Patent ID: 8658362

Claim:
A method of diagnosing whether a subject has, or is at risk for developing, colon cancer, comprising: extracting a test sample from a subject having, or suspected of having, colon cancer, wherein the sample is extracted from colon tissue; measuring, by hybridization assay, the level of at least one miR gene product of miR-24-1 in the test sample; comparing the level of at least one miR-24-1 gene product in the test sample to a control level of at least one corresponding miR gene product; correlating an increase in the test sample level of miR-24-1 gene product compared to the level of miR-24-1 gene product in the control sample with a subject having, or being at risk for developing, colon cancer; and diagnosing the subject as having, or being at risk for developing, colon cancer, if the level of the at least one miR gene product 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-24-1 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, colon cancer.