Research Topic · Peer-Reviewed

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a molecular biology technique that amplifies a specific segment of DNA, generating millions of copies from a small starting sample through repeated cycles of denaturation, primer annealing, and enzymatic extension by a DNA polymerase. Developed in the 1980s, PCR has become a founda…

Curated from this journal's research 📚 12 peer-reviewed articles cited Cited 16× across the literature 🗓 Reviewed June 2026

Overview

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a molecular biology technique that amplifies a specific segment of DNA, generating millions of copies from a small starting sample through repeated cycles of denaturation, primer annealing, and enzymatic extension by a DNA polymerase. Developed in the 1980s, PCR has become a foundational tool across genetics, microbiology, diagnostics, and forensic science because it enables rapid, sensitive, and specific detection of targeted nucleic acid sequences. Variants such as quantitative (real-time) PCR and reverse-transcription PCR extend the method to measuring gene expression and detecting RNA. In the context of transgenics and molecular research, PCR is significant for identifying genes, detecting pathogens, characterising mutations, and verifying genetically modified material. Key aspects include primer design, target specificity, amplification of resistance and virulence genes, and downstream sequence analysis. Research published in this journal applies PCR-based and molecular methods to detection of genetically modified crops, characterisation of antimicrobial resistance mechanisms in bacteria such as Escherichia coli and rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis, association of viruses including Epstein-Barr virus and Helicobacter pylori with disease, gene-polymorphism studies, template-independent nucleic acid synthesis, and proteomic and genomic techniques in medical research, reflecting the technique's broad role in genetic detection, diagnostics, and molecular characterisation.

Research published in this journal

12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

How this research is being cited

The 12 articles above have been cited 16 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), linking to each citing work.

Editorial oversight

Curated from peer-reviewed research published in Transgenics.

Journal editorial board
Jianhui Zhang · United States Massimo Pasqualetti · Italy Lin-Yun Kuang · Taiwan

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.