Nucleic Acid Kit Launched for Prenatal Diagnostics and Cancer

A nucleic acid kit enables extraction of free circulating fragments of tumor- and fetal-derived nucleic acids as well as viral nucleic acids in human blood.

Free circulating DNA and RNA fragments are found in body fluids such as plasma, serum and urine. Plasma carries a variety of nucleic acids from viruses and different tissues throughout the body, including developing fetuses and tumors.

The new QIAamp circulating nucleic acid kit is expected to help biomarker research and the introduction of novel molecular tests in prenatal diagnostics, which can replace risky, invasive procedures such as amniocentesis. The DNA and RNA fragments have potential for sensitive and noninvasive diagnosis of a wide range of diseases, including congenital disorders, malignancies such as colon and lung cancer, and infections.

Scientists have found that the concentration of tumor DNA fragments is related to the extent of the disease. Therefore, the analysis of such DNA and RNA fragments not only enables new, noninvasive approaches to the early, sensitive detection of different malignancies such as colon or lung cancer, but also helps to monitor the progress of the disease and to assess patient outcomes.

The QIAamp kit was launched by Qiagen (Hamburg, Germany). The company plans to validate the product for in vitro diagnostic applications in the United States and Europe.

Qiagen provides its products to molecular diagnostics laboratories, academic researchers, pharmaceutic and biotechnology companies, and applied testing customers.

Related Links:
Qiagen