Patent ID: 7108977

Claim:
A process to screen a test sample containing cells for potentials to develop tumor, tumor progression or metastasis, against a base sample, the process comprises the following steps: (a) incubating the test sample and the base sample under hybridization conditions with a nucleic acid probe selected from the group consisting of: (i) a nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1; (ii) a nucleic acid sequence which is complementary to any nucleic acid sequence of (i); (iii) a nucleic acid sequence which hybridizes under stringent conditions with the sequence of (i); and (iv) a nucleic acid sequence which hybridizes under stringent conditions with the sequence of (ii); (b) determining the amount of hybridization of the test sample and the base sample with said probe; and (c) comparing the amount of hybridization of the test sample to an amount of hybridization of said base sample: wherein if the amount of hybridization of the test sample is less than the amount of hybridization of the base sample, the cells in the test sample have a greater potential for developing or progressing tumors or metastasis than the cells in the base sample.