Finding The Right MicroRNA (miRNA) Assays

MicroRNA’s are small, with only around 22 nucleotides, with many miRNA’s families being highly homologous differing by only a single base. This means that regular RT chemistry cannot be used as greater specificity is required, highlighting the need for miRNA assays. In this video, two miRNA assays are explained in detail; the TaqMan miRNA assay and the newest, TaqMan Advanced miRNA assay. The TaqMan assays are based on an individual stem-loop RT primer and a sequence specific TaqMan assay to accurately detect mature miRNA’s. The newest TaqMan Advanced miRNA chemistry is based on a universal RT that will generate cDNA for all of the miRNA targets in the starting sample.