High-throughput RNA profiling via up-front sample parallelization

We describe a method called META RNA profiling (for “modular early-tagged amplification”) that can quantify a broad panel of microRNAs or mRNAs simultaneously across many samples – and requires far less sequence depth than existing digital profiling technologies. The method assigns quantitative tags during reverse-transcription to permit up-front sample pooling before competitive amplification and deep sequencing. This simple, scalable, and inexpensive approach brings large-scale gene expression studies within more practical reach.