New liquid biopsy technology can detect disease from a drop of blood

An innovative platform developed by PKU researchers called "cf-EpiTracing" has proved capable of detecting and tracing diseases from as little as 50 μl of human plasma, or roughly a drop of blood. The research, published in Nature on March 4, 2026, was led by Professor He Aibin from the College of Future Technology and Professor Jing Hongmei from the Department of Hematology, PKU Third Hospital.