Ultrasensitive liquid biopsy method detects low-frequency cancer mutations

Ultrasensitive liquid biopsy method detects low-frequency cancer mutations

Liquid biopsy is increasingly recognized as a promising tool for cancer detection and treatment monitoring, yet its effectiveness is often limited by the extremely low levels of tumor-derived DNA circulating in the blood.

Researchers develop ultrasensitive method to detect low-frequency cancer mutations

Liquid biopsy is increasingly recognized as a promising tool for cancer detection and treatment monitoring, yet its effectiveness is often limited by the extremely low levels of tumor-derived DNA circulating in the blood. To address this challenge, researchers led by Professor Junseok W Hur from Korea University College of Medicine, in collaboration with multiple partners, have developed MUTE-Seq, a highly sensitive CRISPR-based method designed …

CRISPR-Based Liquid Biopsy Method Detects Low-Frequency Cancer Mutations

Researchers at Korea University College of Medicine have developed a liquid biopsy method that can detect cancer mutations present in very low frequencies from all cell-free DNA in a typical blood sample. The ultrasensitive method, called MUTE-Seq, uses FnCas9-AF2, an engineered high-fidelity CRISPR enzyme that depletes wild-type DNA in the sample before sequencing allowing for circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) detection below 0.1% of total cfDNA, e…

Korea University Researchers Develop Ultrasensitive Method to Detect Low-Frequency Cancer Mutations

MUTE-Seq is a new liquid-biopsy method powered by an engineered ultra-precise CRISPR enzyme, FnCas9-AF2, which can distinguish single-base mismatches across all sgRNA positions with near-zero off-target activity. By selectively removing wild-type DNA before sequencing, it boosts true mutant signals up to tens of times and enables detection as low as ~0.005% VAF. The technique improves MRD monitoring and early-stage cancer detection while avoidin…