microRNA

Among the currently important biomarkers, circulating tumor cells and microRNA (miRNA) have received significant attention. The latter, also translated as micro-ribonucleic acid, is a widely present ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecule in eukaryotes, approximately 21 to 23 nucleotides in length, which regulates the expression of other genes. miRNAs originate from RNAs that are transcribed from DNA but cannot be further translated into proteins (classified as non-coding RNA). miRNAs bind to target messenger RNA (mRNA), thereby inhibiting post-transcriptional gene expression, and play important roles in regulating gene expression, the cell cycle, and the timing of biological development.The project will recruit 300 subjects who have been diagnosed with cancer by a physician and for whom the decision has been made to use immunotherapy. Blood samples will be collected before and after treatment (past pathological diagnostic tissues may also be reviewed as required for the study). The study will analyze the differences in the quantity of free microRNAs, the number of circulating tumor cells, and the differences in surface antigen expression in the subjects' blood, as well as the specific surface antigen expression status in the cancer tissues, and perform statistical analysis.

The adjustment of the timing of embryo transfer based on the endometrial receptivity profile and transferring embryo(s) of good quality with normal chromosomes (diagnosed by Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy, PGT-A) are the two main causes to improve the success of assisted reproduction treatments (ART). Previously, endometrial receptivity analysis was performed on women undergoing IVF treatment through an invasive endometrial tissue biopsy. The aim of this study is to determine the clinical benefits of ORA, a novel non-invasive endometrial receptivity test that determines the optimal time for embryo transfer through a blood draw instead of an invasive endometrial tissue biopsy. It is expected to recruit 1000 couples whose embryos will be analyzed by PGT-A and/or who are going to evaluate their endometrium expression profile for endometrial receptivity. The patients will be randomized into two groups, (1) Control group : undergoing PGT-A only; (2) Study group : the undergoing both PGT-A and ORA. ART will be performed based on the results of PGT-A and/or ORA. Reproductive success, such as implantation rates (IR), pregnancy rates (PR), ongoing pregnancy rates (OGP) and live birth rates (LBR) will be tracked and compared. Preliminary results demonstrate that both PGT-A and ORA can contribute to reproductive success, improving implantation rates in patients with implantation failure. Our hypothesis suggests that PGT-A and ORA could improve the performance of ART in infertile patients.

Previous research has shown that microRNAs in the blood can serve as biomarkers for early pancreatic cancer, with potential applications including detection, differential diagnosis, and prognosis prediction of pancreatic cancer. The current primary method for detecting microRNAs is RT-qPCR, but this process requires repeated temperature cycling, which demands high precision from the equipment. As an alternative, isothermal nucleic acid amplification technology does not require expensive temperature control instruments. Our research team has developed various isothermal nucleic acid amplification strategies for microRNA sensing platforms, applied to biological sample detection. This study combines the circular strand displacement amplification strategy with DNA nanomachines to develop a fluorescence sensing platform that performs dual signal amplification at a constant temperature. It is designed to detect pancreatic cancer-related microRNAs, exploring its role and potential applications in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer patients.

Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is a common complication of type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM), which can significantly increase all-cause mortality and the incidence of serious cardiovascular events, and increase the burden of the national economy. The epidemiological characteristics and the clinical progress of CAC are still not clear. Moreover, the pathogenesis of CAC has not yet been fully elucidated, and lack of specific diagnostic indicators. Arterial calcification is an active, reversible, and multifactorial biological process like bone formation. It is generally believed that early detection of calcification lesions and active targeted treatment may be the key to prevention and treatment of vascular calcification. In addition, statins are commonly used in patients with dyslipidemia and can stabilize CAC plaque. However, the timing, dosage and effect of statins are controversial. Moreover, our previous study found that the expression of miR-32 is significantly elevated in patients with CAC, and can promoting vascular calcification. Herein, this study is to conduct a prospective cohort study on T2DM patients with CAC in Hunan province through a multidisciplinary and multi-center cooperation model, the main research objectives include the following three parts: ① To identify the prevalence, incidence, and characteristics of CAC in T2DM patients in Hunan province, and to build a risk assessment model. ② To observe the effects of statins on the occurrence and development of CAC in patients with T2DM, and to provide clinical data for the improvement of medication guidelines; ③To observe the dynamic changes of serum miR-32 in the progression of CAC in patients with T2DM, and to explore its possibility as a serological diagnosis or prognostic bio-maker of CAC. The completion of this research project is expected to bring a new breakthrough in the field of early diagnosis, prognosis evaluation, and intervention treatment of patients with T2DM combined with CAC, and provide an important reference for the formulation of cardiovascular disease prevention and control strategy.