MicroRNA Patents in Demyelinating Diseases: A New Diagnostic and Therapeutic Perspective

MicroRNAs (miRNAs, miRs) are a class of non-coding single-stranded RNAs, which can negatively regulate gene expression at posttranscriptional levels by miRNA-mRNA interaction. It has been demonstrated that miRNAs play important roles in a variety of biological process, including cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and tumorigenesis. Recent studies have shown crucial roles of specific miRNAs in controlling oligodendrocyte (OL) differentiation and myelination. Dysregulation of miRNAs is a vital event in the pathogenesis of demyelinating diseases. Furthermore, new patents of miRNAs also provide new strategies for gene therapy and miR-drug development for demyelinating diseases, especially multiple sclerosis. In this review, we briefly introduce the roles of miRNAs in OL differentiation and in the pathogenesis of demyelinating diseases, with emphasis on the implication of miRNAs patents in disease diagnostic and therapeutic perspective and its related technologies and challenges in clinical application.