According to the CDC, chronic kidney disease affects an estimated 37 million people in the US alone, with 9 in 10 adults unaware of their condition, and around 750 million people worldwide. In fact, diabetic kidney disease, the most common cause of CKD in the US, still has an imprecise diagnostic criteria, with an expensive histopathological method as the gold standard. Renal failure is one of the many conditions that significantly lack in the wealth of studies designed for targeted therapeutics. The dangerous impacts of an abysmal diagnosis and generalized treatment paths present a dire need for novel biomarkers to pave the way for early diagnosis and personalized strategies. With a new and cost-effective tool, chronic diseases can be caught at an early stage, especially for low-income civilians who cannot afford a biopsy, scientists can easily facilitate their diagnosis, and the development of targeted therapeutics would drastically increase.
- Why would microRNA be a good therapeutic biomarker for CKD?
- miRNAs
- Small non-coding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression
- Important roles in kidney development, homeostasis, and disease
- Participate in onset and progression of tubulointerstitial sclerosis and end-stage glomerular lesions in CKD
- key players in kidney development and physiology
- Extraction of SNPs and SVs from microRNA – potential biomarker
- Present in different body fluids including urine (urine output in relation to CKD)
- Identifying the regulation and function of these miRNAs in renal pathogenesis might pinpoint miRNAs as new therapeutic targets for CKD
