Fixed archival tissue. Purify DNA and primers for good PCR yield!

The analysis of archival formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples becomes increasingly important for molecular biology studies. As fixation and paraffin-embedding cause alterations of proteins and nucleic acids, archival sources of DNA must be handled with care. To address the need for specificity and reproducibility, we developed an improved protocol for semi-automated DNA extraction adapted to fixed, embedded tissue samples, and a PCR approach using HPLC-purified primers.