An Overview of Real-Time PCR Platforms

Real-time PCR continues to have a major impact across many disciplines of the biological sciences and this has been a driver to develop and improve existing instruments. From the fi rst two commercial platforms introduced in the mid 1990s, there is now a choice in excess of a dozen instruments, which continues to increase. Advances include faster thermocycling times, higher throughput, fl exibility, expanded optical systems, increased multiplexing and more user-friendly software. In this chapter the main features of each instrument are compared and factors important to weigh up when deciding on a platform are highlighted. History of Real-time PCR Today it is clear that few techniques have had such a powerful impact on biology than the development of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). More recently the PCR has become even more sophisticated with the introduction of real-time PCR. Initial work by Higuchi and caister.com/pcrbooks