Abstract: mRNA is a type of template that directly guides protein biosynthesis and is involved in the process of information transmission in gene expression. Many studies have found that mRNA can be used as tumor markers and new targets for cancer therapy. Therefore, it is of great significance to develop simple, rapid, highly specific and sensitive mRNA detection methods for early cancer diagnosis and biomedical research. In this article, the principle and research progress of mRNA detection techniques were reviewed, and the challenges and development trends of mRNA detection techniques were prospected.