Rishabh Jain, Medical Oncologist at AIIMS, shared a post on X:
“DNA vs RNA NGS – Music sheet vs Orchestra!
DNA NGS = The Music sheet. Think of DNA as the music sheet — the written plan.
– Detects SNVs, indels, CNVs, MSI, TMB
– Finds hidden drivers (EGFR, BRCA, KRAS)
– Stable to relatively unchanging
But to Can’t confirm if the ‘music’ is being played.
RNA NGS = The Orchestra. RNA is the symphony in action — live performance.
– Shows gene expression in real time
– Best for fusions/splice events (ALK, NTRK, ROS1)
– Proof of function
But to Fragile samples, technically harder.
Take-home:
– DNA = plans on paper (what could be played)
– RNA = live concert (what is being played)
Combine both to capture the full concert of tumor biology.
Save this thread: next time you read an NGS report, ask – am I seeing the plans or the music?”
More posts featuring Rishabh Jain.