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microRNAs: the future for cancer therapy?

Huitema, T. (2010) microRNAs: the future for cancer therapy? Bachelor's Thesis, Biology.

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Abstract

Cervical cancer is the fifth most deadly cancer in humans. More than half of the patients diagnosed with this cancer will die of this disease. After the first treatment 30 percent will develop a recurrence, which has poor survival changes. In this review the possibilities for enhancing the treatment susceptibility will be examined. To address this question this review will look at recent discoveries for the use of microRNA as an interference technique. MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that can inhibit mRNA expression at post-transcriptional level. During cancer a deregulation of miRNA expression levels is detected. Deregulation can affect protein expression, and miRNAs are therefore responsible for disrupted cell properties seen in cancer. The changed miRNA expression profile can be used as a biomarker, as predictor for cancerous tissue, or could be targeted by intervention techniques to restore the disrupted protein levels, or exterminate cancer cells. Some cells in a tumor have stem cell-like properties, they could get insensitive for common treatment, and could grow a whole new tumor. These cells are of special interest for miRNA intervention techniques, because of the developed resistance to conventional therapy. A unique key miRNA in the development of cervical cancer has not yet been found, however a changed miRNA expression of cervical cancer have been found. A combined treatment of conventional therapy and new miRNA intervention technique holds great potential for increasing the treatment susceptibility, and reducing the odds of developing a recurrence.

Item Type: Thesis (Bachelor's Thesis)
Degree programme: Biology
Thesis type: Bachelor's Thesis
Language: English
Date Deposited: 15 Feb 2018 07:31
Last Modified: 15 Feb 2018 07:31
URI: https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/9278

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