Integration of miRNA profiles and clinical data for early risk assessment of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in VLBW and ELBW newborn infants: a discovery study

This study aimed to identify circulating miRNA biomarkers in peripheral blood of preterm infants for early risk prediction of BPD. Peripheral blood was collected from 41 very low birth weight (VLBW) and extremely low birth weight (ELBW) preterm newborns (BPD+: n=20; BPD-: n=21) at days 10-14 of life.

Total RNA was profiled using the Affymetrix GeneChip miRNA 4.1 Array (GeneTitan instrument, 96-well plate format). RMA normalization and limma differential expression identified candidate miRNA biomarkers. Four miRNAs (hsa-let-7b-5p, hsa-miR-27a-3p, hsa-let-7c-5p, hsa-miR-182-5p) were significantly upregulated in BPD infants.