishing a human skin fibroblast culture from the skin biopsy specimen;
- (c) incubating the human skin fibroblast culture in a growth and maintenance medium at 37.degree. C. for an amount of time sufficient to establish monolayer cultures;
- (d) treating the cell cultures with DEAE-dextran;
- (e) infecting the resultant human skin fibroblast cultures with Kirsten murine sarcoma virus;
- (f) exposing the cultures to the medium supplemented with an effective amount of a glucocorticosteroid hormone;
- and
- (g) measuring the level of a lipogenic enzyme in such cultures to monitor the extent of transformation/neodifferentiation.
A method for a viral transformation assay for determining predisposition in humans to cancer comprising:
- (a) obtaining a subepidermoid skin biopsy specimen;
- (b) establishing a human skin fibroblast culture from the subepidermoid biopsy specimen;
- (c) incubating the humar skin fibroblast culture in a growth and maintenance medium at 37.degree. C. for an amount of time suffcient to establish monolayer cultures;
- (d) treating the cell cultures with DEAE-dextran;
- (e) infecting the resultant human skin fibroblast cultures with Kirsten murine sarcoma virus;
- (f) maintaining such cultures in the medium supplemented with hydrocortisone at a concentration of about 100-1000 ng/ml;
- and
- (g) measuring the level of a lipogenic enzyme in such culture to monitor the extent of transformation/neodifferentiation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.