miRNA as biomarkers for fracture healing

Fracture non-union is a complex clinical condition affecting many patients worldwide; however, known risk factors alone cannot help in predicting individual risk of progressing towards healing complications. The identification of novel biomarkers in the serum of fracture patients is crucial for early diagnosis and timely patient treatment. This study focused on the identification of microRNA (miRNA) that could correlate to the process of fracture healing. Toward this aim, serum of fracture patients and healthy volunteers was screened by RNA sequencing to identify differentially expressed miRNA at different times after injury. The results were correlated to miRNA that were found to be differentially secreted in the conditioned medium of human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSCs) during in vitro osteogenesis. RNAseq of serum samples from fracture patients at different timepoints after injury + healthy volunteers as controls; RNAseq of conditioned medium from human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells undergoing osteogenic differentiation in vitro.