Polymerase Chain Reaction News and Research

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Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a revolutionary laboratory technique that enables the replication of a specific DNA sequence. Using PCR, millions of copies of a target DNA can be easily synthesized within a short period of time.

Scientists point to enterovirus infection as cause for acute flaccid myelitis

Scientists at the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the University of California San Diego report antibody evidence in cerebrospinal fluid that points to enterovirus infection as a cause for acute flaccid myelitis, a disease responsible for partially paralyzing more than 560 children in the United States since 2014. Results of the study appear in the journal mBio.

13 Aug 2019

Abbott launches STARLIMS Life Sciences Solution 11.1 to help manage complex workflows

Abbott announced the launch of a laboratory information management system, STARLIMS Life Sciences Solution 11.1, to help manage complex sample and testing workflows, as well as help drive data safety and integrity throughout the entire lifecycle.

From Abbott Laboratories Inc. 19 Jul 2019

Interdisciplinary approach reduces the use of broad spectrum antibiotics

An interdisciplinary approach to antimicrobial stewardship involving comprehensive blood culture identification testing decreased broad spectrum antibiotic use, according to new research presented last week in Philadelphia at the 46th Annual Conference of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

27 Jun 2019

Engineers crack the code to quickly diagnose anti-malarial drug resistance

One of the keys to quickly diagnosing anti-malarial drug resistance -- potentially saving lives -- lies in testing whole blood instead of extracting DNA, eliminating processing steps that can take hours or days.

13 Jun 2019

Study finds triple the number of Legionnaire's cases than previously reported

The first New Zealand-wide study of the burden of Legionnaire's disease has found triple the number of cases of this form of pneumonia than previously reported.

11 Jun 2019

Experts find previously unknown bacterial strain of the genus Leptospira

Experts from MedUni Vienna/Vienna General Hospital have identified a previously unknown bacterial strain of the genus Leptospira.

8 May 2019

New genetic test identifies many disease-causing gene variations in high-risk populations

Researchers at Nemours Children's Health System have developed a new low-cost genetic test that accurately identified more than 200 known disease-causing gene variations in two high-risk populations, the Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonites of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

25 Apr 2019

Potential of liquid biopsy in cancer biomarker detection and prenatal testing

The promise and challenges of liquid biopsy, an emerging, noninvasive method for targeted disease diagnosis and detection of cancer biomarkers to enable improved and personalized therapy, is the focus of a new special issue of Genetic Testing and Molecular Biomarkers, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

22 Apr 2019

Higher levels of sex hormones in older men related to lower biological age

Older men tend to have lower biological age if they have higher levels of sex hormones, particularly the estradiol form of estrogen, a large new study from Australia finds.

26 Mar 2019

Immune system errors linked to development of childhood leukemia

Genetic mutations that drive the development of a common type of childhood leukemia can be traced back to errors by the immune system during the production of antibodies.

25 Mar 2019

Researchers find evidence of Cryptosporidium parasite in Minnesota’s public water systems

When consumed in contaminated water, the microscopic parasite Cryptosporidium can cause symptoms of stomach cramps, diarrhea and fever.

22 Mar 2019

New case study describes adolescent patient with rapid-onset schizophrenia and Bartonella infection

In a new case study, researchers at North Carolina State University describe an adolescent human patient diagnosed with rapid onset schizophrenia who was found instead to have a Bartonella henselae infection.

19 Mar 2019

Scientists introduce a simple, reliable method for universal isothermal DNA amplification

Whether revealing a perpetrator with DNA evidence, diagnosing a pathogen, classifying a paleontological discovery, or determining paternity, the duplication of nucleic acids (amplification) is indispensable.

13 Mar 2019

Study quantifies hepatic and intestinal mRNA expression of Ugt isoforms in rats

In pharmaceutical companies, rats are used commonly in nonclinical studies to investigate the safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetic profiles of drug candidates before they are entered into clinical studies. Most compounds administered via the oral route are metabolized in the liver and intestine, so the metabolism is a key determinant of pharmacokinetics.

20 Feb 2019

DZIF scientists reveal problems with available diagnostics for Zika and chikungunya virus

Millions of people have contracted Zika and chikungunya virus infections since the outbreaks that have been striking Latin America since 2013. Particularly Zika-related malformations in newborns warrant reliable diagnostics.

18 Jan 2019

New molecular engineering method improves precision of biomarker analysis

Researchers from the University of Helsinki in cooperation with the University of Tartu, Competence Centre on Health Technologies from Estonia, and the Karolinska Institute, published an article in Nature's partner journal Genomic Medicine in which they present Targeted Allele Counting by sequencing along with several of its potential applications.

8 Jan 2019

New liquid biopsy test confirms remission in patients with HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer

A highly sensitive blood test that detects minute traces of cancer-specific DNA has been shown to accurately determine whether patients with HPV-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma are free from cancer following radiation therapy.

23 Oct 2018

New diagnostic platform simultaneously screens for all known pathogenic bacteria

Scientists at the Center for Infection and Immunity in the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health have developed the first diagnostic platform that can simultaneously screen for all known human pathogenic bacteria as well as markers for virulence and antibiotic resistance.

23 Oct 2018

New blood test for pediatric brain tumor patients offers safer approach than surgical biopsies

A new blood test for children with brain tumors offers a safer approach than surgical biopsies and may allow doctors to measure the effectiveness of treatment even before changes are identified on scans, according to research led by UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals and Children’s National Health System.

16 Oct 2018

Co-Diagnostics awarded patent related to its CoPrimer platform technology

Co-Diagnostics, Inc., a molecular diagnostics company with a unique, proprietary platform for the development of molecular diagnostic tests, announced today that it has been awarded a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office related to the Company's CoPrimer™ platform technology.

10 Oct 2018