MicroRNAs and cancer

The Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology was awarded to the RNA interference (RNAi) field in 2006 because of the huge therapeutic potential this technique harbours. However, the RNAi technology is based on a natural mechanism that utilizes short noncoding RNA molecules (microRNAs) to regulate gene expression. This paper reviews our current knowledge about microRNAs focusing on their involvement in cancer and their potential as diagnostics and therapeutics.