Rapid PCR

So...this might be my shortest blog post until now. Well, here goes. Do you recall our GMO experiment in which we had to use polymerase chain reactions, or PCR? And do you remember how the thermal cycling involved meant that we would not be able to retrieve our results the day of, and the lab was split between two weeks? Well, it is possible that PCR can be sped up so that it is completed under three minutes!

To brush up, polymerase chain reactions make many, many copies of a specific DNA sequence (as specified by the primers used in the reaction). This amplification allows scientists (or us) to perform genetic tests on these sequences for various purposes. This article states that PCR amplification can be completed in as little time as two minutes and eighteen seconds. Basically, a rapid thermal cycler was created in which the sample's temperature is altered 45 degrees Celsius every second. 30 cycles of PCR can be completed within this time. DNA amplification enzymes, such as polymerases, that are able to work under these conditions were also discovered.

The ability to almost instantly amplify genes could be extremely beneficial to the medical community specifically in addition to the scientific community as a whole.