Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR ) is an enzymatic amplification technique that produces a large number of identical copies of a DNA or RNA fragment and visualises it by fluorescence. This very fast, sensitive and sequence-specific technique is much more efficient than traditional culture-based diagnostic methods, which suffer from long delays in obtaining results (from several days to several weeks).
This is currently the most relevant method for rapid detection of genetic sequences in a sample, for example those of bacteria or viruses causing infectious diseases.
In addition to classical PCR, there are several other types of PCR:
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- RT-PCR (reverse transcription PCR)
- qPCR (quantitative PCR)
- dPCR (digital PCR) and ddPCR (droplet digital PCR)
- hcPCR (high content PCR), which combines the advantages of qPCR and dPCR, in order to detect a large number of targets per test (multiplexing) and obtain the maximum amount of information in record time (less than 15 minutes). This is the technique developed at BforCure, with Chronos Dx.
The characteristics and differences of these PCR methods are explained in this summary document:
Author: Juliette
Date: 28 April 2022
Category: Organic
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