Whatman FTA Card For Easy Collection, Preservation, And Extraction Of DNA From Whole Blood

January 20, 2017

Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Clinical Research
Pre-doctoral researcher

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Company:

Whatman FTA (GE Healthcare)

Product Name:

Whatman FTA filter card

Catalog Number:

WB120205

Our lab conducts field work in Sub-Saharan Africa where we collect and archive small volumes of whole blood and blood components from pediatric malaria patients. We are unable to conduct many of our experiments at our field site due to limited resources and thus required simple, reliable methods to preserve and transport our specimen back to the US for analysis. The Whatman FTA card technology perfectly fit our needs for the preservation of parasite DNA that is present in human whole blood. We were able to preserve parasite DNA by spotting patient blood onto individual spots/cards. Once samples have been applied, the cards are stable at room temperature with dessicant for short term storage with long term storage requiring -80 C temperatures. Extraction of the DNA from the spots/cards is simple and can be done using a variety of methods, including QIAGEN's DNeasy blood and tissue kit.

Experimental Design and Results Summary

Application

Storage, preservation, and easy extraction of DNA from small volumes (up to 500 ul) of whole blood.

Starting Material

Whole blood.

Protocol Overview

Apply whole blood slowly to the FTA card and ensure that the sample is dispersed over the entire surface of the spot. Let spots dry overnight prior to storage.

Tips

Apply blood slowly and disperse over the entire spot. Let the blood spots dry sitting up right overnight before closing and storing.

Results Summary

For best results (i.e. high quality DNA upon extraction), store the used FTA cards with a desiccant in an air tight bag or container and transfer from room temperature to freezing temperature (-80 C) as soon as possible.

DOI or PMID #

N/A

Additional Notes

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Summary

The Good

Simple, efficient, and reliable method for DNA storage, preservation, and extraction from whole blood.

The Bad

Relatively expensive, requires desiccant (an additional purchase) for best practice/use.

The Bottom Line

I highly recommend this product to anyone who is looking for a simple and reliable method to preserve and eventually extract DNA (and other nucleic acids) from whole blood. The FTA cards, although not inexpensive, have been a life saving product for us as they have allowed for the easy storage and transport of important biological materials from our field site to our base laboratory.

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