The invention disclosed herein generally relates to methods of assessing and monitoring tumor load through analysis of tumor DNA in cancer patients. Quantitative measures derived from cell-free DNA and germline DNA are used to assess and monitor tumor load. By assessing and monitoring tumor load, cancer may be detected in a subject. The tumor load of a subject may be assessed at a number of different time points to monitor a progression, regression, or recurrence of cancer in a subject.

The present invention provides a method for detecting a microorganism in a sample, the method comprising: a) filtering a sample through a filter to entrap any microorganisms present in the sample; b) treating the filter to release genomic material or DNA from the entrapped microorganisms; c) amplifying the genomic material or DNA released from the entrapped microorganisms; and d) identifying specific regions of the genomic material or DNA to determine the presence, identify the species or quantify the approximate number of any entrapped microorganisms.

The present invention provides a method for detecting a microorganism in a sample, the method comprising: a) filtering a sample through a filter to entrap any microorganisms present in the sample; b) treating the filter to release genomic material or DNA from the entrapped microorganisms; c) amplifying the genomic material or DNA released from the entrapped microorganisms; and d) identifying specific regions of the genomic material or DNA to determine the presence, identify the species or quantify the approximate number of any entrapped microorganisms.

Disclosed herein are methods, reagent kits, and compositions for performing a bisulfite conversion of DNA directly from a biological sample including a patient's urine sample or a slide-mounted FFPE tissue sample. For example, a method of performing a bisulfite conversion of DNA can comprise certain preliminary steps for processing the biological sample and transferring a portion of the processed sample into a reaction vessel containing a bisulfite mixture. The method can further comprise heating the reaction vessel containing the biological sample and the bisulfite mixture at several heating temperatures and subsequently holding the reaction vessel at a holding temperature for a holding period. The method can also comprise certain bisulfite removal steps, desulfonation steps, and removal of the desulfonation solution. A final elution step can yield the converted DNA for further downstream sequencing and analysis.

Disclosed herein are methods, reagent kits, and compositions for performing a bisulfite conversion of DNA directly from a biological sample including a patient's urine sample or a slide-mounted FFPE tissue sample. For example, a method of performing a bisulfite conversion of DNA can comprise certain preliminary steps for processing the biological sample and transferring a portion of the processed sample into a reaction vessel containing a bisulfite mixture. The method can further comprise heating the reaction vessel containing the biological sample and the bisulfite mixture at several heating temperatures and subsequently holding the reaction vessel at a holding temperature for a holding period. The method can also comprise certain bisulfite removal steps, desulfonation steps, and removal of the desulfonation solution. A final elution step can yield the converted DNA for further downstream sequencing and analysis.

A screening method for the identification of a characteristic of a target nucleic acid in a whole blood sample, including positioning a composition comprising whole blood and at least one preservative agent within a centrifuge, centrifugating the composition to isolate a plasma that includes at least one target nucleic acid for further analysis and analyzing the at least one target nucleic acid to identify a characteristic about the at least one target nucleic acid, and a composition including the plasma, the preservative agent, and any other ingredient, which is produced by the method.

A screening method for the identification of a characteristic of a target nucleic acid in a whole blood sample, including positioning a composition comprising whole blood and at least one preservative agent within a centrifuge, centrifugating the composition to isolate a plasma that includes at least one target nucleic acid for further analysis and analyzing the at least one target nucleic acid to identify a characteristic about the at least one target nucleic acid, and a composition including the plasma, the preservative agent, and any other ingredient, which is produced by the method.

Provided herein are devices, systems, kits and methods for obtaining genetic information from cell-free fetal nucleic acids in ultra-low amounts of biological samples. Due to the convenience of obtaining ultra-low amounts of samples, devices, systems, kits and methods can be at least partially employed at a point of need.

Provided herein are devices, systems, kits and methods for obtaining genetic information from cell-free fetal nucleic acids in ultra-low amounts of biological samples. Due to the convenience of obtaining ultra-low amounts of samples, devices, systems, kits and methods can be at least partially employed at a point of need.

Diverse cDNA libraries derived from cell-free mRNA and methods of preparing the same are provided. The library may be prepared by extracting RNA from a bodily fluid such as serum or plasma, separating the RNA from contaminants, synthesizing cDNA with a reverse transcriptase enzyme, and enriching protein-coding nucleotide sequences. The library may include a multiplicity of transcripts from solid tissues. Cf-RNA can be measured by qPCR, sequencing, or other suitable methods.