{
  "id": 18500906,
  "title": "From Fill to Freeze: Redesigning homeRNA to Enable Robust Sampling and Scalable Downstream Processing Workflows for Remote Blood Transcriptomics",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/06/from-fill-to-freeze-redesigning-homerna-to-enable-robust-sampling-and",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-11-06T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.11.04.764386v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The homeRNA platform, developed by our lab, aims to overcome barriers to remote blood collection and RNA stabilization for transcriptomic research. In redesigning the homeRNA platform, several modifications were made to enhance usability for participants and downstream processing laboratories, enable high-throughput manufacturing, and extend the shelf life of the stabilizer tube. To assess the redesigned platform's performance, researchers subjected it to various stresses expected during a remote study. The findings revealed that the homeRNA device can be prepared and stored at room temperature for at least three months ahead of sampling without compromising its shelf life. The platform also generates RNA of adequate quality for downstream transcriptomic analysis, even under standard shipping durations (2 days in transit) and temperatures ranging from ambient to high (25-40°C). Furthermore, the homeRNA platform is unaffected by variations in blood volumes collected by participants, maintaining a mean RIN of 7.8 across blood volumes of 0.25-1 mL. Lastly, the platform's samples can be stored in standard cold storage temperatures and for up to 4 weeks at room temperature (mean RIN=8.1 after 4 weeks of storage at -80 to 20°C). The results validate that the new homeRNA platform is robust against potential stresses encountered during remote studies.",
  "summary": "In-person research can introduce barriers to participation, including proximity to a study site and scheduling constraints. Our lab developed the homeRNA platform to address these barriers, enabling remote blood collection and RNA stabilization for transcriptomic research. To increase the applicability of homeRNA for large-scale studies, a redesigned version was developed with modifications to 1)…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}