harvest DNA or RNA from paraffinembedded tissue? - Is it possible to use a block of tissue for other analysis than IHC? (Aug/14/2008 )

Some time ago I heard of proceedures to harvest nucleic acids from very small pieces of tissue.
For examle to do PCR..

Is it possible to make other credible analysis than IHC from tissue that has been paraffin embedded?

How? What? Where can I find more knowledge about this...

Hope you can help me! Thanks..


B

It is possible, but very difficult. Formalin fixation of tissue degrades DNA and RNA which means that isolation is typically limited to fragmented DNA/RNA making any subsequent analysis difficult.

I can see that would be a problem getting credile data out of fragmented nucleic acids..

I just hoped somebody out there had tried it with good results..

Thank you anyway..

B

hello Blob,
in our lab we have extracted DNA from paraffin embedded tissue
it is not that difficult...

I heard some commercial kits can accomplish the grade of pcr ready-to-use. But, I guss the fragment of PCR can't to much long because the nucliec acid maybe had been hurt