Introduction

The microRNA hsa-miR-197-3p is used as a biomarker to evaluate the level of asbestos exposure in ex-exposed workers, to diagnose the onset and development of malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Technical features

The present invention relates to the identification of the aberrant expression of a microRNA (miRNA or miR), called hsa-miR-197-3p (hsa, Homo sapiens), which resulted quantitatively expressed differently in the serum of (i) patients affected by malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), (ii) workers formerly exposed to asbestos (WEA) and (iii) healthy subjects (HS). The altered expression of this miRNA in the WEA and MPM cohorts and its easy and inexpensive quantification by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques, such as quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), make this molecule a specific biomarker of asbestos exposure, the level of exposure in WEA and the onset of MPM in asbestos-exposed workers.

Possible Applications

• Diagnosis of MPM in subjects formerly exposed to asbestos;
• Diagnosis of asbestos exposure;
• Precise monitoring of the evolution of the disease.

Advantages

• New marker of asbestos exposure that can be easily measured/quantified in serum with PCR methods;
• New MPM marker that can be easily measured/quantified in serum with PCR methods;
• Non-invasive diagnostic investigation method;
• Extremely short time to market (a few weeks).