miRNA Target Identification Technology Being Developed

New technology is being developed and commercialized for the identification and validation of microRNA (miRNA) targets in clinical diagnostics and research.

miRNAs are critical regulators of gene expression in eukaryotic cells, with over 1,000 different miRNAs in the human genome already known to play multiple roles in gene regulation. Although the specific targets of most miRNAs are largely unknown, aberrant expression of miRNAs has been implicated in numerous disease states, making them important targets for clinical investigation in oncology, wound healing, and infectious disease.

Sigma Life Science (St. Louis, MO, USA), the biological products and services research business of Sigma-Aldrich and King's College London (United Kingdom) announced an exclusive license agreement to identify miRNA targets.

Currently, identification of miRNA targets is laborious and inefficient, relying on computer algorithms and subsequent validation by in vitro assays. Scientists in the division of cancer studies at King's have developed a technology allowing simple, accurate identification and validation of miRNA targets. Dr. Joop Gaken, lead investigator of this project, explained: "The role of miRNAs in cancer is well established, and several miRNAs clearly function as either oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes, although the target genes are unknown in the majority of cases. This new test is expected to enable the straightforward identification of target genes that are strongly regulated by a given miRNA, helping to elucidate important gene regulation events in vivo."

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Sigma Life Science
King's College London