VANCOUVER – A panel of 11 microRNA biomarkers was effective in predicting endometriosis in a small validation study conducted at a Belgium hospital, showing the progress researchers are making toward a noninvasive test.
The research team at Leuven University Hospital developed the model using a population of 120 women, 82 of whom had endometriosis. After extensive analysis, they identified 11 microRNAs, which varied significantly between endometriosis patients and healthy controls and could be used as part of a panel to detect endometriosis. The panel performed well in their validation sample of 60 women with endometriosis and 30 controls, with a sensitivity of 92% and a specificity of 96%.
That validation is good news, but it is still far from being clinically useful. First, the model needs to be tested further in their own predominantly Caucasian population. Then, it needs to be validated by outside researchers, and the model will almost certainly have to be altered to account for different genetic backgrounds, lifestyle habits, and other factors, Arne Vanhie, MD, of Leuven University Hospital said at the World Congress on Endometriosis.
“We may have to tweak it a bit,” he said.
Unfortunately, that tweaking is likely to be time consuming. That’s because RNA extraction and sequencing is labor intensive and expensive, though it could be readily automated if it becomes commercialized.
It’s also technically challenging because microRNA is present in very low concentrations in plasma so researchers must spot a rare signal surrounded by a sea of noise, and that can mean a lot of technical refinement along the way. “We did a lot of testing and trial and error to see what was the best protocol,” Dr. Vanhie said.
The news isn’t all bad. With a well-funded, intensive effort, development could be swift. “There’s no intervention. You just need a tube of blood, so you could go forward with this to make it clinically relevant very easily,” Dr. Vanhie said.
The study was sponsored by the Belgian government. Dr. Vanhie reported having no financial disclosures.