• Question: @Dan . Do you think that the electrochemical detection of MicroRNAs is a safe process and then can be used safely to supress tumours safely especially in the brain?

    Asked by I'm actually a scientist to Daniel on 23 Jun 2017.
    • Photo: Daniel Smith

      Daniel Smith answered on 23 Jun 2017:

      So the detection and use of microRNAs is actually two different fields, one is diagnostic the other is therapeutic 🙂

      So the electrochemical detection methods that I use are perfectly safe as they are used on urine (pee) that we all excrete every day and requires no needles or pain. The electrochemical detection then uses ultra small currents (1000x less than needed to harm you) on the surface of an electrode in the urine to see how many RNA molecules are in there. This can then let you diagnose the patient with a disease (depending on what RNA sequence you are looking for).

      Actually putting microRNA into a patient is being investigated in clinical trials as some having decreased microRNA levels has been a sign of some cancers (like brain tumors), thus if you put more in you may be helping whatever biological pathway is going wrong to repair itself.

      However as we still aren’t 100% certain what the pathways of microRNA are for every species there is some risk that it might disturb another pathway we didn’t know about. However as its in trials right now its only used in very controlled ways or on people who have no other option.

      But hopefully it will lead to more controlled treatments and more personalised treatments yes 🙂

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