Developing Quality Programs for Cell-Free DNA (cfDNA) Extraction from Peripheral Blood

Abstract

Background: Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) analysis using peripheral blood represents an exciting, minimally invasive technology for cancer diagnosis and monitoring. The reliability of testing is dependent on the accuracy and sensitivity of specific molecular analyses to detect tumor-associated genomic variants and on the quantity and quality of cfDNA available for testing. Specific guidelines for standardization and design of appropriate quality programs focused specifically on cfDNA isolation are lacking, as are standardized quality control reagents. Content: This report describes and illustrates quality control and quality assurance processes, supported by generation of in-house quality control material, to ensure the reliability of the preanalytical phase of cfDNA analysis. Summary: We have developed a robust quality program to support high-volume automated cfDNA extraction from peripheral blood by implementing processes and procedures designed to monitor the adequacy of specimen collection, specimen stability, efficiency of cfDNA extraction, and cfDNA quality.