PCR is fundamental to many of the procedures used in genetic testing and research, including analysis of ancient samples of DNA and identification of infectious agents. Using PCR, copies of very small amounts of DNA sequences are exponentially amplified in a series of cycles of temperature changes.

On April 25, 1953 James D. Watson and Francis Crick published "a radically different structure" for DNA, [3] thereby founding the field of molecular genetics. Their structural model featured two strands of complementary base-paired DNA, running in opposite directions as a double helix.

April 3, 2019 | Imagine a future decades down the road in which polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is viewed as old-fashioned. It might prove challenging considering the method, first developed in the 1980s, transformed the study of DNA and has been called one of the most important scientific advances in molecular biology.

Jul 20, 2023 · Within 20 years of its discovery, this sensational technique became the basis for several molecular biology protocols and formed the foundation of the Human Genome Project. The history of PCR...

Evolution of PCR (1950–2010). This infographic illustrates the historical development of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique over six decades, from its conceptualization in 1950 to its refinement in 2010.

Oct 11, 2023 · He invented PCR - a process for the amplification of specific DNA sequences, that mimics the natural DNA replication cycle, but in a controlled and accelerated way. PCR relies on three key components: a DNA template, two short DNA primers that flank the target sequence, and a heat-stable DNA polymerase enzyme.

Aug 1, 2019 · Given its widespread use, it’s worth revisiting the history of PCR and how its current iterations—real-time PCR (RT-PCR) and digital PCR—came to be.

Jan 19, 2023 · This year, it’s turning 40 years old. PCR has been and continues to be employed throughout biological and genetic studies, from university labs and home test kits to hospitals and forensic labs. But how has the initial 1980s iteration of the method been modified to accommodate the needs of scientists today?

Nov 5, 2020 · PCR is an extraordinarily versatile technique with a huge array of applications from identifying tiny fragments of DNA at crime scenes and disaster zones, to diagnosing diseases, and identifying endangered species. There’s RT-PCR, …

Oct 17, 2023 · The story of PCR starts with the isolation of Taq DNA Polymerase from Thermus aquaticus in 1976 by a surprised microbiologist, Thomas Brock, who found them living at temperatures of over 70 degrees Centigrade in hot springs at the Yellowstone National Park.