Evaluation of Noninvasive Biospecimens for Transcriptome Studies

The study evaluated noninvasive biospecimens for transcriptome studies, focusing on buccal swabs, hair follicles, saliva, and urine cell pellets collected from 19 individuals over multiple timepoints, resulting in 300 unique samples and 472 transcriptomes. Hair follicles and urine cell pellets were identified as the most promising due to their consistent sample quality and relevant cell types and expression profiles. The research demonstrated the feasibility of using noninvasive tissues in various transcriptomic applications, suggesting that these biospecimens could enhance disease-relevant discoveries and clinical applications by enabling complex longitudinal studies and increasing sample sizes.