MicroRNA News and Research

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In genetics, microRNAs (miRNA) are single-stranded RNA molecules of 21-23 nucleotides in length, which regulate gene expression. miRNAs are encoded by genes from whose DNA they are transcribed but miRNAs are not translated into protein (i.e. they are non-coding RNAs); instead each primary transcript (a pri-miRNA) is processed into a short stem-loop structure called a pre-miRNA and finally into a functional miRNA. Mature miRNA molecules are partially complementary to one or more messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules, and their main function is to down-regulate gene expression.

UVA researchers identify how cancers subvert wound healing process to grow and spread

Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have shed light on how cancers hijack the body’s natural wound-healing response to grow and spread.

30 Apr 2019

Cannabis, Alcohol and the Epigenome

With the legalization of cannabis in many US states, we explore the epigenetic effects of cannabis, cannabis-derived products, and alcohol.

29 Apr 2019

Discovery of biomarkers could lead to new, better treatment options for heart disease

Coronary heart disease is a leading cause of death worldwide, but identifying those at high risk remains difficult. EU-funded research has helped identify new biomarkers that will improve diagnosis and lead to new and better treatment options.

12 Apr 2019

C-Path and Japan's PMDA join forces on first-of-its-kind biomarker project

Critical Path Institute announced today that a formal consultation between its Predictive Safety Testing Consortium and Japan's Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency has resulted in an agreement on a first-of-its-kind approach to compare the levels of eight novel urinary kidney safety biomarkers in healthy Japanese volunteers to data collected on these same biomarkers in healthy Western volunteers in a bridging study.

27 Mar 2019

VCU researchers home in on microRNA processing for new cancer therapies

More than a decade of research on the mda-7/IL-24 gene has shown that it helps to suppress a majority of cancer types, and now scientists are focusing on how the gene drives this process by influencing microRNAs.

26 Mar 2019

Researchers uncover mechanism that initiates sexual organs maturation

Puberty is a period of extensive changes of body morphology and function. As much as we are familiar with these life-altering changes, relatively little is known about what sets the whole process in motion.

26 Mar 2019

MSU professor receives NSF CAREER grant for biosensor diagnostics

One day, a technician in a small, rural hospital may be able to reliably diagnose breast cancer, Alzheimer's disease or traumatic brain injury using a tab of paper that would change color like a pH strip dipped in vinegar.

22 Mar 2019

Researchers discover new biomarker for postoperative liver dysfunction

Postoperative liver dysfunction (failure) is the most serious complication that can occur following liver resection (full or partial hepatectomy) to remove liver tumors.

18 Mar 2019

Exosomes are key to SOS signal that the heart muscle sends out after heart attack, study reveals

Human cells shed exosomes. These tiny extracellular, membrane-bound vesicles can carry cargo for cell-to-cell communication, ferrying diverse loads of proteins, lipids or nucleic acids.

14 Mar 2019

Researchers discover new and rare skeletal disease

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered a new and rare skeletal disease. In a study published in the journal Nature Medicine they describe the molecular mechanism of the disease, in which small RNA molecules play a role that has never before been observed in a congenital human disease.

25 Feb 2019

Researchers uncover interspecies communication between gut bacteria and host

Bacteria in the gut do far more than help digest food in the stomachs of their hosts, they can also tell the genes in their mammalian hosts what to do.

22 Feb 2019

Scientists demonstrate influence of food odors on proteostasis

The smell of food induces a variety of physiological processes in our body. Thus, the production of saliva and digestive enzymes is stimulated before the actual food intake in order to prepare the gastrointestinal tract for the upcoming digestive process.

20 Feb 2019

Discovery of a 'master switch' within the immune system

Researchers Professor Graham Lord, from The University of Manchester and colleagues have found that a specific part of the immune system could have the tools that may help in the therapy of some major diseases such as diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease and other autoimmune diseases.

14 Feb 2019

Promega launches Maxwell RSC miRNA Plasma and Serum Kit

Promega Maxwell RSC miRNA plasma and serum kit, introduced this week, provides quick, automated miRNA purification for oncology and translational researchers.

From Promega Corporation 13 Feb 2019

Researchers find anti-microRNAs as potential new therapeutic target for type 2 diabetes

Researchers have shown that targeted silencing of microRNA-132, which is over-expressed in type 2 diabetes, can result in improved insulin secretion and reduced blood glucose in mice and increased insulin secretion in isolated human islet cells.

8 Feb 2019

Study shows precision medicines could aid more breast cancer patients via RNA-targeting

When women or men receive the worrisome diagnosis of breast cancer, that news comes with an important piece of information, namely, whether their cancer is HER2-positive or HER2-negative.

8 Feb 2019

Study uncovers new link between inflammation and cancer

Severe inflammation in tissues is often associated with the occurrence of cancer. The mechanism linking both these conditions is not clearly understood. Furthermore, inflamed and cancerous tissues contain a heterogenous mix of damaged and protective cells.

24 Jan 2019

New study extends our knowledge of the link between miRNAs and cancer

The abnormal expression of different classes of molecules is known to be linked to various types of cells becoming cancerous.

21 Jan 2019

Hypertension drug may improve effectiveness of ovarian cancer treatment

A new study from a Massachusetts General Hospital research team has found that the hypertension drug losartan, which targets the angiotensin signaling pathway, may improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy agents used to treat ovarian cancer

16 Jan 2019

New molecular engineering method improves precision of biomarker analysis

Researchers from the University of Helsinki in cooperation with the University of Tartu, Competence Centre on Health Technologies from Estonia, and the Karolinska Institute, published an article in Nature's partner journal Genomic Medicine in which they present Targeted Allele Counting by sequencing along with several of its potential applications.

8 Jan 2019