Oligoribonucleotide interference-PCR-based methods for the sensitive and accurate detection of mutations.

Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive malignancy with a poor prognosis. Single-nucleotide mutations in the gene are detected in the majority of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the most common type of pancreatic cancer. Identifying mutations by liquid biopsy could be effective for detecting and recurrent PDAC; however, sensitive and accurate detection remains challenging. We examined the utility of oligoribonucleotide interference-PCR (ORNi-PCR) followed by real-time PCR or droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) for detecting single-nucleotide mutations by liquid biopsy. A model of cell-free DNA was used to demonstrate that the ORNi-PCR-based methods are more sensitive and accurate for detecting mutant DNA than conventional real-time PCR or ddPCR. ORNi-PCR-based methods could be useful for early detection of and recurrent PDAC by liquid biopsy for cancer diagnosis.