Specimen quality constraints for a molecular diagnostic test using gene expression ratios

A gene expression ratio-based diagnostic test for bladder cancer

PURPOSE Bladder cancer is relatively common but early detection techniques such as cystoscopy and cytology are somewhat limited. We developed a broadly applicable, platform-independent and clinically relevant method based on simple ratios of gene expression to diagnose human cancers. In this study, we sought to determine whether this technique could be applied to the diagnosis of bladder cancer...

Making sense of diagnostic test likelihood ratios.

Using prior knowledge from cellular pathways and molecular networks for diagnostic specimen classification

For many complex diseases, an earlier and more reliable diagnosis is considered a key prerequisite for developing more effective therapies to prevent or delay disease progression. Classical statistical learning approaches for specimen classification using omics data, however, often cannot provide diagnostic models with sufficient accuracy and robustness for heterogeneous diseases like cancers o...

The challenge of getting a high quality of RNA from oocyte for gene expression study

The extraction of intact RNA from oocyte is quite challenging and time-consuming. A standard protocol using commercial RNA extraction kit, yields a low quantity of RNA in oocytes. In the past, several attempts in getting RNA for gene expression study ended up with a few different modified methods. Extraction of high-quality RNA from oocyte is important before further downstream analyses such as...

The TDR Tuberculosis Specimen Bank: a resource for diagnostic test developers.

BACKGROUND The Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases established a specimen bank in 1999 to support the development and evaluation of new tuberculosis (TB) diagnostic tools. OBJECTIVE To provide a narrative of the bank's development and discuss lessons learned, the bank's limitations and potential future applications. RESULTS Collection sites were selected in high...