Bridge Capture Permits Cost-Efficient, Rapid and Sensitive Molecular Precision Diagnostics

Liquid biopsies are a less invasive alternative to tissue biopsies that have been the mainstay of cancer diagnostics to date. Recently, the quantification of mutations in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) by targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) has been gaining popularity. Targeted NGS can be achieved through various library preparation methods, each with distinct advantages and limitations. Here we introduce Bridge Capture, a novel technology that goes beyond the advantages of market-leading liquid biopsy technologies, eliminating the need to compromise between scalability, cost-efficiency, sensitivity, or panel size. We compared Bridge Capture to leading commercial technologies currently available in cancer diagnostics; Archer LIQUIDPlex and AmpliSeq Cancer HotSpot Panel v2 for Illumina(R). Of all methods, Bridge Capture detected the lowest mutant allele frequency (MAF) on matched contrived colorectal biospecimens mimicking ctDNA. Next, we demonstrated the capability of Bridge Capture to effectively utilize the sequencing capacity, permitting affordable and sensitive variant detection in smaller laboratories, while delivering significant cost savings for central laboratories. Additionally, we demonstrated the reproducibility of Bridge Capture by a high correlation between the results from two independent laboratories. These results highlight the methods portability and suitability for kit use in entirely new settings. Moreover, we presented ease of automation and minimal hands-on time of Bridge Capture. Owing to its unique design, the Bridge Capture is compatible with the most commonly used NGS platforms. Taken together, Bridge Capture is cost efficient, simple, rapid and sensitive cancer diagnostics tool that significantly improves the detection of mutations in liquid biopsies.