Graduation Date
5-2018
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department or Program
Clinical Laboratory Sciences
Department or Program Chair
Mary Sevigny, PhD
First Reader
Roberta M. Madej, PhD, CLS., MB(ASCP), MBA
Second Reader
Maria C. DeSousa, JD, MPA, CLS
Abstract
KRAS is a proto-oncogene which was first identified in Kirsten rat sarcoma virus. The normal KRAS protein performs an essential function in normal tissue signaling and a mutation of a KRAS gene is an essential step in the development of many cancers. Q-Clamp® KRAS codon specific mutation test is an in vitro real-time qualitative PCR assay for the detection of mutations in the targeted regions and KRAS mutation often serves as a useful marker in drug response. The Q-Clamp® KRAS codon specific mutation test experiment was performed using cell-free extracted DNA (cfDNA) instead of FFPE extracted DNA. The results of the experiment showed a clear difference in the Ct’s between the mutant and internal control. Since the delta Ct’s can be discriminated, the assay showed a positive feasibility of using a cfDNA in the Q-Clamp ® KRAS codon specific mutation test.