# xMD-miRNA-Seq estimates cell-specific miRNA expression

> **NIH NIH R01** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $311,125

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
 There has been an important realization over the past several years that in order to truly understand
human disease we must understand not just the diseased tissues, but rather the cells in those tissues. To that
end, we need tools that can capture those cells and explore their expression profiles. We have developed a
technology called xMD-miRNA-Seq to do just that. The xMD stands for expression microdissection and it
allows us to collect one cell type at a time from any fixed tissue source. We have developed a way to use
those cells for small RNA sequencing to capture the expression profile of microRNAs from just these cells.
microRNAs (miRNAs) are small, regulatory RNAs involved in disease and development. Although this is an
exciting, powerful technique designed to help understand cell expression, it remains relatively inefficient.
Therefore, we have proposed a set of optimizations to make the technique widely adaptable.
 We have proposed to optimize the capture of cells moving from a slide to an affixed membrane by
adjusting features including the temperature, the light intensity, the background type and even the membrane
itself. We also seek to limit the loss of RNA through the steps of the xMD process by pretreating certain
reagents with chemicals designed to remove RNAses. Finally, we will work with both established and new
methods to maximize the percent of miRNAs that are read in a small RNA sequencing run. Ultimately, these
modifications will greatly enhance the value of the xMD-miRNA-seq method and will allow us to obtain the
miRNA profile of almost any human cell type in almost any disease setting. This will be important for cancer
biology, immunology, development, cardiovascular disease, neurologic disorders and many other settings.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10240467
- **Project number:** 5R01GM130564-04
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** MARC K HALUSHKA
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $311,125
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-20 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10240467

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10240467, xMD-miRNA-Seq estimates cell-specific miRNA expression (5R01GM130564-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10240467. Licensed CC0.

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