Methods and Compositions for Identifying Global Microsatellite Instability and for Characterizing Informative Microsatellite Loci

摘要

The disclosure provides methods and systems for assessing microsatellites, for identifying informative microsatellite loci, and for using microsatellite data. Microsatellite information has numerous uses including, for example, to characterize disease risk, to predict responsiveness to therapy, and to non-invasively diagnose subjects.

主权项

1. A method of identifying an increased risk of developing cancer, comprising
obtaining a sample of nucleic acid from a subject; determining a microsatellite profile for said sample for two or more microsatellite loci; and comparing the microsatellite profile from said sample to a reference microsatellite profile generated from nucleic acid from a reference population to identify an alteration at the two or more microsatellite loci in the sample from the subject relative to that of the reference population;wherein the alteration at said two or more microsatellite loci is associated with an increased risk of developing cancer.