Quanterix and DestiNA Genomics have announced that PLOS ONE has published a proof-of-concept single probe method for detecting microRNA biomarkers associated with liver toxicity.
Published jointly by Quanterix, DestiNA Genomics, Edinburgh University and the Pfizer-Universidad de Granada-Junta de Andalucía Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research (GENyO), the study, titled, "Polymerase-free measurement of microRNA-122 with single base specificity using single molecule arrays: Detection of drug-induced liver injury," details a clinically meaningful method for detecting drug-induced liver injury using the Single Molecule Array Detection technology, or Simoa™, developed by Quanterix, in association with the 'SMART Nucleobase' and probe chemistry by DestiNA.
"Drug-induced liver damage is a major health issue for patients and presents unique testing and treatment challenges for doctors and drug developers," said Dr. James Dear, Reader in Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Edinburgh and co-author of the paper. "To optimally manage liver damage as a result of medicines, we need to identify biomarkers that can quickly and easily measure drug-induced liver injury. This new method provides an accurate measurement of miR-122 with user-independent sensitivity with a time-to-result that is needed to develop tests that can improve patient safety."