Abstract 31: A new research solution for circulating cell free DNA with short amplicons allow accurate detection of 70 COSMIC mutations at 1% detection limit

Abstract

Abstract Non-invasive determination of the resistance or recurrence of tumor development will allow for a safer, more cost effective method for cancer research. As circulating tumor DNA makes up only a small fraction of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) recovered from blood plasma, targeted sequencing offers an ideal tool for mutation detection. Furthermore, as cfDNA is more fragmented than genomic DNA, it presents new technical challenges. In particular, reports in the literature have shown that the majority of cfDNA fragment sizes fall between 120-200 bp, with a median length of 170 bp. Consistent with these reports, we observed an amplicon size dependent improvement in coverage with input samples containing high amounts of fragmented DNA (FFPE or cfDNA). To optimize for cfDNA selection, we have released an Ion AmpliSeq™ designer that offers amplicons of 100-140 bp in size. In this study we conducted a head-to-head comparison between short (100-140 bp) and long (135-175 bp) designs for the same set of targets. These two panels evaluate 1000 COSMIC hotspot mutations from 73 frequently mutated genes. We applied a protocol using magnetic beads to isolate cfDNA from one control (Coriel GM23485) and 3 cfDNA samples. We completed the molecular characterization of the isolated cfDNA using the multiplexing capabilities of Ion AmpliSeq™ library preparation and Ion PGM™ sequencer. Our results showed the short amplicon design led to an improvement of library yield that correlated with the amounts of fragmented DNA contained in the cfDNA samples. The shorter amplicon design also offered improved depth coverage and uniformity for fragmented DNA, while maintaining high performance with genomic DNA. Variant analysis of GM23485 with 70 known mutations at 1% allelic frequency showed >95% positive predictive value with no false negative. In short, the bead-based cfDNA isolation protocol and short amplicon designs offer a simple sample preparation workflow to facilitate rapid mutation detection for cfDNA in cancer research. Citation Format: Ann Mongan, Richard Chien, Antonio Martinez-Alcantara, Fiona Hyland. A new research solution for circulating cell free DNA with short amplicons allow accurate detection of 70 COSMIC mutations at 1% detection limit. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Precision Medicine Series: Integrating Clinical Genomics and Cancer Therapy; Jun 13-16, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2016;22(1_Suppl):Abstract nr 31.