Since its development in the 1980s, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has revolutionized the field of molecular biology. It has proven to be an invaluable tool that is fast, specific and cost effective.

PCR has many diverse applications. To list a few:

• Detection of organisms (using genus or species specific primers)
• Genetic identification (PCR coupled with sequencing)
• Rapid diagnosis of diseases (using gene specific primers)
• Detection of mutations (PCR coupled with sequencing)
• DNA Fingerprinting

PCR can be used directly in identification or applied as a preliminary step to further investigation. At MEI, we employ this technology to provide unequivocal identification and characterization of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms as well as in DNA fingerprinting to determine precise inter- and intra-strain similarity.