New Role of Red Blood Cells in Absorption of DNA Bearing Tumorigenic Mutations from Lung Cancer Tissue

Red blood cells (RBC) are commonly assumed to be vehicles for oxygen, carbon dioxide, and cells' metabolic byproducts. In this study, we investigated whether RBC may contain cancer-cell derived DNA and whether such cargo may be used as a biomarker for detecting cancer. Using an in vitro co-culture system, we showed that RBC could absorb DNA bearing tumorigenic mutations from cancer cell lines. Next, we demonstrated that we could detect common genetic mutations, including EGFR 19 deletion, L858R, and KRAS G12 in RBC collected from early-stage non-small cell lung cancer patients. We were able to repeat our finding using both next-generation sequencing and droplet digital PCR. Our study highlights a new biological phenomenon involving RBC and their translational potential as a novel liquid biopsy technology platform that can be used for early cancer screening.