Do the samples require pretreatment before starting the manual protocol or before loading onto the QIAcube instrument?

Yes. Samples have to be incubated at least 2 h at room temperature (18-22°C). Incubation of the PAXgene Blood RNA Tube overnight may increase yields slightly in some cases. Room temperature storage for up to three days has no effect on the RNA profile. During the preparation of the RNA the manual pretreatment consist of a centrifugation and a pellet resuspenion step (see the PAXgene Blood miRNA Handbook ).