DNA extraction is the first step in most genetic testing, including genetic research, genetic diagnostics and forensic DNA analysis. There are many methods of DNA extraction using either organic solvents, binding to silica gel or magnetic beads. Whilst all methods yield DNA, they differ in the quality and quantity of DNA extracted.
A group of researchers from the Department of Applied Biomedical Science, Faculty of Health Sciences and from the Center for Molecular Medicine and Biobanking have compared four different commercial kits to assess whether DNA can be successfully extracted from small volumes of blood that have been stored at -20°C for up to 18 years.
In their published findings, Dr Stephanie Bezzina Wettinger, Dr Rosienne Farrugia, Ms Azra Zejnelagic and Ms Sarah Samut Tagliaferro show that using the right methods, high quality DNA can be extracted from small volumes of old blood samples allowing amplification using the polymerase chain reaction.
This is an important finding for biobanks which have precious collections of blood samples which are old, at times irreplaceable and where only small volumes of blood are available.
The samples used in this study were from the neonatal collection of the population bank of the University of Malta Biobank and the Geoparkinson Study collection (a collection set up in 2002 to study Parkinson's disease in the Maltese and funded by the 5th Framework of the European Union). The paper an be read in its entirety online on Future Sciences' BioTechniques journal.
