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Updated: Dec 22, 2025

Detection and Isolation of Apoptotic Bodies to High Purity
Published on: August 12, 2018
Cell-Free DNA and Apoptosis: How Dead Cells Inform About the Living
Ellen Heitzer1, Lisa Auinger2, Michael R Speicher3
1Institute of Human Genetics, Diagnostic and Research Center for Molecular BioMedicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria; BioTechMed-Graz, Graz, Austria; Christian Doppler Laboratory for Liquid Biopsies for Early Detection of Cancer, Graz, Austria.
Abstract:
Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is evolving into a widely used prognostic and predictive biomarker, particularly in oncology. However, its versatile clinical use precedes a profound understanding of the underlying biology of cfDNA release. There is much evidence to suggest that cfDNA is mainly derived from dying (i.e., apoptotic) cells. However, numerous cancer studies have shown that cfDNA is informative about acquired resistance to given therapies, which is present in living, proliferating tumor subclones. To explain this contradiction, we review current insights regarding cfDNA release, in particular the interplay between apoptosis and proliferation. We describe how improved knowledge about cfDNA biology could be used for novel therapeutic strategies and how this may affect patient management.
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