Methods for early identification of bone healing ability in injured patients

A method of promoting bone healing in a subject with a fractured bone, the method comprising:

• providing a nonunion-mitigating intervention to the subject when a difference in the level, or a difference in change of the level, of at least one RNA biomarker in a subject's sample as compared to the level of the at least one RNA biomarker in a reference sample is indicative of a nonunion or slow healing of the fractured bone in the subject, wherein the difference in level, or the difference in change of level, is determined by:
• (i) comparing the level of the at least one RNA biomarker in the sample from the subject to a baseline level of the at least one RNA biomarker in the reference sample, wherein a difference in the level of the at least one RNA biomarker in the subject's sample as compared to the level in the reference sample is indicative of a nonunion or slow healing of the fractured bone in the subject;
• or
• (ii) comparing the change of the level of the at least one RNA biomarker between samples collected from the subject at two or more different times to a baseline change of the level of the at least one RNA biomarker in reference samples collected at different times, wherein a difference in the amount of change of the at least one RNA biomarker in the subject's samples as compared to the reference samples is indicative of a nonunion or slow healing of the fractured bone in the subject;
• wherein the at least one RNA biomarker is selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:
• 1-1684 and 1830-1838.