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Serum and Plasma Copy Number Detection Using Real-time PCR
Published on: December 15, 2017
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Serum and Plasma Copy Number Detection Using Real-time PCR.
Samanta Salvi1, Vincenza Conteduca2, Filippo Martignano2
1Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori (IRST) IRCCS; samanta.salvi@irst.emr.it.
Journal of Visualized Experiments : Jove
|December 30, 2017
Summary
Analyzing androgen receptor (AR) gene copy number (CN) gain in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) can serve as a non-invasive biomarker for predicting treatment resistance in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). This method offers a rapid and accessible approach for cancer monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in serum and plasma is a valuable non-invasive source for cancer biomarkers.
- Androgen receptor (AR) gene copy number (CN) gain is a known event in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential of analyzing AR gene copy number (CN) gain in cfDNA as a predictive biomarker for mCRPC.
- To evaluate the utility of cfDNA AR CN analysis for predicting treatment resistance.
Main Methods:
- Evaluated AR CN in cfDNA using two real-time PCR assays with RNaseP and AGO1 as reference genes.
- Utilized 60 ng of DNA for each assay.
- Confirmed AR CN gain using Digital PCR for enhanced accuracy.
Main Results:
- AR gene copy number (CN) gain was assessed in cfDNA.
- Digital PCR confirmed AR CN gain, validating the real-time PCR assays.
- CN variation analysis in cfDNA shows promise for predicting treatment resistance in mCRPC.
Conclusions:
- AR CN analysis in cfDNA is a feasible and potentially valuable tool for mCRPC.
- This non-invasive method is rapid, easy to perform, and requires minimal sample volume.
- cfDNA CN analysis may extend beyond mCRPC for various applications in different patient populations.
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