BACKGROUND RNA extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples is chemically modified and degraded, which compromises its use in gene expression studies. Most of the current approaches for RNA quality assessment are not suitable for FFPE derived RNA. RESULTS We have developed a single-tube multiplex endpoint RT-PCR assay specifically designed to evaluate RNA extracted from FFPE...

Identifying the type(s) of body fluid present in forensic casework exhibits can assist with scene reconstruction and indicate potential activity types. Confirmatory identification be achieved using mRNA-based profiling assays. This commonly involves endpoint reverse-transcription PCR (RT-PCR) capillary electrophoresis (CE) detection. In comparison, real-time quantitative RT-qPCR is more sensiti...

Patients with lung cancers harboring an activating anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement respond favorably to ALK inhibitor therapy. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) are validated and widely used screening tests for ALK rearrangements but both methods have limitations. The ALK RGQ RT-PCR Kit (RT-PCR) is a single tube quantitative real-time PCR as...

PURPOSE The optimal method to assess human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status remains highly controversial. Before reporting patient HER2 results, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)/College of American Pathologists (CAP) guidelines mandate that laboratories demonstrate ≥ 95% concordance to another approved laboratory or methodology. Here, we compare central laboratory HE...

Enterococcus faecalis is frequently recovered from refractory endodontic infections and has been implicated in endodontic treatment failures. This study compared real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay to cultivation for E. faecalis detection and quantitation during endodontic treatment. A reverse-transcription PCR (RT-PCR) assay was also developed to detect the bacterium clinically in the viab...

Human enteric viruses can be present in untreated and inadequately treated drinking water. Molecular methods, such as the reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR), can detect viral genomes in a few hours, but they cannot distinguish between infectious and noninfectious viruses. Since only infectious viruses are a public health concern, methods that not only are rapid but also provide information on t...

Literature indicates that in 95 % of all subjects with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and in 25-30 % of subjects with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) a reciprocal translocation between the long arms of chromosome 9 and chromosome 22 [t(9;22)] can be found. This translocation or the resulting fusion product can be detected by a number of techniques, including fluorescent in situ hybridization...