A medical advance could soon help many women: a test examining micro-RNA in saliva that can diagnose endometriosis in just ten days. Today, endometriosis remains a difficult pathology to detect. Developed in collaboration between the French company Ziwig Health, the University Hospitals of Lyon-Sud and Angers and the Tenon Hospital in Paris, this new test aims to make diagnosis faster and more efficient. The French team, who published their study in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, highlighted the role of micro-RNAs, specifically 109 micro-RNAs involved in endometriosis. Today, women wait an average of 8 years to be properly diagnosed with endometriosis. According to the EndoMIND association, women must undergo an average of 3 ultrasounds, 4 MRIs and at least 7 consultations with clinical examinations to make a final diagnosis. During this time, in addition to menstruation with intense pain, they also experience chronic fatigue, lower back pain or even digestive disorders. In addition, complications can lead to impaired fertility. A test to facilitate the detection of endometriosis A more effective screening would facilitate the diagnosis of the disease, but it could also protect from going through many invasive surgical interventions. In fact, clear confirmation can only be achieved through laparoscopy, where the endometrial tissue is removed for analysis. The difficulties in detecting endometriosis have not yet been overcome: many women, accustomed to these severe pains, mistakenly believe that they are not actually affected by this pathology. Endometriosis: how does the new test work? The test involves an analysis of saliva in a laboratory setting, where DNA sequencing will be performed. Therefore, the DNA can show whether the patient is ultimately affected by endometriosis. The effectiveness of the test was evaluated in 200 women in several French hospitals. So far, its sensitivity is 97% and specificity 100%. How was the test developed? The French team that developed the test sequenced 2,600 micro-RNAs, or miRNAs. These are non-coding RNAs – ribonucleic acids that will not be translated into proteins by ribosomes. They are micro-RNAs because their average length is 22 nucleotides, compared to 21 to 24 nucleotides in other RNAs in general. micro-RNAs can cause ‘gene silencing’ – a regulatory mechanism that prevents the production of proteins from a given gene. Therefore, their main role concerns the expression of genes. Present in biological fluids such as urine, blood or saliva, French researchers have sequenced all these micro-RNAs. The aim was to establish specific markers for endometriosis. After analyzing the saliva of 153 women affected by this pathology and 47 who were not diagnosed with the disease, it was found that 109 mirco-RNAs are responsible for the development of endometriosis. Therefore, these 109 micro-RNAs should be looked for during a salivary endotest to diagnose endometriosis. Sources:https://www.science-et-vie.com/corps-et-sante/un-test-salivaire-pour-depister-l-endometriose-comment-ca-marche-quelle-fiabil-66729 https://www .mdpi.com/2077-0383/11/3/612