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Review
. 1991 Aug;42(8):477-83.

[Polymerase chain reaction--principle and application in medicine]

[Article in German]
K Scharffetter  1 , M Volkenandt, R Sorg, M Wlaschek, B Eckes
Affiliations
  • PMID: 1917467
Review

[Polymerase chain reaction--principle and application in medicine]

[Article in German]
K Scharffetter et al. Hautarzt. 1991 Aug.

Abstract

The polymerase chain reaction, a new molecular technique, is of increasing importance in many areas of medical research and diagnosis. Within hours DNA sequences can be amplified millionfold with very high specificity, making detection and further analysis possible. Using multiple rounds of exponential amplification, even one copy of a gene of interest can be detected by agarose gel electrophoresis and other methods. Furthermore, minute amounts of DNA even from tissue damaged by embedding in paraffin can be analysed. Polymerase chain reaction methodology has already gained significance in many areas of medical research, e.g. diagnosis of inherited diseases, detection of viral DNA in clinical samples, cancer research and diagnosis, and characterization of gene expression.

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