Patent ID: 8603744

Claim:
A method of diagnosing whether a subject has, or is at risk for developing, breast cancer, comprising: extracting a test sample from a subject having, or suspected of having, breast cancer, wherein the sample is extracted from breast tissue; measuring, by hybridization assay, the level of at least one miR gene product of miR-29b-2 in the test sample; comparing the level of the at least one miR-29b-2 gene product in the test sample to the level of at least one corresponding miR gene product in a control sample; correlating an increase in the test sample level of miR-29b-2 gene product compared to the level of miR-29b-2 gene product in the control sample with a subject having, or being at risk for developing, breast cancer; and diagnosing the subject as having, or being at risk for developing, breast cancer, if the level of the at least one miR gene product in the test sample from the subject is greater than the level of the corresponding miR gene product in the control sample; wherein an increase in the level of miR-29b-2 gene product in the test sample, relative to the control level of the at least one corresponding miR gene product, is indicative of the subject having, or being at risk for developing, breast cancer.