Patent ID: 8507202

Claim:
A method of diagnosing whether a subject has pancreatic cancer, comprising: a.) obtaining a test sample from subject having, or suspected of having pancreatic cancer, wherein the sample is extracted from pancreas tissue; b.) measuring, by hybridization assay, the level of at least one miR gene product of miR-221; c.) comparing the level of at least one miR gene product of miR-221 in the test sample from a subject to a control level of at least one corresponding miR gene product; d.) diagnosing the subject as having, or at risk for developing, pancreatic cancer, if the level of the at least one miR gene product of miR-221 in the test sample from the subject is greater than the control level of the corresponding miR gene product; wherein an increase in the level of miR-221 gene product in the test sample, relative to the control level of miR-221 gene product, is indicative of the subject having pancreatic cancer.