Quantitative real-time PCR eliminates false-positives in colony screening PCR

We report an alternative approach to colony screening using real-time PCR (qPCR) which can be used instead of the traditional end-point PCR to eliminate false-positives and reduce processing times. False-positive transformants can easily be distinguished from true-positives by comparing Ct values derived from qPCR amplification curves. In addition, the use of qPCR allows for more efficient processing since a gel electrophoresis step is not required and the screening process is no longer limited by the capacity of the gel apparatus.