A new way to capture all cell-free RNA in one test
Official title: A New Method to Comprehensively Profile Cell-Free RNA
Funded at Romix Biosciences INC. · NIH-11309523 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new method will help doctors and researchers detect more types of cell-free RNA in blood and urine to better understand kidney conditions.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 1 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Romix Biosciences INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Waltham, United States) |
| Project start | September 9, 2026 |
| Project end | September 8, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $399,977 |
| NIH project number | 1R43HG014960-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11309523 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with acute kidney injury or related conditions could benefit from more comprehensive cfRNA biomarkers in the future.
✕Less likely to help
Healthy individuals or those without cfRNA-related kidney conditions may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This grant aims to create a single library preparation method that captures both short and long cfRNA simultaneously, reducing biases that currently separate exRNA and cfRNA work. It will use advanced chemistries and helicase enzymes to improve RNA recovery and preserve RNA structure, making results more reliable. The team will test the method in blood plasma and urine samples, comparing it with existing kits to show higher RNA yield and broader RNA types with high reproducibility. If successful, this approach could make cfRNA profiling more comprehensive and applicable to kidney disease monitoring and diagnosis.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: This could lead to more accurate biomarkers for kidney diseases from blood and urine.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary methods exist but a unified approach for short and long cfRNA is novel and has shown promise in pilot benchmarks.
Where this research is happening
-
Romix Biosciences INC.
Waltham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Loy, Conor — Romix Biosciences INC.
- Study coordinator: Loy, Conor
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.