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Polymerase Chain Reaction
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The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is an important tool for many applications. For example, it can be used to amplify a sample of DNA when there isn’t enough to analyze (e.g. a sample of DNA from a crime scene, archeological samples), as a method of identifying a gene of interest, or to test for disease.
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The Polymerase Chain Reaction, or PCR, refers to a widely used technique in molecular biology that has become quintessential in many aspects of DNA analysis with broad-based applications in medicine and forensic investigations. PCR is the amplification of specific sequences of genomic DNA, the genetic material found in virtually all living cells. This technology was conceived by the Californian geneticist Kary B. Mullis (1944), who won a Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1993 for developing PCR. It was first applied to basic science research and later revolutionized modern medicine by improving the diagnosis of human diseases through enhanced genetic testing and medical research. More recently, PCR technology has significantly contributed to both domestic and international forensic sciences as well as applications aimed at improving United States homeland security.
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The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) provides an extremely sensitive means of amplifying small quantities of DNA. The development of this technique resulted in an explosion of new techniques in molecular biology (and a Nobel Prize for Kary Mullins in 1993) as more and more applications of the method were published. The technique was made possible by the discovery of Taq polymerase, the DNA polymerase that is used by the bacterium Thermus auquaticus that was discovered in hot springs. This DNA polymerase is stable at the high temperatures need to perform the amplification, whereas other DNA polymerases become denatured.
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Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is important for many areas of biotechnology. These experiments feature strategic applications of PCR related to gene amplification and cloning technology. EDVOTEK now offers the first Reverse Transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) classroom experiment.
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Polymerase Chain Reaction