Digital PCR and the QuantStudio™ 3D Digital PCR System

The great promise of digital PCR is the potential for unparalleled precision enabling accurate measurements for detection and quantification of genetic material. This chapter walks the reader through the fundamentals of digital PCR technology including digital PCR modeling using Poisson statistics. It describes a highly successful implementation of digital PCR technology using the chip-based nanofluidic Applied Biosystems™ QuantStudio™ 3D digital PCR system. It reviews the large number of applications where digital PCR is poised to make significant impacts. These include applications where detection of rare genetic targets is prioritized such as liquid biopsy, rare mutation detection, confirmation of NGS variant detection, detection of fusion transcripts, detection of chimerism and GMO detection and monitoring. These further include applications where accurate quantification of genetic targets is prioritized such as generation of references and standards, copy number variation, and NGS Library quantification.