FAQ: Can the Monarch HMW DNA Extraction Kits be used to process mouthwash samples?

We have not tested this, but we would expect it to work with the Monarch HMW DNA Extraction Kit for Cells & Blood (NEB #T3050). The cell population in a mouthwash sample would typically consist of buccal epithelial cells and white blood cells. These can be pelleted as recommended in the cell protocol and we would recommend washing the pellet with cold PBS 1 or 2 times. It will be important that there are enough cells present, so it may require a large volume of starting material, as the cell density (and hence the DNA amount) in mouthwash tends to be low.