Assessment of DNA Integrity, Applications for Cancer Research

Eleonora Zonta (1) , Philippe Nizard (1) , Valérie Taly (1)

1 MEPPOT - U1147 - Médecine Personnalisée, Pharmacogénomique, Optimisation Thérapeutique

Many methods have been developed for DNA integrity assessment including electrophoresis-based procedures, quantitative PCR, and, more recently, microfluidics-based procedures. DNA integrity evaluation can be employed for characterizing biological samples quality before extensive genomic analysis and also finds applications in reproductive medicine, prenatal diagnostics, or cancer research. In this chapter, we will focus on the assessment of DNA integrity in cancer research. In particular, we will present the application of the determination of DNA integrity for tracking of circulating tumor DNA. Finally, we will conclude by illustrating the potential innovative application of DNA integrity as a biomarker in clinical research, especially for prognostic purposes, patient follow-up, or early diagnosis.

Mots clés: ALU elements; Cancer biomarker; Cell-free circulating DNA; Circulating tumor DNA; DNA integrity index; DNA quality; DNA size profiling; dPCR; qPCR

Domaines: Médecine humaine et pathologie; Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

Eleonora Zonta, Philippe Nizard, Valérie Taly. Assessment of DNA Integrity, Applications for Cancer Research. Advances in Clinical Chemistry, 2015, ⟨10.1016/bs.acc.2015.03.002⟩. ⟨inserm-02299567⟩