In fact, PCR is considered the “gold standard” in molecular analysis of nucleic acids, owing to its capability to amplify from as few as 1 to 10 molecules of target, ultimately leading to an increase to the sensitivity of molecular assays. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), introduced by Mullis in 1985 ( Mullis et al., 1986) has become the leading method for DNA amplification with application in all types of molecular detection strategies, such as recognition and identification of infectious pathogens, characterization of genetic disorders, identification of disease biomarkers, gene expression studies, sample preparation for downstream applications and techniques (e.g., sequencing, labelling, etc.), among many others ( Klein 2002).
#Alere molecular diagnostics portable#
Innovations in biotechnology and molecular biology have push forward novel nucleic acid amplification technologies (NAATs) to meet the demands for more efficient, sensitive, specific protocols capable to be integrated into portable systems and for high-throughput analyses. Nevertheless, the future of isothermal amplification methods is still dependent on achieving technical maturity and broader commercialization of enzymes and reagents. These favorable capabilities have pushed forward the implementation and commercialization of several platforms that exploit isothermal amplification methods, mostly against virus, bacteria and other pathogens in water, food, environmental and clinical samples. These non-PCR based methods have been developed by mimicking the in vivo amplification mechanisms, while performing the amplification with high sensitivity, selectivity and allowing for high-throughput analysis. Conversely, isothermal amplification methods have been gaining attention, especially for point-of-care diagnosis and applications. However, the requirement for different working temperatures leads to the need of a thermocycler machine or complex thermal apparatus, which have been preventing its application in novel integrated devices for single workflow and high throughput analysis. Since its development, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) has been the most exploited method, being stablished as the “gold standard” technique for DNA amplification. Nucleic acid amplification technologies (NAATs) have become fundamental tools in molecular diagnostics, due to their ability to detect small amounts of target molecules. 2i4HB, Associate Laboratory-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal.1Nanomedicine Group, UCIBIO, Dept, Ciências da Vida, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal.Oliveira 1,2 Bruno Veigas 3 Pedro Viana Baptista 1,2*
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