10. Circulating Nucleic Acids as Diagnostic Tool.
Year: 2008
Type: article
Abstract: Circulating nucleic acids are present in small amounts in the plasma of healthy individuals. However, the occurrence of circulating nucleic acids has long been explored for the non-invasive diagnosis of a variety of clinical conditions. Studies focused on various forms of cancer first detected the presence of circulating DNA. Metastasis and recurrence in certain tumours have been associated with the presence of high levels of cancer-derived DNA in circulation. The detection of fetal DNA in maternal plasma is useful in detecting and monitoring fetal diseases and pregnancyassociated complications. Similarly, levels of circulating DNA in acute medical emergencies, including trauma and strokes, have been reported to be increased and explored as indicators of clinical severity. In the last few years, much attention and efforts have been focused on the study of circulating RNA, starting from the detection of tumor-derived RNA in the plasma of cancer patients. Detection of circulating fetal RNA in maternal plasma was also described. Its detection looks to be a promising approach for the development of gender- and polymorphism-independent fetal markers for prenatal diagnosis and monitoring complications during pregnancy. This development also opens up the possibility of non-invasive prenatal gene expression profiling by maternal blood analysis.
Source: PubMed
Institution: Vita-Salute San Raffaele University
Language: English
Subfield: Cancer Research
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2553155112