Sample Preparation Solutions for Cancer Research

Solutions to accelerate your path from discovery to clinical translation

Resources to inspire your cancer research 

Cancer research continues to evolve, with new tools and techniques available to labs around the world. Molecular profiling has become an essential tool in cancer research over the recent years. Targeted analysis methods are now commonplace in cancer research, tailored to genetic or protein biomarkers that may drive a patient's tumor growth metastasis, treatment resistance, and recurrence.

 

Explore our collection of resources and innovative technologies designed to support and advance your cancer research efforts.

Explore the evolving field of cancer research through the lens of oncology biomarker applications

Webinars exploring cancer research

Watch our engaging cancer research webinars featuring esteemed cancer research scientists and Thermo Fisher Scientific staff scientists, where they will share their expertise, latest findings, and innovative approaches in the field of oncology, helping provide valuable insights and fostering collaboration in advancing cancer research. Explore a diverse range of topics, from automation workflows to exceptional new research, and stay up to date with our latest advancements. 

Enumeration and Molecular Profiling of Circulating Tumor Cells

Join Dr. Pravin D. Potdar and learn about methods for the enumeration, isolation, and molecular profiling of CTCs for the research of metastatic cancers.

Applications in Cancer Research: RNA Isolation from Organoids and Spheroids

In this webinar, Laura Chapman and others share their expertise on new RNA extraction methods and workflows for cancer research 3D cell culture. 

Potential of Liquid Biopsy to Enhance Tumor Profiling Research Capabilities

Join research fellow Dr. Karen Page and learn more about molecular analysis workflows for breast cancer research.

Advancing cancer research with tools for liquid biopsy

Join our webinar with Dr. Laure Jobert as she discusses the essential methods for biomarker enrichment in the research sample preparation process. 

Sample collection

The first step in any molecular or tumor profiling workflow is sample collection, which involves tissue biopsies and/or liquid biopsies. Liquid biopsy samples, such as blood, urine, and saliva, are often used to isolate circulating biomarkers including cell-free DNA (cfDNA), circulating tumor cells (CTCs), exosomes, and proteins which help provide insights into tumor dynamics, cancer progression and treatment response. Tissue biopsies allow for direct examination of tumor cells and their microenvironment, aiding in the identification of specific genetic or protein biomarkers. While tissue biopsy remains the standard for diagnostic purposes, liquid biopsy has shown promise in facilitating a more comprehensive view of cancer progression and in helping to guide more effective treatment decisions.

Solid tumor tissue samples

Solid tumor tissue samples are used in cancer research for diagnostic purposes and to analyze the genetic makeup of a tumor, helping to guide treatment strategies. Tissue samples are preserved as fresh-frozen (FF) or formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE). The preservation method is dependent on the use case and affects the processing technique of the samples.

Liquid biopsy samples

Liquid biopsy samples refer to biofluids such as blood, urine, and saliva which contain circulating biomarkers including cell-free nucleic acids, circulating tumor cells, exosomes, and proteins. Liquid biopsies offer a non-invasive approach to analyzing tumor derived biomarkers within these samples and enable insights into cancer detection, monitoring, and treatment response.

A step-by-step guide to molecular profiling of tumors for cancer research

Learn more about the tumor molecular profiling workflow and the importance of molecular profiling for targeted and personalized cancer therapies.

Liquid biopsy

What is a liquid biopsy? 

Liquid biopsy is a medical test that analyzes biofluids, primarily blood, to detect and monitor cancer and other diseases. Liquid biopsies are a less invasive alternative to traditional tissue biopsies and are particularly beneficial for ongoing cancer progression and monitoring.
 

How does a liquid biopsy work?

Tumors release cancer cells and other biomarkers into the bloodstream that can be studied to indicate the presence, state, and type of disease. Analysis of a liquid biopsy involves isolating and examining circulating biomarkers within the sample, such as cell-free DNA (cfDNA), circulating tumor cells (CTCs), exosomes, and proteins. Effective isolation techniques leveraging magnetic bead-based technologies and automated workflows are important for accurate downstream detection and analysis. Multiomic analysis of these biomarkers gives researchers a more complete picture of the disease, enabling a comprehensive understanding of cancer biology, helping drive discovery in cancer research and development of personalized medicine.

Find solutions for your liquid biopsy biomarker isolation and analysis. Explore technologies designed to advance your oncology research from discovery to diagnostic development.

Optimizing liquid biopsy workflows from sample preparation to analysis

Discover how liquid biopsy biomarker isolation and downstream genomic, proteomic, and cellular analysis can be optimized to harness the full power of liquid biopsy in cancer diagnostics and treatment.

Liquid biopsy biomarker isolation for oncology research

Explore targeted magnetic bead-based sample preparation technologies for isolation of nucleic acid, circulating tumor cell (CTC), exosome, and protein biomarkers—enabling reproducible and reliable downstream analyses.

Accelerating the future of liquid biopsy

Learn about ultra-low mutation detection solutions from sample prep to data analysis and how combined genomic analyses can help provide a more complete picture of the cancer genome.

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) & circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in cancer research

cfDNA, including circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), helps provide insights into early cancer detection, disease progression, and tumor genetics. Analyzing DNA fragments released by tumors into the blood can help guide more effective treatment options by identifying specific cancer-driving mutations to select targeted therapies, monitor treatment response, detect minimal residual disease (MRD), and predict treatment resistance.

What is cell-free DNA?

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) consists of DNA fragments circulating in the bloodstream, originating from cell death processes. This includes circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), which originates from tumor cells. Learn about the variability in cfDNA concentration, challenges in detecting low-frequency variants, and methods for isolating and analyzing cfDNA effectively.

Cell-free DNA vs. circulating tumor DNA explained

Understand the key differences between cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in cancer diagnostics and monitoring. Learn how precise extraction and isolation techniques can enhance your research and improve analytical accuracy.

Setting the stage for liquid biopsy in breast cancer treatment

Find out how liquid biopsy is revolutionizing breast cancer research and diagnostics. Learn about the latest advancements and techniques for non-invasive sample collection and cfDNA analysis, helping provide new insights into tumor biology and improving patient outcomes.

Circulating tumor cells (CTC) in cancer research

CTCs serve as biomarkers for monitoring disease progression and treatment response. These cells are the origin of distant tumor metastases, making their presence and numbers in blood a sign of metastatic cancer. A high number of CTCs has been associated with a poor prognosis and a higher likelihood of cancer recurrence. By analyzing CTCs, researchers can gain a better understanding of disease progression, predict outcomes, and potentially develop effective targeted therapies.

Isolation of circulating tumor cells using Dynabeads magnetic beads

Invitrogen Dynabeads magnetic beads offer an automation-friendly tool for isolation of circulating biomarkers. Here we evaluate Dynabeads magnetic beads for feasibility in both positive and negative CTC isolation workflows.

Positive enrichment of CTCs on the KingFisher Purification System

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have become an important liquid biopsy biomarker for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of cancer, but isolating them can be a challenge. Learn about a semi-automated workflow for CTC positive capture, addressing the limitations of other manual, time-consuming methods.

Exosomes in cancer research

Exosomes are small vesicles secreted by cells and are known for their role in facilitating intercellular communication by transporting biomolecules like miRNAs and proteins between cells. Cancer cells secrete a higher number of exosomes than normal cells and can influence the tumor microenvironment by carrying tumor-specific markers to recipient cells, promoting tumor growth and migration. Exosomes and their molecular contents have shown potential to serve as diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic tools, helping provide an understanding of cancer recurrence and progression and aiding in the development of targeted therapies and immunotherapies.

Exosomes—the next small thing

Learn more about exosomes, vesicles that are constantly produced by all cells in vitro and in vivo, which contain complex RNA and protein cargo. Scientists explain how exosomes are changing research due to their capability of intercellular communication and signaling within the body in episode 1 of our 6-part mini documentary series. 

What are exosomes?

Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles released by cells, including cancer cells, that contain diverse molecules of cargo. They play a key role in intercellular communication, influencing cellular function and behavior. Learn more about exosomes, their functions, and the latest methods available for isolation, detection, and analysis.

Rapid bead-based isolation of exosomes for multiomic research

By analyzing exosomes and their cargo from liquid biopsies, researchers can gain insights into cancer progression and monitoring. Here we present a rapid generic exosome isolation method using Invitrogen Dynabeads Intact Virus Enrichment magnetic beads, followed by downstream multiomic analysis.

Solid tumor tissue biopsy

Tumor biopsy is the standard for cancer diagnosis, providing information about the genetic makeup of the tumor and the type of cancer. Samples for analysis include preserved tissues such as fresh frozen tissue and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue. FFPE tissue is widely used in cancer research due to its preservation of cellular morphology and long-term storage capabilities. However, processing FFPE samples efficiently and isolating nucleic acids from them requires specialized tools and techniques. Effective extraction methods are important to help ensure high-quality nucleic acids for downstream analyses, such as sequencing and molecular profiling, which are vital for understanding tumor biology and helping develop targeted therapies.

Find solutions for your nucleic acid isolation and analysis from FFPE samples. Explore complementary liquid biopsy tools that can help broaden your understanding of a tumor's genetic profile.

Techniques used to analyze solid tumors

FFPE tissues are used in both prospective and retrospective cancer research. Several techniques and workflows can be employed to support molecular diagnostics and biomarker discovery applications utilizing solid tumor and FFPE samples such as next-generation sequencing (NGS), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and immunohistochemistry (IHC).

 

NGS is often used for genomic and transcriptomic analyses, identifying specific mutations, copy number alterations, and gene fusions. NGS technologies can provide sequences for a wide range of genes enabling a comprehensive view of the genome. FISH uses fluorescent probes to detect genetic abnormalities in DNA, helping provide visual confirmation of genomic abnormalities to classify cancer types, predict prognosis, and guide treatment decisions.
 

Histological staining methods, such H&E and IHC, offer complementary diagnostic information. H&E examines tissue morphology and tumor cell content, aiding in identification of abnormalities and disease diagnosis. IHC detects specific proteins in tissues, enhancing diagnostic capabilities and contributing to therapeutic development.

FFPE tissue processing and nucleic acid extraction

High-throughput FFPE solution

Isolate high-quality DNA & RNA from FFPE samples using a high throughput integrated solution that reduces manual steps, offering increased efficiency and productivity in the FFPE processing workflow.

A convenient, solvent-free deparaffinization method

Choose a more efficient deparaffinization method for your FFPE sample preparation. Here we help provide a detailed protocol for a solvent-free deparaffinization workflow designed to eliminate hazardous chemicals and minimize tissue loss.

Sequential workflow for large RNA volumes

Understand the potential risk of contamination when working with large RNA volumes in MagMAX FFPE DNA/RNA Ultra sample while gaining insights and recommendations to mitigate contamination issues and help ensure reliable results.

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.