Hi and welcome back! In the last few posts, we looked at the basics of cell-free DNA and how it reaches the bloodstream from the cells. We saw that both living and dying cells can release DNA into body fluids. Now, you must be wondering, "what does cell-free DNA do after it comes out of the cell?" "Is there a purpose for cells releasing DNA?" Many researchers have searched for answers to these very questions. They probed for clues to cell-free DNA biology. Whether cell-free DNA can play a role in disease? Whether cell-free DNA can be used in general body functions? Can cell-free DNA perhaps help in defense against infection or disease? Or maybe it can pass along signals from one cell to another? In the coming posts, we will look at the answers to some of these questions. We will learn what researchers have understood about cell-free DNA biology until now. In the beginning few posts, we also talked about cell-free DNA being used for diagnosis of disease. So how is this done? How is cell-free DNA measured? How is it analyzed? What kind of techniques do we use? Why don't we more of these tests in routine use? For what diseases can we use cell-free DNA testing? In future posts, we will understand how cell-free DNA testing can be applied to diseases. We will look at what research is going on in this field. We will also understand techniques that researchers use for analyzing cell-free DNA. Keep watching for future posts! Good day!
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