Integrated fluidic circuitsFLUIDIGM CORPORATION
In the past few years, digital PCR has been used to detect and quantify cancer-causing genes in patients’ cells, viral RNA that infects bacteria, and fetal DNA in an expectant mother’s plasma—and has arguably done so better than quantitative, real-time PCR (qPCR), a mainstay of life science laboratories.
Although qPCR is here to stay, there’s much to prefer about digital PCR. Both are used to amplify, detect, and count individual nucleic acid molecules. Digital PCR is more precise, however, which makes it better for quantifying rare genetic mutations, deletions, and duplications in DNA. For example, with digital PCR it is possible to distinguish samples containing 10 copies of a gene from those with 11. In contrast, with qPCR, it is difficult to distinguish even 2 ...
