Noncoding RNAs in Thyroid Cancer

The proposed project aims to comprehensively profile and functionally characterize deregulated non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including lncRNAs, miRNAs, and circRNAs, in thyroid cancer cases from Saudi Arabia. Despite progress in understanding thyroid carcinogenesis globally, there remains a complete lack of data on the molecular role of ncRNAs in Saudi patients, who represent a unique and highly inbred population with distinct genetic and environmental risk factors. By analyzing 100 thyroid cancer samples with matched normal tissues, next-generation sequencing 20 representative cases, and validating the top deregulated ncRNAs, this study will generate the first ncRNA landscape for Saudi thyroid cancer. Functional assays in cell lines and xenograft models will clarify the oncogenic or tumor-suppressive roles of selected ncRNAs.

The significance of this work lies in its potential to uncover novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, as well as therapeutic targets tailored to the Saudi population. The expected impact includes advancing precision medicine approaches, improving early detection and prognosis, minimizing disease recurrence, and developing new molecular-based interventions. Ultimately, this project will fill a critical gap in thyroid cancer research, improve patient outcomes, and contribute to national healthcare priorities aligned with Vision 2030.