The miRNAs identified here have the potential to serve as highly specific and sensitive diagnostic biomarkers to differentiate between healthy individuals, individuals with endometriosis, and those with ovarian cancer.
Description
Lack of detection of ovarian cancer in early stages leads to a high mortality rate among individuals with ovaries. Ovarian cancer is the second most common and topmost fatal gynecological cancer, and ovarian tumors are believed to develop from endometriosis, a chronic inflammatory disease. Plasma miRNAs, a class of small, non-coding RNAs, can fill a much-needed role as non-invasive diagnostic tools to identify reliable biomarkers for endometriosis and ovarian cancer detection. Global profiling of 1150 different miRNAs in human plasma by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) identified 25 candidate miRNAs that were significantly amplified across plasma samples from healthy individuals, individuals with endometriosis, individuals with serous ovarian cancer, and endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer patients. These candidate miRNAs were narrowed down to reveal a unique signature of miRNAs that reliably identify patients with endometriosis or ovarian cancer. These biomarkers provide a much-needed non-invasive and quick approach for diagnosis of endometriosis and ovarian cancer, enabling early detection and treatment for this highly deadly cancer.
Applications
● Early detection of endometriosis which can identify patients as at-risk for developing ovarian cancer
● Early detection of ovarian cancer
● Can be used to develop screening tests for large populations
Advantages
● Non-invasive and quick approach allows for earlier detection before patients begin displaying symptoms
● Highly specific and sensitive
Invention Readiness
Clinical studies are underway
IP Status
https://patents.google.com/patent/US20150080229A1
