Evaluation of automatic cell free DNA extraction metrics using different blood collection tubes
Andersson et al.
The finding, in our words
This study found that the yield of cell-free DNA from blood plasma depends on the collection tube used and the time before processing. High yields were obtained with EDTA tubes processed immediately or Streck tubes processed within a week, demonstrating that specific pre-analytical conditions are necessary for accurate liquid biopsy results.
A paraphrase to the Library’s standard, never the abstract. The source is one link away and is always the authority.
This review summarises how emerging HPV detection methods including CRISPR/Cas systems, droplet digital PCR and isothermal amplification, combined with self-collected vaginal swabs and liquid biopsy from urine or blood, could improve screening acceptability and enable point-of-care testing compared with conventional approaches that require invasive sampling and centralised laboratory infrastructure.
Shi et al., Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · source ↗
Earlobe capillary blood yields higher cell-free DNA concentrations than fingertip samples during exercise testing, with good to excellent repeatability. However, repeated earlobe sampling at rest artefactually increases cell-free DNA over time even without physical load, which may limit its utility for baseline measurements in decentralised diagnostics.
Blood drawn into EDTA tubes yields robust cell-free DNA methylation profiles if plasma is prepared within 24 hours, while preservative tubes maintain profile integrity after 72-hour ambient delays, giving decentralised diagnostics a cost-effective choice for liquid biopsy collection.
The study found that cfDNA isolation methodology and DTT treatment strongly affect yield and integrity from blood and seminal plasma but not methylation, with NucleoSnap showing the best overall performance and semen identified as an abundant cfDNA source for male reproductive health. This matters because standardising preanalytical and analytical steps is essential for reliable liquid biopsy results in decentralised diagnostics.
Krasic et al., Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · source ↗
The authors developed a multiplex droplet digital PCR assay that measures absolute cfDNA concentration and infers fragment size distribution by cross-amplifying human olfactory receptor genes, identifying suboptimal samples and aberrant size profiles associated with circulating tumour DNA. The assay correlated well with capillary electrophoresis and high-throughput sequencing, offering a cost-effective quality control tool that could help standardise cfDNA analysis for cancer detection, transplantation monitoring and prenatal testing.