Method for Diagnosing Non-Small Cell Lung Cancers
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(19) TZZ Z _ T (11) EP 2 270 221 A2 (12) EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION (43) Date of publication: (51) Int Cl.: 05.01.2011 Bulletin 2011/01 C12Q 1/68 (2006.01) C12N 15/12 (2006.01) G01N 33/50 (2006.01) C12N 15/11 (2006.01) (2006.01) (2006.01) (21) Application number: 10010329.0 A61P 35/00 A61K 39/00 (22) Date of filing: 22.09.2003 (84) Designated Contracting States: (72) Inventors: AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR • Nakamura, Yusuke HU IE IT LI LU MC NL PT RO SE SI SK TR Yokohama-shi Kanagawa 225-0011 (JP) (30) Priority: 30.09.2002 US 414673 P • Daigo, Yataro 28.02.2003 US 451374 P Yokohama-shi 28.04.2003 US 466100 P Kanagawa 222-0031 (JP) • Nakatsuru, Shuichi (62) Document number(s) of the earlier application(s) in Saitama-shi accordance with Art. 76 EPC: Saitama 338-0002 (JP) 06022167.8 / 1 743 947 03753941.8 / 1 551 998 (74) Representative: Vossius & Partner Siebertstrasse 4 (71) Applicant: Oncotherapy Science, Inc. 81675 München (DE) Kawasaki-shi Kanagawa 213-0012 (JP) Remarks: This application was filed on 23-09-2010 as a divisional application to the application mentioned under INID code 62. (54) Method for diagnosing non-small cell lung cancers (57) Disclosed are methods for detecting non-small cancerous tissues are provided. Also disclosed are meth- cell lung cancer using differentially expressed genes. ods of identifying compounds for treating and preventing Furthermore, novel human genes whose expression is non-small cell lung cancer. elevated in non-small cell lung cancer compared to no- EP 2 270 221 A2 Printed by Jouve, 75001 PARIS (FR) EP 2 270 221 A2 Description [0001] The present application is related to USSN 60/414,673 , filed September 30, 2002, USSN 60/451,374, filed February 28, 2003, and USSN 60/466,100, filed April 28,2003, which is incorporated herein by reference. 5 Technical Field [0002] The present invention relates to the field of biological science, more specifically to the field of cancer research. In particular, the invention relates to methods of diagnosing non-small cell lung cancers and genes with elevated or 10 decreased expression in such cancerous cells. Background Art [0003] Lung cancer is one of the most commonly fatal human tumors. Many genetic alterations associated with the 15 development and progression of lung cancer has been reported. Although genetic changes can aid prognostic efforts and predictions of metastatic risk or response to certain treatments, information about a single or a limited number of molecular markers generally fails to provide satisfactory results for clinical diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)(Mitsudomi et al., Clin Cancer Res 6: 4055-63 (2000); Niklinski et al., Lung Cancer. 34 Suppl 2: S53-8 (2001); Watine, Bmj 320: 379-80 (2000)). Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is by far the most common form, accounting for 20 nearly 80% of lung tumors (Society, A. C. Cancer Facts and Figures 2001, 2001.). The overall 10-year survival rate remains as low as 10% despite recent advances in multi-modality therapy, because the majority of NSCLCs are not diagnosed until advanced stages (Fry, W. A., Phillips, J. L., and Menck, H. R. Ten-year survey of lung cancer treatment and survival in hospitals in the United States: a national cancer data base report, Cancer. 86: 1867-76., 1999.). Although chemotherapy regimens based on platinum are considered the reference standards for treatment of NSCLC, those 25 drugs are able to expend survival of patients with advanced NSCLC only about six weeks (Chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis using updated data on individual patients from 52 randomised clinical trials. Non small Cell Lung Cancer Collaborative Group, Bmj. 311: 899·909., 1995.). Numerous targeted therapies are being investigated for this disease, including tyrosine kinase inhibitors, but so far promising results have been achieved in only a limited number of patients and some recipients suffer severe adverse reactions (Kris M, N. R., Herbst RS A phase II trial of 30 ZD1839 (’Iressa’) in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who had failed platinum and docetaxel- based regimens (IDEAL 2)., Proc Am Soc Clin Oncol. 21:29a(A1166), 2002). [0004] cDNA microarray technologies have enabled to obtain comprehensive profiles of gene expression in normal and malignant cells, and compare the gene expression in malignant and corresponding normal cells (Okabe et al., Cancer Res 61:2129-37 (2001); Kitahara et al., Cancer Res 61: 3544-9 (2001); Lin et al., Oncogene 21:4120-8 (2002); 35 Hasegawa et al., Cancer Res 62:7012-7 (2002)). This approach enables to disclose the complex nature of cancer cells, and helps to understand the mechanism of carcinogenesis. Identification of genes that are deregulated in tumors can lead to more precise and accurate diagnosis of individual cancers, and to develop novel therapeutic targets (Bienz and Clevers, Cell 103:311-20 (2000)). To disclose mechanisms underlying tumors from a genome-wide point of view, and discover target molecules for diagnosis and development of novel therapeutic drugs, the present inventors have been 40 analyzing the expression profiles of tumor cells using a cDNA microarray of 23040 genes (Okabe et al., Cancer Res 61: 2129-37 (2001); Kitahara et al., Cancer Res 61:3544-9 (2001); Lin et al., Oncogene 21:4120-8 (2002); Hasegawa et al., Cancer Res 62:7012-7 (2002)). [0005] Studies designed to reveal mechanisms of carcinogenesis have already facilitated identification of molecular targets for anti-tumor agents. For example, inhibitors of farnexyltransferase (FTIs) which were originally developed to 45 inhibit the growth-signaling pathway related to Ras, whose activation depends on posttranslational farnesylation, has been effective in treating Ras-dependent tumors in animal models (He et al., Cell 99:335-45 (1999)). Clinical trials on human using a combination or anti-cancer drugs and anti-HER2 monoclonal antibody, trastuzumab, have been conducted to antagonize the proto-oncogene receptor BER2/neu; and have been achieving improved clinical response and overall survival of breast-cancer patients (Lin et al., Cancer Res 61:6345-9 (2001)). A tyrosine kinase inhibitor, STI-5 7 1, which 50 selectively inactivates bcr-abl fusion proteins, has been developed to treat chronic myelogenous leukemias wherein constitutive activation of bcr-abl tyrosine kinase plays a crucial role in the transformation of leukocytes. Agents of these kinds are designed to suppress oncogenic activity of specific gene products (Fujita et al., Cancer Res 61:7722-6 (2001)). Therefore, gene products commonly up-regulated in cancerous cells may serve as potential targets for developing novel anti-cancer agents. 55 [0006] It has been demonstrated that CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) recognize epitope peptides derived from tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) presented on MHC Class I molecule, and lyse tumor cells. Since the discovery of MAGE family as the first example of TAAs, many other TAAs have been discovered using immunological approaches (Boon, Int J Cancer 54: 177-80 (1993); Boon and van der Bruggen, J Exp Med 183: 725-9 (1996); van der Bruggen et 2 EP 2 270 221 A2 al., Science 254: 1643-7 (1991); Brichard et al., J Exp Med 178: 489-95 (1993); Kawakami et al., J Exp Med 180: 347-52 (1994)). Some of the discovered TAAs are now in the stage of clinical development as targets of immunotherapy. TAAs discovered so far include MAGE (van der Bruggen et al., Science 254: 1643-7 (1991)), gp100 (Kawakami et al., J Exp Med 180: 347-52 (1994)), SART (Shichijo et al., J Exp Med 187: 277-88 (1998)), and NY-ESO-1 (Chen et al., Proc Natl 5 Acad Sci USA 94: 1914-8 (1997)). On the other hand, gene products which had been demonstrated to be specifically overexpressed in tumor cells, have been shown to be recognized as targets inducing cellular immune responses; Such gene products include p53 (Umano et al., Brit J Cancer 84: 1052-7 (2001)), HER2/neu (Tanaka et al., Brit J Cancer 84: 94-9 (2001)), CEA (Nukaya et al., Int J Cancer 80: 92-7 (1999)), and so on. [0007] In spite of significant progress in basic and clinical research concerning TAAs (Rosenbeg et al., Nature Med 10 4: 321-7 (1998); Mukherji et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 92: 8078-82 (1995); Hu et al., Cancer Res 56: 2479-83 (1996)), only limited number of candidate TAAs for the treatment of adenocarcinomas, including colorectal cancer, are available. TAAs abundantly expressed in cancer cells, and at the same time which expression is restricted to cancer cells would be promising candidates as immunotherapeutic targets. Further, identification of new TAAs inducing potent and specific antitumor immune responses is expected to encourage clinical use of peptide vaccination strategy in various types of 15 cancer (Boon and can der Bruggen, J Exp Med 183: 725-9 (1996); van der Bruggen et al., Science 254: 1643-7 (1991); Brichard et al., J Exp Med 178: 489-95 (1993); Kawakami et al.,J Exp Med 180: 347-52 (1994); Shichijo et al., J Exp Med 187: 277-88 (1998); Chen et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 94: 1914-8 (1997); Harris, J Natl Cancer Inst 88: 1442-5 (1996); Butterfield et al., Cancer Res 59: 3134-42 (1999); Vissers et al., Cancer Res 59: 5554-9 (1999); van der Burg et al., J lmmunol 156: 3308-14 (1996); Tanaka et al., Cancer Res 57: 4465-8 (1997); Fujie et al., Int J Cancer 80: 169-72 20 (1999); Kikuchi et al., Int J Cancer 81: 459-66 (1999); Oiso et al., Int J Cancer 81: 387-94 (1999)).