One-Pot Ligation LAMP Assay to Detect miRNA-222: A Glioma Biomarker

Abstract

Modern day cancer diagnostic methods are invasive, time-consuming, expensive, and inaccessible to most. Delayed cancer diagnosis can lower patient survival rates. By designing a Ligation Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (Ligation LAMP) assay, an alternative amplification method to PCR, we can detect miRNA-222: an established biomarker that is found in elevated levels in the bloodstream of early-stage glioma patients. Employing an experimental design, this study confirms that miRNA-222 elicits a detectable colorimetric and fluorescent output through the Ligation LAMP assay, demonstrating its specificity and sensitivity to our biomarker. We are currently working on implementing our assay into a one-pot system, using Thermally Responsive Alkane Partitions (TRAPs). This innovative approach may transform current diagnostic tools and thus increase glioma survival rates.