How does microRNA-based detection compare to DNA methylation-based cancer tests?

DNA methylation-based tests (like Exact Sciences' Shield test) analyze patterns of cytosine methylation on circulating tumor DNA in blood. These require PCR amplification and bioinformatic analysis of methylation patterns across thousands of genomic positions, which introduces significant data spread and limits Stage I sensitivity (Shield achieves approximately 35% sensitivity at Stage I for colorectal cancer). MicroRNA-based detection (Yenos approach) is fundamentally different: it measures RNA molecules directly using nanopore detection — no amplification, no methylation pattern analysis, no probabilistic scoring. Because miRNA overexpression is an early molecular event that precedes DNA methylation pattern changes that are detectable in circulation, the Yenos platform can detect cancer at an earlier molecular stage.