The microRNA Veterinary Laboratory (miRVET Laboratory) is a veterinary diagnostic and research laboratory based at the University of Edinburgh. Taking a one medicine approach, the miRVet laboratory brings together veterinary and human expertise led by veterinarians Professor Richard Mellanby and Dr Susan K. Armstrong and Professor James Dear, a human clinical pharmacologist. miRVET Laboratory provides a diagnostic microRNA quantification service for veterinary patients in conjunction with research into the biology and diagnostic potential of microRNAs in veterinary species, primarily in companion and production animals.

The miRVET laboratory’s most notable success thus far is defining the diagnostic utility of miR-122 as a sensitive and specific diagnostic biomarker for accurate diagnosis of canine liver disease. The lab is also the first to establish a normal reference interval of circulating miR‐122 concentrations in healthy dogs across several dog breeds. The result is miR-122 is now a commercially available diagnostic assay for canine liver disease at the miRVET Laboratory. Research is underway to offer a miR-122 assay service for other veterinary species and also for other microRNA’s.

The key aims of the miRVET Laboratory are:

• Provide an external diagnostic service measuring key miRNA in clinical veterinary patients.
• Advance understanding of the diagnostic utility of microRNAs in veterinary practice.
• Undertake studies to identify new miRNA targets in veterinary species.