Cell-Free RNA Profiling for Tissue-Origin Health Assessment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods lack a reliable way to determine the tissue origin of cell-free RNA in biological samples, making it challenging to assess organ health non-invasively and limiting the use of circulating RNA as a diagnostic tool for conditions like cancer and pregnancy complications.
Innovation Solution
Methods utilizing next-generation sequencing and microarray techniques to profile and quantify tissue-specific RNA transcripts in biological samples, establishing a reference level for normal cell-free transcriptomes to compare with sample levels, allowing for non-invasive assessment of tissue health and fetal development.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If invasive biopsy methods are used to identify diagnostic biomarkers, then diagnostic accuracy is improved, but patient comfort and ease of operation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and analyzes cell-free RNA molecules that are naturally present in body fluids (blood, urine, saliva) without requiring invasive tissue sampling. This allows diagnostic biomarker identification to be performed on circulating nucleic acids rather than through invasive biopsies, maintaining diagnostic accuracy while eliminating patient discomfort
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses cell-free RNA as an intermediary substance that carries diagnostic information from target tissues to accessible body fluids. These RNA molecules serve as mediators that bridge the gap between the diagnostic target (tissue biomarkers) and the non-invasive sampling method (body fluid analysis)
2Measurement precision
If comprehensive tissue profiling is performed to determine tissue origin of cell-free RNA, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and analysis time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the complex task of tissue origin identification by using tissue-specific reference profiles for different organs and tissues. Each reference profile contains characteristic RNA sequences that serve as fingerprints for that tissue type, allowing the complex mixture of cell-free RNA to be decomposed and attributed to specific tissue sources through comparative analysis
Solution Approach 2:
The invention performs preliminary action by establishing comprehensive tissue-specific reference profiles from healthy tissues before analyzing patient samples. These reference profiles serve as a pre-built library that simplifies subsequent patient sample analysis, allowing rapid comparison and tissue origin determination without performing complete de novo sequencing for each sample
Data Source
AI summary
The invention generally relates to methods for assessing the health of a tissue by characterizing circulating nucleic acids in a biological sample. According to certain embodiments, methods for assessing the health of a tissue include the steps of detecting a sample level of RNA in a biological sample, comparing the sample level of RNA to a reference level of RNA specific to the tissue, determining whether a difference exists between the sample level and the reference level, and characterizing the tissue as abnormal if a difference is detected.