Abstract: The present invention provides a method of screening for markers useful in predicting the efficacy of a specified cancer that includes: (a) constructing a tissue microarray from a tissue bank comprising multiple tissue samples that are annotated with clinical follow up data; (b) labeling polynucleic acid probes specific for oncogenes or cancer associated genes known to be potential amplicons; (c) performing fluorescent in situ hybridization analysis on the tissue microarray; and (d) correlating the result of the fluorescent in situ hybridization with the clinical follow up data. The present disclosure also provides methods of treating breast cancer that include screening a breast cancer patient for amplification of one or more of the genes disclosed herein, and treating a patient having amplification of one or more of these genes with a therapeutically effective amount of a compound that interferes with HER2 signaling.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of screening for markers useful in predicting the efficacy of the treatment of a specified cancer that includes: (a) constructing a tissue microarray from a tissue bank comprising multiple tissue samples that are annotated with clinical follow-up data; (b) labeling polynucleic acid probes specific for oncogenes or cancer-associated genes known to be potential amplicons; (c) performing fluorescent in situ hybridization analysis on the tissue microarray; and (d) correlating the result of the fluorescent in situ hybridization with the clinical follow-up data. In addition, the present invention provides a method of treating breast cancer that includes measuring the expression levels or amplification of HTPAP in a patient having breast cancer and then providing a patient having increased levels of HTPAP expression or HTPAP amplification with therapeutic quantities of at least one compound that interferes with the phosphatidic acid phosphatase activity of HTPAP.

Abstract: The present invention provides novel methods for analyzing gene expression levels from fresh or aged (more than one year old) formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue (“FFPET”) samples that comprise pre-hybridizing a labeled nucleic acid sample prepared from the formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sample with a first microarray, hybridizing the unbound labeled nucleic acid sample with a second microarray, and detecting the labeled nucleic acid sample bound to the second microarray. The pre-hybridization step results in an increase in the specific gene signals in subsequent hybridizations with high density gene expression arrays. The first microarray used for the pre-hybridization step can be either a new or used microarray.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of screening for markers useful in predicting the efficacy of a specified cancer that includes: (a) constructing a tissue microarray from a tissue bank comprising multiple tissue samples that are annotated with clinical follow up data; (b) labeling polynucleic acid probes specific for oncogenes or cancer associated genes known to be potential amplicons; (c) performing fluorescent in situ hybridization analysis on the tissue microarray; and (d) correlating the result of the fluorescent in situ hybridization with the clinical follow up data. In addition, the present invention provides a method of treating breast cancer that includes measuring the expression levels or amplification of HTPAP in a patient having breast cancer and then providing a patient having increased levels of HTPAP expression or HTPAP amplification with therapeutic quantities of at least one compound that interferes with the phosphatidic acid phosphatase activity of HTPAP.