Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a promising tool for miRNA sequence detection. It is a very sensitive and specific technique that can detect a specific miRNA target sequence even if it is overexpressed in cells. Detection of miRNA in cells will open an avenue for treating many diseases as miRNA plays a significant role in gene regulation. Therefore, it is of great importance to develop an assay for miRNA biomarkers detection using SERS. Recent studies have shown a correlation between circulating miRNA and type 2 diabetes and also miRNA profiling have been proven to be deregulated in patients with type 2 diabetes. The development of an assay would allow for early detection of type 2 diabetes as this disease have along asymptomatic period and potentially reduce the numbers of people with undiagnosed diabetes who could develop devastating and costly complications like strokes, blindness, nerve damage, foot diseases and heart diseases. DNA nanoparticle conjugates were synthesised and used to detect a specific RNA sequences. Hybridisation was followed by extinction spectroscopy and showed a red shift indicating a specific hybridisation had taken a place. Adding a dye SERS tag allowed hybridisation to be followed by SERS and demonstrate a change in intensity following RNA hybridisation. This shows a great promise for the use of DNA nanoparticle conjugates and SERS for the detection of miRNA biomarkers related to type 2 diabetes such as miRNA29a and miRNA126.

Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a promising tool for miRNA sequence detection. It is a very sensitive and specific technique that can detect a specific miRNA target sequence even if it is overexpressed in cells. Detection of miRNA in cells will open an avenue for treating many dis...