Detecting Circulating MicroRNAs as Biomarkers in Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia and is characterized by a progressive loss of cognitive functions. As the result of predicted demographic changes over the next decades, Alzheimer's disease is expected to be one of the most pressing medical and social challenges facing our generation. Current treatment strategies remain symptomatic. However, new approaches have shown promise in clinical trials, particularly in patients with only mild or moderate symptoms. Early detection of Alzheimer's disease is therefore of critical importance. Currently available diagnostic approaches (such as protein analysis in cerebrospinal fluid or neuroimaging), however, are expensive and invasive and therefore unsuitable for the screening of a large population. Consequently, Alzheimer's disease is generally diagnosed too late for effective intervention. MicroRNAs-readily measurable in biofluids and resistant to freeze-thaw and pH changes, have shown encouraging diagnostic potential in Alzheimer's disease. Several studies have attempted to correlate changes of specific microRNAs to disease progression using different approaches and profiling platforms including micro-arrays, RNA sequencing, and qPCR-based systems. In the present book chapter, we will describe the different steps involved in how to determine the microRNA profile in plasma samples from patients using the OpenArray platform.