Current Developments in Circulating Nucleic Acids in Plasma and Serum

DNA and RNA fractions have been isolated from the whole blood, serum, plasma, the surface of blood cells, urine, saliva and spinal fluid from both healthy individuals and patients. The ability to isolate, quantify, and analyze these molecules has led to the identification of specific nucleic acid fragments related to a variety of clinical disorders thereby permitting their early diagnosis and prognosis. This chapter summarizes the work reported in this volume.