Why measure specific miRNAs instead of the whole transcriptome?

The whole transcriptome (all RNA species expressed in a cell) contains tens of thousands of different RNA molecules at wildly varying concentrations. Sequencing the entire transcriptome from urine is technically extremely challenging, expensive, and produces enormous amounts of data that require sophisticated AI and bioinformatics to interpret for cancer signals. Targeted measurement of three specific, well-validated cancer-associated miRNAs is far simpler, faster, cheaper, and more clinically interpretable. Yenos selected miR-21, miR-375, and miR-141 because they are the most extensively validated cancer-associated miRNAs in the published literature — each with 700+ studies and 70,000+ patient samples behind them. Measuring well-chosen, validated targets is a strength, not a limitation, of the OncuraKit approach.