Primerless Amplification for Circulating Tumor DNA Assays

A primerless amplification suitable for enrichment of particular genotype cfDNA which is a one-dimensional material has been developed. This primerless amplification coordinated by two thermostable enzymes of endonuclease and proofreading polymerase, functions as a genotype switch in analyzing cfDNA. The endonuclease digests the wild-typed fragments into mega-primer and discriminately destroys the wild-type DNA alleles. The DNA polymerase proofreads the megaprimer and then extends the mega-primer using the mutant DNA as the template. The prototypes of this technology were applied to two hotspot mutations of APC and EGFR with confirmed by DNA sequencing analysis. Genotype switch was then employed to clinical cfDNA assay targeting PIK3CA. Data from the clinical application suggest its potential in early cancer diagnosis.