Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Rapid Fractionation and Isolation of Whole Blood Components in Samples Obtained from a Community-based Setting
11:31

Rapid Fractionation and Isolation of Whole Blood Components in Samples Obtained from a Community-based Setting

Published on: November 30, 2015

The importance of careful blood processing in isolation of cell-free DNA

Karen Page1, Tom Powles, Martin J Slade

  • 1Department of Cancer Studies and Molecular Medicine, Robert Kilpatrick Clinical Sciences Building, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE2 7LX, United Kingdom. kd18@leicester.ac.uk

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
|November 17, 2006
PubMed

In healthy individuals, the source of cell-free plasma DNA is predominantly apoptotic, whereas, increased plasma DNA integrity is seen in cancer patients. Therefore, it is important to carefully isolate absolutely "cell-free" plasma DNA. Plasma DNA from 30 healthy females was analyzed using 4 PCR amplicons of increasing size, comparing standard blood processing with additional centrifugation steps prior to DNA extraction. Cellular DNA contamination, indicated by positive amplicons >300 bp was eliminated only after the extra centrifugation step. This highlights the importance of careful processing in preparation of cell-free plasma DNA as a tool for cancer detection and we recommend the use of a microcentrifuge spin, prior to DNA extraction.

More Related Videos

Detection of Cell-Free DNA in Blood Plasma Samples of Cancer Patients08:25

Detection of Cell-Free DNA in Blood Plasma Samples of Cancer Patients

Published on: September 9, 2020

Isolation and Cryopreservation of Highly Viable Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells From Whole Blood: A Guide for Beginners10:48

Isolation and Cryopreservation of Highly Viable Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells From Whole Blood: A Guide for Beginners

Published on: October 25, 2024

Related Concept Videos

DNA Isolation01:34

DNA Isolation

DNA from cells is required for many biotechnology and research applications, such as molecular cloning. To remove and purify DNA from cells, researchers use various methods of DNA extraction. While the specifics of different protocols may vary, some general concepts underlie the process of DNA extraction.
DNA Isolation01:24

DNA Isolation

DNA isolation protocols can be fast and straightforward or complex and time-consuming depending on the type and quality of DNA required for further processing. For example, plasmid DNA extraction is a bit more complicated than genomic DNA extraction because of the need for an appropriate lysis method to separate plasmid DNA from gDNA during isolation. However, for specific applications, such as long-range DNA sequencing that require a good yield of high- quality DNA samples, we need to follow...
Overview Of Cell Separation And Isolation01:20

Overview Of Cell Separation And Isolation

Cell separation was first achieved in 1964 by S. H. Seal, who separated large tumor cells from the smaller blood cells using filtration. Two years later, Pohl and Hawk performed experiments on how cells respond differently to a nonuniform electric field based on the cell type. Such observations were the inception of cell separation methods, which allow isolating a single cell type from a heterogeneous sample.