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Archival Research

Archival Research

Some researchers gain access to large amounts of data without interacting with a single research participant. Instead, they use existing records to answer various research questions. This type of research approach is known as archival research. Archival research relies on looking at past records or data sets to look for interesting patterns or relationships. For example, a researcher might access the academic records of all individuals who enrolled in college within the past ten years and...

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RACE - Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends

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In-situ Hybridization

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Optimization of a Multiplex RNA-based Expression Assay Using Breast Cancer Archival Material

Optimization of a Multiplex RNA-based Expression Assay Using Breast Cancer Archival Material

Published on: August 1, 2018

Amplification from archival materials.

¹Department of Chemical Pathology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR.

Methods in Molecular Medicine

|March 11, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) enables amplification of nucleic acids from degraded archival samples. This technique supports large-scale retrospective studies using paraffin-embedded tissues from diverse global institutions.

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Area of Science:

Molecular Biology
Genetics
Biotechnology

Background:

Archival materials, often paraffin-embedded tissues, are crucial for retrospective studies.
Nucleic acid extraction from these samples can be challenging due to degradation and impurities.

Purpose of the Study:

To highlight the utility of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) for amplifying nucleic acid sequences from archival samples.
To emphasize the role of PCR in enabling large-scale retrospective research.

Main Methods:

Utilizing the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique.
Amplifying nucleic acid sequences from partially degraded and impure archival preparations, specifically paraffin-embedded tissues.

Main Results:

Demonstrated the capability of PCR to successfully amplify nucleic acid sequences from challenging archival sources.
Enabled the use of historical, paraffin-embedded tissue samples for molecular analysis.

Conclusions:

PCR is a powerful tool for molecular analysis of archival nucleic acids.
The technique facilitates extensive retrospective studies and international collaborative research using historical samples.