Translating extracellular microRNA into clinical biomarkers for drug-induced toxicity: from high-throughput profiling...

Area of Science:

• Biomarkers
• Molecular Biology
• Toxicology

Background:

• Extracellular microRNAs (miRNAs) are investigated as biomarkers for drug-induced cardiotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, and nephrotoxicity.
• Standardization issues currently limit the clinical application of miRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers.
• Low-input RNA samples from body fluids require careful selection of miRNA quantification platforms based on study design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the release and stability of extracellular miRNAs in body fluids.
• To summarize the performance of various miRNA quantification platforms.
• To discuss the translation of miRNA biomarkers from nonclinical to clinical settings for drug-induced tissue damage.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of extracellular miRNA release, stability, and quantification methods.
• Analysis of different miRNA quantification platforms (e.g., qPCR, sequencing).
• Examination of current clinical standards for drug-induced tissue damage assessment.

Main Results:

• Extracellular miRNAs are promising but face challenges in standardization for clinical biomarker development.
• Platform selection is critical for accurate miRNA quantification from low-input biological samples.
• Translating nonclinical findings to clinical utility requires robust validation.

Conclusions:

• Standardization of extracellular miRNA quantification is essential for their adoption as clinical biomarkers.
• The choice of miRNA detection platform significantly impacts biomarker reliability.
• Further research is needed to bridge the gap between nonclinical validation and clinical application of miRNA biomarkers.