Clinical Application of miRNAs a Ways Off: When and If Its Time Comes, Prognostic Tests Will Likely Be First

While it remains too early to tell whether microRNAs (miRNAs) will ultimately prove clinically useful, preclinical research findings continue to confirm their central role in controlling cellular pathways. This novel class of nucieotides, about 20-25 nucieotides in length, affects gene expression by interacting with messenger RNAs. But unlike siRNAs, miRNAs are encoded in the human genome and function as natural regulators of global gene expression.