Research Projects

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant public health issue causing mortality and long-term disability, particularly in low- and middle-income countries like India. Survivors experience psychosocial problems, severe disability, and neurodegenerative disease due to various causes such as vehicle accidents, falls, firearms, and sports-related injuries. Molecular biomarkers have gained attention due to their clinical value as diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive tools for treating TBI patients. Circulating microRNA (miRNA) could be a potential novel biomarker for disease diagnosis in TBI patients. MicroRNAs, small non-coding RNAs, have been associated with various diseases, but little research has focused on their roles in TBI. Some miRNAs, such as miR-425-5p, play a significant role in maintaining and regulating physiological function in TBI and could be a good diagnostic and prognostic indicator. However, the available data is inconsistent and depends on other geographical factors. This study aims to conduct a case-control study using plasma samples from 115 patients and 115 healthy participants. Advanced next-generation mi-RNA sequencing will be used to examine the expression of miRNAs in patients with severe TBI, providing a wider quantitative range of expression level changes compared to traditional microarrays. Quantitative real-time-PCR will validate these findings to explore the potential role of miRNAs as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for TBI. Predicting the role of miRNAs using bioinformatics tools will aid in the development of new therapeutic agents for TBI patients.