MicroRNAs are short RNA strands, of which more than 2,300 have been identified in humans. Their abnormal expression contributes to the development of many diseases, such as cardiovascular and immunological diseases and cancer. Researchers at the University of Turku discovered a microRNA that may be an early indicator of the risk of developing type 1 diabetes.

Professor Laura Elo and her research group for computational biomedicine at the University of Turku are developing tools for the diagnosis and treatment of complex diseases, such as diabetes, cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. The group screens patient data using computational methods to find signs of diseases and their risk factors.

Elo, Research Director at the Turku Bioscience Centre, is mining patient data for various biomarkers that may help predict the onset of diseases or tell something about the response to treatment. A biomarker is a feature that indicates a change in a biological state, in genes or proteins, for example. Read the full article here. [Link]