Absolute quantification of cell-free DNA for prenatal genetics and oncology, By: David Tsao, cell.com

Circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) are short, extracellular DNA fragments (<200bp) that are found in body fluids such as blood, urine, and cerebral spinal fluid. cfDNA in blood primarily originates from apoptosis and has a short half-life of ~1–2 h. Thus, the concentration of cfDNA provides a real-time snapshot of cellular turnover due to diverse physiological and pathological processes. Read more.