Genetic Engineering News Using Real-Time PCR for Pathogen Detection Technical Note: Bioinformatics for Use in the Design of TaqMan-based Assays

Traditionally, scientists and clinicians have used assays that involve growing cultures to screen samples for the presence of pathogenic microorganisms. Today, culture-based methods for pathogen detection are rapidly being replaced by faster and more specific Realtime PCR assays that discriminate between microorganisms based on a signal from specific nucleic acid sequences. Applied Biosystems (Part of Life Technologies, Carlsbad, CA) developed a program for designing these same kinds of assays for the detection of pathogenic microbial sequences. These pathogen detection assays can be designed using the same technology that is currently being used for the company’s commercially available gene expression assays, which include predesigned expression assays for human, mouse, rat, Arabidopsis, and Drosophila genes. The Applied Biosystems’ bioinformatics assay design program for producing TaqMan®-based real-time PCR assays for pathogen detection is described here, as well as applications of these assays for biosecurity programs. In collaboration with Tetracore, a biotechnology company based in Gaithersburg, MD, Applied Biosystems used this software tool to produce realtime PCR assays for U.S. Department of Defense biodefense applications.