LIQ25-01 — EMBL Course Liquid biopsies

There is an increasing interest and need to analyse biomarkers in liquid biopsies, including basic research and clinical applications. Liquid biopsies have several advantages including being minimally invasive, allowing repeated sampling and sampling is often clinical routine. This course will provide an overview of the several techniques to detect and analyse liquid biopsy-based analytes such as circulating tumour cells, cell-free tumor-DNA (ctDNA), miRNA, extracellular vesicles, mRNA, carbohydrates and proteins. Participants will be introduced to all aspects ranging from proper sampling through analyte analysis and final data analysis. Experimentally, we will demonstrate ultrasensitive ctDNA analysis using sequencing and digital PCR. In addition, targeted miRNA profiling and flow cytometry with single-cell analysis will be highlighted. We will cover aspects of other analytes by lectures and we will have a strong focus on applications, especially cancer applications. Aspects of biobanking and clinical implementation will also be highlighted.