Laboratory technology · reviewed

Polymerase chain reaction

Conceived in 1983

PCR repeatedly copies a selected DNA segment until it is readily detectable and analyzable.

Conceived by Kary Mullis in 1983 and made practical through enzymes, primers, and thermal cycling, PCR became a foundational method in research, pathogen detection, and genetic testing. Each heating and cooling cycle separates DNA, allows short primers to bind, and lets an enzyme copy the target region. Repeating the cycle produces millions of copies, turning a tiny biological sample into material that can be detected and studied.

Sources

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Fact Sheet — National Human Genome Research Institute, 2020-08-17

Concept map · prerequisites lead toward this node; descendants continue outward.

A laboratory thermal cycler used for PCR — A programmable thermal cycler used to amplify DNA by polymerase chain reaction. Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata. CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikimedia Commons.

Direct relationships

DNA structure→Polymerase chain reactionProvided the base-pairing model exploited by selective amplification · high confidence
Polymerase chain reaction→Molecular diagnosticsMade low-abundance nucleic-acid targets clinically detectable · high confidence