The Role of Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded Tissue in Biomedical Engineering

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Biosciences and Bioengineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 2257

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Guest Editor
Department of Diagnostic Pathology, School of Medicine, Nara Medical University, Kashihara 634-8521, Nara, Japan
Interests: cancer; molecular biology; pathology; cytology; genomic diagnosis; molecular pathology; urogenital tumor; lung cancer
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are inviting manuscript submission for a Special Issue on “The Role of Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded Tissue in Biomedical Engineering”.

Recent advances in functional genetic analysis of malignant tumors have led to the identification of many cancer-related genes. The use of next-generation sequencers (NGS) to carry out genetic analysis of somatic mutations derived from pathological/cytological material, such as malignant tumors, is providing important information for determining disease treatment strategies.

Histopathological diagnosis using formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) has been performed by hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemical staining. However, in the treatment of tumors with known genetic abnormalities, the application of molecular targeted drags has been evaluated after examining the expression of various molecules by immunochemical staining. On the other hand, it is controversial whether FFPE can maintain a satisfactory quality to carry out NGS, avoiding degradation of nucleic acids based on prolonged storage in paraffin blocks and damage to nucleic acids due to formalin immobilization.

Therefore, the use of surgically removed archival FFPE tissue specimens for genomic analysis and research for further treatment is a very important and interesting tool.

I hope that this project will serve as an opportunity to expand our knowledge of methods and research applications to preserve the quality of FFPE from the stage of histopathological examination, to extract good nucleic acids and use them for genetic analysis and research.

Dr. Tomomi Fujii
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Next-generation sequencers (NGS)
  • Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE)
  • Cancer
  • Molecular biology
  • Pathology
  • Cytology
  • Genomic diagnosis
  • Molecular pathology
  • Genetic quality
  • DNA/RNA extraction
  • Molecular target

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

17 pages, 355 KiB  
Review
Advanced Omics and Radiobiological Tissue Archives: The Future in the Past
by Omid Azimzadeh, Maria Gomolka, Mandy Birschwilks, Shin Saigusa, Bernd Grosche and Simone Moertl
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(23), 11108; https://doi.org/10.3390/app112311108 - 23 Nov 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1732
Abstract
Archival formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues and their related diagnostic records are an invaluable source of biological information. The archival samples can be used for retrospective investigation of molecular fingerprints and biomarkers of diseases and susceptibility. Radiobiological archives were set up not only following [...] Read more.
Archival formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues and their related diagnostic records are an invaluable source of biological information. The archival samples can be used for retrospective investigation of molecular fingerprints and biomarkers of diseases and susceptibility. Radiobiological archives were set up not only following clinical performance such as cancer diagnosis and therapy but also after accidental and occupational radiation exposure events where autopsies or cancer biopsies were sampled. These biobanks provide unique and often irreplaceable materials for the understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying radiation-related biological effects. In recent years, the application of rapidly evolving “omics” platforms, including transcriptomics, genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and sequencing, to FFPE tissues has gained increasing interest as an alternative to fresh/frozen tissue. However, omics profiling of FFPE samples remains a challenge mainly due to the condition and duration of tissue fixation and storage, and the extraction methods of biomolecules. Although biobanking has a long history in radiation research, the application of omics to profile FFPE samples available in radiobiological archives is still young. Application of the advanced omics technologies on archival materials provides a new opportunity to understand and quantify the biological effects of radiation exposure. These newly generated omics data can be well integrated into results obtained from earlier experimental and epidemiological analyses to shape a powerful strategy for modelling and evaluating radiation effects on health outcomes. This review aims to give an overview of the unique properties of radiation biobanks and their potential impact on radiation biology studies. Studies recently performed on FFPE samples from radiobiology archives using advanced omics are summarized. Furthermore, the compatibility of archived FFPE tissues for omics analysis and the major challenges that lie ahead are discussed. Full article
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