Polymerase Chain Reaction Technique: Fundamental Aspects and Applications in Clinical Diagnostics

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a powerful method for the rapid amplification of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). The PCR-technique was developed by Dr. K. B. Mullis for which he received the Novel prize in 1993. The PCR-technique employs the enzyme DNA-polymerase to multiply selectively a single molecule of DNA several million folds in a few hours. It is finding a host of applications not only in fundamental molecular biological research, but also in medicine and clinical medicine particularly in clinical diagnostics.