Extracellular microRNAs as biomarkers for the detection of nasopharyngeal carcinoma ...

• Main Author: Shoucair, Isrraa
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2021
• Subjects: Arctic
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0398542; https://doi.library.ubc.ca/10.14288/1.0398542

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a cancer of the upper region of the pharynx located behind the nose. Despite its low global incidence rate, this malignancy is endemic among primarily Chinese, South-East Asian, and Arctic descendants. microRNAs (miRNA) have been shown to be stable in circulation, with consistent aberrant expression profiles indicative of specific disease states – highlighting circulating miRNAs as attractive biomarkers. Preliminary testing for the feasibility of identifying a unique miRNA signature was conducted using Taqman Low Density Array (TLDA) cards. The profile of 754 miRNAs was assessed in serum samples from NPC patients, normal controls, and non-cancer oral/sinus inflammation patients. Differential expression of miR-151b, miR-450a-5p, miR-485-3p, and miR-885-5p were validated using qRT-PCR and assessed in matched NPC pre- and post-treatment serum samples. Additionally, extracellular vesicles (EVs) from NPC cell lines (HK1, Sune1) were collected via ultracentrifugation and the EV ...