RNA Extraction from Archival Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded Tissue: A Comparison of Manual, Semiautomated, and Fully Automated Purification Methods

tumor material represents a valuable resource for the analysis of RNA-based biomarkers, both in research laboratories and in routine clinical testing. A robust and automated RNA-extraction method with a high sample throughput is required. METHODS: We evaluated extraction performance for 4 silica-based RNA-extraction protocols: (a) a fully au-tomated, bead-based RNA-isolation procedure; (b) its manual counterpart; (c) a semiautomated bead-based extraction system; and (d) a manual column-based ex-traction kit. RNA from 360 sections (90 sections per extraction method) of 30 FFPE tumor blocks up to 20 years of age was purified and analyzed by quantitative reverse-transcription PCR for ESR1 (estrogen receptor 1), PGR (progesterone receptor), ERBB2 [v-erb-b