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Updated: Jan 31, 2026

Author Spotlight: Engineering Molecular Tools for Disease Detection and Imaging
Published on: December 8, 2023
Circulating mitochondria DNA, a non-invasive cancer diagnostic biomarker candidate
Justice Afrifa1, Tie Zhao1, Jingcui Yu1
1Scientific Research Centre, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, China.
Abstract:
The mitochondria are defined by their unique structure and cellular functions which includes energy production, metabolic regulation, apoptosis, calcium homeostasis, cell proliferation, cell motility and transport as well as free radical generation. Recent advances geared towards enhancing the diagnostic and prognostic value of cancer patients have targeted the circulating mitochondria genome due to its specific and unique characteristics. Circulating mitochondria DNA is known to possess short length, relatively simple molecular structure and a high copy number. These coupled with its ability to serve as a liquid biopsy makes it an easily accessible non-invasive biomarker for diagnostics and prognostics of various forms of solid tumors. In this article, we review recent findings on circulating mitochondria DNA content in cancer. In addition, we provide an insight into the potential of circulating mitochondria DNA to act as a non-invasive diagnostic biomarker and its linearity with clinical and sociodemographic characteristics.
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