Patent ID: 7910093

Claim:
A method for monitoring anti-cancer therapy in a mammal harboring a solid tumor which expresses higher levels of LAMR than normal tissues comprising the steps of a) administering to a mammal harboring a solid tumor a diagnostically effective amount of a replication defective Sindbis virus vector comprising a gene encoding a detectable label before or substantially simultaneously with the onset of anti-cancer therapy, and determining the amount of said detectable label in the body of said mammal, b) administering a diagnostically effective amount of a replication defective Sindbis virus vector comprising a gene encoding a detectable label after said anti-cancer therapy has been completed, and determining the amount of said detectable label in the body of said mammal; comparing the amount of said detectable label in steps a) and b) wherein diminution in the amount of said detectable label in step b) compared to the amount of said detectable label in step a), is indicative that the number of live cancer cells that were alive has decreased; wherein the amount of said cancer cells is proportional to the amount of label produced by said cancer cells and said label is detected by imaging.