Why is urine better than blood for this particular miRNA test?

While blood is a common source for liquid biopsies, urine offers several practical and scientific advantages for miRNA-based cancer screening. First, urine collection is completely non-invasive — no needles, no clinic visit, no trained phlebotomist required. Second, the kidneys filter approximately 180 liters of blood per day, concentrating circulating biomarkers into urine and potentially enabling detection of signals that are below the detection threshold in blood. Third, Yenos has demonstrated that normalized miRNA levels (expressed as HL multiples) are statistically equivalent between urine and blood for the markers they measure. Fourth, urine specimens are more stable at ambient temperature during shipping than blood specimens, which require refrigeration or special handling. Together, these advantages make urine the preferred sample type for at-home collection.