DNA methylation is a promising epigenetic marker in cancer research. Significant progress has been made in recent years in measuring DNA methylation, particularly in liquid biopsies and cell-free DNA (cfDNA). However, traditional methods rely on bisulfite conversion, a chemical process that damages DNA and is limited to analyzing a few targets at a time.
To address these limitations, we developed a technique called IMPRESS (Improved Methylation Profiling using Restriction Enzymes and smMIP Sequencing). This method utilizes methylation-sensitive restriction enzymes and allows for the simultaneous analysis of multiple regions of interest without damaging the DNA.
IMPRESS has already demonstrated promising results, enabling the detection of eight different cancer types with a sensitivity of 95% and a specificity of 91% in distinguishing tumor samples from normal samples.
Strengths of IMPRESS in a nutshell:
