Abstract

Use Circulating microRNAs as Biomarkers of Drug-Induced Liver Injury

Xi Yang

Drug-Induced Liver Injury (DILI) is an adverse event that frequently leads to cessation of drug testing in clinical trials, restrictions on drug use, and drug withdrawals. Among the preclinical candidate compounds that are discontinued for organ toxicity, it is estimated that up to half are terminated due to hepatotoxicity. Existing biomarkers of liver injury (e.g., serum alanine aminotransferase [ALT] and bilirubin) provide reasonable indicators of damage; however, none of them has sufficient specificity and/or they are increased only after significant damage has occurred. New reliable biomarkers of DILI are urgently required for both clinical and preclinical pharmaceutical evaluation. Open access helps authors, who discover new DILI biomarkers, to maximize the impact of their research articles.