TAmiRNA White Paper – Circulating microRNAs as biomarkers of toxicity

Abstract

TechNote TN-06 ‘Circulating microRNAs as biomarkers of toxicity’ is the latest White Paper from innovative Austrian-based biotech company TAmiRNA.

It recognizes that organ toxicity is one of the leading causes of compound failure during pre-clinical and clinical trials. Therefore, it is essential to identify biomarkers that can be used in early stages of drug safety assessment. Moreover, early and reliable detection and monitoring of adverse events is essential to understand toxic mechanisms.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) with tissue specific expression patterns are a novel class of biomarkers of toxicity. Increasing levels of tissue-specific microRNAs can be detected in the circulation as a consequence of local cell damage or transformation due to exposure to toxicants. TAmiRNA has  developed the toxomiR® panel that assembles selected miRNAs for early diagnosis of adverse effects on eight target tissues as well as endocrine disruptive activity.

The paper provides an overview of the toxomiR® panel with brief descriptions of the most relevant miRNAs in diagnosing toxicities of the liver, brain, cardiovascular system, muscles, kidneys, lungs and pancreas, together with an overview of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs).

The paper also includes a compendium of the most important recent literature.