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Updated: Sep 9, 2025

Identification of Circular RNAs using RNA Sequencing
08:25

Identification of Circular RNAs using RNA Sequencing

Published on: November 14, 2019

12.4K

Bladder Cancer: Role of Circular RNAs in Oncogenesis, Tumor Suppression, and Therapeutic Target Identification

Satu Nahkuri1, Ulrich H Weidle2

  • 1Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Data & Analytics, Roche Innovation Center Zurich, Schlieren, Switzerland; satu.nahkuri@roche.com weidle49@t-online.de.

Cancer Genomics & Proteomics
|August 29, 2025
PubMed

Insights

This study identifies circular RNAs (circRNAs) as potential therapeutic targets for bladder cancer (BLC). These circRNAs can be modulated using various drug strategies, offering new treatment avenues for BLC.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play roles in cancer pathogenesis, acting as oncogenes or tumor suppressors.
  • Dysregulation of circRNAs is implicated in bladder cancer (BLC) development and progression.
  • Understanding circRNA functions is crucial for identifying novel therapeutic targets in BLC.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify circRNAs that mediate efficacy in preclinical BLC models.
  • To categorize circRNAs based on their functional roles in BLC pathogenesis.
  • To explore therapeutic strategies targeting identified circRNAs for BLC treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Literature search of PubMed for circRNAs in preclinical BLC models.
  • Categorization of circRNAs by function (e.g., drug resistance, signaling, epigenetic modification).
  • Analysis of therapeutic potential for up-regulated and down-regulated circRNAs.

Main Results:

  • Identified circRNAs involved in various BLC pathogenetic mechanisms, including drug resistance and signaling.
  • CircRNAs can be modulated by small molecules, antibody-based drugs, or nucleic acid inhibitors.
  • Validated approach by finding circRNAs targeting fibroblast growth factor receptors, inhibited by erdafitinib.

Conclusions:

  • circRNAs represent promising therapeutic targets for bladder cancer.
  • Targeting circRNAs offers novel treatment modalities for BLC, including drug resistance.
  • Erdafitinib's efficacy against FGFR-targeting circRNAs validates this therapeutic strategy.
Keywords:
Antibody-based drugsreconstitution therapyregulatory RNAreviewsmall molecule inhibitorstarget validationxenografts

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