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Exosomal miRNA Analysis in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer NSCLC Patients' Plasma Through qPCR: A Feasible Liquid Biopsy Tool
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Applications of Extracellular RNAs in Oncology

Jonathan R Thompson1, Jing Zhu2, Deepak Kilari1

  • 1Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, 53226, USA.

Molecular Diagnosis & Therapy
|October 1, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Extracellular microRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators of gene expression implicated in cancer development and progression. Research is exploring their potential as non-invasive biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets for cancer treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • Extracellular RNAs (exRNAs) are transcripts released from cells, regulating cellular processes via gene expression.
  • MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of non-coding exRNAs, are crucial regulators of gene expression.
  • Dysregulated miRNAs are implicated in cancer initiation, progression, metastasis, and therapeutic response.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the role of extracellular microRNAs (miRNAs) in cancer.
  • To discuss the potential of miRNA profiling for cancer diagnosis and prognostication.
  • To explore the therapeutic applications of miRNAs in cancer treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of pre-clinical and human studies on extracellular RNAs and miRNAs in cancer.
  • Analysis of current research on miRNA profiling for cancer biomarkers.
  • Evaluation of emerging miRNA-based cancer therapeutic strategies.

Main Results:

  • miRNAs are frequently dysregulated in various cancers.
  • miRNA profiling shows promise as a non-invasive diagnostic and prognostic tool.
  • miRNA antagonists and mimics demonstrate pre-clinical efficacy in cancer models.

Conclusions:

  • Extracellular miRNAs play significant roles in cancer biology.
  • miRNA-based approaches offer novel avenues for cancer detection and therapy.
  • Further development is needed for clinical translation of miRNA-based cancer strategies.

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