Abstract

Long Journey of Precision Medicine: From Sample Preparation to Target Detection

Sehyun Shin, Professor & Director, Korea University

Circulating tumor DNA(ctDNA) and exosomes have been highlighted as important biomarkers in cancer management for a recent decade. However, these markers are difficult to analyze due to their extremely low concentration in most of biofluids. Thus, efficient techniques for extraction and amplification of ctDNA and exosomes are essential for precision medicine. To address this unmet clinical needs, we are developing innovative methods and devices for extracting the markers from blood plasma, amplifying specific molecular information and determining the existence of diseases-related mutants to guide therapy for a patient. In this keynote address, I will discuss a centrifugation-free cfDNA extraction microfluidic chip capable of extracting cfDNA from plasma samples through microfluidic circuits within 15 min under vacuum pressure using an immiscible solvent. Then, I will discuss our new method to extract exosomes from plasma and urine within 1 hour with high purity and high yield. In addition, I will describe a method to detect point mutation with high sensitivity with molecular barcoding mechanism and enzymes. The proposed methods and devices could facilitate the development of a sample-to-answer system for use in liquid biopsy of cancers.