Avenues Toward microRNA Detection In Vitro: A Review of Technical Advances and Challenges

Over the decades, the biological role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression has been discovered in many cancer types, thus initiating the tremendous expectation of their application as biomarkers in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of cancer. Hence, the development of efficient miRNA detection methods in vitro is in high demand. Extensive efforts have been made based on the intrinsic properties of miRNAs, such as low expression levels, high sequence homology, and short length, to develop novel in vitro miRNA detection methods with high accuracy, low cost, practicality, and multiplexity at point-of-care settings. In this review, we mainly summarized the newly developed in vitro miRNA detection methods classified by three key elements, including biological recognition elements, additional micro-/nano-materials and signal transduction/readout elements, their current challenges and further applications are also discussed.