Patent ID: 6664046
Filing Date: 2003-12-16
Classification: C12Q

Abstract:
A method for identifying the presence of cancerous cells in a human sample wherein said method comprises:(a) determining the quantity of hTERT mRNA comprising &bgr;-region coding sequence in said sample and in a control sample of non cancerous cells by: (1) contacting RNA from said sample and said control sample with a pair of primers, wherein said pair of primers consists of a first primer which hybridizes within exon 8 of the hTERT gene and a second primer which hybridizes upstream of exon 7 or downstream of exon 8 of the hTERT gene; (3) measuring the generation of amplification products; (4) determining the quantity of hTERT mRNA comprising &bgr;-region coding sequence in said sample from the results obtained in step (3); and (b) identifying the presence of cancerous cells in said sample if the quantity of hTERT mRNA comprising &bgr;-region coding sequence in said sample is greater than the quantity of hTERT mRNA comprising &bgr;-region coding sequence in said control sample.