August 2005

V. Randy White

Within the past 10 years, DNA fragments released from cells throughout the body have been found circulating in the blood stream. These fragments of DNA are sufficiently large to contain genetic information, that is, identifiable pieces of genes, whose analysis can reveal what may be happening somewhere in the body—the presence of an undetected tumor having a genetic signature, the presence of an inherited and perhaps treatable genetic disease in a fetus of a pregnant woman, or even the state of a transplanted organ such as a liver or heart.

Recently, scientists have discovered that DNA markers originating from tissues distant from the urinary system pass through the kidneys and are collected in the urine. The discovery of this genetic material, dubbed transrenal DNA (tDNA), was reported in the August 2000 issue of Clinical Chemistry ( CLICK HERE to view article). Join us as V. Randy White, PhD, CEO of Xenomics, Inc. (New York, NY), explains this technology and how his company hopes to develop successful clinical applications of molecular genetics.