Osteoarthritis is the most common cause of musculoskeletal disorders in aging horses. Unfortunately, current detection methods only identify later stages of the disease when irreversible cartilage degeneration has already occurred. In a recent publication from The University of Edinburgh, researchers use RealSeq-Biofluids technology to identify promising miRNA biomarkers from synovial samples for the early detection of osteoarthritis. Their sequencing data shows how three miRNAs (miR-25, miR-16 and miR-92a) are significantly downregulated in samples from severe osteoarthritis. RealSeq-Biofluids allowed the authors to detect a record 384 miRNAs in total for horse synovial fluid.
One key finding from the paper was that their small sample size -five mild osteoarthritis and twelve severe osteoarthritis samples- severely limited the sensitivity of their study. The authors further performed a power calculation using the sequencing data to determine that up to 36 samples would be needed to demonstrate a power of 95% (significance level = 0.05). This result further highlights the importance of obtaining a sufficient sample size for any project aimed at identifying accurate biomarkers.
Despite the limitations of a small sample size, the authors studied the role that miR-92a (one of the miRNAs differentially expressed when measured by NGS) has on osteoarthritis development. Gain and loss of function experiments were performed to demonstrate the role of miR-92a in equine osteoarthritis. Ultimately, the authors demonstrated that miR-92a influences chondrogenic and hypertrophic markers that are important for osteoarthritis in equine chondrocytes.
At RealSeq Biosciences we are excited that accurate miRNA profiling using RealSeq products is facilitating biomarker development! Contact us to learn more about our products and services.