This Technical Specification gives recommendations for the handling, documentation and processing of FFPE tissue specimens intended for DNA analysis during the preanalytical phase before a molecular assay is performed. This Technical Specification is applicable to molecular in vitro diagnostic examinations (e.g., in vitro diagnostic laboratories, laboratory customers, developers and manufacturers of in vitro diagnostics, institutions and commercial organizations performing biomedical research, biobanks, and regulatory authorities).
DNA integrity in tissues can change before and during formalin fixation, processing and storage. Chemical modifications introduced into DNA during tissue fixation might lead to fragmentation and sequence alterations [1], changes in the methylation status or even structural changes which can lead to e.g., spurious copy number changes in array-CGH profiles [2]. These modifications of the DNA molecules can impact the validity and reliability of the analytical test results. Therefore, it is essential to take special measures to minimize the described modifications for subsequent DNA analysis.
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