Gliomas are common and lethal brain tumors for which histological examination is still the most used diagnostic approach. The genetic/epigenetic peculiarity of tumors, however, challenges the approach. The diagnosis, to be completed, requires molecular evaluation. MiRNAs, small RNAs regulating gene expression, play a key role in physiological processes. Their alteration is associated with various diseases such as gliomas. They are stable molecules, detectable both in tissues and in biological liquids (serum and/or plasma), valid non-invasive biomarkers. However, a single miRNA, due to tumor multifactoriality, is an inaccurate biomarker. Evaluating a miRNA signature is a better approach for the complexity of tumors. The test analyzes, starting from a blood sample collected before surgery, the expression of 3 circulating miRNAs belonging to a signature of 10, whose combination (miR-487 / miR-26a-1 / miR-1) discriminates with specificity patients with IDH1 mutations from patients with wild-type (not mutated) genotype. Samples are processed within 4 hours of collection. The analysis of the expression of the signature is carried out by digital PCR which quantifies the analyte through a mixture of sample dilution and the Poisson algorithm.
