A combination of extraction reagent and DNA microarray that allows for the detection of global miRNA profiles from serum/plasma.

In recent years, miRNAs have been shown to exist stably in serum (plasma) and have drawn attention particularly as markers for diagnosis of diseases, evaluation of therapeutic effects, selection of treatment in clinical studies, and others.However, RNAs in serum (plasma) exist only in low amounts (0.1-1 ng/mL), and analysis with reproducibility is difficult. Therefore, we have developed a combination of an extraction reagent and a unique miRNA screening platform which allows for the rapid analysis and high-throughput detection of alterations in miRNA levels in serum/plasma samples. This offers the potential for the identification of novel biomarkers to specific diseases or conditions which may inform upon future diagnostic approaches. The features of this prescription include (1) an extraction method that can obtain high-purity RNA (high reproducibility and stability), (2) a straightforward, easy-to-use extraction procedure a simple method without complicated extraction operations, and (3) increased number of detected genes and data reproducibility using high sensitivity DNA chips.