Direct detection of circulating microRNAs in serum of cancer patients by coupling protein-facilitated specific enrichment and rolling circle amplification

Abstract

We have developed a simple method for direct detection of circulating microRNAs in serum by using the p19 protein-functionalized magnetic beads (PFMBs) for specific enrichment and rolling circle amplification (RCA). The detection limit for microRNAs is 1 fM. Therefore, the proposed method has the potential of being used in the analysis of circulating microRNAs and clinical diagnosis.