The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a laboratory technique that enzymatically amplifies a specific segment of DNA, generating millions to billions of copies from a small starting sample so that the target sequence can be readily detected, analyzed, or further manipulated. Developed in the 1980s, it has become one…
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a laboratory technique that enzymatically amplifies a specific segment of DNA, generating millions to billions of copies from a small starting sample so that the target sequence can be readily detected, analyzed, or further manipulated. Developed in the 1980s, it has become one of the foundational methods of molecular biology, diagnostics, forensics, and biotechnology. PCR works through repeated thermal cycling: a double-stranded DNA template is denatured by heat, short oligonucleotide primers anneal to flanking sequences, and a thermostable DNA polymerase (such as Taq, derived from Thermus aquaticus) extends new strands, doubling the target with each cycle. Numerous variants have expanded its utility, including reverse-transcription PCR for RNA, quantitative (real-time) PCR for measuring nucleic acid abundance, and multiplex assays that detect several targets simultaneously. These methods underpin pathogen detection, gene-expression studies, genotyping of polymorphisms, and mutation analysis. Articles indexed under this topic apply PCR-based and related nucleic-acid methods to problems such as detecting Mycobacterium bovis infection in cattle, microfluidic microRNA screening for colorectal cancer, analysis of gene polymorphisms in human disease, viral sequence characterization, detection of antimicrobial-resistance genes, and template-independent synthesis of nucleic acid libraries, illustrating the breadth of amplification-based research.
12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The 12 articles above have been cited 54 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Nov 2026.
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Polymerase Chain Reaction, linking to each citing work.