Highly Sensitive Detection of microRNA
A research team consisting of Giusy Finocchiaro, Tomáš Špringer, Markéta Bocková, and Jiří Homola from ÚFE, in collaboration with Zdeněk Krejčík and Michaela Dostálová Merkerová from the Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, has developed a rapid and highly sensitive method for detecting microRNAs. The method combines large functional gold nanoparticles with a surface plasmon resonance biosensor. MicroRNAs are small molecules that play a significant role in regulation of biological processes and can serve as biomarkers for various diseases.
A new biosensor detected hsa-miR-451a, a promising biomarker for myelodysplastic neoplasms – a group of hematopoietic disorders, even at extremely low concentrations. The results, published in the scientific journal Talanta, showed that the developed method allows for the determination of physiological concentrations of hsa-miR-451a in human blood plasma. The researchers also demonstrated reduced levels of this microRNA in the blood plasma of patients with myelodysplastic neoplasms compared to healthy individuals.
Publication: G. Finocchiaro, T. Špringer, Z. Krejčík, M. Bocková, M. Dostálová Merkerová, J. Homola, “Large gold nanoparticle release assay for attomolar detection of miRNA related to myelodysplastic neoplasms”, Talanta 293, 128037 (2025) doi:10.1016/j.talanta.2025.128037
For more information on these results and other significant scientific achievements of the Academy of Sciences, see the 2025 Annual Report of the Czech Academy of Sciences, in the chapter Selected Results.