Presenter: Devan Compton
Mentors: Kirstin Sterner and Josh Snodgrass, Anthropology
Poster: 13
Majors: Anthropology and Psychology
Telomere length (TL) is a marker of senescence, yet little is known about the specific factors that influence the performance of the TL assay. The World Health Organization’s study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) is investigating patterns of aging. As part of this study, dried blood spots (DBS) are being collected from adults in six countries in regions of different economic development. Before measuring TL, it is necessary to assess DNA quality obtained from DBS under various conditions. We tested if storing DBS at -20°C allows for recovery of optimal amounts of high-quality genomic DNA compared to -80°C. As DBS collected from finger pricks vary in size, we also considered the size of DBS (25uL vs. 50uL) to determine whether size affects the quality and quantity of the DNA extracted. Preliminary results indicate that 3.2mm (1/8”) punches from 50uL DBS yield nearly twice the amount of extractable DNA as 3.2mm punches from 25uL DBS. Additionally, DBS stored in a -80°C freezer yield approximately 47% more double-stranded DNA than DBS stored in a -20°C freezer. Lastly, we plan to determine the minimum quantity of DNA (three, four or six 3.2mm DBS punches) necessary to perform a successful TL assay. Methodological issues are key considerations in epidemiological research. This study will allow for optimal collection of DBS for DNA extraction as well as downstream use of the DNA in assays such as the TL assay.