FEW SELECTED APPLICATIONS

•  Used in molecular biology and genetic disease research to identify new genes; for example, the sample containing pathogenic DNA can be PCR amplified using different known specific primers. The amplification indicates presence of pathogenic DNA.

•  Viral targets, such as HIV-1 (Human Immunodeficiency Virus causing AIDS) and HCV (Hepatitis C virus) can also be identified and quantified by PCR. The severity of a viral infection can be measured and calculated by estimating the amount of virus in body fluid called as viral load using real time PCR. Thus it can be calculated as RNA copies per milliliter of blood plasma.

•  In fields such as anthropology and evolution, sequences of degraded ancient DNAs can be tracked after PCR amplification. The source DNA from blood, chorionic villus, amniotic fluid, semen, hair root, saliva can be PCR amplified to produce in huge amounts, which can further be studied through Gel analysis, Restriction digestion, Sequencing etc.

•  With its exquisite sensitivity and high selectivity, PCR has been used for wartime human identification and validated in crime labs for mixed-sample forensic casework. DNA is unique for each single type of organism, which can be exploited to identify an organism.

•  PCR permits early diagnosis of malignant diseases such as leukemia and lymphomas. PCR assays can be performed directly on genomic DNA samples to detect translocation-specific malignant cells, infectious agents, like mycobacterium, anaerobic bacteria, or viruses.

•  PCR - Polymerase Chain Reaction for Site Directed Mutagenesis -This technique is used for introduction of mutations at the desired place in a DNA sequence by altering the sequences of primers.