Diagnosis and treatment of drug-resistant Ewing'S sarcoma
AssigneeUniversity of Utah Research Foundation
InventorsStephen L. Lessnick, Wen Luo
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed herein are diagnostic and prognostic methods for determining drug sensitivity and resistance in Ewing's sarcoma patients. Treatments for drug-resistant Ewing's sarcoma are also disclosed. The assays involve the detection of GSTM4 gene expression alone or in combination with other clinical factors. The tests are suitable for diagnosing and monitoring treatment of patients having or suspected of having Ewing's sarcoma. The disclosure also relates to inhibitors of GSTM4 for the treatment of Ewing's sarcoma, including drug-resistant forms thereof.
Claims12
A method for determining a prognosis of a patient with Ewing's sarcoma, said method comprising:
- (a) determining the level of expression of a gene encoding glutathione S-transferase mu 4 (GSTM4) in a sample of Ewing's sarcoma cells acquired from the patient;
- and
- (b) determining the patient has a relatively worse prognosis if the level of expression determined is equal to or greater than a reference level at or above which there is a statistically significant negative correlation between the level of expression of the gene in a sample of Ewing's sarcoma acquired from individuals and the individuals' overall survival;
- or
- (c) determining the patient has a relatively better prognosis if the level of expression determined is less than a reference level at or above which there is a statistically significant negative correlation between the level of expression of the gene in Ewing's sarcomas acquired from individuals and the individuals' overall survival.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.