I came across a news story today about Rosetta Genomics, a company that is pioneering the technology of microRNA-based diagnostic tests and therapeutic tools. According to the company web site, microRNAs, or miRNAs, are a recently discovered group of short non-coding genes that regulate the expression of other genes. What this means to the lay person is that by looking at the very specific markers in these genes, physicians can more accurately identify cancer, predict outcomes and help guide treatment.

Among Rosetta’s products is miRview™ meso, which is described as a “cutting edge molecular diagnostic test that uses microRNA to differentiate malignant pleural mesothelioma from peripheral adenocarcinomas of the lung or metastatic carcinomas involving the lung and pleura.” According to the company, accuracy for this test has been 95 percent for sensitivity and 96 percent for specificity in identifying mesothelioma.

Obviously, the sooner mesothelioma can be identified, the sooner a correct course of treatment can begin.

You can watch a video from the company’s web site with 3-D animation that demonstrates how microRNA diagnostics work to detect mesothelioma.

You can also download a brochure that explains how miRview™ meso works in more detail.

According to RNAi News, a publication that spotlights technology for functional genomics, this week Rosetta Genomics announced that it has closed a deal with Prometheus Laboratories that will give Prometheus the U.S. market rights to Rosetta’s three microRNA-based diagnostics, which includes the meso diagnostic. The other two products are miRview Mets, which is designed to determine the source of cancers of unknown primary origin, and miRview Squamous, which is designed to differentiate squamous from non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer.

The deal will provide Rosetta with funding for research and development, and the company will receive royalties on net product sales from Prometheus, RNAi News reports. The companies also will jointly develop two additional miRNA-based gastroenterology diagnostics.

Mesothelioma is a rare cancer caused by asbestos exposure that most often affects the lining of the lungs, although it can also affect the lining of the stomach and/or the heart.

As Asbestos Awareness Week – April 1-7, 2009 – draws to a close, the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) is encouraging the mesothelioma and asbestos awareness community to recognize the victims of asbesots disease around the world.

Tonight, on Tuesday, April 7, everyone is encouraged to join in a candle-lighting at 6 p.m. PST (8 p.m. CST). The event will signify Unity, Hope and Remembrance of those we love, and will be a time to honor those who have been lost to asbestos disease.

Many people are surprised to learn that asbestos is still not completed banned in the United States. It is allowable at contents of 1 percent or less, despite studies that show that there is no safe level of asbestos exposure. The only known cause of mesothelioma, a deadly cancer most often affecting the lining of the lungs, is exposure to asbestos.

Tonight, join us in remembering those who are struggling with mesothelioma and other asbestos disease, and those who have lost their fight. One of the greatest tragedies of asbestos disease is that it doesn’t have to happen. How many more have to suffer before this deadly substance is finally eradicated?

The Norm Kulig 2Young2Go Foundation will hold a 10k/5k run and 1 mile walk on Saturday, April 4, to raise awareness of mesothelioma and raise money for a cure. Proceeds from the race will go to the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (MARF). The race and related activities will be held from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. at Wissahickon High School in Ambler, Pennsylvania.

Pre-registration online is $22, registration day of the race is $32. There also are sponsorship opportunities.

The Norm Kulig 2Young2Go Foundation is dedicated to increasing the awareness of environmental related causes of cancer, further the scientific research of such cancers and promoting the environmental cleanup of areas contaminated by cancer causing substances. The organization was founded by the siblings of Norm Kulig, who died at age 42 as a result of mesothelioma.

On its web site, the family states, “Our hope and goal is to increase awareness and provide much needed funds for a cancer that affects a large population but goes relatively unrecognized. The southeastern part of Pennsylvania was a hot bed of asbesots manufacturing for nearly 100 years. There are still significant waste deposits in the area that are in need of remediation. A strong potential currenly exists that these waste deposits may continue to infect and cause disease.”

If you cannot participate in the race, consider becoming a sponsor. You can sign up at the web site, or contact Bill Kasenchar at bill@2young2go.org or call 215-313-8698.

Researchers from Ohio State University believe they may be the first in the world to study the “molecular underpinnings” of cancer through study of the individual bonds between asbestos fibers and human cells, according to a news release from NewsWise. The scientists will present their findings at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco this afternoon.

The report, titled “The Strength of Disease: Molecular Bonds between Asbestos and Human Cells,” is authored by Eric Taylor, a doctoral candidate in earth sciences at Ohio State, and Steven Lower, associate professor of earth sciences at the university. According to the news release, “the researchers used atomic force microscopy to observe how a singe asbestos fiber binds with a specific receptor protein on cell surfaces.” They believe this attachment of a lethal type of asbestos sets in motion a series of events within a cell that will eventually lead to illness years, even decades, later.

Asbestos exposure is almost exclusively identified as the cause of mesothelioma, which affects the lining of the lungs, abdomen and other organs. There is currently no known cure for mesothelioma. Asbestos also causes chronic respiratory diseases including asbestosis, a scarring of the lungs; and lung cancer.

The Ohio State study focused on crocidolite (blue) asbestos, which has been identified as one of the most deadly forms of asbestos. The substance is banned in most industrialized nations, but for years was used in products such as insualtion.

Taylor, who is presenting the study’s findings at the meeting today, said the purpose of the study is to find ways to prevent illness even after exposure to asbestos. Because of the long latency period of mesothelioma, with symptoms often not appearing for up to 50 years after exposure, diagnosis often comes too late for effective treatment.

The Ohio State University research is supported by the National Science Foundation.