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.

Chest CT scan best for coronavirus diagnosis

A new study published in the journal Radiology in February 2020 reports that performing a CT (computed tomography) scan of the chest increases the diagnostic rate and outperforms the reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests currently utilized. The researchers recommend using chest CT to screen symptomatic patients for COVID-19 infections rather than the less sensitive RT-PCR.

27 Feb 2020

PolyU develops fully automated, rapid diagnostic platform for detecting respiratory infectious diseases

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University today announced the development of the world's most comprehensive automated multiplex diagnostic system (the System) which includes a fully automated machine and a multiplex full-screening panel for the point-of-care genetic testing of respiratory infectious disease including the 2019-nCoV.

11 Feb 2020

Novel method to monitor residual disease after treatment in high-risk neuroblastoma patients

A research group led by Professor NISHIMURA Noriyuki (Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kobe University) has developed a new method to monitor the residual disease after treatment in high-risk neuroblastoma patients.

9 Feb 2020

CDC diagnostic coronavirus test gets FDA emergency approval

In the light of the ongoing novel coronavirus epidemic in China, the US Food and Drug Administration has granted approval of a diagnostic test for use in emergency situations (emergency use authorization or EUA). The viral infection has spread to many different and distant parts of the world, involving over 25,000 people and causing nearly 600 deaths since it started in December 2019.

6 Feb 2020

Prenatal single cell blood test for gene defects

With the current state of knowledge regarding genetic testing, non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is in favor for genetic testing in unborn babies, using fragments of DNA circulating in the mother’s blood.

4 Feb 2020

Determining Microsatellite Instability Status Using Multiplex PCR-Based Methods

Determining microsatellite instability status using multiplex PCR-based methods used to screen for Lynch Syndrome, a dominant hereditary cancer propensity.

From Promega Corporation 24 Jan 2020

USA confirms 1st Wuhan coronavirus case

The United States has its first confirmed case of a mysterious and new virus, the Wuhan coronavirus, which originated in China and has killed nine people and sickened hundreds since it first appeared, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports.

21 Jan 2020

Stilla Technologies announces key leadership hires

Stilla Technologies, the provider of pioneering digital PCR solutions for high-precision genetic analysis, today announced three key hires: Khaled Bahi joins as CFO, with Jerome Leclercq named Senior Vice President for Commercial Operations Europe & Asia and Quang Tran named Quality & Regulatory Affairs Director.

11 Dec 2019

Study reveals safety, efficacy of live zoster vaccine for people taking TNF inhibitors

According to new research findings presented this week at the 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting, the live zoster virus vaccine is safe for people who are currently receiving tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) biologic therapies for various indications.

10 Nov 2019

Kazan University researchers study the genetics of nephropathia epidemica

This particular inquiry pertains to CCR5 - a gene which has lately been on the focuses of research worldwide. In particular, CCR5 deletion was used in China to perform the first ever genetic editing on human embryos. It's also known that a CCR5-Δ32 mutation can make people immune to HIV.

10 Oct 2019

Using tape strips to obtain skin biomarkers in children with atopic dermatitis

Applying strips of adhesive tape to skin lesions and non-lesional skin is a non-invasive way to obtain biomarkers to track the severity of early-onset pediatric eczema or atopic dermatitis in infants and young children, researchers report for the first time.

9 Oct 2019

Cellular aging associated with structural changes in the brain

Telomeres are protective caps at the ends of chromosomes that become shorter with each cell division. If they become so short that the genes they protect could be damaged, the cell stops dividing and renewing.

27 Sep 2019

ATS publishes clinical guideline on laboratory diagnosis of fungal infections

The American Thoracic Society has published an official clinical guideline on laboratory diagnosis of fungal infections in pulmonary and critical care medicine in the Society's Aug. 30 American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

30 Aug 2019

Mortality risk from yellow fever can be identified sooner

Approximately ten out of every 100 people who are bitten by mosquitos infected by the yellow fever virus develop symptoms of the disease. Although most infected people do not develop the disease, it is lethal to approximately 40% of those who do.

14 Aug 2019

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