BACKGROUND We compared the AdvanSure hepatitis B virus real-time polymerase chain reaction (AdvanSure HBV) kit with three other HBV DNA quantification assays and evaluated its performance. METHODS The AdvanSure HBV real-time PCR assay was compared with the Abbott RealTime HBV Quantification Kit, the COBAS TaqMan HBV Test, and the VERSANT HBV branched DNA 3.0 assay. The precision, linearity, a...

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 (...

The management of invasive fungal infections has been hampered by the inability to make a diagnosis at an early stage of the disease. Molecular diagnosis by PCR appears very promising since fungal DNA can be detected in the blood of infected patients earlier than when using conventional methods. Recently, interest in the diagnosis of invasive fungal infections by real-time PCR has increased. Re...

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Gene therapy offers the potential of correcting genetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis (CF). By complementing the non-functional endogenous cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene with a functional transgene, we anticipate it may alleviate the disease phenotype. All approaches to CF gene therapy rely upon sensitive assays to monitor delivery, expression and maintenanc...