Polymerase chain reaction

Combination of nucleic acid amplification and CRISPR/Cas technology in pathogen detection

Major health events caused by pathogenic microorganisms are increasing, seriously jeopardizing human lives. Currently PCR and ITA are widely used for rapid testing in food, medicine, industry and agriculture. However, due to the non-specificity of the amplification process, researchers have proposed the combination of nucleic acid amplification technology with the novel technology CRISPR for detection, which improves the specificity and credibility of results. This paper summarizes the research progress of nucleic acid amplification technology in conjunction with CRISPR/Cas technology for the detection of pathogens, which provides a reference and theoretical basis for the subsequent application of nucleic acid amplification technology in the field of pathogen detection.

Polymerase chain reaction facilitates archival autopsy studies of sickle cell disease

Archival autopsy studies of sickle cell disease have often been hampered by inadequate documentation of the genotype. Although the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been applied to the prenatal diagnosis of sickle cell disease, its use has not been reported in archival studies of sickle cell disease. In this study, DNAs from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded archival tissues were amplified by PCR and analyzed by dot-blot hybridization using allele-specific oligonucleotides. These S and C genotypes for 9 of 10 archival specimens studied blindly were correctly identified by PCR. The tenth specimen consistently failed to amplify by PCR, yielding no result. These data demonstrate the utility of PCR for retrospective identification of the genotype of sickle cell disease. This application of PCR will significantly expand the number of autopsy cases suitable for retrospective studies of the morbidity and mortality of sickle cell disease.