Rising Cancer Prevalence to Stimulate Cell-Free DNA (cfDNA) Isolation and Extraction Market
Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) testing is a non-invasive screening test used in gynecology, cancer, transplantation, and other immunological disorders. It allows for the diagnosis of chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus and particular mutations in cancer patients, and it assists in the detection of transplant rejection.
Cell-free DNA refers to free-circulating DNA fragments found in plasma or outside the cell. cfDNA is most commonly used in cancer research as a source of nucleic acid samples for examination in various fields of human illness research.
The study of cfDNA is significant to efforts to create less invasive, “liquid biopsy” applications, tumor growth, hereditary illnesses, and early detection research. Furthermore, cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is becoming popular as a biomarker from liquid biopsy in treatment applications, including oncology, organ and transplant medicine, and non-invasive prenatal diagnostics (NIPT).
According to BIS Research, the global cell-free DNA isolation and extraction market was valued at $169.9 million in 2020 and is expected to reach $735.1 million by 2031, witnessing a CAGR of 14.19% during the forecast period 2021–2031.
The steps require collecting patient samples containing cell-free DNA in various forms, depending on the tests to be performed, such as fetal DNA, circulating tumor DNA, and donor-derived cell-free DNA. This is followed by scanning the sample through several contemporary sequenced techniques and analyzing the data using software algorithms to provide speedy and accurate findings for early illness detection.
What biological role does cfDNA play?
An increasing number of research papers show the potential utility of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) as a surrogate marker for several cancer indications, including diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring.
Although it has been over 70 years since the discovery of cfDNA, research to understand the essential biological activities of cfDNA is still ongoing. However, it has been observed that cfDNA plays an important role in immunological response and blood coagulation.
In response to bacterial infection, neutrophils in the human circulation release neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). The predominant component of these NETs is cfDNA, which aids in the binding and trapping of microbial pathogens.
The process of releasing DNA from neutrophils that happens through an alternative mode of cell death is known as NETosis. This includes two methods. The first method involves the disruption of the plasma and nuclear membranes, followed by the release of chromatin into the extracellular environment.
NETosis is not removed from the circulation by the process of phagocytosis because it does not result in the expression of phagocyte activating signals. The further hypothesis proposes that autophagy contributes to NETosis and presupposes the presence of a DNA/serine nuclease extrusion mechanism from intact neutrophils.
As a result, it is assumed that NETs require intact chromatin lattices and that cfDNA in NETs actively participates in blood coagulation.
Rising Cancer Frequency Inclined Cell-Free DNA Isolation and Extraction
The number of individuals suffering from various forms of cancer has increased dramatically worldwide. Cancer incidence rates continue to rise, owing in part to high-fidelity diagnostic and screening tools. The worldwide healthcare businesses have also been concerned about the prevalence of cancer.
Furthermore, the American Cancer Society estimates that 89,500 cancer cases would be screened, and 9,270 cancer deaths would occur in adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 39 years in the U.S. in 2020. Furthermore, cfDNA has been identified as a critical biomarker in cancer treatment.
This global and widespread threat of cancer remains a primary motivator for organizations to create innovative cancer diagnostics that aid in risk assessment, early diagnosis, and successful treatment monitoring. Multiple biomarkers for cancer detection are being developed at a rapid pace to improve diagnostic and screening efficiency.
cfDNA has acquired a lot of traction for cancer detection. DNA that circulates freely in the bloodstream (cell-free DNA, cfDNA) is a non-invasive and real-time biomarker of cancer, which may be used for diagnosis, prognosis, therapy selection, and tumor burden monitoring.
While various clinical developments in the field of cancer diagnosis have been extensively implemented in the Asia region, cell-free DNA isolation and extraction testing for early cancer detection and diagnosis has recently begun to gain traction. For example, modifications in genetic expressions in cancer epigenetic variations affect cellular responses such as invasion, autophagy, cell proliferation, and senescence.
Cell-free DNA isolation and extraction are critical in carcinogenesis. Other technologies, such as polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) and next-generation sequencing (NGS), also aid in the detection of biomarkers in cancer.
To summarize, circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is a small piece of DNA that is present in the bloodstream of both healthy and cancer patients. According to a growing number of researchers, the use of cfDNA and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring have a favorable influence on patient clinical care and results.
