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MicroRNA Amplification and Recognition through Locked-nucleic-acid In situ Hybridization as a Novel Detection and Quantification Method
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Published on: October 7, 2025

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MicroRNA-Directed Cancer Therapies: Implications in Melanoma Intervention

Anita Thyagarajan1, Ahmed Shaban1, Ravi Prakash Sahu2

  • 1Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio (A.T., R.P.S.); and Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of veterinary medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt (A.S.).

The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
|October 22, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Altered microRNAs (miRNAs) impact cancer progression and therapy resistance, especially in melanoma. Understanding miRNA roles is key for developing new biomarkers and improving cancer treatments.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Acquired tumor resistance to cancer therapies is a significant challenge in treating cancers like melanoma.
  • Altered microRNA (miRNA) expression is a critical factor in cancer development, progression, and therapeutic response.
  • miRNAs regulate key pathways involved in cancer, including cell cycle, proliferation, and immune responses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the current understanding of miRNA roles in cancer, with a focus on melanoma.
  • To explore the molecular mechanisms and cellular targets of miRNAs in cancer development and therapeutic resistance.
  • To highlight the potential of miRNAs as biomarkers for prognosis, treatment, and early detection of recurrence.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of recent studies on miRNA expression and function in cancer.
  • Analysis of miRNA involvement in cell cycle regulation, proliferation, immune responses, invasion, metastasis, and apoptosis.
  • Focus on melanomagenesis and melanoma therapies.

Main Results:

  • miRNAs play a crucial role in modulating key pathways governing cancer progression and therapeutic resistance.
  • Identification of specific miRNAs and their targets can inform strategies for cancer treatment and prognosis.
  • miRNA-targeted molecular events hold promise for developing accurate progression-risk biomarkers.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding miRNA functions is essential for developing novel therapeutic strategies against cancer, particularly melanoma.
  • miRNAs can serve as valuable biomarkers for predicting treatment response and detecting recurrence.
  • Further validation of miRNA-targeted molecular events could significantly improve cancer patient outcomes.

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