Patent ID: 7932061

Claim:
A method for detecting an extracellular human RNA species in extracellular RNA extracted from blood plasma or serum from a human, the method comprising the steps of: a) centrifuging a blood sample from a human, said blood sample containing active ribonucleases and absence of an RNase inhibitor capable of inhibiting the active ribonucleases, and obtaining blood plasma or serum containing the active ribonucleases and absence of an RNase inhibitor capable of inhibiting the active ribonucleases; b) extracting extracellular RNA from the blood plasma or serum in step a), wherein the extracellular RNA extracted from the blood plasma or serum in step a) comprises an extracellular human RNA species; c) amplifying in a quantitative or qualitative fashion said extracellular human RNA species, or cDNA derived therefrom using primers specific for said extracellular human RNA species, or cDNA derived therefrom and producing an amplified product; and d) detecting said extracellular human RNA species by detecting in a quantitative or qualitative fashion the amplified product.