A technique has been developed to diagnose and predict type-2 diabetes mellitus via human GAS5; a long noncoding RNA(LncRNAs). LncRNAs are transcribed by all cell types however their expression levels are fixed to the cell type. This provides a high degree of specificity for its target and mode of action in the biological system. However, due to the presence of STOP codon, none of the transcripts are transcribed into protein and degrade when translation is initiated. The RNA levels of GAS5 are regulated by its degradation instead of regulation at its transcriptional level. An RNA based small molecule will stabilize GAS5 lncRNA and increase its levels.Diabetic patients have extremely low lncRNA GAS5 levels. LncRNA is also detected in serum and plasma and shown to be a valuable marker for gastric cancer and prostate cancer. This therapeutic approach may be used to treat diabetes, gastric, breast and prostate cancer as well as leukemia, lymphoma and autoimmune diseases.
Small Molecule Makes Big Impact in Metabolic and Cancer Therapeutics