The United States of America, As Represented by the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services

The Ohio State University

Fudan University

Junfang Ji

Carlo M Croce

Xin Wei Wang

Taro Yamashita

Zhao-you Tang

Hui-chuan Sun

It is disclosed herein that expression of microRNA-26 is decreased in hepatocellular (HCC) tumor tissue relative to non-cancerous tissue, and that a low level of microRNA-26 is associated with a poor clinical outcome. It is also disclosed herein that a low expression level of microRNA-26 is correlated with a favorable response to interferon (IFN)-&#x3b1; therapy in HCC patients. Thus, provided herein is a method of predicting the clinical outcome of a patient diagnosed with HCC comprising detecting the level of microRNA-26 expression in a sample obtained from the patient. Also provided is a method of selecting a patient diagnosed with HCC as a candidate for IFN-&#x3b1; therapy, comprising detecting the level of microRNA-26 expression in a sample obtained from the patient. A method of identifying therapeutic agents for the treatment of HCC, comprising screening candidate agents in vitro to select an agent that increases expression of microRNA-26 in HCC cells are also provided. Further provided are methods of treating a patient diagnosed with HCC and expressing a low level of miR-26, wherein treatment comprises IFN-&#x3b1; therapy.

Use of MiR-26 family as a predictive marker for hepatocellular carcinoma and responsiveness to therapy

The invention provides a method of determining an HCC subtype in a subject comprising a) obtaining a sample from the subject, b) assaying the sample to detect the expression of 1 or more biomarkers, and c) correlating the expression of the biomarkers with an HCC subtype in a subject. The invention further provides methods of detecting HCC stem cells in a sample. Additionally, the invention provides methods and compositions for treating subjects with HCC that take advantage of the biomarkers associated with HCC stem cells.

Methods for determining heptocellular carcinoma subtype and detecting hepatic cancer stem cells

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Bethesda, MD, United States of America

Junfang Ji