Liquid biopsy for investigation of cancer DNA in esophageal adenocarcinoma: cell-free plasma DNA and exosome-associated DNA

Liquid biopsy of cancers is an area of increasing interest in medical practice for the surveillance, management, and potential detection of malignant cells, using minimally invasive collection of body fluids. A liquid biopsy is particularly useful for metastatic cancers, which may be difficult to be sampled by core biopsy, due to difficulty of access or an occult location. Access to DNA shed from esophageal adenocarcinoma can enable the detection of mutations confirming the presence of malignant cells or the evolution of clonal lines with altered treatment response profiles. Researchers from Queensland University of Technology and Griffith University detail a method for the isolation of cell-free DNA from blood plasma and DNA associated with exosomes in blood from patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Basic Method Schematic

This figure is a basic workflow schematic of the essential method, showing each step and the basic reagents and conditions involved. Initial pipetting is represented by the pipette on the first step, and by rounded arrows between tubes in following steps. ETOH ethanol