The PCR Revolution Basic Technologies and Applications

About this book

The invention of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1994 and remains one of the most important scientific discoveries of the twentieth century. More than 50 000 researchers in the United States use PCR replication technology, yet there is a significant absence of any recent publications on this subject. In The PCR Revolution, Dr Stephen A. Bustin, a world-renowned PCR expert, examines in detail the latest innovations and the overall impact of PCR on many areas of molecular research. The PCR Revolution contains personal reflections, opinions, and comments by leading authorities on the many applications of the PCR and how this technology has revolutionised their respective areas of interest. Bustin explains the ways in which PCR has overcome many obstacles in life science and clinical research and charts the PCR's development from time-consuming, low throughput, non-quantitative procedure to today's rapid, high throughput, quantitative super method.

Contents

Part I. Basic Technologies
1. Real time PCR Mickey Williams
2. Thermostable enzymes used in PCR Sudip K. Rakshit
3. Inventing molecular beacons Fred Russell Kramer, Salvatore A. E. Marras and Sanjay Tyagi
4. Rapid PCR and melting analysis Carl T. Wittwer, Randy P. Rasmussen and Kirk M. Ririe
5. PCR and fluorescence chemistries: DNA incarnate Ben Sowers
6. Analysis of microRNA expression by qPCR Vladimir Benes, Jens Stolte, David Ibberson, Mirco Castoldi and Martina Muckenthaler
7. Miniaturized PCR for quantitative clinical diagnostics Melissa Mariani, Lin Chen and Philip J. Day
8. The road from qualitative to quantitative assay: what is next? Michael W. Pfaffl
9. Taking control of PCR Tania Nolan, Tanya Novak and Jim Huggett

Part II. Applications
10. PCR-based methods for the detection of cancer cells in blood, bone marrow and lymph nodes for clinical diagnostic assays Susan A. Burchill
11. PCR and infectious diseases Jim Huggett
12. PCR and respiratory viruses Ian Mackay
13. PCR and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Yang Huanming and Weijun Chen
14. The MMR vaccine, measles virus, and autism: a cautionary tale Stephen A. Bustin
15. Non-invasive prenatal diagnosis using cell-free fetal nucleic acids in maternal plasma Y. M. Dennis Lo
16. PCR-based analyses of nucleic acids from archival material Ulrich Lehmann
17. Microarrays and qPCR Elisa Wurmbach
18. PCR in the detection of genetic variation Pui-Yan Kwok
19. PCR: a blessing and a curse for ancient DNA research Michael Hofreiter and Holger Rompler

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Biography

Stephen A. Bustin (PhD, Trinity College, University of Dublin) is Professor of Molecular Science at the Institute of Cell and Molecular Science, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University, London, United Kingdom.