Setting the bar

Kubista, M., Tichopad, A. Setting the bar. European Pharmaceutical Review, 17(5): 53-56, 2012.

Abstract

During the last two decades, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) has emerged as the preferred technique for molecular analysis of nucleic acids in medical research, drug development and in molecular diagnostics. The wider use of qPCR in routine and its spread into clinical practice requires qPCR results to be reliable and reproducible. Reports scrutinising the literature suggest this may not always be the case. Here we discuss some of the challenges in high quality, high performance qPCR and provide recommendations how to set up a study.