Patent ID: 8420885
Filing Date: 2013-04-16
Classification: A01K,A61K,B82Y,C12N,G01N

Abstract:
1. A method for determining the effect of a test compound on solid tumor stem cells in a solid tumor of epithelial origin, the method comprising: a) exposing a first set of enriched solid tumor stem cells, but not a second set of the enriched solid tumor stem cells, to a test compound, wherein the solid tumor stem cells are obtained from solid tumor cells of epithelial origin; b) injecting the first set of tumor cells at varying numbers of cells into a first series of host animals and injecting the second set of tumor cells at varying numbers of cells into a second series of host animals; c) determining tumor formation frequency and rate in both the first and second series of host animals; d) determining by limiting dilution analysis the number or frequency of tumor stem cells in the first and second sets of tumor cells based on the tumor formation frequency and rate in the first and second series of host animals, respectively; and e) comparing the number or frequency of tumor stem cells in the first set of tumor cells to the number or frequency of tumor stem cells in the second set of tumor cells, wherein (i) a decrease in the number or frequency of tumor stem cells in the first set of tumor cells relative to the second set of tumor cells indicates the test compound is capable of decreasing the number or frequency of tumor stem cells, and (ii) an increase in the number or frequency of tumor stem cells in the first set of tumor cells relative to the second set of tumor cells indicates the test compound is capable of increasing the number or frequency of tumor stem cells.