Representative diagnostics

A method of sequencing genomic material, comprising:

• a) obtaining a residual surgical tumor sample having a diameter of at least 1 cm at its widest point from a human subject, wherein the residual surgical tumor material is fixed but not embedded within paraffin, and wherein the residual surgical tumor material has not been deparaffinized;
• b) mechanically blending the obtained residual surgical tumor material to provide representative sample, wherein any subpopulations of cells that were originally spatially segregated within the residual surgical tumor material are homogeneously distributed throughout the representative sample, and wherein any aliquot removed from the representative sample comprises one or more populations of subclones at a proportion at which they existed within the obtained residual surgical tumor sample;
• c) extracting the genomic material from at least a first aliquot of the representative homogenized sample;
• and
• d) sequencing the extracted genomic material.

A method for preparing a representative sample for analysis, comprising:

• a) obtaining a fresh residual surgical sample having a diameter of at least 1 cm at its widest point;
• b) preparing a fixed but not paraffin embedded residual surgical sample for homogenization, wherein the preparation consists essentially of contacting the obtained fresh residual surgical material with a fixative;
• and
• c) mechanically blending the prepared fixed but not paraffin embedded residual surgical sample to provide the representative sample, wherein any heterogeneity of cells within the prepared fixed residual surgical sample is substantially homogeneously distributed within the representative sample, and wherein any aliquot removed from the representative sample comprises one or more populations of subclones at a proportion at which they existed within the obtained fresh residual surgical sample.