tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Sci Rep
. 2025 Aug 21;15(1):30815.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-15248-6. miRNA biomarkers for prognosis and therapy monitoring in a multi-ethnic cohort with SARS-CoV-2 infection
Farah Mustafa[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 1 2 3 [/SUP], Waqar Ahmad[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 4 [/SUP], Bushra Gull[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Jasmin Baby[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Neena G Panicker[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Thanumol Abdul Khader[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Hala Abdul Baki[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Erum Rehman[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Asif M Salim[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Rubina L G Ahmed[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Hamda H Khansaheb[SUP] 7 8 [/SUP], Maya Habous[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Laila M J A AlDabal[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Soumeya Jaballah[SUP] 4 9 [/SUP], Saif S Alqassim[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Alawi Alsheikh-Ali[SUP] 7 8 [/SUP], Tahir A Rizvi[SUP] 10 11 12 [/SUP]
Affiliations
This study aimed to identify miRNA-based biomarkers in a multi-ethnic cohort of SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals to enhance preparedness for future variants of concern. A total of 31 healthy controls and 154 infected patients were enrolled, from which 13 matched controls and 38 infected nasal swab samples were analyzed using miRNA sequencing, followed by qRT-PCR validation. Among the 1788 miRNAs detected, 14 differentially expressed miRNAs and four novel miRNAs were identified, with novel-miR-264-5p showing a ≥ 2-fold change. Correlation with clinical markers highlighted several miRNAs as potential prognostic biomarkers. Seven miRNAs, including miR-146b-3p, miR-154-5p, miR-5010-3p, miR-127-3p, miR-335-3p, miR-30c-5p, and miR-202-5p, showed strong prognostic potential. Combined ROC analysis demonstrated that a panel of top-performing miRNAs significantly enhanced diagnostic accuracy (AUC 0.939-0.972; p < 0.0001). Moreover, integrating miRNA biomarkers with clinical parameters further improved performance (AUC = 0.982; p < 0.0001). miR-146b-3p, detected exclusively in infected patients, emerged as a highly specific biomarker. Several nasal miRNAs mirrored blood profiles, highlighting the utility of nasal swabs for non-invasive monitoring. Collectively, these findings suggest that miRNA-based biomarkers, alone or combined with clinical markers, offer a promising platform for COVID-19 prognosis and diagnosis, and lay groundwork for future miRNA-based antiviral strategies.
Keywords: Biomarkers; COVID-19; Infectious diseases; MiRNAs; MiRNAseq; Nasopharyngeal swabs; Respiratory diseases; SARS-CoV-2; Variants-of-Concern (VOC).
. 2025 Aug 21;15(1):30815.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-15248-6. miRNA biomarkers for prognosis and therapy monitoring in a multi-ethnic cohort with SARS-CoV-2 infection
Farah Mustafa[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 1 2 3 [/SUP], Waqar Ahmad[SUP] #[/SUP][SUP] 4 [/SUP], Bushra Gull[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Jasmin Baby[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Neena G Panicker[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Thanumol Abdul Khader[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Hala Abdul Baki[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Erum Rehman[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Asif M Salim[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Rubina L G Ahmed[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Hamda H Khansaheb[SUP] 7 8 [/SUP], Maya Habous[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Laila M J A AlDabal[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Soumeya Jaballah[SUP] 4 9 [/SUP], Saif S Alqassim[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Alawi Alsheikh-Ali[SUP] 7 8 [/SUP], Tahir A Rizvi[SUP] 10 11 12 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 40841549
- DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-15248-6
This study aimed to identify miRNA-based biomarkers in a multi-ethnic cohort of SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals to enhance preparedness for future variants of concern. A total of 31 healthy controls and 154 infected patients were enrolled, from which 13 matched controls and 38 infected nasal swab samples were analyzed using miRNA sequencing, followed by qRT-PCR validation. Among the 1788 miRNAs detected, 14 differentially expressed miRNAs and four novel miRNAs were identified, with novel-miR-264-5p showing a ≥ 2-fold change. Correlation with clinical markers highlighted several miRNAs as potential prognostic biomarkers. Seven miRNAs, including miR-146b-3p, miR-154-5p, miR-5010-3p, miR-127-3p, miR-335-3p, miR-30c-5p, and miR-202-5p, showed strong prognostic potential. Combined ROC analysis demonstrated that a panel of top-performing miRNAs significantly enhanced diagnostic accuracy (AUC 0.939-0.972; p < 0.0001). Moreover, integrating miRNA biomarkers with clinical parameters further improved performance (AUC = 0.982; p < 0.0001). miR-146b-3p, detected exclusively in infected patients, emerged as a highly specific biomarker. Several nasal miRNAs mirrored blood profiles, highlighting the utility of nasal swabs for non-invasive monitoring. Collectively, these findings suggest that miRNA-based biomarkers, alone or combined with clinical markers, offer a promising platform for COVID-19 prognosis and diagnosis, and lay groundwork for future miRNA-based antiviral strategies.
Keywords: Biomarkers; COVID-19; Infectious diseases; MiRNAs; MiRNAseq; Nasopharyngeal swabs; Respiratory diseases; SARS-CoV-2; Variants-of-Concern (VOC).