| Abstract: |
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) remains the molecular method of choice in many clinical settings due to its superb sensitivity and specificity. Any molecular diagnostic procedure can be divided into three components: specimen processing and nucleic acid extraction; nucleic acid amplification; and amplification products (amplicons) detection and identification. This chapter provides an overview of principles of various technologies used in the three components for multiparametric molecular diagnostics tests. Paramount for any molecular diagnostic assay is the quality of sample. The best specimen for laboratory examination depends on the clinical setting of the patient as well as the site of infection. Amplification techniques can be divided into three broad categories: target amplification systems; probe amplification systems; and signal amplification systems. Amplicon detection and identification platforms include fluorescence in situ hybridization and fluorescence resonance energy transfer, microarray and mass spectrometry. © 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. |
