As a predictive biomarker in the development of new treatments for those SCLC tumors that prove to be de novo chemoresistant - possessing properties that render them inherently resistant to existing drug therapies.

As prognostic biomarkers in the screening of SCLC patients and the design of clinical trials better tailored to their prognosis.

"Our results demonstrate that higher tumor miR-92a-2 levels are associated with chemoresistance and with decreased survival in SCLC patients," said the paper titled MicroRNA 92a-2, a Biomarker Predictive for Chemoresistance and Prognostic for Survival in Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients.

This was one of the first scientific papers published since the completion of the TGen-VARI alliance and affiliation agreement, announced in February.

"The collaboration that occurred on this project highlights the synergies created by the VARI-TGen alliance," said Dr. Craig Webb, a VARI Senior Scientific Investigator.

Dr. Jeffrey Trent, President and Research Director for TGen and VARI, said the new discoveries could have profound implications for the future of medicine.

"This advanced technology is exciting because of how these microRNA biomarkers could lead to improvements for patients. Hopefully, this will translate to new treatments and improved survival," Dr. Trent said.

The next step in this research should be to attain further validation by analyzing additional independent samples, the paper concludes.

Source: The Translational Genomics Research Institute