Blood levels of microRNA-27a found abnormally low in women with SSc – by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD 
The levels of a small RNA molecule called microRNA-27a, or miR-27a, are significantly lower in the blood of women with systemic sclerosis (SSc) compared with healthy women, a study shows.Thus, “MiR-27a could serve as a reliable diagnostic marker for SSc,” researchers wrote, adding that the molecule “could be considered as a treatment option both for SSc and its related disorders and complications, which indeed necessitates further investigations.”
The study, “MiR-27a as a diagnostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target in systemic sclerosis,” was published in Scientific Reports. MicroRNAs have emerged as potential biomarkers, targets for several diseases
Systemic sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by abnormal tissue scarring, or fibrosis, in the skin and several internal organs such as the heart, kidney, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract. To improve SSc diagnosis and treatment, new and specific biomarkers of the disease are needed.
“Because of the wide range of symptoms that SSc bears, diagnostic approaches for this disease are also challenging,” the researchers wrote.