Abstract 759: RNA Complete BCT: A novel blood collection tube targeting circulating RNA and extracellular vesicles

Abstract

Abstract Precision medicine, specifically in medical oncology, has been significantly enabled and the pace accelerated with the advent of liquid biopsy-based diagnostics. While liquid biopsy assays targeting circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) provide useful diagnostic information, such as mutational burden, they are limited to a static assessment of the disease state due to cfDNA derivation from dying cells. Assays exploiting circulating extracellular vesicles (EVs) and EV-associated cargo, such as cell-free RNA (cfRNA), provide a comprehensive and dynamic view of the disease as these analytes derive from both living and dying cells. A significant hurdle in making liquid biopsy testing with EVs and cfRNA commonplace is donor specimen integrity. Collected patient blood samples undergo time-dependent degradation leading to increases in disease non-specific EVs and cfRNA thereby compromising the accuracy and reproducibility of analyte measurement. To overcome this vulnerability we have developed the Streck RNA Complete BCT, a first of its kind blood collection tube intended for stabilizing draw-time concentrations of extracellular vesicles and cell-free RNA. Intended uses include direct analysis of EV populations and indirect analysis of cfRNA through RT-PCR or Next-generation Sequencing-based methods. Incorporation of this blood collection tube into the pre-analytical workflow will allow for delayed sample processing without effect on sample integrity or downstream analyte analysis. Citation Format: Nicholas M. George, Lisa Bartron, Nursen Binbuga, Sean Salamifar, Eunju Seong. RNA Complete BCT: A novel blood collection tube targeting circulating RNA and extracellular vesicles [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 759.