Genome-wide maps of circulating miRNA biomarkers for Ulcerative Colitis

Circulating miRNAs has recently emerged as clinically relevant blood-based biomarkers for disease detection, tracking and prediction. The stability of these species combined with easy accessibility in circulation makes them attractive candidates for rapid and economic surveillance of broad spectrum disorders requiring invasive diagnosis.In this work we directly assess the utility of non-invasive blood-based biomarkers as an alternative strategy to accurately predict incidences of Ulcertaive Colitis. Whole genome miRNA expression levels in Microvescicles , Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PMBC) and platelets from a cohort of 20 Ulcerative Colitis patients and 20 normal individuals were measured using Affymetric microarrays. 20 cases/controls in three fractions