Signature miRNA to predict neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS)

A method of identifying and treating neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) in a neonatal patient with said syndrome comprising:

• (i) obtaining a blood sample from the neonatal patient, identifying and quantifying miRNA biomarkers hsa-miR-128-3p (SEQ ID NO:3), hsa-miR-421 (SEQ ID NO:18) and hsa-miR-30c-5p (SEQ ID NO:14) in the plasma and/or cellular fraction of the sample, comparing the concentrations of said biomarkers in the sample with a standard for each biomarker, wherein an up-regulated concentration of hsa-miR-128-3p (SEQ ID NO:3) and hsa-miR-421 (SEQ ID NO:18) and a down-regulated concentration of hsa-miR-30c-5p (SEQ ID NO:14) compared with a standard evidences opioid withdrawal syndrome in said neonatal patient,
• (ii) identifying the neonatal patient as having opioid withdrawal syndrome, and
• (iii) treating the neonatal patient identified as having opioid withdrawal syndrome with pharmacological opioid withdrawal syndrome therapy comprising administering to said patient an effective amount of at least one opiate selected from the group consisting of morphine, methadone, buprenorphine and tincture of opium, alone or in combination with at least one additional agent selected from the group consisting of a barbiturate, clonidine, a selective opium reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and a benzodiazepine, wherein the biomarker standard is the concentration of the same biomarker in a blood sample obtained from a neonate or population of neonates without NOWS.