Advancing Methylation Analysis with Reliable DNA Extraction
A recent study in Clinical Epigenetics (Nuttall et al., 2025) explored two ways of studying DNA methylation — an important marker that helps researchers understand how genes are turned on or off. The team compared a newer approach, enzymatic methylation sequencing (EM-seq), with the traditional bisulfite sequencing method, using a variety of real-world samples from cancer cell lines to patient plasma.
The study showed that EM-seq delivered higher-quality data and better preserved the DNA being studied. Compared to older chemical-based methods, enzymatic sequencing provided:
- Greater DNA recovery and higher-quality sequencing libraries
- Longer DNA fragments and less damage
- More complete and consistent methylation coverage
- Strong performance across challenging sample types like cfDNA and FFPE tissue
These results were achieved using high-purity DNA extracted using Omega Bio-tek’s Mag-Bind® automated purification kits. DNA from multiple sample types, including tissue, blood cells, plasma, and FFPE material, was prepared using:
- Mag-Bind® Blood & Tissue DNA HDQ 96 Kit (M6399)
- Mag-Bind® FFPE DNA Kit (M6958)
- Mag-Bind® cfDNA Kit (M3298)
All extractions were automated on the Thermo Fisher KingFisher Flex, using optimized Omega Bio-tek protocols* to ensure consistent, high-quality results across every sample.
This work also marked a major milestone, the first clinical whole-genome enzymatic methylation sequencing performed in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Researchers discovered a new link between IL-15 methylation patterns and how patients respond to a specific therapy (acalabrutinib). These findings highlight a promising new direction for detecting treatment resistance and tracking disease progression through epigenetic biomarkers.
From plasma to preserved tissue, Omega Bio-tek’s Mag-Bind® kits provide the purity, yield, and automation-ready performance needed for today’s sequencing and methylation studies. As laboratories adopt enzymatic methylation and liquid-biopsy techniques, Omega Bio-tek continues to deliver and improve reliability and throughput essential for accurate, scalable genomic research.
*Scripts are available on request from Omega Bio-tek’s Field Application Scientist Team.