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Review
. 2011 Jul;103(3):429-36.
doi: 10.1007/s11060-010-0449-5. Epub 2010 Nov 17.

The elephant in the room: do microRNA-based therapies have a realistic chance of succeeding for brain tumors such as glioblastoma?

Benjamin Purow  1
Affiliations
Review

The elephant in the room: do microRNA-based therapies have a realistic chance of succeeding for brain tumors such as glioblastoma?

Benjamin Purow. J Neurooncol. 2011 Jul.

Abstract

It seems quite clear that microRNAs play important roles in neuro-oncology, as they do across perhaps all areas in biology. With recent advances in detecting and quantifying microRNAs in tissue and serum, it appears increasingly likely that microRNAs will be clinically useful as biomarkers for brain tumors and other cancers. Applying microRNAs for treatment of brain tumors poses greater hurdles by far, however, and despite promising in vitro results this may never become a reality. This review fits recent advances into a framework for considering the potential of microRNAs for brain tumor therapy, considering the power of individual microRNAs, delivery issues, and indirect microRNA-based therapies.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
MicroRNA synthesis and mechanism
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
MicroRNA transfer between infected and uninfected cells
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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