IDENTIFICATION OF CANDIDATE TARGET GENES FOR TREATING NEOPLASIA

摘要

The present invention provides, inter alia, a method for identifying a target for treating a neoplasia. This method includes: (a) generating a second neoplastic cell line having a single gene knockdown from a first neoplastic cell line; (b) growing cells from the first and second neoplastic cell lines in vitro and in vivo; (c) determining whether there is a difference with respect to a cancer marker between the first and second neoplastic cell lines grown in vitro; (d) determining whether there is a difference with respect to the same cancer marker in step (c) between the first and second neoplastic cell lines grown in vivo, wherein (i) if there is no difference in step (c) between the first and second neoplastic cell lines grown in vitro with respect to the cancer marker and (ii) there is a difference in step (d) between the first and second neoplastic cell lines grown in vivo with respect to the cancer marker, then the gene that is knocked down in the second cancer cell line is a target for treating a neoplasia. Methods and kits for identifying a candidate agent that may be useful for treating a neoplasia are also provided.