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Published on: March 9, 2016
dPCR vs. qPCR: The role of Poisson statistics at low concentrations
1Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37235, USA.
Abstract:
The ultimate precision in both dPCR and qPCR experiments is limited by the Poisson statistics in the total number m of template molecules in the sample, giving relative standard deviation 1/m. This means that precision is limited by sample volume at low concentrations. Accordingly qPCR instruments, used in dPCR mode, can give better precision than dPCR instruments in this limit. For example, 13% standard deviation can be achieved with a 96-well plate for number concentrations ~20-5000 mL-1. For fixed m, qPCR loses to dPCR by a factor of ~2 in precision when calibration is needed.

