Liver Biospecimens
Question: What are the best practices for collecting and preserving liver tissue for future DNA and RNA expression? We are finding that many of our previously stored samples do not have adequate amounts of RNA and need to make a shift in collection technique.
Answer: It is not surprising that you are having difficulties. Liver or any other tissue that is highly metabolically active in vivo (e.g. heart) will be particularly challenging. Hepatocytes (the parenchymal cells in the liver) when stressed will rapdily progress toward apoptosis. These and a host of other factors will make collecting high quality liver biospecimens challenging. Unfortunately, this question is beyond the scope of what we can handle on "Ask the BioCoR Expert". You need to fill out a service request. Then, we can go over step by step your existing collection and processing protocols for weaknesses that may be causing your problems. We can also propose some other modifications that may improve quality further.
