GEN Article – Research Reveals the Influence of miRNA
Potential of Field Is Catalyst for Emerging Diagnostic and Therapeutic Strategies
Kathy Liszewski
As key regulators of gene expression and cellular machinery, microRNAs may be the most significant discovery in molecular biology in the last decade. Because of their enormous potential, Frost & Sullivan projects that current U.S. microRNA revenues of about $20 million in 2008 will increase to more than $98 million in 2015.
The buzz in the industry stems in part from the global presence of microRNAs. These 18- to 25-nucleotide noncoding RNAs operate in organisms ranging from roundworms to mosses and even viruses. The roughly 1,000 human microRNAs discovered so far regulate nearly half of all genes. Dysfunctions are associated with disease processes that range from dementia to cancer. New insights are emerging into the biology of how they work, what happens when they don’t, and their potential use in targeted therapies. (read more)
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