Patent ID: 7833738

Claim:
A method that is diagnostic or diagnostic and prognostic for precancer or cancer associated with abnormal MN/CA IX expression comprising contacting a mammalian sample with a MN/CA IX-specific inhibitor conjugated to a label or a visualizing means, and detecting or detecting and quantifying binding of said MN/CA IX-specific inhibitor to cells in said sample by detecting or detecting and quantifying said label or said visualizing means on cells in said sample, wherein said detection or said detection and quantitation at a level above that for a control sample is indicative of precancerous or cancerous cells that overexpress MN/CA IX in said sample; wherein said MN/CA IX-specific inhibitor is selected from the group consisting of heterocyclic sulfonamides and aromatic sulfonamides; wherein said MN/CA IX-specific inhibitor conjugate is a potent inhibitor of MN/CA IX; wherein said MN/CA IX-specific inhibitor conjugate is determined to be a potent inhibitor of MN/CA IX enzymatic activity in a screening assay comprising determining the inhibition constant K I of said conjugate, wherein if said inhibition constant K I is determined to be less than about 50 nanomolar, said MN/CA IX-inhibitor conjugate is determined to be a potent inhibitor of MN/CA IX enzymatic activity; and wherein said inhibitor conjugate is determined to be an MN/CA IX-specific inhibitor if said conjugate is a more potent inhibitor of MN/CA IX enzymatic activity than of the enzymatic activity of at least one of the carbonic anhydrases selected from the group consisting of CA I, CA II and CA IV.