DNA may be isolated from fresh/frozen as well as from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples, although it is in degraded form in the latter specimen type. DNA isolation is often paired with histology-guided tissue macrodissection to target a specific cell or tissue type. The exact DNA isolation procedure may vary from division to division depending on the use of specific robotic nucleic acid isolation infrastructure and/or institutionally standardized reagents/kits that exist in core facilities at the Division sites. However, the physical principle of DNA binding to a silica matrix based on ionic concentration is the basis of our standardized default isolation procedure.
