Isothermal digital detection of microRNAs using background-free molecular circuit.

MicroRNAs, a class of transcripts involved in the regulation of gene expression, are emerging as promising disease-specific biomarkers accessible from tissues or bodily fluids. However, their accurate quantification from biological samples remains challenging. We report a sensitive and quantitative microRNA detection method using an isothermal amplification chemistry adapted to a droplet digital readout.

Streamlined digital bioassays with a 3D printed sample changer.

Droplet-based microfluidics has permeated many areas of life sciences including biochemistry, biology and medicine. Water-in-oil droplets act as independent femto- to nano-liter reservoirs, enabling the parallelization of (bio)chemical reactions with a minimum sample input. Among the range of applications spanned by droplet microfluidics, digital detection of biomolecules, using Poissonian isolation of single molecules in compartments, has gained considerable attention due to the high accuracy, sensitivity and robustness of these methods.

Emerging isothermal amplification technologies for microRNA biosensing: Applications to liquid biopsies.

The potential of microRNAs (miRNAs) as biomarker candidates in clinical practice for diagnosis, prognosis and treatment response prediction, especially in liquid biopsies, has led to a tremendous demand for techniques that can detect these molecules rapidly and accurately. Hence, numerous achievements have been reported recently in miRNA research. In this review, we discuss the challenges associated with the emerging field of miRNA detection, which are linked to the intrinsic properties of miRNAs, advantages and drawbacks of the currently available technologies and their potential applications in clinical research.