Circulating microRNAs in preterm white matter injury: a systems biology/qPCR-based pilot study

This study demonstrates that qPCR combined with systems biology modeling, is a viable and biologically coherent approach for identifying circulating miRNA biomarkers of white matter injury in preterm infants. It challenges the conventional reliance on next-generation sequencing as the default discovery platform, and repositions qPCR as a powerful primary discovery method for diagnostic miRNA biomarkers when coupled with systems biology modeling, showing that qPCR can yield translational insights in ethically and clinically constrained neonatal populations. By integrating Boolean logic simulations, the study links key miRNAs (miR-23a-3p and miR-17-5p) to mechanistic pathways of oligodendrocyte maturation, offering a functional layer to biomarker discovery.