The thyroid gland is responsible for the secretion of hormones involved in growth, sleep patterns, and cognitive development.

Thyroid disease can be either primary (genetic abnormalities or autoimmune disease) or secondary (to illnesses such as Down’s syndrome). Secondary thyroid disease can be difficult to diagnose, as laboratory tests are not always conclusive. This is particularly difficult in children who, due to their young age, are often unable to describe or are unaware of their symptoms. Whether or not to treat patients with borderline laboratory findings is the subject of great controversy in the field. Our study aims to develop a novel, non-invasive, diagnostic test for children with borderline laboratory findings to help clinicians properly diagnose and treat thyroid disease, by characterizing serum miRNAs in children with thyroid disease. This will be the first study of miRNAs in children and the first study of serum miRNAs in thyroid disease.

Researchers 

Dr Vicki Maltby, Associate Professor Patricia Crock, Professor Rodney Scott

Project type 
Project Grant
Year of funding 
2013