Identification of a new minimally invasive biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of diabetic retinopathy based on microRNA

Scientists of the Laboratory of Structural and Functional Genomics of M.Aitkhozhin Institute of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry in the framework of the Project AP08857430 “Identification of a new minimally invasive biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of diabetic retinopathy based on microRNA” studied the hypothesis of the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms of the VEGF (-2549 I/D), RAGE (-429 T/C and -374 T/A) genes ), TCF7L2 (rs7903146) and ITGA2 (BglII+/-) with a predisposition to retinopathy among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Kazakh population.

The results of the study showed that the BglII+/- polymorphism of the ITGA2 gene may be associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus, but not with diabetic retinopathy. According to the data obtained, the risk for diabetes is the wild allele BglII-, and not the minor BglII+, which is considered as such for diabetic retinopathy.

This work was the result of a collaboration between our institute and scientists from S.D. Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medicine University, al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Kazakhstan-Russian Medical University and the Center for the Treatment of Patients with Diabetes “AAA Medical Clinic”.

The researchers’ article was published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal MDPI “Medicina”.

Aizhan Magazova, Yeldar Ashirbekov, Arman Abaildayev, Kantemir Satken, Altynay Balmukhanova, Zhanay Akanov, Nurlan Jainakbayev, Aigul Balmukhanova, Kamalidin Sharipov

https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina58101416