Literature Seminar Abstract

MicroRNA(miRNA) are small, non-coding RNA that target and regulate over 60% of protein encoding genes in the human body. Due to the short half-life of miRNA and the time required for existing methods, a fast, sensitive, and highly specific method of detection for miRNA is needed. Kangkamano et al. present a novel biosensor fabrication that enabled rapid, sensitive, and specific detection of miRNA-21 in buffer. However, the application of the biosensor to biological samples has yet to be optimized. This talk discusses the impressive results reported by Kangkamano et al. and ideas for the adaptation of the method to enable detection of miRNA in real samples.