The present invention relates to a method of removing an RNA fraction with ≥200 nucleotides in length from a whole blood sample. The present invention also relates to a method of purifying an RNA fraction with <200 nucleotides in length from a whole blood sample. The present invention further relates to a method of determining the level of RNA molecules with <200 nucleotides in length. In addition, the present invention relates to a method for diagnosing a disease in an individual. Moreover, the present invention relates to a kit which is useful for carrying out the methods of the present invention.

In a method for the desorption of nucleic acids from a sample, in order to simplify the desorption of nucleic acids from the sample, a solid phase is repeatedly rinsed with an elution buffer in a microfluidic system, in order to elute nucleic acids bonded to the solid phase from the solid phase in the microfluidic system.

Provided are systems and methods for detecting the presence of cancer DNA in blood and for identifying the cancer origin in a test subject. Also provided are systems and methods for monitoring likelihood of cancer recurrence in a subject previously treated for cancer, systems and methods for assessing the efficacy of a cancer treatment in a subject suffering from cancer, and systems and methods for treating cancer in a subject in need thereof. The disclosed systems and methods comprise various elements such as (a) bisulfite treating cell free DNA (cfDNA) from a liquid biopsy sample of the test subject; (b) using the bisulfite treated cfDNA to prepare a first sequencing library for (i) a plurality of specific target genomic regions and (ii) a second sequencing library for a genome from a flow through of the first sequencing library; (c) sequencing the prepared first and second sequencing libraries, thereby producing a corresponding first and second plurality of sequencing results; and (d) analyzing the corresponding first and second plurality of sequencing results; and (e) receiving output from a machine learning model.

Methods of microbial screening for identifying alcohol acyltransferases for ester biosynthesis and submodules for ester pathways to produce butyryl-coenzyme A derived esters are disclosed. The method includes the introduction preselected plasmids into a respective host strain to form engineered microbes, in situ fermentation thereof followed by a colorimetric assay for quantification of production of the target ester. In situ fermentation includes inoculating each well of a microplate that have a culture media for producing target esters with one of the engineered microbes, adding an overlay of a solvent to each, and incubating the same. The colorimetric assay includes transfer of a quantity of the overlay from each well to respective clean wells of a new microplate, treatment of each well to form an iron-hydroxamic acid complex aqueous phase, centrifugation of the microplate, and measurement of the absorbance at 520 nm and comparison to a standard curve for the target ester.

The invention comprises methods for isolating nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA, while enzyme-inhibiting polyanions are reduced at the same time, using a non-alcoholic binder solution that is not based on chaotropic salts, and a washing solution containing an amine compound, and kits suitable for such a method, comprising the mentioned binder solution and washing solution.

A drug screening platform simulating hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy including a dielectrophoresis system, a microfluidic chip and a heating system is disclosed. The dielectrophoresis system is used to provide a dielectrophoresis force. The microfluidic chip includes a cell culture array and observation module and a drug mixing module. The cell culture array and observation module are used to arrange the cells into a three-dimensional structure through the dielectrophoresis force to construct a three-dimensional tumor microenvironment. The drug mixing module is coupled to the cell culture array and observation module and used to automatically split and mix the inputted drugs and output the drug combinations into the cell culture array and observation module. The heating system is used for real-time temperature sensing and heating control of the drug combinations on the microfluidic chip to simulate high-temperature drug environment when performing hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy on the three-dimensional tumor microenvironment.

The invention provides a protein scaffold and methods of preparing, screening, engineering and using the protein scaffold.

The present disclosure relates to materials and methods for spatial detection of nucleic acid in a tissue sample or a portion thereof. In particular, provided herein are materials and methods for detecting RNA so as to obtain spatial information about the localization, distribution or expression of genes in a tissue sample. In some embodiments, the materials and methods provided herein enable detection of gene expression in a single cell.

Methods for modification of target nucleic acids. The method involves a construct in which guide RNA is covalently linked to donor RNA (fusion NA) to be introduced into the target nucleic acid by homologous recombination and is based on the introduction of a nuclease, e.g. CRISPR or TALEN, into the cell containing the target nucleic acid. The fusion NA may be introduced as a DNA vector.

A Streptococcus canis Cas9 (ScCas9) ortholog and its engineered variants, possessing novel PAM specificity, is an addition to the family of CRISPR-Cas9 systems. ScCas9 endonuclease is used in complex with guide RNA, consisting of identical non-target-specific sequence to that of the guide RNA SpCas9, for specific recognition and activity on a DNA target immediately upstream of either an “NNGT” or “NNNGT” PAM sequence. A novel DNA-interacting loop domain within ScCas9, and other Cas9 orthologs, such as those from Streptococcus gordonii and Streptococcus angionosis facilitates a divergent PAM sequence from the “NGG” PAM of SpCas9.