Diagnostic test for the desmoplastic small round cell tumor

Abstract

The present invention provides an isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding a chimeric EWS-WT1 protein. This invention also provides an isolated protein which is a chimeric EWS-WT1 protein. This invention further provides a method of diagnosing a desmoplastic small round cell tumor in a subject which comprises detecting in a sample from the subject a nucleic acid molecule encoding a chimeric EWS-WT1 protein, positive detection indicating the presence of desmoplastic small round cell tumor. This invention also provides a method of inhibiting the growth of a neoplastic cell, wherein the cell is characterized by the presence of a chimeric EWS-WT1 protein which comprises contacting an antibody which specifically recognizes the chimeric EWS-WT1 fusion protein under suitable conditions so that an antibody-antigen complex is formed, thereby inhibiting the growth of the neoplastic cell.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.