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Novel Potential Biomarkers for Retinopathy of Prematurity
Wei Tan1,2, Bingyan Li1,2, Zicong Wang1,2
1Department of Ophthalmology, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.
Insights
New biomarkers could improve early detection of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in premature infants. This review explores metabolites, RNAs, and other markers for better ROP diagnosis and prognosis.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Neonatology
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a leading cause of vision loss in premature infants.
- Current ROP screening relies on experienced ophthalmologists using indirect ophthalmoscopy, highlighting a need for improved diagnostic methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent findings on novel biomarkers for predicting, diagnosing, and determining the prognosis of ROP.
- To identify potential biomarkers that offer high sensitivity and specificity for clinical application.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature review of studies on ROP biomarkers.
- Categorization of identified biomarkers into metabolites, cytokines, growth factors, non-coding RNAs, iconography, gut microbiota, and oxidative stress markers.
Main Results:
- Several categories of novel biomarkers show promise for ROP management.
- High sensitivity and specificity are crucial for clinical utility.
- Non-invasive or minimally invasive sample acquisition methods are preferred.
Conclusions:
- Novel biomarkers offer potential for more accurate and accessible ROP diagnosis and prognosis.
- Further research is needed to validate these biomarkers for widespread clinical use.
- Development of non-invasive diagnostic tools is a key future direction for ROP management.
Abstract:
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is the main risk factor for vision-threatening disease in premature infants with low birth weight. An accumulating number of independent studies have focused on ROP pathogenesis and have demonstrated that laser photocoagulation therapy and/or anti-VEGF treatment are effective. However, early diagnosis of ROP is still critical. At present, the main method of ROP screening is based on binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy. However, the judgment of whether ROP occurs and whether treatment is necessary depends largely on ophthalmologists with a great deal of experience. Therefore, it is essential to develop a simple, accurate and effective diagnostic method. This review describes recent findings on novel biomarkers for the prediction, diagnosis and prognosis of ROP patients. The novel biomarkers were separated into the following categories: metabolites, cytokines and growth factors, non-coding RNAs, iconography, gut microbiota, oxidative stress biomarkers, and others. Biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity are urgently needed for the clinical applications of ROP. In addition, using non-invasive or minimally invasive methods to obtain samples is also important. Our review provides an overview of potential biomarkers of ROP.
