TOPIC 356: FLUOROGENIC ASSAY PLATFORM FOR CIRCULAR RNA DETECTION

Circular RNAscircRNAsare a novel class of modified RNAs that are an abundant component of the epitranscriptomePutative functions of circRNAsinclude miRNA sequestrationRNA binding protein scaffoldingmRNA trappingand protein translation regulationDeregulation in one or more of these roles has been linked to several types of cancerOne well studied circRNAciRSis believed to act as a miRNAsponge and inhibit its regulation of oncogenic receptors and tumor suppressor factorsDespite all the excitement around circRNAsmany of the recently discovered circRNAs remain poorly understood and progress has been extremely slowAn important reason is the lack of accessible tools to allow for the mechanistic study of individual circRNARecognizing this unmet needa simple fluorogenic assay platform to detect circRNAs of interest in biochemical and cell lysate based samples is proposedIn this Phase II projectthe development of the ciRSassays for biochemical and cell based application will be finalizedFurthera robust standard operating procedure to streamline future custom circRNA development will be establishedLastlyassay benchmarks and distribution conditions for production scale up will be determinedUpon completionthe circRNA sensor platform would find commercial applications in circRNA researchdrug discoveryand biomarker development