Principles and applications of the polymerase chain reaction

The invention of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique for nucleic acid amplification has had a major impact on many diverse areas of both basic and clinical research. Since its inception in 1985, reports on a wide variety of applications for PCR have received much attention in scientific and medical literature. This technology has been shown to have wide applicability to the diagnosis of human disease, including such diverse areas as infectious diseases, genetic disorders, and cancer. This article presents a broad overview of the principles of PCR including generic concerns that must be addressed when using or designing PCR-based assays. The application of PCR-based assays for the diagnosis of genetic disorders and for infectious disease testing is also discussed.