I have been using a set of PaxGene tubes to collect blood samples from which I have been isolating cfDNA for NGS analysis. I need to collect more blood samples, but I noticed that the expiration date of the tubes has passed. I have read some comments on this issue which say that the vacuum of the tubes is lost but the preservation medium does not expire that fast. Does anyone have any experience or information on how good it is to use these tubes for continuing blood collection and whether it would affect the cfDNA yield or quality for the NGS experiments?
Hi Deniz,
I don't recommend to use expired tubes not only because the vacuum reduction, but especially because the additive is liquid and subjected to evaporation. This means that at the end of the shelf-life, the amount of additive is less and the blood/additive ratio is incorrect. So the preservative action on cfDNA can't be guaranteed.
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