Estimating the Rate of Cell Type Degeneration from Epigenetic Sequencing of Cell-Free DNA

摘要

Cells die at different rates as a function of disease state, age, environmental exposure, and behavior [8,10]. Knowing the rate at which cells die is a fundamental scientific question, with direct translational applicability. A quantifiable indication of cell death could facilitate disease diagnosis and prognosis, prioritize patients for admission into clinical trials, and improve evaluations of treatment efficacy and disease progression [1,4,14,16]. Circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in the bloodstream originates from dying cells and is a promising non-invasive biomarker for cell death.