What value does the real-time quantitative PCR instrument provide in medicine?

Since its birth, the real-time quantitative PCR instrument detection technology has been more and more favored by laboratory teachers. It is a method that uses fluorescent chemicals to measure the total amount of products after each polymerase chain reaction (PCR) cycle in a DNA amplification reaction. A method for quantitative analysis of specific DNA sequences in the sample to be tested by internal reference or external reference method.

Medical research on real-time quantitative pcr instrument:

1. Prenatal diagnosis:

People are still unable to treat genetic diseases caused by genetic material changes. So far, only prenatal monitoring can be used to reduce the birth of sick babies to prevent the occurrence of various genetic diseases. For example, in order to reduce the birth of children with X-linked genetic diseases, separating fetal DNA from the peripheral blood of pregnant women and detecting the Y sex-determining region gene by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR is a non-invasive method that is easily accepted by pregnant women.

2, pathogen detection:

Fluorescence quantitative PCR detection technology can detect Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, Ureaplasma urealyticum, human papilloma virus, herpes simplex virus, human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis virus, influenza virus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Epstein-Barr virus and cytomegalovirus, etc. The pathogen is quantitatively determined. Compared with traditional detection methods, it has the advantages of high sensitivity, less sampling, quickness and simplicity.

3. Evaluation of drug efficacy:

Quantitative analysis of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) shows that the amount of virus is related to the efficacy of certain drugs. HCV is expressed at high levels and is not sensitive to interferon treatment, while HCV is low in titers and interferon is sensitive; during lamivudine treatment, the serum level of HBV-DNA has declined, and then if it rises again or exceeds the previous level , It indicates that the virus has mutated.

4. Tumor gene detection:

Although the mechanism of tumor pathogenesis is not yet clear, it has been widely accepted that mutations in related genes are the root cause of carcinogenic transformation. Increased expression and mutation of oncogenes can appear in the early stages of many tumors. Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR can not only detect gene mutations effectively, but also accurately detect the expression of oncogenes. At present, this method has been used to detect the expression of multiple genes such as telomerase hTERT gene, chronic myelogenous leukemia WT1 gene, tumor ER gene, prostate cancer PSM gene, tumor-related viral genes and so on.