The advantages of non-invasive biofluid testing in disease diagnosis and treatment, are key drivers for the growing global market for circulating RNA detection. Moreso, RNA-based therapy has started to attract attention. The first ever RNAi drug was approved by the FDA in 2018 and the two first-to-market corona vaccinas were mRNA-based, altogether signs that we are at the dawn of a new RNA-age. The application range for circulating RNA in bodily fluids (biofluids) spans widely from detection of biomarkers as diagnostic tools and stratification (companion diagnostics), to monitoring treatment effect for RNA based therapy.

Publications from clinical studies demonstrate that RNA originating from tissues, could be measured systemically in biofluids such as the blood. The majority of the biofluid RNA is believed to be encapsulated and protected in small lipid vesicles known as extracellular vesicles (EVs).

omiics has established protocols for isolating EVs and quantifying mRNA from various biofluids, including blood-plasma, serum, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), bile, urine, saliva and more. These methods can be applied for monitoring systemic effects.

The EV content of biofluids likely contains a mixed population from various organs in the body, creating a noisy background that complicates the use of biofluid-derived EVs for monitoring organ-specific changes.

omiics' future goal is to devise a method to measure mRNA levels in organ-derived vesicles in a simple blood sample, to monitor organ-specific effects. The idea is to establish a protocol for capturing organ-specific vesicles from blood (i.e. isolate EVs excreted specifically from the liver), using a highly senstive method to profile and quantify the RNA of the vesicles.

This innovative approach aims to improve non-invasive diagnostics, where organ-specific changes can be evaluated based on a simple blood sample.